I cruise into work just on time, a spring in my step and belly full of food after grocery shopping. That overage from last night not only set me up with a stocked kitchen, but I was also able to make a small payment on my past-due electric bill.
Happier than I’ve been in a long time, I called Raven on my way to work, and she agreed to meet me for coffee at the end of my shift. I can’t wait to tell her about Cameron and me. Hell, I still can’t believe we’re officially um . . . dating? Or . . . doesn’t matter what it’s called. Fact is we’re letting people know that we’re together, which is more than I could’ve hoped for.
Throwing smiles to anyone who’ll look my way, I head to the back office to lock up my purse. Life is good. So, so good. And it’s been so long since I’ve had good I’m going to rub everyone’s face it in for as long as it lasts.
I push through the office door and freeze. “Oh, Seth, you’re here.” Fuck. I was hoping the GM’s lackey would work the night shift. Oh well, not even he can bring me down. Not today.
“Ms. Dawson.” He knows my first name, I’ve asked him to use it repeatedly, but he continues to speak to me like the creepy bad guy from “The Matrix.” I roll my eyes and move to the filing cabinet to stash my purse.
“Before you do that, have a seat.” He motions to the chair on the other side of his—or rather my—desk.
I huff out a long breath that I make sure is loud enough for him to hear. He’s going to lecture me and waste my time about something like making sure the silverware is double polished instead of single.
“What’s up?” I take a seat, my purse in my lap, and wait.
He stands up, moves around the desk, and sits on it at an angle with one foot still on the ground. “Is there something you’d like to share with me, Ms. Dawson?”
I clutch my purse tighter. “Um . . . no?”
He nods, crosses hairy forearms over his wimpy chest, and tilts his head. “You sure?”
My mouth goes dry, and I force a casual shrug. “Pretty sure, yeah.”
He narrows his eyes. “Anything eventful go on here last night after I left?”
“Not really. Eduardo stayed late because you let all the kitchen guys take off early, so he was stuck with dish duty.”
“So you don’t have anything you’d like to share? About last night?”
He can’t possibly know, can he? “Can we cut the twenty questions, and you just get to the point?”
“The deposit from last night.”
I suck in a breath. Holy fuck. How does he know about that? He left at least an hour before I did. Unless . . . “What about it?”
A quick smile of pity appears before he wipes it away. “Honesty will avoid formal charges, Ms. Dawson. Think about that, and let me ask you again. Do you have anything you’d like to tell me about the deposit last night?”
My mind races and my face heats. He set me up. That’s the only way he’d know about the overage and the only reason I wasn’t able to figure out where the extra money came from. Asshole.
“I was short on money this month. We got slammed last night, so I never got a break to eat dinner.” I shrug.
He nods for me to continue.
I swallow hard and bite the inside of my mouth. Last night, I was so hungry and so desperate it didn’t feel as wrong as speaking the words feels now. “I took the money.”
“Hm.” He studies his khaki pant leg. “So you admit to stealing?”
“Yeah, although I wouldn’t call it stealing. I’ve been working here since I was sixteen. There’ve been nights where we get slammed, and I have to work through my break. If it’s that big of a deal, you can take it out of my next paycheck.”
“Ms. Dawson, there’s nothing that justifies stealing. That money didn’t belong to you. No matter how you twist it in your head, stealing is stealing.”
“Okay, fine. I apologize. When I get my next check, I’ll reimburse you. Now, can I get to work so I can earn a paycheck that’ll keep me fed so I’ll no longer have to steal?”
“I’m afraid we’re going to have to let you go.”
Everything goes still: my breath, heart, every muscle in my body. Even my eyes refuse to blink.
“You can go ahead and collect your things, and we’ll have your final paycheck, minus the amount you took, ready for you in two days.”
Is this a joke?
I blink as blood returns to my brain. “Hold on. You’re firing me?”
“Yes. You’re being let go, but because of your honesty, we won’t press charges.”
“But I’ve given my life to this restaurant. I’ve worked here since I was a kid.”
“Don’t think of it as a bad thing; think of it as a chance for new opportunities.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” My voice booms and echoes off the walls. “I have no work experience outside of Nori. I’ll never get hired after being fired for something like this.”
“I’m sorry. If you needed money for food, you should’ve come to me. I could’ve requested an advance on your paycheck. Stealing is never the answer.”
“So write me up, slap me on the hand, but don’t fire me.”