Chapter 16 #2
“Jared, hi,” she said, then paused to take a long sip of water. He should probably hydrate too. Working in the kitchen was hot, thirsty work.
“How is everything going out here?” he asked, leaning against the wall at her side.
She brightened. “Oh my gosh, it’s so good. That new system is really working.”
Jared frowned. “What… new system?”
Lana seemed impervious to his sudden stormy mood.
“Oh, well, Hope, the new hire, suggested it.” To Jared’s surprise, Lana pulled—was that a poker chip she had in her apron?
“Basically, each server gets one color of chip, and they put it down on their tables. That way, we don’t get people doubling up, like they have been when the zones changed recently. ”
It was a good idea. Immediately, Jared saw that it was a good idea. Sure, seeing a poker chip on a table was a little weird, but Riverstone Kitchen wasn’t super stuffy or uptight, so that part of it didn’t really bother him.
Except…
Except he did have a sudden flare of annoyance. Hope was only on her very first day! And she came in here and changed all his systems?
Even though he knew, somewhere deep in the back of his mind, that he was being more than a little ridiculous, he couldn’t stop himself from heading out onto the floor and finding the newest member of his staff.
“Hope,” he said tersely. “Can I have a word?”
When she turned, she had a smile on her face, but one glance at Jared’s glower caused that smile to drop away. He felt awful for being the person to kill her good cheer, but some stubborn defensiveness inside him refused to be dispelled.
“Yeah, yeah, of course,” she said, wiping her hands quickly on a napkin she had folded in her apron pocket. “What’s up, boss?”
He supposed that technically he was her boss, but being addressed that way made him feel strangely inclined to wince. He shoved it back.
They moved together toward a small alcove that was out of sight of the dining room. It was a common space for the workers to get a moment to catch their breaths when they didn’t have quite enough time to retreat to the break room.
“Did you implement a new system for my wait staff?” Jared asked. Okay, yes, now he definitely sounded defensive.
She offered him an apologetic cringe. “Oh, shoot, sorry. Should I have talked to you and not Lana? I have used this system before, especially for shifts where zones might change based on need. I saw that people were accidentally doubling up on tables, and I thought since things were so busy around here that maybe it would help out, would smooth things over. I’m really sorry if I overstepped. ”
Her apology took all of the wind out of Jared’s sails. He sighed.
“No, you didn’t,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m being difficult for no reason. It’s a great idea. It sounds like it will really help. Thank you.”
“Well, maybe wait until I finish to decide if you want to thank me,” she said, scrunching up her nose.
The sight made him feel even less annoyed.
She really was too cute. “Because I also started a list up at the hostess’ station to say who is the next waitress due for a table.
That way, the hostess doesn’t need to always be making a game-time decision.
Makes things a little more fluid for everyone. ”
Jared hung his head.
“Nope,” he said. “I’m still thanking you. That’s a really good idea.”
When he glanced up, Hope was looking at him a bit cautiously, as if she wasn’t convinced that he was genuine. He sighed.
“I mean it,” he said, hoping he sounded a little more compelling.
“I haven’t ever really worked in a front of house role, so your insight is really helpful.
I have a good team here, but most everybody working here is a local, which means that they aren’t career restaurant people. Your insight is super helpful.”
“But?” she prompted.
He let out a breathy laugh. “But I didn’t expect you to come in and identify quite so many things I could be doing better on your very first day. It made me feel like I was doing a bad job, I guess, and then I got defensive. I’m sorry. Can I blame it on stupid male pride?”
She was smiling now, and seeing her smile restored made him feel a whole heck of a lot better. He might be overly sensitive about the changes she’d wrought, albeit briefly, but at least he wasn’t the kind of guy who made a woman he liked lose her sparkle.
Because, yeah, it was time that he admitted it to himself. He liked her. And that was part of why he had felt so prickly over Hope so immediately identifying places that his business could improve. He wanted her to think that he was impressive, not that he was missing obvious things.
But that was personal. And he couldn’t let his business be personal, not if he wanted to succeed.
“It’s not stupid,” Hope reassured him. “And I promise that it isn’t only men who sometimes lose sight of things because of pride. And no, before you ask, I will not be giving any examples that show me in a poor light, I’m trying to look cool and competent on my first day of work.”
He couldn’t help but laugh because of course that had been precisely what he’d wanted to ask about.
“Okay, okay, fair enough,” he said.
“Anyway,” Hope went on, a teasing gleam in her eye, “I did think you were the kind of man who could accept a little help. And, hiccups aside, it looks like you are.”
She said it as though she was proud of him, as though his openness pleased her. And that pleased him, in turn.
He really was making the most utter fool of himself over this woman. Fortunately, he’d managed to keep most of that foolishness inside his brain where it belonged.
“I am,” he agreed. “Or, at least, I try to be. Thanks for bearing with me through my… how did you put it? Hiccup.”
“Of course,” she said, grinning. “Now, you’re going to have to let me get back to work. Don’t want to get caught shirking on my first day. It’ll get me in trouble with my boss.”
She accompanied this comment with a saucy little wink that showed the teasing nature of her words. Despite himself, Jared laughed.
And as she walked away, he had to admit that he wasn’t only just impressed with Hope on a personal level. He also could not deny that she was a wonderfully helpful addition to his business.