Chapter 10
It had been years since Fiona had worked as a server, but after several days of training, she felt like she still had it. It helped that Hearth was a family-owned fine dining restaurant, which was a far cry from the chains she’d worked at in New York City. She figured if she did a good job, she could make some decent cash while she got her clientele up and running at her salon suite.
It had been a few weeks since Porter had offered her the job. Fiona didn’t know what he and David had to do to get the restaurant ready during that time, but based off of the bags under his eyes and the way he kept running his hands through his hair, she could tell it had caused Porter a lot of stress.
Still, he and David handled the training sessions with plenty of grace. All of the servers were experienced, which helped. And they’d opted for an all-black uniform, which saved Fiona a shopping trip.
Tonight was the soft opening for friends and family, and Fiona couldn’t believe how nervous she felt. This was a temporary gig, after all. She knew it, her friends knew it, and Porter and David knew it. But that didn’t matter now. Fiona saw how hard Porter and David had worked to get to this point, and she wasn’t about to screw things up for them. Service could make or break a new business, so she wanted to give it her all.
“It’ll be a full house tonight,” said Jeremiah, one of the servers Fiona had trained with. He smiled at her as he tied a black apron around his waist. “I’m kind of nervous.”
“Me too,” Fiona said, smiling back at him. Her first impression of the rest of the staff had been mostly positive. The severs, busboys and other chefs all seemed welcoming enough, not that she’d spent a ton of time with them yet. Training was one thing; the pressure of a slammed Friday night was another thing entirely.
From the back of the kitchen, David whistled. “Can everyone gather around for a second?”
He and Porter waited for everyone to join them, and then Porter addressed the group. Fiona had only seen him in casual clothes so far, but he looked like a true professional in his white chef’s coat with contrasting black buttons.
“This night has been a long time coming,” he started. “Sometimes it felt like it would never get here. But now, with this incredible team, I believe Hearth will be a phenomenal addition to Savannah’s legendary restaurant scene.”
“And remember,” David added. “Tonight is all about working out the kinks, seeing where we need to improve. So please keep an eye out for anything that’s not working, and we’ll do our best to fix it before we open in a couple days. We are open to any feedback you have.”
“And with that,” Porter said, grinning, “Hearth is officially open! Ava, you can unlock the door.”
As soon as the guests started filing in, Fiona could feel herself fall right back into server mode. It was more exhausting than she’d remembered, but there was also something exciting about it. At the height of her serving days, Fiona could operate off of memory alone. But she wasn’t about to risk that tonight. She’d made careful notes on her notepad about the specials, the drinks, and everything else she needed to remember to tell the guests.
The first couple tables went well, and the food was coming out in a timely manner, which was a relief. But Fiona perked up even more when she saw Stella and Cassie seated in her section.
“Welcome to Hearth, how are you two doing tonight?” Fiona asked them.
Stella grinned. “You look so cute in your little server’s outfit!”
“Thank you,” Fiona said, with a flourish of her hand. “How about some drinks to start? Our Sazerac is wonderful if you like whiskey, or we have a delicious French 75 if you’re feeling celebratory.”
“We’re each starting with two drinks, right Cass?” Stella asked. “To report on our findings?”
“Since you’re buying, yes,” Cassie said, frowning at the menu. “I’ll start with the Sazerac and one of these mocktails…the pineapple grapefruit one.”
“Excellent choices,” Fiona said, marking it down.
“An aperol spritz for me, and the chardonnay,” Stella said.
Cassie scrunched her nose. “Together? I have a headache just thinking about it.”
“We are here to give feedback,” Stella said, gesturing to Fiona. “It’s our duty to try as much of the menu as possible.”
“I’ll be right back with those drinks,” Fiona told them. She knew how they could get after a couple drinks. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to get the two of them out of the restaurant before closing.
By the time Fiona brought out their entrees, Stella and Cassie looked like they were cozying up with the table behind them. The table that just so happened to be Jen from the Midnight Bistro, and her wife, Rosemary.
Fiona tried not to be nervous around them, but Jen was a successful restaurant owner herself, and she clearly had a lot of pull with Porter. Fiona didn’t want to lose her job before the restaurant officially opened, so she did her very best to be charming and affable with every table – but especially Jen’s.
She was about to clear Stella’s and Cassie’s plates when Jen waved her over.
“So Fiona,” she started, and Fiona immediately began to sweat. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”
Fiona was fairly certain every ounce of color drained from her face right then.
“Sure,” she said, glancing around to see if Porter was watching.
“I’ve been talking to your friends,” she said, and both Stella and Cassie turned to join the conversation. “They told me about your new business.”
“Oh, it’s not really anything yet,” Fiona said. “We’re still working out the details.”
“I love the idea,” Rosemary said, tossing her blonde shoulder-length hair. “It’s my fortieth next week and Jen’s throwing me a 1940s inspired party at the lounge. Are you accepting clients?”
From behind her, Fiona heard Stella gasp. “A red lip would be fabulous on you.”
“A week is too soon for a custom piece,” Cassie added, “but I know a store downtown that has these gorgeous vintage inspired dresses.”
Guess that’s a yes, Fiona thought. She hadn’t checked her schedule for the restaurant or the salon, but she was going to have to find a way to make this work.
“Absolutely,” Fiona told them.
Stella squealed. “I’ll get your numbers and we’ll get it set up. Don’t worry about anything, Fi, I’ll get them booked. Oh, except we need the dessert menus.”
“Of course,” Fiona said, feeling giddy, and headed back to the kitchen.