Page 26 of Don't Regret Me
So, why didn’t she believe that?
* * *
Liz had never beensomeone to demand things for herself. Her life mostly happenedtoher. The father of her children left. She got cancer—twice. A car crash sent her into a coma and she met the man of her dreams—literally.
So, she sat outside the restaurant she’d given so much to, with her two kids arguing in the backseat. Picking them up at Corey’s hadn’t been fun, but it was a necessary step to hear how much they enjoyed their night with him, how happy it made them.
“All right, creeplets.” She reached back to separate them. “Time to go in.” They’d had to park at the back of the very crowded parking lot—much too crowded for lunch. She wasn’t quite sure what was going on, but she had to do this before losing her nerve.
All morning, the words she needed to say ran through her mind.I deserve respect. A customer’s money doesn’t give them the right to ruin my night. Every single person in this restaurant deserves kindness.
Now, that didn’t seem like enough.
Kids in tow, she made her way across the parking lot. The gray clouds above told her it was probably going to rain today, not an unusual occurrence in south Florida. But she wanted to be in and out before the deluge.
The moment she walked into the restaurant, she stopped. The place was full. Even the sitting area teemed with patrons waiting for tables. Lunch was the slow meal of the day. Sometimes, not even half the tables were used.
The host, Matthew, looked at her in relief. “Are you here to work? The kitchen is dying back there, and it’s all your fault.”
“How is it my fault?” She ushered the kids forward, but Matthew didn’t seem to notice them.
“The video. We’ve been non-stop since the lunch service started. And we’re fully booked for dinner.”
“That’s not that?—”
“For the next four months.”
Liz’s eyes widened. Well, her negotiating power just increased. They needed her. That much was obvious. “Nora must be thrilled.”
“She will be once she gets a moment to breathe. Get back there.”
“Will you keep an eye on these two?” Taking them into a busy kitchen was probably not the best idea.
Matthew sighed. “Fine, but you owe me. Kids, go sit over there.” He waved to the benches where people waited to be seated. “Don’t bug me.”
Liz leveled him with a glare before weaving around tables and pushing into the kitchen. The sounds hit her as soon as she entered. Chefs yelling to each other, waitstaff complaining about their food taking so long. It was chaos.
Nora caught sight of her and rushed over, lifting one finger to point right in her face. “You.”
“You’re welcome.” Liz arched one brow.
She shook her head. “This is what we needed to take off, but I was hoping it would happen more gradually. You know, when we had the staff for it.”
“We’ll survive.”
“We? So, you’re ready to jump back in?”
“Assuming you need me enough to lift the suspension.” She met Nora’s gaze in challenge.
Nora chuckled. “You know we do. Dinner service will be even worse. Can you be back for that?”
“Sure. But I want a raise.”
“From suspension to a raise demand.” She rubbed her eyes. “We’ll talk about it. Who would have thought so many people wanted to eat here just because that rude actor did?”
“Nick’s not so bad.” She wasn’t sure why she needed to defend him. The truth was, he did have a rudeness problem. Even at the lake house, his grumpiness was tiring. She hadn’t liked him at first. At all.
“I’ll believe that when he actually smiles. Now, get out of here. I have work to do. See you tonight.”
