“I know. I promised myself I'd try to do better.” Hannah laughed. “No more helicopter mom.”
“Hover Mother.” Brie laughed at Hannah's sound of derision.
“I've got to run. Have a wonderful day.”
“Thanks, Mom. Have fun at the book fair.”
She disconnected the call and leaned back in her chair, a faint smile lingering on her face. “Hey, Boss. Did you hear what happened to Mrs. P.'s place?” Lola, her hostess and front of house manager, stood at her door.
Brie shook her head. “No, when I came to work this morning, I saw a patrol car there, but I didn't stop.”
“Mrs. P. was outside sweeping up when I walked by. Some asshole threw a brick through her plate-glass window.”
“Why would anyone do that? It's a small travel agency. Someone mad at a bad cruise booking?”
“No. She's really upset though.” Lola leaned against the door frame. “Scary.”
“That's so sad. Hey, put a to-go order in for her and have someone take it to her before we open.”
Lola smiled. “I figured you'd want to do that. I already talked to the chef. If you didn't mention it, I would pick up the tab.”
“Nonsense. We take care of our neighbors. Oh, speaking of which, if Councilman Davis comes in, let me know.”
Lola nodded. “Sure will. Are they still stalling the ordinance change?”
“Unfortunately, yes. I gave them the petition with the signatures, we've done the yearly cost breakout for the delivery, even gotten insurance quotes and told them we would not hold the city responsible, would fund the program, and would sign waivers, but somehow it keeps getting pushed to the side for more urgent business. I hate wasting food.”
“I'll keep my eyes open.” She glanced at her watch. “I better get up to the front, we open in twenty minutes. Oh, Jeremy is running late. His babysitter called in sick, so he's scrambling to find someone.”
“Do we have enough servers without him?”
Lola shrugged. “We could get by if need be, and I could bus when I don't have to work the stand.”
“No, I'll bus the tables. Move Parker to cover Jeremy's tables, he's done it a couple times, and although he doesn't like it, he's competent. Tell Mark I need him to keep the front of the house running and you need to stay at the hostess station. Also, please call Jeremy and tell him he's got the day off with pay. Hopefully, he'll be able to find alternate care if the sitter is out longer than today.”
Lola blinked and then shook her head. “You know, I don't think another boss in the city would bus tables for one of their servers, let alone give them the day off with pay.”
Brianna frowned. “I'm sure there are many who would do the same thing.”
“Boss, nobody has a heart as big as yours. We know we have it good here, and you got to know we are proud of what this place has become.”
“It has been a team effort, that's for sure. Lord knows I didn't do this by myself.” Brianna stood and stretched. “I’m going to change my shoes. I have a pair of flats in my SUV. Change the schedule and call Jeremy for me, okay?”
“Got it.”
She grabbed her keys and made her way through the kitchen. She snatched a baby carrot from Carol's cutting board. Carol's eyes got huge, and she spun. “Chef, Brianna's pinching food again.”
She heard her chef's booming laugh throughout the kitchen. “She bought the food, she can eat it.” Chef Roger Plummer turned away from the massive stovetop. “But not all of it, some goes to the customers.”
Brianna stuck her tongue out at Carol. The woman laughed so hard she snorted and that set off the rest of the kitchen. Carol's laugh was contagious. Brie ate half of the baby carrot before she headed to the back door. She shoved the rest of the carrot in her mouth and concentrated on getting the key for her old SUV untangled from the keys for the restaurant. She managed it and popped the back door open. It only took a moment to grab the shoes and shut the door.
“You know who owns this place?”
Spinning, she gasped and backed up, slamming into the side of her SUV. “My God, you scared me.”
An ugly smile spread across the man's face. His teeth were rotted and grey, which matched the pallor of his skin. Thick, ratty blonde hair fell in a snarl over his brow. He stepped closer, and another man stepped into view from the other side of her SUV.
“I asked you a question. You know who owns this place?”
The man's breath made her cringe and turn her head. “It would be best if you left now.” Brianna nodded to the back door. “If I don't go back in there in the next minute, they'll come looking for me.”
“That so?” He stepped closer and sneered.
Brianna straightened to her full height, realizing that the man was shorter than she was. With her shoes held to her chest, she stepped forward. The man's eyes widened for a moment, taken aback. “Why do you want to know?”
The other man moved closer. The talker, emboldened by his backup, smiled.
“Hey Brie, phone call for you.” Lola stood at the top of the stairs, the door held open. “You okay?”
“Ah, yeah. I'm fine.”
The men drifted away from her and headed down the alley. Brie drew a deep breath. What a weird experience. She headed to where Lola waited. “Could you take a message? I need to use the bathroom and change.” She held up her shoes and headed up the stairs.
“Sure, but it's Sexy Voice.” Lola waggled her eyes.
Ryker. She chuckled and nodded. “Okay, yeah, I'll pick up in my office.” She darted through the kitchen, barely cognizant of the people or the controlled chaos of lunch service prep. She closed her office door and drew a deep breath, and
