AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Hey, we all can’t be a coffee badass like you. I’m just trying to inject some caffeine before the lunch rush. And you’re ignoring my question. What’s up? You don’t normally show up here in the middle of the day for no reason.”
“Do I really need a reason to see you?” I push my coffee cup away. “Okay. Fine. Maybe there’s a reason.”
“And that reason is? Come on, dude. I don’t have time to drag shit out of you. Just get whatever it is off your chest.” Julian downs the rest of his coffee and leans across the bar to grab the carafe and pour himself another cup.
“That’s a lot of coffee.” It’s obvious that I’m ignoring his questions, but whatever. “Why are you drinking so much?”
“It’s thisplace. It’s tough. I’m here early every morning and late every night. Sometimes I’m barely gone for five or six hours before I’m back here opening up.” He dumps more sugar into his second cup of coffee. “The general manager is slacking, leaving a lot of stuff up to me. I ain’t supposed to be running the front of house. The kitchen is my domain. But I don’t want any restaurant that I’m associated with to fail—or to get a reputation for bad food or service. So I’m picking up the slack. This place is taking over my whole life. I might have to start sending out some resumes if things don’t change around here.”
“I get it. Work taking over your life, I mean.”
“Yeah? Thought your job was awesome. All that money and traveling.”
“It’s the traveling that’s the problem. I’m not so sure it’s worth the money anymore.” I pick my cup up again and study the brown liquid inside. “It’s Courtney’s job, too. She’s gone again today. She was supposed to be off, but she got called in.”
“Ah ha. Now we’re getting to it.Thisis why you stopped by. What’s going on with you and Courtney?”
I shrug. “We never see each other. It’s starting to take a toll.”
“Well, what are you going to do about it?” One of the waitstaff approaches us with a plate and gives it to Julian. “Excellent, thanks. Here, try this. Corn and lobster fritter. For our new brunch menu.” He pushes the plate toward me. “Come on, Leon. I’ve never known you to give up. You’ve always been the guy who gets what he wants. What’s stopping you now?”
“Courtney.”
“How is Courtney stopping you? She loves you, right?” Julian shoves a fritter into his mouth. “Damn, that’s good. Iama culinary genius. You talk to her about it?”
“Not yet. I don’t know how she’s gonna feel if I tell her I think we should both start looking for new jobs. She loves her job and I don’t want to take that away from her. And even if she did go along with it, it could just lead to resentment in the long run. That’s not something I want festering in my marriage.”
“Sotalkto her. It’s that damn simple. Talk to your wife.”
“I know. But talking tends to lead to fighting these days.” I shake my head. “I never should have taken this new position.”
“Hey, whiny old man? Just talk to your wife, for fuck’s sake.”
I exhale a long breath. “You’re right.”
“Of course I am.” Julian grins and gives me a swipe across the shoulder with his fist. “You think somebody who can make food like this doesn’t know how to make two people come together?” He gestures at the now-empty plate. “It’s all about harmony. Blending.”
“That explains why you get along so great with your girlfriend. Oh, wait. You don’t have one.”
“Damn,” Julian says, clutching his chest. “Low blow, brother. Now get out of my restaurant and go make up with your wife. And don’t worry about my girlfriend, or lack thereof. I get my fair share of digits.”
“Let me know when you get some that aren’t fake.” I grin at him and we exchange a quick hug goodbye before I leave him to his work.
I may give my brother a lot of shit. But he’s right. Courtney and I need to sit down and talk this out. I need to make her realize that the only way this marriage is going to work is if both of us work together—and that while it might mean giving up our careers, that’s better than giving up each other.
I just hope she sees it that way too.
Chapter Seven
Courtney
The flight coming home was delayed, so I told Leon to not worry about picking me up, that I’d just take a cab from the airport. After our last ride together and his terse replies to my questions, I didn’t know that I wanted to be in a car with him right now.
And I was dreading the talk we had coming.
The Uber drops me off at home and I stand on the sidewalk, just staring at our house. Finally, taking a deep breath, I hoist my bag over my shoulder and head for the front door. I slip my key into the lock and push.
When I open the door, I’m greeted by the low sound of jazz and the enticing smell of onions and garlic. And when I round the corner to the kitchen, I spot our table set for dinner with our wedding china, a bottle of Pinot Noir in the middle of the table.
