I was angry at Matt for lying to me, betraying me, leading me on, and then walking away from me. And I was angry at him for leaving me in a situation where none of my friends really believed I didn’t have any more of an idea about what was going on than they did. And the worst part? It occurred to me that there was really no explanation Matt could have given me that would have pushed me away instead of having me stand by.
I mean if he was blackmailing Marco, then he could only do that if Marco had done something bad enough he needed to keep it a secret, and I couldn’t say he didn’t deserve to lose his job after the way he treated me, and for firing James, which I did manage to find out was all because James had come to work ten minutes late.
Instead, Matt had walked away from me, leaving me heart broken and angry. Well, he had made his choice and I was done letting him take up space in my head. My life had been just fine before he came along, and while I couldn’t deny being with him had made it better, I knew it would be just fine again.
None of that stopped the dread from sitting in a tight ball in my stomach as I hung my coat up in the break room. Another reason for my rule of not dating a coworker. I would have to face Matt at work. Would have to close up with him, just the two of us. That would be awkward to say the least.
I take a deep breath and walk out of the break room with my head held high. I’m not the one who has caused this between us, and I’m damned if I’m going to be the one who feels like they have to hide away.
As I step into the corridor, I see a man in a suit walking along it towards me. “Excuse me, sir?” I say. “The customer restrooms are back that way. I can show you.”
The man smiles at me. “That’s good to know. Callie, right?”
I nod, wondering how the customer knows my name. And why he’s still coming towards me, instead of turning around. I guess it’s going to be one of those nights.
The customer reaches me and holds out his hand. “Stewart Gillespie. I’m the new manager,” he says with a warm smile.
“Oh,” I say, taking his hand and shaking it. “I’m so sorry, I had no idea you would be starting today.”
“Don’t worry about it. I didn’t know myself until a couple of hours ago. I was originally employed for a different restaurant, but well, here I am,” he says, returning my smile.
Already I like him better than I ever liked Marco. His smile seems warm but professional, and I don’t feel like he’s trying to undress me with his eyes.
“I was told you’re the shift supervisor here and that you could show me the ropes,” he says. “Obviously, I know how the whole manager thing works. I’ve been doing it for long enough. But if you could just walk me through the staff, who’s who, the hours they work, that kind of thing, I would really appreciate it.”
So Marco did file the paperwork. I haven’t lost my promotion. At least something good has come out of this. “Sure,” I say, glad to have an excuse not to immediately go to the dining room and have to face Matt.
I follow him along the corridor and into the office that was Marco’s and is now his. I am dying to ask him if he knows what went down with Marco, but I decide it’s extremely unprofessional, and I bite my tongue about the whole situation. “So did you get the short straw then?” I ask. “Coming here instead of the other branch?”
“Actually no.” He grins. “This place is within walking distance of my apartment. The other branch was a forty-minute drive each way. And just between me and you, this place is a hell of a lot nicer than the other place.”
I spend the next hour or so filling Stewart in on the details of the restaurant. I tell him who can work which shifts, how many staff we usually have in place for each shift, and all of the little things that don’t seem important until you’ve worked in the trade long enough to know they’re often the most important things. I am careful to avoid any gossip or telling him too much.
“Thank you, Callie,” he says when I’ve finished. “You’ve been very helpful. Now I think I’ve taken up enough of your time, so I’ll let you go on.”
“No worries.” I leave the office satisfied I’ve done a good job of getting him up to speed. I head out into the dining area and ask Harriet which section is busiest, so I know where to place myself.
She shrugs and turns away from me.
I frown, but I dismiss it as I see her loaded up with four plates. She’s obviously just busy. I take a moment to assess the floor and work out for myself where I will be the most useful.
“Stewart seems nice doesn’t he?” I comment to Sasha as we pass each other on the floor.
“Wonderful.” She keeps going, not pausing to chat. It’s unlike her, but I guess it’s the effect of having a new manager. No one wants to be the one caught standing around chatting first.
I’ve been on the restaurant floor around half an hour when the restaurant starts to quiet down. I haven’t seen Matt yet and I’m starting to relax. He’s obviously not coming in tonight for whatever reason. I try to start a conversation with Mark, one of the waiters, but he brushes me off. I walk away, wondering what the hell is going on. It’s starting to seem like there’s more to this than just not wanting to be
