There was a moment of silence, followed by stunned applause.
Walker went over a few more minor points, then ended the meeting. After speaking with each person individually, he took Ron aside.
“Anything else?” he asked the manager.
Ron shifted uneasily. “Nothing I can’t handle.”
Walker had wondered if the other man would come clean or if he, Walker, would have to mention it first. He would bet Ron’s reluctance was more about his fear of Gloria than his character.
“Someone’s stealing liquor,” Walker said flatly. “I went over how much you’re buying versus how much you’re selling and the numbers don’t add up. Even spilling a bottle a day, you’re still coming up short.”
Ron swallowed. “I know,” he admitted. “I’m trying to figure out who’s doing it. I have a good idea, but I’m waiting to catch him. I didn’t mention it before because…” He shrugged. “I wanted to present the problem and the solution.”
He wanted to save his job, Walker thought, not really able to blame him. Hearing the news of liquor theft, Gloria would have fired Ron immediately.
“I’ll give you a week,” Walker told him. “If you haven’t fixed things by then, I’ll come in and fix them for you.” He was willing to give Ron a little more time, but not to be taken advantage of.
“That’s fair,” Ron said. “So, how long have you been in the restaurant business?”
“About ten days.”
Ron looked surprised. “You’re good at it.”
“I was in the Marines before that. I led men into fights I knew we might lose, in which a lot of them were going to end up dead. Compared to that, this is easy.”
“JUST A LITTLE LOWER,” Penny said with a moan as she lay back, eyes closed, body supported by several sofa cushions. “Oh, yes. Just like that.”
Reid dug his thumbs into the ball of her foot and wondered what it was about women and foot rubs.
“Shouldn’t Cal be doing this?” he asked.
“He should and he will when he gets home. In the meantime, you’re here and I’m taking shameless advantage of you.” She opened one eye. “Does this make you uncomfortable? Is it too intimate?”
“We’re talking about your feet, Penny,” he said.
“But it’s something guys do to get women into bed.” She opened the other eye. “You do realize I’ve never had a sexual thought about you? Even once. And now I can’t imagine having sex ever again. I’m so huge and swollen. It’s disgusting.”
Penny was his friend, so he accepted her words in the spirit he knew she meant them. It wasn’t as if he’d ever seen Penny as anything but another sister. As for Cal, well, his brother had his sympathy.
“Remind me never to have kids,” he muttered.
“You’re careful, you should be fine.” She closed her eyes again and moaned as he pulled on her toes. “You’re really good at this.”
“Practice.”
“When I feel human again, I must remember to ask one of your women what you’re like in bed. I mean, you have numbers that would impress a rock star, but what’s the style like?”
He thought of the screams and moans, not to mention the nail marks on his back. “I do okay,” he said modestly.
“If your foot rubs are anything to go by, then you do better than okay.” She placed her hands on her stomach. “Come out, come out, wherever you are. Mommy is more than ready to have you in this world.”
“Just a couple more weeks.”
“Easy for you to say. You can still sleep at night. I just lie there, hating how I feel. On the plus side, he or she is very active.”
“Still don’t know the gender, huh?”
“We want it to be a surprise.” She thrust her other foot at him. “Have you been to see Gloria?”
“A couple of times.”
Penny raised her eyebrows. “Really?”
“She’s old and frail.”
“Since when?”
He smiled. “Don’t worry. I still know she’s a snake, but I kinda feel sorry for her.”
“Then you’re the best one to handle her nursing care. How’s that going?”
“I spoke with her doctor, along with a physical therapist. I have some names. We’ll work three nurses in rotating eight-hour shifts, with a fourth to cover days off. Whoever Gloria hates the least will get the prized day shift.”
“I’m impressed.”
He scowled. “I’m not useless. I can do more than throw a baseball.”
Not that he wanted to, but he didn’t have a choice anymore. He swore silently, knowing better than to go down that road.
“Still, it’s nice of you to look after this,” Penny said.
“Cal and Dani are too emotionally tied up with Gloria to deal with it and Walker’s running the business. Oh, Gloria said to bring the baby to her as soon as he’s born.”
“I assume that was an order,” she said mildly.
“You bet.”
She opened her eyes again. “I feel sorry for her, too. She had so much—a great business, a large family, and now there’s nothing. You and Walker are neutral about her. Cal and Dani obviously dislike her. No one wants anything to do with her.”
“It’s not like you to be so kind,” he said.
“I know. It’s because I don’t have to deal with her. When we’re both back at work and she’s bugging me about my menus and making snide comments about the food I cook, then I’ll hate her, too. But until then, I can afford to be generous.”
“Maybe Walker will stay in charge of things. He might find he likes running the company.”
“I wish,” she said, “but my luck’s not that good. Besides, being in
