The Hero's Sweetheart Page 3

  “You okay, Liv? You don’t look so good.”

  Olivia didn’t have the energy to correct Patrice about the nickname she hated. “Feeling a little light-headed and wheezy.”

  Patrice reached for Olivia’s asthma inhaler and popped the cap off. She rarely had a stress-induced attack, but this felt like one of those times. Desperately short of breath now, Olivia placed the oval in her mouth and pumped the prime twice, inhaling deeply each time. Once she could breathe unobstructedly and speak again, instead of clawing her collar away from her neck in air-hunger panic, she thanked Patrice, who asked what triggered her attack.

  “Change. I don’t like the sound of it. Not at all.” Never had. And for good reason. In Olivia’s experience, change equaled something awful. It always meant moving from a bad situation to a worse one.

  * * *

  “Miss Abbott, you’re late.” Jack watched Olivia’s cheeks flush as she rushed around the table to the empty seat at the diner employee meeting the next morning.

  Her face awash in a strong emotion he couldn’t decipher, he stared her down. Her scowl loosened and she promptly sat. “My apologies.”

  “No explanation?”

  She swallowed. Bit her tongue. Then she said, “None that you’d understand.” Her scowl tried its best to return but she fought it.

  Wait. What did she mean he wouldn’t understand?

  “That means?”

  Now her scowl did return. She peered at the clock. “Please, if you don’t mind, we all have other places to be.”

  He guessed she was right. And to credit her defense, he hadn’t given them much notice. He relented on ripping on her for being fifteen minutes late to what he’d hoped would only be a half hour meeting. He moved to stand at the head of the table in the staff break room and studied the group of a dozen or so employees. He met each gaze, finding himself irritated when Olivia intentionally looked away. As angry and flustered as she appeared, he half expected her to get up and walk out. Then he noticed something else. Dark, sunken eyes and drawn features. As if she hadn’t slept well, or maybe not at all.

  He tore his gaze, and his compassion, away from her and faced the group. After all, if he got soft, they’d continue to run all over his dad...if he was ever able to take over again.

  Until then, Jack would handle it. “Some things are going to change around here, now that I’m in charge.”

  Jack watched Olivia stiffen at his mention of change. A pallor flushed the scorch out of her cheeks from when she’d sprinted in, windblown and breathless.

  He knew the feeling. This was a big turning point for him, too—choosing to stay for an extended period of time in the town he’d avoided for so long.

  “First order of business is—”

  “Like, what kind of changes?” Perry, the dishwasher, interrupted Jack for the third time since he’d started the meeting.

  Tired of the disrespect, Jack placed his palms flat on the table and leaned in, face-to-face with the young man. “For starters, you get fired if you pull a no-show again without calling in.”

  Perry’s mouth dropped open. “Dude, that’s harsh.”

  “Asking that you call if you’re not planning on showing up is not an unreasonable request. Furthermore, if you’re late more than three times in a pay period, you’re fired.” Jack didn’t give Perry a chance to launch another argument before pulling out the schedule.

  Olivia visibly tensed. He peered at her, making sure she didn’t have something to say before he continued. “Miss Abbott? Did you have something to add?”

  Her eyes scanned the schedule, then lowered. “No, sir.”

  “Yet your body language states that you do.”

  Hands formerly folded in her lap flew up past her shoulders. “Fine, I just know how Sully would want things done. He doesn’t believe in fixing something that isn’t broken and with the exception of a few glitches, the schedule works fine the way it is.”

  Jack shook his head. “That may be the case, but we have lost too much revenue.”

  She looked as though she didn’t know what that had to do with the schedule, but she’d find out soon enough.

  Jack actually admired her pluck. Unlike Perry, she didn’t present as rude. Just strong in her conviction to stand up to him to defend what she thought his dad would want. A measure of admiration rose up in him but he quelled it in order to keep the meeting on track and be able to get them out of here. Their time was as valuable as his.

  Several exchanges later, it became apparent to Jack that Olivia was not one to back down easily from something she believed in. Change was apparently not something she believed in.

  However, she did apparently believe in trying his grace and patience to the max.

  Tension bundled in the back of his neck and spread to his shoulders.

  As though sensing his thoughts, she lifted her chin. “I’m only trying to help.”

  Jack wasn’t so sure. She seemed bent on opposing him at every turn. Regardless, in light of the time crunch, he found himself increasingly irritated that she wasn’t simply taking orders. At least Perry had simmered down to a quiet sulk.

  Hopefully Olivia’s spunkiness wouldn’t turn her into a troublemaker or drag things out here. Especially considering a fourth of them were working the morning shift today. Soon.

  Choosing, for time’s sake, not to engage Olivia’s stubbornness, Jack spread the schedule out and clicked its identical image on his video presentation. “First order of business is cost control. Starting today, I want syrup and sugar shakers only half filled on tables. Ketchup and mustard will only be placed on tables when customers ask. We’ll also use—”

  Olivia’s hand shot up.

  Jack paused. “Yes, Miss Abbott?”

  “I’m wondering how that will cut costs.”

  “I was getting to that,” he said with more edge than he’d intended. “If the containers are full, customers will inadvertently use more.” It had worked in the service. He hoped customers would catch on. “We’ll also use cloth napkins instead of paper.”

  Olivia raised her hand again. Jack fought irritation at the intrusion. “Yes?”

  “Cloth napkins will need to be washed and dried. That will use electricity. Electricity costs money. Plus the water needed to wash the towels. And detergent. That costs money, too.”

  “I’m well aware of the costs, Miss Abbott. I’m installing new efficient washers and dryers. If I’ve estimated correctly, cloth is far more cost effective. Especially since Eagle Point customers love to smuggle handfuls of our paper napkins out in their pockets and purses.”

  She nibbled her lip but didn’t argue. Yet the expression on her face clearly said and you don’t think they’ll smuggle cloth napkins out, too? Cloth would be less of a temptation. Most customers would feel bad taking them home. Hopefully.

  And just because he was irritated, Jack added, “Only fill the salt and pepper shakers halfway, as well. I’m also going to crack down on tardiness and missing food items. That means you will fill out inventory sheets each time you use something up. No more taking boxes of meat home,” he directed to Perry, whom he knew had taken a box for a barbecue and beer bash at his house and hadn’t paid for it. “Or any other food and supplies, for that matter. Taking something that’s not rightfully yours is considered theft and is grounds for termination. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Can we buy cases of stuff if you have enough?” Naem asked.

  “If we have plenty of it in stock and you note the transaction on inventory sheets, yes.”

  Naem nodded. Perry sank lower into a slouch, bad attitude wafting off him like steam.

  “Next item on the agenda is hours of operation. I have no idea why Dad did this but it’s not prudent to delay opening a restaurant until nine in the morning. That’s a lot of lost rev
enue from potential early eater breakfast patrons.”

  His voice seemed to have obliterated all the air in the room because Olivia’s face paled. Naem, Darin and Patrice slid Olivia glances that told him there was definitely a story behind why his dad had decided to open the diner later and close it earlier. That story had to do with Olivia.

  Other employees, waitstaff plus another assistant cook from the opposite shift, began to notice the shift in the atmosphere because they darted glances between Olivia and her day-shift crewmates. No matter. He couldn’t be derailed or they’d lose the diner. And, in turn, everyone sitting here would be unemployed. He couldn’t let that happen.

  Furthermore, saving the business that meant so much to his father was Jack’s chance to make it up to him for not being around.

  Dad’s narrowed hours of operation had been a bad move. That initial bank call on Dad’s phone at EPTC had nearly put Jack in the stroke wing beside his father. Jack hated taking drastic measures, but the business would go under if he didn’t. He couldn’t let Dad’s future fade without a fight. That meant staying open during ideal meal hours. The diner’s precarious financial state and Dad’s health had made huge impacts on Jack and cemented his decision to stay in town and take over running the place.

  “Effective immediately, we will open at six a.m. and close at nine p.m. on weekdays, seven a.m. on weekends with closing time at ten p.m. That means I need the morning crew to be here an hour before opening and the evening crew will need to stick around an hour or so after closing to get things ready for the next day.”

  Several eyes shot to Olivia. She kept her face down. Jack looked at her hands, tightly clutching her bag strap. She was squeezing the fiber out of it. Obviously, by the sympathetic looks rallying around her, the new hours would be a hardship on her. But Jack was not about to let his family’s legacy die because one employee had issues with inconvenient hours. He felt firm about it and wise in his decision.

  So why, then, did mercy needle his conscience over Olivia?

  “Guys, I know this is a lot to take in. But it makes the most sense. Okay?”

  Everyone, including Olivia, nodded. But she never looked up. Jack would pull her aside later and privately ask her why she was upset about the hours. He didn’t intend to stress her out. He just wanted to save the family diner and secure Dad’s future. Especially if Sully ended up unable to return to work.

  That would throw Jack’s life into a tailspin. He’d always envisioned himself serving decades in the military before retiring. At this point he still planned on returning to duty once Dad and the diner got back on their feet. He’d wanted to reach twenty years of service. But fate clearly had other ideas. He wished Olivia knew he understood how she felt. Sully’s stroke had sent several lives into chaos. They needed to band together and do what it took to get through this.

  After going over other items of business, Jack concluded the meeting and bought his employees breakfast out of his own pocket. It was the least he could do. None of this was their fault.

  Rather than eat her meal, Olivia slid the tray toward Darin and sprang out of her chair. Jack watched her friends’ concerned, crestfallen expressions as Olivia rushed out the door. Jack tossed Darin the diner keys, called, “Take charge until I return,” and sprinted out the door after her, not even sure why, and convinced he was making a mistake.

  Yet something compelled him to do it anyhow.

  She barely made it to the end of the block before he slowed his pursuit in order not to startle her. She was obviously lost in thought and oblivious to his approach.

  “Miss Abbott?”

  Her steps stuttered but didn’t stop.

  “Please wait. I just need a moment of your time.”

  She paused but didn’t turn around. Her arm came up to swipe across her face—she was crying.

  He stepped close enough to rest a hand on her shoulder. “Olivia.”

  She stiffened at his use of her first name. It had surprised him, too.

  “What?” she said in defeated tones, her back still to him.

  He came around to face her. “Talk to me.”

  She huffed. “There’s no need. I’m fine.”

  “Considering you shot out of the break room like a rodeo bull from a stall, I don’t believe that. Help me understand.”

  She shook her head, clearly exasperated. “There is nothing to understand. I told you, I’m fine.” The involuntary tremor of her eyelid informed him otherwise.

  But she obviously didn’t feel comfortable being vulnerable. He thought back over the meeting and her reactions at certain points, then mapped together possible scenarios.

  “Miss Abbott, what part of the new schedule is a hardship on you? Maybe I can work around the issue.”

  * * *

  That was absolutely not what Olivia expected Jack to say.

  The strain in his voice told her that working around her schedule was going to cause a problem. She already knew that but hadn’t wanted to face up to it. The diner was not in a good place financially. The bank wouldn’t care what reason they gave. If they didn’t get their money, they’d foreclose.

  “The new hours will not be a problem,” she hedged. Even though her weary mind strained toward being open with Jack, she could not.

  It would be selfish to expect the entire restaurant, and by extension the community, Sully and her friends, to arrange their most precious resource of time around her, and she could not bring herself to do it. Not after everything Sully had done for her.

  “It’s a prudent decision given the diner’s debt,” she added.

  “That’s not your problem, though.”

  “And my scheduling conflicts are not yours. So trust me to work it out and I’ll back off on inserting my titanium opinions at future employee meetings. Provided I still have a job.”

  Jack’s lip twitched, as if he were about to crack a smile, probably because she’d so accurately described herself.

  “I haven’t fired anyone. Yet.”

  “I get the feeling Perry’s the period on the end of that statement.”

  Jack’s jaw clenched. “He’s irresponsible, insubordinate, rebellious and inconsiderate. Not to mention far from dependable. I have gone above and beyond to teach and warn him.”

  True. But that Jack would actually fire him rankled, even though she respected his rationale. The day crew stuck together like glue.

  “You resent me.”

  Was that a question or a statement?

  Yes, she resented him a little. He wasn’t Sully.

  Yet maybe that was exactly why Perry got away with so much. Sully had let stuff slide.

  Apparently a lot of stuff.

  Jack shifted and checked his watch. She hated that they were still clashing, but there was something about him that set off the worst and weakest aspects of her character. Not to mention that the last thing she wanted was for such a strong man to see her fragile and upset.

  She raised her chin to try to be more tough and convincing.

  He examined her in that probing way of his.

  “If you need special consideration—”

  “I do not.” She’d just have to suck it up, nap when she could, study harder and pray her guts out for God to help her understand the things she read in her brick-thick medical books. Once she learned something, she had impeccable recall, but it was the initial challenge of getting the data in, and her brain’s ability to comprehend it, that was the struggle. Even her dyslexia could be contended with. The comprehension problem that was aggravated by lack of sleep? Not so much.

  Olivia sat at a crossroads, literally. As Jack waited patiently, peering at cars whizzing by, she knew she had a choice to make. And it wasn’t going to be easy. In fact, it was probably the hardest thing she’d ever have to do—concede defeat and come cl
ean.

  She had to succeed in her goals, and if that meant eventually breaking down and sharing her disability with her new boss, she’d do it in order to keep herself from failing the EMT program. But she wouldn’t tell him until absolutely necessary. He had enough to worry about without her neediness. The last thing she wanted to be was a burden.

  He gestured to a sidewalk bench between two Bradford pear trees. “Please, sit a moment.”

  With gritted teeth, she said, “I’d rather not. Please forgive my emotional outburst and abrupt exodus from the meeting, Mr. Sullenberger. Now, really, I must be going.”

  Mainly because the earnest care in his eyes was starting to get to her.

  “Please, call me Jack. May I call you Olivia?” A corner of his mouth curled into a smirk-lined smile, acknowledging that he hadn’t exactly waited for her permission on that front.

  The joking tone and flash of amusement in his eyes surprised her. She hadn’t figured him as the type.

  She nodded stiffly, keeping her chin down lest she lose her nerve for what she needed to say next. Then she looked up at Jack and said the last words in the world she wanted to say. “The new schedule won’t be a problem. It needs to happen. I know that. It’s fine.”

  Jack stared at her. He leaned back, rubbing his thumb and forefinger along his lower lip, studying her in that calculating way of his. Shook his head. Leaned forward, steepled his hands and released a breath before raking all ten fingers through his buzz, which looked more light brown than dark blond, as it had in Sully’s photos. “You are one stubborn broad.”

  She burst out laughing because he’d muttered it mostly to himself. And because it was true.

  His eyes lit at her laughter and then he laughed, too. For a moment she felt frozen in time. He was drop-dead gorgeous, even when he scowled like his father, but with his finely chiseled face all loose in laughter like that, good gravy he was finer than fine.

  Where were they? Oh, yes, her stubbornness.

  “I’m not trying to be difficult or stubborn. I just don’t know any other way to be.”

  “You’ve had it rough. No need to deny it. You’ve had to fight for everything you have.”