Page 44 of A Package Deal

“Now that we’ve straightened that out, what’s with the oysters and Legos?” Gus asked.

Nelie took Chet’s hand and told the story about how he’d once said the world was her oyster, but she didn’t understand the phrase and she’d made him explain it to her. How he’d forced her to open her eyes and see she was doing what she thought everyone wanted her to do, not what she wanted to do. “I think you meant to use the phrasegently coerced,” Chet said. Nelie snorted.

“More like nagged or blackmailed.” She gave him a small smile and a few people chuckled. Nelie sensed everyone around the table had beengently coercedby someone who loved them at some point. “I was afraid if I wasn’thelpfulNelie, I wouldn’t have anyone.”

“The consummate people-pleaser,” Emily said, and Nelie knew her friend understood. Emily’s people-pleasing and perfectionist tendencies had led her into an eating disorder, but thankfully, with treatment and a lot of hard work, she’d battled her way out of it. Emily admitted life was a slippery slope sometimes, but Jackson helped her maintain a firm footing.

“And in the last month, you all exploded my world,” Nelie said, looking at her dad, Rosie, and her birthmother. They looked contrite. “My first thought was to put my world back together as it was, but I kept thinking about the world being my oyster. That I could reinvent or rebrand myself. But I l like me.” Nelie shrugged unapologetically, rubbing the wine glass’s stem between her fingers. “Then I thought maybe life is more like a Lego set. When you’re done, you can break it and use the same pieces to build something else. When I told Chet everything, he said I had to figure out whatIwanted, not what I wanted because I thought other people wanted me to want it. Does that make sense?”

Heads nodded around the table and Nelie felt her shoulders relax. They understood, and it didn’t seem like she’d offended anyone. Yet. “I’m still working on it, but I wanted to tell everyone at the same time so I wouldn’t have to reexplain myself.”

“Go on,” her dad drawled, leaning his elbows on the table as if bracing himself. Nelie swallowed.Here goes.

Chapter 24

“Iwanttostepbackfrom the Galley. I don’t want to work fifty and sixty hours a week anymore. I want to promote Eric to manager and move the lead waitress to assistant manager. If they’re interested. There might be other promotions, too, to make it all work. But I think we can do it, especially if we bite the bullet and get that scheduling and payroll app. It will save a lot of people-management time. What do you think, Dad?” Chet squeezed her hand, and she held on. They both knew her dad was her biggest hurdle.

“Step back, not sell?” Gus asked slowly, and Nelie worried that he’d stopped listening after the first sentence.

“Step back. I don’t want to sell.”

“And you think you can do that with expensive software and promotions? Promotions that come with vacation and health insurance?” She knew what he was getting at. Stepping back would erode the bottom line’s profitability.

“I do. The wages I save by going to part-time will cover the software and some promotions. And the changes won’t happen overnight; it will take time.”

“You’re not going to mess with the menu more?” he asked, sounding suspicious. Nelie stepping back from the restaurant he and Stella built would be hard on Gus, but messing with parts of the menu would break him.

“Mom’s coleslaw will always be on the menu, and it will always be the first side option listed. Her baked beans recipe is perfection, and her vegetable bean soup will always be Friday’s soup of the day. I like the Galley, Dad, and I won’t sell it, but there’re other things and people I love”—she looked at Chet—“and I need to make room for them.”

Gus sniffed and leaned back. “Well, I guess making room for people you love is a good enough reason. Not that you need it, but you have my blessing.” Nelie sensed it was a blessing for more than her proposed Galley changes.

“Thanks, Dad,” Nelie said, blinking furiously to clear her blurry vision.

Gus cleared his throat. “So, what are you going to do with all your spare time? Sleep in, watch soaps, and eat bonbons?” He winked, teasing her like he’d teased her mom on her days off.

“Ha. I want to move out of my apartment. Maybe get a lot up by Emily and Jackson and build. Or have Eric and his father-in-law find something for me that Andi can remodel.” Chet’s fingers loosened, and he withdrew his hand, but Nelie held firm.

“Not us?” Chet said near her ear. Nelie hated the broken tone in his voice.

“Your place. Yes. For now”—she kissed him lightly to reassure him—“but your kitchen is wrong. Trust me. I checked. Andi came over on Monday when I was there, and she said it was a no-go.” His eyebrows shot up. “Did I overstep?”Crap. Nelie felt like she was stumbling in the dark without a flashlight, bumping into walls and tripping over people.Will this get easier with experience?

“What’s wrong with my kitchen?” Chet sounding offended.Double crap.

“Nothing. But it’s too small, and there’s no room to expand. I love to bake. My favorite part of having the Galley is baking the desserts, which I’ll still do. But it’s not just the baking, it’s baking something important, like a birthday cake. Something that means something to someone.”

“Like Owen’s baptism cake?” Chet asked.

“Exactly. Cakes can be the centerpiece of a celebration, and I want to be a part of that.”

“And if you go into the custom cake baking business, you’ll need more room,” Gus said.

“It won’t be a full-time business, maybe just a few cakes a week. But yes. I’ll need more space.”

“But in the meantime, my kitchen will work?” Chet asked, focusing back on the most important detail.

“It will work until we’re ready for the next step,” Nelie said, and Chet’s eyes widened at her promise. Nelie was all in for the long-haul.

“Great, I’ll take your apartment. How soon can you be out?” Pris asked, rubbing her hands eagerly. Pris shattered their moment. It would have annoyed Nelie, if her sister wasn’t bouncing in her chair.

---