Page 46 of Her Movie Star's Secret Plan

“How’s that?”

“Well, I just tried the new additions, and I don’t like them.”

“Is there something you would like added instead?”

“Let’s stick with the basics, like classic chocolate cake, an actual slice of cherry pie, that sort of thing.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll make sure those changes get taken care of right away.”

“And let’s get that lavender-peach cake off the menu. I’m confused about why it’s still on here.”

“Well, we had a lot of customers come back and tell us how much they liked it, so we decided to keep it.”

“Well, I’m the owner, and I’m telling you to take it off my menu. It doesn’t fit with the vision I have with Hadley’s, and last time I checked, my name was over the door, not yours. If you’d like to open your own restaurant down the street, you can put whatever you’d like on your menu.”

“Yes, sir. Completely understood. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“No, that’s all.”

“Please let me know if there’s anything else you can think of.”

Trisha came out with their food, and Dave left.

“Trout for Mr. Hadley.” She placed his plate in front of him. “And chicken for you.” She set the steaming plate in front of Alexis. She breathed in the comforting smell of baked chicken and mashed potatoes and felt all her tension melt away. She cut into her chicken and took a bite. It was tender and flavorful. “This is delicious, Owen.”

“Would you like to try some of the bread?”

“Sure.”

Alexis sawed off a slice of bread and then spread butter over it. She bit into it. “This is delicious. Vincent did a great job.”

“I agree.”

“He should stick to bread and leave the cupcakes to me.”

Owen threw his head back and laughed heartily. “I couldn’t agree more.”

“How’s your fish?” Alexis asked.

“It’s okay. Not the best fish I’ve ever had.”

“It sounds like you may need to have another word with Dave.”

“Who knew it would be so much work to run a restaurant?”

Now it was Alexis’s turn to laugh. “What did you expect? You’re new to the industry. It takes time to get everything right.” It was refreshing to see that not everything was perfect at Hadley’s like she had imagined it to be. Owen had struggles just like anyone. And just because he had a famous name and face didn’t mean that he could get his employees to carry out his vision properly.

“Was it this hard for you in the beginning?” Owen asked.

“You have no idea. It took me years to figure out what I was doing. And managing people is the worst part. I’m lucky to have Delilah now, but I’ve had some difficult employees before. And it’s awful when you have to fire them. That’s definitely my least favorite part of the job.”

“I’m just in the beginning stages of figuring all this out.”

“You’ll get there. Just keep at it. It’s a learning process.”

“Are you making the cake for Lauren’s wedding?” Owen asked.

“Yep.”

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