Page 41 of Holly versus Mr. Ivy
Rhett tapped the armrest of the chair where I sat. “Are you okay? She said some cruel things.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“Holly,” he said with such tenderness, my heart skipped a beat. “You know she lied, right? She was angry and spewing accusations.”
I was glad he knew she hadn’t been telling the truth. “What are we going to do, Rhett? We just handed her grenades to end both of our careers.”
When he didn’t say anything, I turned my head the slightest, allowing a glimpse of him through my peripheral vision. His brow was furrowed and his lips were pursed.
Finally, in a defeated tone, he said, “I don’t know. We shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry for crossing that line. I was caught up in the moment, but that’s no excuse.” He squeezed my shoulder before standing. “Hopefully Darby will leave it alone. We weren’t actually kissing, so there’s nothing to report to my uncle. Anyway, Josh should be here soon. I’ll wait for him out in the hallway to give you a moment of privacy.”
“Thanks.” I agreed we shouldn’t have done that, but did he say that because he didn’t like me and felt bad about leading me on, or only because of the risk to our job security?
The reason he said it doesn’t matter, Hols. The fact remains it shouldn’t have happened.
If Rhett didn’t even know how to solve this potential issue with Darby talking to Anthony, we were done for. Goodbye, financial security. Goodbye, executive chef position. Goodbye, working close to home. Goodbye, James Beard Award.
The severity of our situation piled on top of the dread I had for firing two employees. I hated that I wasn’t strong enough to do this on my own. InRalph Breaks the Internet, all the princesses joked how everyone assumed a man had to enter their story in order to save them. When I’d watched it, I had been all for the girl power. Women totally ruled the world. We could do anything. And yet, here I sat in Rhett’s office with tears in my eyes and my heart in pieces because I had been scared to begin with, and when someone attacked me, I’d turned to a man to deal with it instead of standing on my own two feet.
I was torn between more self-loathing that I couldn’t even be a champion for myself, let alone other women, and wanting to prove my worth. I’d never relied on a man before, but it was easy to let Rhett, who’d graciously offered, take the hard parts of my job from me.
Rhett had shown me time and time again how to be a good manager. How to rely on others for help. To be a team. He would do anything I needed because he cared. He’d proven that from the day he’d started working here. If Rhett, who also hated firing people, who also might be at risk of losing his job, could summon the courage to do the hard things, then I could too. I’d be brave and show Rhett and everyone else that Ididknow how to do my job, and do it well.
Iwould fire Josh, not Rhett. If I started to melt down during the confrontation, Rhett would have my back. But at least I would try instead of sitting by and doing nothing. Letting Josh and Darby go had been my idea, after all. It was time I followed through on my convictions.
Just like the princesses, I knew when to treasure the men in my life and when to take matters into my own hands. This one small step, though terrifying, was me taking control (which I loved).
Swiping under my eyes and nose, I rushed out of Rhett’s office. He was playing on his phone in the employee break room, which was right next to Aaron’s office at the very end of the hallway separating the kitchen from the offices.
“Thank you for everything so far today,” I said as I walked into the small room. “I want to do Josh’s exit interview. I’ll give you an elbow nudge if I need you to take over.”
Rhett slipped his phone in his suit jacket pocket. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I don’t think he’ll be as awful as Darby.” And I was trying to prove I could do this. That just because Rhett had offered an easy out didn’t mean I had to take it.
“You got it.”
And that right there was one of the many reasons why Ireallyliked Rhett. He didn’t try to talk me out of it or tell me he had this. He believed in me. Accepted my decision and then supported me. I offered him a small smile. “Thanks.”
The back door banged, and Rhett and I met Josh in the hallway. “Thanks for coming in early, Josh. Let’s go to Mr. Ivy’s office.”
He eyed us suspiciously. “Okay.”
Once we were all seated, I sat up straighter and kept my tone polite but firm. “The owner of the restaurant has requested changes be made at The Boardwalk. It’s one of the reasons Mr. Ivy was hired as the new general manager. Part of the changes also involve the current staff.”
You can do this.“We appreciate your time at The Boardwalk, but unfortunately your employment here has ended, effective immediately.”
The color drained from his face, but he didn’t say anything.
I swallowed hard. “You will receive two weeks of severance pay as well as health insurance until the end of November. If you need a letter of recommendation, we will provide one upon request. For now, we ask that you collect your personal items and leave the premises at once.”
“Why me?” His tone wasn’t mean or defiant. More perplexed.
I almost laughed. Was he serious? Uhh, because you’re a jerk?
How did I phrase this politely?Sorry for using you as the scapegoat, Rhett.“Mr. Ivy and I have been observing the staff for the past six weeks, and we both agreed letting you go was the best move for you, as well as The Boardwalk.”
“I’m good at what I do,” he stated.
