“Which is why I’m hiring people now.”
“Ivy, what is going on?”
Ivy blew out a breath and sighed. “Why can’t you just be like, sure, Ives, whatever you say, Ives. I’m happy to, Ives.”
What was going on? Something was up, so I gave her the out with it motion. “Fine,” she huffed. “I don’t want you to serve anymore. I need you to be healed before we begin the changes at Evergreen Acres, and that means attendingphysical therapy. I know you won’t let me pay you to do nothing.”
I lifted a brow as if to say, ‘You think?’
Her snort was comical. “That’s why Cameron and I discussed it and decided it was time to move the server training portion of the school-to-work program here.”
“It’s a bit fast-paced for that, Ivy. You know how this place can go from quiet to overrun in one minute.”
“I do, and they won’t transition here until they’ve worked at the farm with our training supervisor for a certain number of hours. They’ll have to pass a specific task-oriented checklist as well as work several test shifts with their trainer.”
“Okay, since you’re the one in charge of that, I’m still not sure how I’m involved and why you’re replacing me as a server.”
To say I was hurt was an understatement. Up until the accident, I’d given the business my all, ensuring that every customer who walked through the door felt appreciated and cared for while within these walls. I’d done a good job, but it stung that my boss didn’t feel the same way.
Ivy blinked at me several times and finally shook her head. “Apparently, I do have to spell it out for you.” She grabbed a paper placemat and a pen, writing something across it before she turned to me.
“You are the new training supervisor,” I read aloud. “Wait. Me?”
“Are you sure you aren’t still taking the pain meds because you are having a hard time grasping that you’ve been promoted to full-time manager. You’ll be wearing several hats to do it, but I know as much as you enjoy serving, your business talents will serve us better as the businesses grow.”
“Ivy, I don’t know what to say. When you and Cameron offered me the chance to run the food truck again, I was thrilled that you trusted me with it, but this is an entirely different level. Are you sure?”
“Yes. I had planned a sit-down meeting with you on your first day back, and we will, but I didn’t tell you for one reason: I wanted you to focus on resting and healing without worrying about the new job. Now that you’re ready to come back, I’llschedule a half-day meeting with you and Cameron to plan the program changes. Once the scheduling is settled, it will be up to you to develop a training plan that suits your needs. Currently, I work with kids interested in serving, but I don’t have a specific plan in place. I should, but there aren’t enough hours in the day. That’s why I haven’t actively built the serving aspect of the school-to-work program. After seeing how successful the kids were with the food truck, we decided to make a change. You’re the woman to do it. Of course, you’ll still have time for the food truck, but this will fill your hours when the truck isn’t active.”
I stood and walked around the counter to hug her. “You know how grateful I am for the opportunity, right?”
She patted my back as an answer until I pulled away and sat again. “You earned this opportunity, Jaelyn. This isn’t a handout. We reward loyalty and dedication, two qualities you possess in abundance. With it comes a significant salary increase.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “You’re already paying me for the food truck managing.”
“We are, but you won’t be serving anymore, so we have to replace that income.”
I rubbed my temple, embarrassed I hadn’t thought of that. “Right. Sorry, I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.”
“Understandable,” she said, grinning. “We’ll get into it more when we sit down together, but your salary will reflect your responsibilities and will be significantly more than you’re making now as a server.”
“I could cry,” I whispered. “That will help me pay off Yaya’s debts so much faster.”
“Have you heard from Lance?” Ivy asked.
“I have a meeting with him on Monday. He said he had finally gotten everything together, and we should meet to review it. I’d be nervous, but worst-case scenario, I still have to pay back every penny that was left, so there isn’t much to be nervous about.”
“A good way to look at it,” she agreed. “What time is the appointment?”
“I made it later so I could work my regular shift,” I explained. “It’s at four.”
With a nod, she grabbed her phone. “Good, we’ll meet in the morning, and you’ll be back from the farm in plenty of time.”
“My head is swimming,” I admitted, the pie long forgotten as I considered the magnitude of what she’d offered me tonight. A managing position in one of Ivy’s businesses would allow me to get ahead for the first time in my adult life. It also provides an opportunity to utilize my degree in a way that could positively impact others’ lives. A small part of me worried she’d given me the position because she felt guilty for the accident, but I also knew that wasn’t how Ivy Lund worked. The injury may have hastened her decision, but she was already planning to make it; otherwise, she wouldn’t have pulled the trigger so quickly.
“With good things, I hope,” she said, to which I nodded. “Good, because I have one more request that you may or may not groan over.”
“Whatever you need. Something tells me I won’t be groaning about it.”
