AllFreeNovel
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“It’s alright. What did you want to talk to me about?”
I take a breath. “I wanted to talk to you about possibly cutting back my hours,” I say.
He frowns slightly. “Why? Is everything alright?”
“Yeah, it’s just…” I take a second to try and make sure I word this right.
I think back to the year-plus-long rift my dad had with my brother Gage because of Gage’s sexy TikTok account. Our straight-laced dad hated the fact that Gage posted that kind of online content and they had a huge fight about it, causing Gage to cut our dad out of his life. But then our dad finally realized he was wrong to be so judgmental and he made amends with Gage, leading to them reconciling and working together.
I can tell my dad enjoys having my brother and me work with him at his restaurant. Part of me wonders if he’ll be upset that social media is again the reason for disrupting his work setup with his sons.
I take in the concerned frown on his face as he waits for me to say something. I need to just tell him.
“So, I, uh, started an Instagram account where I’ve been sharing sandwich recipes,” I finally say. “It kind of took off.”
I tell him how I’ve landed some contracts to make content for a bunch of food brands.
His brow raises. He smooths a hand over his short, silver-blond hair. He looks intrigued, not upset.
He starts to smile. “That’s wonderful, Tyler. Congratulations.”
“Thanks. It’s just been hard balancing it all. I want to really give my all with this social media account, but I think I’m going to have to cut back to part-time hours at the restaurant to do that.”
I clear my throat and squirm in my chair as the expression on my dad’s face turns thoughtful.
He’s quiet for a moment. “I see.”
I’m trying to keep my cool, but inside my nerves are firing off. My dad’s a calm and put-together guy. He always has been. I’m sure that’s part of why he’s been able to build such a successful restaurant empire and why he’s such a well-regarded celebrity chef. Both on camera and off, he’s always been firm, even, and proper.
He always thinks before he speaks, and he hardly ever loses his shit.
He nods once. “I understand. This is an exciting opportunity for you. You should see it through. That should be fine for you to cut back to part-time.”
I let out a quiet breath. “Thanks, Dad. I appreciate it.”
He tells me to meet with Yolanda, the general manager of Se’bon, and let her know about my change in hours so she can account for it when she makes the weekly staff schedule.
“I have to say, I’m impressed to see that you took such initiative to start your own food-themed social media account,” he says. “I didn’t think you had such a passion for food.”
“I’ve been interested in food for a while, but I didn’t want to make it a thing,” I say. “You and Gage have that locked down. I didn’t want to come off like a copycat or that I was trying to ride your guys’ coattails.”
He frowns. “You shouldn’t think that, Tyler. I’m happy to see my sons share my love for food in your own ways.”
Just hearing him say that eases the tension in my muscles.
When he stands up, I stand up too. He walks over to me and pats my shoulder. “I’m proud of you for striking out on your own like this.”
“It was Tori’s idea actually, that I start an Instagram account to promote my cooking skills.”
“Really?” he starts to smile. “Smart, beautiful, supportive, and she puts up with you?”
“Yeah, can you believe it?” I laugh. “She’s amazing. I’m really lucky to have her.”
He pats my shoulder. “Ah, to be young and in love. Enjoy it.”
I freeze for a moment, my brain stuck on that word he just said.
Love.
