Unexpected Visitors

"So I'm lying on the floor and these two guys are trying to reach down the front of my dress." I pause dramatically.

"Oh my gosh. Then what happened?" Alex prompts.

"Dante and Kim got back and Dante warned them off, but the guy who lost the ring was still trying to get it, so Dante planted him a facer."

Alex, Nancy, Jen, and one of the male chefs, Walter, are all sitting with me around the table in the break room. We got to work early and everyone started talking about their weekends. Ever since high school drama, I have always loved telling a great story to a willing audience.

My audience gasps and I continue. "So then, I dig out the ring and shove it in the dude's hand and Dante, Kim, and I hightail it out of the ballroom. But as soon as we get back to the car, all of the excitement and running and not eating catch up to me and I pass out."

I pause again, allowing them to gasp again. There's been a lot of gasping so far.

"When I come to, Kim is nowhere to be found. She headed back in to grab the bags we left in the bathroom, but a security guard caught her and she claimed she had an employee pass in her bag. So he followed her to the bathroom and she was trapped."

"What did she do?" Walter asks.

"Well, Dante and I headed to her rescue, of course. He hung back and I walked into the bathroom like I was a guest. I gave the guard a really snooty look and he didn't even say anything to me."

"I never would have guessed that you could look snooty," Jen says with a laugh.

"My high school acting career really came in clutch," I answer. "So I checked on Kim and then went out and complained to the guard that the door to my favorite dressing room was locked and demanded that he open it for me." I reenact my loud, dramatic, do-what-I-tell-you-or-so-help-me voice for them.

"He called someone to come, but I really needed to get him away from the door, so I faked another faint and made him help me to a bench around the corner. I pretended to pass out on the bench for a little while, giving Kim and Dante time to escape. Then I came to, freshened up in the bathroom, and left."

"That's wild," Nancy says, pulling her dark hair into a braid.

"Oh, hey chef!" Alex says, looking at the door behind me. I turn so fast I almost fly out of my seat and find Everett watching me with a look. I'm not sure how to describe it exactly. Part concern, part humor, part anger. Really mostly anger with a fair amount of concern and the tiniest sliver of humor.

"Hey Everett," I say, getting to my feet. "Is it time to get to work?"

"Yeah," he says. "Everyone get ready and meet me in the kitchen in five." Grabbing my arm, he pulls me roughly from the break room out into a far corner of the dining room.

When he lets go and just stands there without saying anything, I give him a questioning look.

"What were you telling them about?" he asks in a slightly strained voice.

"Just my weekend."

"That all happened yesterday?"

"Yeah. . . Wait, what part did you come in at?"

"Something about two guys trying to reach down the front of your dress." He's practically pulsating with anger. I can feel his unexpected rage coming off of him in waves.

"I had a run-in with some drunks at a party. But it's okay. My best friend's boyfriend took care of them." I place a calming hand on Everett's shoulder. "Look at me. I'm fine. Nothing really happened."

I feel his shoulder muscle tense under my hand. "Why did your friend and her man leave you alone to begin with?" He shakes my hands off and glares at me.

"They just went to dance. No one could have predicted that two losers would join me in their absence."

Everett growls. "It was stupid to leave you alone. You should have had someone else with you."

I flinch at his harsh tone and try to hold back the tears that are pushing against my eyelids.

"I know. But I d-didn't," I say, wiping at my eyes in frustration. "I don't know why you're so mad about it. You weren't even there."

I hear him sigh. "I know." His tone is softer now. I look up and find him looking guilty. He reaches up to wipe a tear away and frowns when I flinch away from his touch. I'm worried for a second that he's going to get angry again, but he doesn't.

"Sorry for going all angry avenger on you," he says.

"It's okay. I'm sorry for crying" I answer quietly, sniffing quietly as I try to get my water works under control..

"You don't need to apologize," he says in a rough voice, softened by a sheepish smile. We sit in silence for a few moments.

"Well, shall we go cook some tasty food?" I ask.

"Heck yeah!"

We find all of the chefs in the kitchen, dressed and ready to get started. I quickly thank them for their work and tell them the great news: that we had 378 people come to our grand opening and that we have a solid 4.8 star review on Google. "Keep up the great work!" I say when I finish.

Everett then takes over, now in full head chef mode. He quickly gives out orders and everyone hurries to get started on their tasks.

While the chefs get the food ready, I do a quick check of the dining room. The wait staff trickles in. I give them the same little speech I gave the chefs once they all arrive.

Finally, it's time to open again. As I unlock the doors, I wonder if I will ever lose the flutter of excitement I get when I open the restaurant. For now, my elation is rewarded with a small line of people waiting to come in.

Soon, I'm sitting in the break room. The dining room is full and I'm not sure what I should be doing. Unlike opening night, when I felt the need to greet the many special guests I had invited, I don't really have anyone special coming tonight as far as I know. I sigh and look at my phone. Checking reviews has become a bit of an obsession. But nothing has changed since the last time I checked.

I sigh and lean back in my chair. What do I do now? I should probably start bringing something to do while the restaurant is open. And I should maybe consider setting aside some office space for myself so I don't take over the break room.

There's an idea. There are two small, spare rooms off the kitchen that we are currently just using for storage. I could easily turn one of them into my office.

I'm planning out what furniture I'll need and looking up ideas online when one of the waitresses, Kelsy, comes in. "Hey Boss. A couple just came in and said they knew you. They wanted to see if you could come say hi."

"Oh. Sure thing." I tuck my phone in the pocket of my nice dress pants, smooth out my pretty blue shirt, and follow Kelsy out into the dining room.

When I see the guests, I have to hold in a squeal of excitement as I run forward and catch them in a big hug. "Mom! Dad! You didn't tell me you were in town!"

"We didn't want to miss your big opening, sweetheart," Mom says. "We knew you had a lot of people planned for the grand opening, so we decided we'd come and surprise you today!"

"This is wonderful! How long will you be in town?"

"Our flight out is on Thursday. I know you'll be busy in the afternoons and evenings, but we were hoping you'd have time to hang out with us in the mornings," Dad says with a proud smile. "This place looks great, Lacy Lou. We're so proud of you."

I smile and steal a chair from an empty table so I can sit with them. They quickly order and we visit while we wait for their food. I'm so happy to see them! I can't believe they flew all the way from Idaho to surprise me. Well, I can believe it, actually. My parents have always been my biggest cheerleaders.

Once their food arrives, I stop talking so they can enjoy their meal. Instead, I just look fondly at them. Dad's cheerful green eyes and big smile remind me where I get my love of food. His dark hair has a little more gray in it than I remember. Mom's red curls, which are starting to get a few gray streaks of their own, are bouncing wildly around her head, giving me a vision of my future self. Her blue eyes keep glancing at me as though she wants to make sure I'm still with them.

When they finish, they both smile. "That was delicious," Dad says. "Your new chef seems like a keeper to me."

"I have to admit, honey, that I'm glad Jeff is gone. He didn't treat you very well. And you know, I don't think his food was nearly this good." Mom grabs my hand as she speaks and I smile. She's right. The Thanksgiving dinner Jeff cooked for them when they came out to visit last year was honestly not that great.

"Thanks Mom. Do you want to meet my head chef?" I ask on a whim and immediately wonder if it's a good idea.

Unfortunately, Mom and Dad say, "Yes!" in unison. I hurry back to the kitchen to fetch Everett. Thankfully, I find him just observing for a moment.

"Hey. I have some guests who would like to meet you," I say, tucking my hair behind my ear and trying not to blush. I'm worried that he'll read more into this than I want him to. I mean, it feels a little weird introducing him to my parents. I have to keep reminding myself that he's just my chef.

"Sure thing." He follows me out to Mom and Dad's table and they stand to greet him. Dad gives him a firm handshake and Mom wraps him in a hug before I can get the introductions out.

"Everett Brodbeck, this is my mom, Marcy Linden, and my dad, Stewart Linden."

"Nice to meet you," Mom says. "Your food was wonderful. We're so glad you were willing to work with Lacy."

"Very impressive," Dad adds. "I think you're much better than her previous head chef."

Everett smiles and takes it all in stride. "Thank you. I'm grateful for the opportunity to work here. Your daughter is a good boss."

Mom and Dad just smile fondly. "We'd better head back to the kitchen," I say. I give Mom and Dad quick hugs and promise to call them tomorrow morning. They exchange goodbyes with Everett, then we walk quickly back to the kitchen. We pause just inside the entrance.

"Your parents are really cool," Everett says. "I'm glad I got to meet them."

"Thanks for coming out and seeing them. I'm so glad they came! I had no idea they would be here."

"Do they live far away?"

"Idaho."

"Wow. That is a long trip."

"Yeah. They'll be here until Thursday, so I can spend time with them in the mornings." I smile. I'm so excited to show them some of my favorite places in the city. They've visited before, but I've found new places to take them since then.

"Will you still be coming into the restaurant in the evenings?"

"Of course! I wouldn't miss it. Actually, I was thinking about turning one of those extra storage rooms off the kitchen into an office space."

Everett gives me a weird look. "What?" I ask defensively.

"I've just never had a restaurant owner who spent all their time at the restaurant unless they were also the head chef."

"It's important to me. There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

"I like that about you," he says. "It's part of why you're such a good boss."

"Th-thanks," I stammer, looking away shyly.

"I really think you're a great person and a great boss, Lace," he says, not waiting for me to return my gaze to him before turning and striding back into the fray, now in full head chef mode. I just watch him for a few seconds, then return to the break room. I've got an office to set up.