Chapter Nineteen
“Are you serious? Would you really give me a job here?”
Leon grins. “Of course! If you want one, that is.”
“Hell yeah, I do! What would I be doing? I don’t know much about restaurants, but I can learn.
I’ll learn how to cook anything you want.
I’ll listen to cooking audiobooks and become a gourmet chef.
Or I can be a hostess! I think I’d like that.
I could show people to their seats and give children crayons for their kids menus and say, ‘Welcome to Fireside, my name is Naomi!’”
“You can do whatever you like,” he says kindly, “but I’m hoping you’ll help with the decorating.”
I stare at him. “Really? Me?”
“Remember those Rocky Horror cutouts?” he says.
“You made it look like they were holding a séance, which was so weird but also so awesome? Like, it’s the sort of thing people would remember if they came in and saw it.
” I snort, remembering how many hours I spent arranging that scene, which indeed nobody came in and saw.
I’d forgotten all about it. “I’m counting on you to make the place fun and memorable. A whole experience.”
I’m so excited, I could bounce off the walls like a rubber ball.
“I can do that! Oooh, I have so many ideas already. If you’re going to have fake trees, we can hide little birds in them, and play nature sounds from tiny speakers.
Maybe a waterfall feature somewhere? It doesn’t have to be big.
Wait, yes it does! We’ll put FISH in it!
” I shake his shoulders. “Real fish, Leon!” I’m chattering away, but then I think—“Brandy! Wait till she hears! You’re going to invite her to work here too, right? ”
“I was going to, but I heard she got hired somewhere else.”
“Oh, she hates it there.” I’ve already got my phone out. “Brandy!” I shriek as soon as she answers. Leon laughs while I tell her to hurry up and get down to the Junk Yard.
Minutes later, she runs through the door. She’s wearing Golden Girls PJs, flip-flops, and a perfect smoky eye. Leon pulls two more name tags out of a drawer: one that says brANDY and another that says MELISSA.
Brandy pins hers to her shirt and throws the other one in the garbage. Leon arches a brow.
“I can’t believe we’re all going to work together again!” she exclaims, tearing up. “My boss is so gross, you have no idea. According to my five-year plan, I’m still three years away from being able to move, so I need a win right now.”
Leon looks pleased to know he’s got two familiar faces on board with this new venture.
“I’ve got to warn you, I’ve never run a restaurant before.
Or any kind of business. But my aunt has, and she’s going to be joining us.
There’s always a possibility it won’t be as successful as I’m hoping, so you’d be taking a chance.
And in the beginning, I can’t afford to pay more than minimum wage—”
“I don’t care,” Brandy interjects.
I’m in agreement. “I love this place. I want to be a part of whatever it is you’re going to do with it.
” The more I think about it, the stronger the vision grows in my mind’s eye.
I’ll affix large, mossy stones around the windows and hang a canoe on the wall.
Maybe we can give it an Alaska-outdoorsy feel, which Brandy will love.
First thing tomorrow I’m going into my backyard to collect sticks, which I’ll twist into miniature trees with twine or use to adorn forest lanterns.
I’m going to need some stuffed raccoons for sure.
“I can’t believe you’re actually doing this,” I say.
“This is—wow. Good for you, Leon!” I slug his shoulder, then add, “Duncan.”
“You remembered!”
“Yeah, yeah.” I wave him off, but he’s smiling. “How’s the car?”
“Better than yours,” he quips. “How’s the house?”
“Wonderful. I can’t tell you how glad I am that Nicholas bought it.”
“Did it work?”
I’m not sure I heard him right. “Did what work?”
“The house,” he replies. “Nicholas told me it was going to save you. She’s worth the pain of trying, is how he put it. Worth the risk of failing.”
My mouth pops open. “Did he? Well—yes. I suppose it did work. Or at least, I think it did. Hope it did.” When Nicholas threw me a curveball with the purchase of that house and told me it was going to save us, I’d been ready to give up.
I feel a rush of affection and appreciation for Nicholas, who held on.
“What?” Brandy pokes him. “Did I miss something?”
“We like Nicholas now,” Leon informs her. She frowns, but he nods solemnly. “We do. He’s a good guy.”
She looks at me suspiciously. “Are you sure you’re happy with him? Sometimes I’ve wondered, but didn’t want to say anything in case I was wrong.”
“I’m happy.” I blink as it hits me how true this is. “Really, genuinely happy,” I admit, and then I go “Oof” because Brandy envelops me in a crushing hug.
“All right, then. If we like Nicholas now, then I’m going to make nice. We’ll double-date and do those wine and painting parties.” This is one of the reasons why I love Brandy. She roots for other people’s joy. “Nicholas’ll like Vance. Did I tell you he’s an optometrist?”
Leon and I both smile. “Many times.”
“They can bond over long talks about health insurance and bad patients or something.”
Leon watches me pin my name badge onto my shirt so that I match Brandy. “The way you’re dressed, it’s like you showed up today knowing you were going to end up working here.” He motions at the hat. “Very Backwoods Buffet. It’s hard not to suspect that Nicholas gave you a tip-off.”
“He didn’t. He did tell me to drive by the Junk Yard, though.”
“Ahh. Sneaky.”
I don’t know whether to text Nicholas with HOW COULD YOU KEEP THIS A SECRET or BLESS YOUR GORGEOUS SOUL.
“A mastermind,” I agree. “Actually, I wore this outfit today because I thought it might suit the job interview I was on my way to. Which I need to call up and cancel . . .” I reach into my purse and pull out a completed application.
“When did you say the job starts, again?”
“No later than April. Maybe March, if I can swing it. You still going to be unemployed by then?”
“I’m all in,” Brandy says automatically.
That’s a few months away. Well past January twenty-sixth, which in my head has signaled the time of death on my relationship with Nicholas. I don’t think that’s the case anymore. I think that come April, I’ll still be living in that house in the woods.
“Yes, I’m going to wait for this job.”
He shakes Brandy’s hand, then mine. “Welcome aboard.”
Brandy glances at the application in my other hand, then frowns and does a double take. “I wouldn’t be using Melissa as a reference if I were you.”
“I’m not.”
She points at the number I have listed as my reference. “That’s Melissa’s number.”
“No, it’s—” I scroll through my contacts and stop dead. She’s right. I’d meant to supply Melvin Howard’s information and gotten Melvin mixed up with Melissa. “Oh, shit. This is the number I’ve been giving out everywhere I apply.”
Her jaw drops. “No.”
“Yes.”
“Oh no, Naomi.” She puts her hands over her mouth and snort-laughs. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t laugh. It’s terrible. I’m so sorry, I really am.”
The only reason I’m able to laugh along with her is that I’ve got a job now. “Laughing through my tears,” I pretend-sob. “I don’t want to assume that Melissa sabotaged me, but I also really want to think that now, because it’d be so nice to blame her for all those jobs turning me down.”
“Melissa’s the worst. Just for you, I’m gonna go to Let’s Get Crafty after this and mess up all the shelves. It’ll take her ages to put everything back where it goes.”
I give her a hug. “My sweet little protégé has come so far.”
After I call my interviewer at the campground to cancel, we play Would You Rather and What’s That Stain—the answer to which is almost always Zach, since he liked to secretly shake our sodas before we opened them.
Brandy tells me he’s busy forming a new religion in Florida.
That absolutely sounds like something Zach would say, but whether he’s telling the truth is anybody’s guess. The man is an enigma.
Brandy and I head out to grab lunch for the three of us, and then it’s just like old times again, minus Melissa and Zach.
We’re surrounded by sketches of what the Junk Yard is going to look like this spring, mocking up logos and a big road sign.
Brandy uses a pencil to turn a hamburger grease stain on one of the papers into a lumpy rectangle. “And that’ll be the karaoke machine.”
“The what now?” says Leon.
“Oooh!” I squeal. “Karaoke! Brandy, that’s a great idea. Five stars.”
He stares at the grease stain with a look of revulsion. “Karaoke in a restaurant called Backwoods Buffet?”
“Yeah, and we’ll do luaus! We’ll put leis and grass skirts on your grizzly bears.” I beam at him. “Don’t lie. You love it. This is my decoration genius at work, remember.”
He groans.
“All right, I’ve gotta go.” Brandy wipes her salty fingers on my knee and I wipe mine on her back.
Leon shakes his head at us. “Have to sit in a hot warehouse for the next eight hours while Bob, my boss, follows me around complaining about his ex-wife because he thinks women exist to listen to his problems. I can’t wait to be out of there.
” She points sternly at Leon. “Don’t you dare back out of this. ”
“I can’t even tell you how much money I would lose if I backed out of this,” Leon replies. “If I go down, you’re all going down with me.”
“Good. Because I’m going to spend the rest of the day dreaming about how I’m going to quit. I’m thinking it will be very dramatic. I’ll throw a drink in Bob’s face and say ‘Go to hell!’ and it will be amazing.”
“Everyone will applaud,” I say.