Page 42 of Happy Harbor
“Sometimes, we need to change how we react to things, not for the other person, but for our own peace.”
She smiled and squinted her eyes. “Where’d you hear that one?”
“In my head right before I said it. I’m not just a lowly boat mechanic, you know. I actually went to college and everything.”
“For what?”
“Mechanical engineering, believe it or not. I went to Georgia Tech for almost two years before dropping out.”
“Too hard?”
He smiled. “No. I had straight A’s, actually. Planned to go into the aerospace or defense sector.”
“Why didn’t you?”
He sighed. “Well, my momma died when I was a baby, and then my daddy died while I was in college. Daddy had a contracting company and a bunch of jobs in progress when he keeled over with a heart attack one day, a hammer still in his hand. I felt like I had to step up, so I did. Been fixing and building stuff ever since.”
“Kind of like me, I guess. Taking over the family business instead of doing what you want to do.” She pushed off the wall and started walking toward the corner. She couldn’t avoid work forever.
“Hey, Josie?”
“Yeah?”
“Can I say one more thing? From my own experience?”
She nodded. “Sure.”
“I was really bummed when I quit college. You’re right. I had big dreams of working at NASA or doing some grand thing, but when I ended up back at home, swinging a hammer and pounding nails into wood... well, that’s when I really found out who I was and what I loved. I was never truly happy until I hopped on one of these boats and started working. You might just find that the restaurant brings out the best in you.”
She chuckled. “Maybe so. Have a good day, Walker.”
* * *
Josie hadn’t made it an hour into her workday before she considered two options.
One: running out of the restaurant and straight into the river, but not before weighing her legs down with a couple of Nana’s heavy Southern biscuits.
Two: running straight to the house, getting in her car, and leaving town. Sure, she’d leave her daughter behind, but she could send her bus money later, right?
Yeah, it hadn’t gone well. It was at times like these that she wished she was a people person. Honestly, people annoyed her. In her unbiased opinion, people were the root of all problems. Money was fine. It was the people that caused all the chaos in the world.
The day had been rampant with customer complaints about cold food and overcooked pork chops. Several people had gotten the wrong order, and God forbid another vegetarian got a bacon bit on their salad. The sound of the bustling restaurant had triggered way more stress than she’d imagined too.
“Here are two more résumés. Have you started scheduling interviews?” Her mother handed her two pieces of paper and waited for an answer. Diane’s forehead glistened from sweat, and her bleached blond hair stuck out on the sides.
“Why are you handing me these? I told you to do all of that.”
Diane put her hands on her hips. “Josie, I can barely keep my head above water. I literally have pancake batter on my apron and bacon grease in my hair.”
“Your hygiene is not my concern,” Josie said, half joking, but then remembered who she was talking to. She would not befriend her pathetic excuse for a mother just because she needed someone to talk to about the craziness that was her life.
“You’re going to have to do the interviews. After all, you’re the boss, right?”
She was the boss. As bossy as she could be sometimes, this wasn’t the management position she’d imagined in her daydreams. She had always envisioned herself sitting in a skyscraper in the middle of any big city, her high-heeled feet resting on her clear glass desk.
She would have a wall of windows behind her, creating an ominous scene for anyone sitting across from her. She’d have people to manage her staff. She’d have people for everything—her laundry, her dry cleaning, her cooking. She’d get a dog just to hire a dog walker.
“Earth to Josie...” Diane said, waving her hand in front of Josie’s face.
