Page 5 of The Sweet Spot (Kodiaks Hockey #3)

Chapter Five

Wolseley

A t least the scandal that we, a vegetarian and vegan restaurant, served dishes with animal products didn’t make the front page of the newspaper, but we did make the front page of the Arts and Lifestyle section, which was almost as bad. By the time I’d assembled all my staff in the restaurant, the mood was grim, along with lowered voices and gossiping. I couldn’t blame them. I wanted to tell them sooner, but that would have ruined the vibe at Tangi’s wedding, and that was selfish of me, but what difference would it have made? I was still losing my restaurant.

We gathered around in the dining area, and all gazes were fixed on me. Suddenly, the room had fallen silent. My heart thundered in my chest as I weighed my words carefully. I was about to put dozens of people out of work.

“I’m sure you’ve all seen or heard about the paper today,” I said, fighting back the urge to sob. From serving staff, to line cooks, to Wren, my manager. I cared about all of them, and I’d screwed up so badly. “In case you’re wondering, the accusations are true. Daniel was secretly using ingredients that were not permitted or disclosed on our menu. When I found out, I sought legal advice. That was when Daniel was fired. This all happened very quickly, within the last few weeks. Daniel then threatened to go public and accuse me of using the prohibited ingredients and of …” A huge lump had formed in my throat. “He’s also accusing me of sexual harassment.”

Wren grumbled in disgust. She’d never liked Daniel and had cheered when I’d fired him. Steph, my line cook, who had brought to my attention, the allegations of Daniel using prohibited ingredients, also shook her head. If she blamed me or wanted to say, I told you so , she could, and I deserved it. I’d been so taken in by his charms. Why had I been so blind to Daniel when everyone else had seen through him? I knew why. He was interested in me, or so I thought. I’d assumed his feelings were genuine. Not the first time I’d fallen for that.

“Legal bills have already been mounting, and I expect that some customers may sue the restaurant. I’m sorry, everyone, but that’s not something I have the resources to fight and keep this restaurant going. Not to mention that the Oak will become a ghost town. It’s why I paid you early, and I have arranged for severance packages. Anyone who wants a letter of recommendation can have it, but I’m not sure you’ll want that from me. I am so sorry for letting you all down.”

“Shit,” Wren muttered. “That piece of shit. If I ever lay eyes on him …”

Lucy, one of my servers, spoke up first. “So that’s it? We are all out of a job, effective immediately?” The sharp, incredulous tone of her voice had me wanting to hide under a table.

“I’m sorry, but yes. I’ll likely have to declare bankruptcy, and the restaurant has almost no assets other than the kitchen equipment. I know this doesn’t help, but every dollar I have has gone into your severance packages. I know this is sudden, but I have a list of some restaurants that are hiring, and I can put in a good word with all of them.”

“I told you about him,” Steph said, punching the air with a fist. “I said he was too slick and up to no good, but you wouldn’t listen to me. You were too busy drooling over the piece of shit when?—”

Wren smacked the table nearest to her, and Steph stopped. “Why are you bringing this shit up?” Wren asked. “To make yourself feel better? To get it off your chest and humiliate Wolseley further? Damage is done. No need to pour it on.”

Steph stormed out, and the rest of the staff filed out behind her, most of them furious. A few others stuck around to ask questions on how they could get their personal items and when they’d get their severance. Finally, it was just me and Wren. She grabbed a few beers from the fridge, and we sat down to drink, even though it wasn’t even noon yet.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Wren said, snapping back the tab on her beer.

“My lawyer told me to keep it to myself. I wanted to tell you a million times. I’m so sorry for making a mess of everyone’s lives. I really screwed up.”

Wren pursed her lips and ran her hands through her short brown hair. “I sensed something hasn’t been right with you for the last few weeks. Especially after you fired Daniel. We were all doing a happy dance, and you were dealing with all this shit.”

“I couldn’t drag you into it. And I’m so sorry, Wren. You have been so good to me, my loyal right hand, and I’ve messed it all up.”

Wren reached out to pat my hand. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll find another job. And it was kind of you to give us all three months of severance. We were just turning a profit. How did you manage it?”

“It’ s some money I’ve saved up. Pretty much all I have.”

Wren’s gray eyes narrowed. “No, we can’t accept that.”

“It’s the least I can do. You’ve all been so amazing.”

Wren frowned a little. “And what are you going to do?”

I sighed and tried to smile. “I have no idea. I figure I’ll wait a few weeks to let this all settle. I have to find someone to sublet my place because I can’t afford it. I plan to move in with my parents, and once I’ve had some time to let it all sink in, I’ll figure out my next move.”

“Any restaurant in town would hire you. They’d be lucky to have you.”

I arched a brow. “Really? I think that right now, I’m the town pariah.”

Wren was kind enough to offer her help if I needed to liquidate any of the restaurant’s contents, but since it was likely the restaurant corporation was going to declare bankruptcy, there was no time to sell anything. But I did want to make sure we cleaned out any of the food that remained, and Wren said she’d offer it to staff. The next few days, I’d make sure everyone had gotten their personal effects, and then I’d be saying goodbye to my dream.

I finally had a bit of luck when I found a couple to sublet my apartment. My landlord had been kind enough to help me find someone, and that meant I had to be out in ten days. Tangi and Jill offered to help me pack what little I had accumulated in the last few years. Jill was due back in Vancouver in a few days, but that didn’t stop her from being a true friend by loading up boxes and cleaning out every nook and cranny.

After a full morning of packing and cleaning, I ordered some pizzas, and we sat around my coffee table and ate. We’d been so focused on our work, that we hadn’t had much time to talk. And soon, both my friends would be gone, back at work in Vancouver, and I would be left behind with nothing to show for my life.

“How is it going?” Jill asked.

“I’ve signed off on bankruptcy paperwork, and the restaurant is officially no longer mine. My parents have offered to help me pay some bills until I get my life back in order. A few people have threatened a lawsuit, but seeing as the corporation is in bankruptcy and going after me would be pointless, they’ve backed off. Besides, no one was truly harmed, although I’d be pretty pissed off if it had happened to me. I guess the plan is to lie low and hope no one sues me until the statute of limitations runs out. My lawyer thinks there wouldn’t be much of a case anyway. The moment I found out about it, I took care of the problem and did what I could.”

“I’m so sorry this happened to you,” Tangi said. “You are the last person in the world who deserves this.”

“There is still Ryan,” Jill said.

As usual, Tangi was the nurturer, and Jill was the pragmatist.

I tried not to roll my eyes, but the fact she was bringing this up now was the last thing I wanted to talk about. I’d spent the last few weeks barely getting out of bed, too upset and depressed to even think about what I would do next, but here was Jill, refusing to let it go. She was a fixer, and I got that, but I needed her to give me time to be sad and grieve my lost dream.

I wasn’t like her. I couldn’t rebound and jump back in. Jill was tough, could take on the world without a care, and all I wanted to do was cry and curl up in bed.

“Can we not?” I said.

“It’s still fresh,” Tangi said to Jill. “Give her some time. ”

“Training camp starts in less than a month. Ryan is still fat. This is an opportunity I don’t want you to miss.”

I set down my pizza and massaged my temples. “I don’t want to rush anything. Besides, I don’t remember Ryan expressing any interest in hiring a personal chef.”

“I may have broached it with him again,” Jill said, grabbing another bottle of water. “He seemed receptive.”

Tangi grumbled something unintelligible. “I thought I told you to mind your own business.”

“He and Jeremy were gaming, so I jumped into chat. It doesn’t hurt to keep lines of communication open.”

While they argued, I finished my piece of pizza and thought about Brandon and his offer. At least he was interested in my services, not that we’d discussed them in length. I also had no idea what kind of diet a hockey player needed, although I could find that out easily, and I was sure he’d help with that. I did know people who worked as personal chefs, and they made decent money, but that would mean relocating. That thought struck me. Was moving such a bad thing?

“All right, enough,” I said, making them both stop. “Jill, Ryan hasn’t approached me, so as far as I’m concerned, this issue is dead.” I bit my lip and considered what I was going to say next. “Someone else did approach me, though.”

Jill and Tangi stared at me, both a little confused.

“Who approached you?” Tangi asked.

“Brandon Warde. After your house party, he and I shared an Uber. He left the door open to hiring me, but before you both start making plans,” I said, when Jill opened her mouth to interrupt, “I have no idea what I’d charge or how I would even do this. It would require a move to Vancouver, and from what you’ve both told me, it’s an expensive place to live. I also have no idea what meal plans a hockey player needs. It’s not that easy. ”

“I can solve the housing problem,” Tangi said. “You can move into our condo now that Jill is living with Jeremy.”

I’d forgotten about that place. When Tangi had first relocated to Vancouver before getting back together with Ethan, she’d lived in the condo he wasn’t using. And last year, when Jill had taken the PR position with the Kodiaks, she’d moved into the condo after Tangi and Ethan had moved into a house with their growing family. But now that Jill and Jeremy lived together, Ethan’s condo was seemingly available.

“And I can tell you what a personal chef makes. At least a hundred thousand for a professional athlete, and that’s only about seven or eight months of work. Don’t forget, we’ll be negotiating bonuses,” Jill said.

My head was spinning. A hundred thousand, plus bonuses. It was more than I was going to make at the restaurant possibly ever. I was ruminating that over so much that I almost missed the “we” Jill had said.

“Sorry, we ?”

“Brandon Warde is not going to get you for nothing. I am prepared to negotiate on your behalf.”

“Brandon would be more than fair,” Tangi said, and she’d know. She’d worked with him for months on rehabbing his torn ACL.

“Whatever the case, you have a place to live, and you have a client, maybe two if Ryan can get his act together. At least tell me you’ll think about it.”

Yes, I was definitely going to think about it.