Page 19 of Holly versus Mr. Ivy
Could we kick them out of the restaurant?
And then there was Rhett. The way his strong back had stood straight, it was clear he was protecting his staff. But then he’d been so gentle with Jessica.
I saw Rhett in a whole new light. It terrified me because that rattled the separation between work and personal life, breaking huge chunks from my defenses. Rhett was kind. Sweet. Concerned.
If I wasn’t careful, I’d be calling him Rhett to his face and spilling my every thought.
Chapter 8
Rhett
Theimbecilesfinallyleft.My jaw hurt from keeping it clenched so long while I dealt with the table of good-for-nothing donkeys. After checking to make sure Jessica was okay, I went to my office, shutting myself in. I leaned my head back against the door, closing my eyes, and let out a shaky breath. I’d fight for my employees and their safety at all costs, but it bothered me that I even had to do it. Why couldn’t people be nice?
My phone buzzed in my suit pocket. Needing the distraction, I whipped my cell out. Jack’s name displayed across my screen, along with a photo of him standing behind the counter at his family bakery, Love Bakes.
“Hey, man, how was filming today?” I asked, trying to put some cheer into my words.
“Fine.” He did not sound fine. “I’m not calling about that. I need help.”
My stomach dropped to the floor. “With what?”
“Mark’s not answering my calls, and I got an email from Gimena saying the flour delivery never came because we didn’t pay for the last two deliveries. I’m filming all day, and I don’t have a way to look into this right now. Will you try getting ahold of Mark and seeing what’s going on?”
Whoa. I had not expected that. “Of course. I’ll do whatever I can to help.”
“Thanks, man. I need to get to bed. But I’ll be in touch when I can.”
“Sure thing. Good luck tomorrow. Don’t lose, okay?”
He snorted. “Yeah. Thanks for the added pressure.”
I winced. Now was not the best time to joke about his need to win. “Sorry. I’ll reach out to Mark.”
“Thanks. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Sounds good. ’Night, man.”
“’Night.”
I hung up with Jack, then rubbed my eyes with the palms of my hands. It was bad enough dealing with those pig-faced scum, but now this as well?
As I was an only child, Jack was like a brother to me. I’d do anything for him. The problem was that everything piled up all at once and the stress built too high. I was buried under its crushing weight.
Where did I start? With Jack? With the restaurant, staying even more focused and diligent in the dining room, considering what had just happened? What about the employee party? What about the food vendors and the menu? What about Jack’s dog, Bear, who needed my attention right now? Bear hadn’t eaten in two days because he missed Jack so much. I couldn’t tell Jack that. He’d freak out and come home early.
I wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. Sometimes being in charge sucked. The pressure to succeed, to carry everyone’s burdens, was too much to handle all by myself. The edges of darkness that often signaled a depression spiral tugged at the edges of my mind. The dark tendrils begged me to give in. To go home to bed and stay there for infinity.
Doing any of the things I needed to do was all of a sudden just too much. I slid down the door until I sat on the floor. Cradling my head in between my hands, I focused solely on breathing. In for a count of five, out for a count of five. Repeat.
Any thought that popped up in my mind I batted away like it was an annoying gnat. I had to keep my head clear in order to work through the overwhelm. I wasn’t sure how long I stayed in that position. Minutes? An hour?
I needed to get back out there and make sure nothing else was happening, but I couldn’t. My legs were heavy. Lifting them, forcing myself to move, was a gargantuan feat. Tears burned my eyes. I squeezed my eyelids tighter.Don’t fall apart here.I had to be strong. Failure wasn’t an option. The Ivy family name could not be tarnished by my breakdown.
Exhaling a breath, I rubbed my hands up and down my face, then stood. That was the first step in beating off the doubt and dark thoughts about giving up—take one small action. That’s what my counselor had said. Stop looking at the end goal, and instead focus on the tiny victories. I stood—well done. Next, make one sweep around the dining room. That’s it.
I grabbed a drink from the insulated flask sitting on my desk, then opened my office door.One thing at a time.
The restaurant was closed, and everyone except Holly had left for the night. Her fingers tapped away at her keyboard in the office next to mine. After making sure everything was running smoothly, I had holed myself up for the rest of the night to tackle the restaurant and try to get ahold of Mark. I dreaded the phone call with Jack, because no matter how many times I texted or called, Jack’s brother didn’t answer his phone.
