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“It’s a beautiful June day out. The customers are awesome. They are tipping well too,” she said, grinning.
“I found that,” Heather said. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but they didn’t tip as well before Duke came.”
Her smile stayed in place. Heather had been employed for about a year and had worked for her parents. She only worked nights and weekends part time for extra money. “I understand. My parents tried their best, but it’s not like this was their calling or their first career. I’m not sure why they wanted to do this.”
“I don’t mean any disrespect,” Heather said. “Your father and mother are great people. It’s just Duke has such a good reputation. I was thrilled when I heard he was buying the place.”
She didn’t say that Duke hadn’t bought it yet. Nothing at all. She didn’t know what the staff were privy to or not. All they knew now was Duke was running it and calling the shots. Heck, she didn’t even know all the legal details because it wasn’t her business either.
“Some weren’t so happy,” she said.
“That’s on them and they are gone now.”
“Good luck to them. But I’d heard that servers all but beg to get into Duke’s.”
“They do,” Heather said. “Which is why it was nice he is here. I didn’t want to drive to the other end of the island when I live and work here. I get the best of both worlds. I mean I’d make more there, but this is more than I did before.”
Heather’s drinks were put on the bar and she gathered them up and left. A minute later Hadley’s food order was ready and she got that to bring out too.
A few hours later she was done with work and heading home.
Though she’d had a smile on her face for the day, it was gone knowing she was going to have words with her father.
She didn’t appreciate him saying what he had to Duke. She had to decide how much to say to her parents. The truth was probably the best, but they’d be upset too.
She didn’t feel as if she had a choice either. Lies tripped people up, and in this case, her father did something he shouldn’t have.
She parked her car and got out, showered and changed again, just like she had when she got back from Duke’s earlier before her shift.
After she grabbed a bottle of water, she went to her parents' house, up the deck and knocked on the glass door before she walked in.
“Hi, Hadley,” her mother said. “I’ve got leftover steak and potato salad that we had for dinner if you’re hungry.”
She actually was but wanted to talk to them first. “I’ll have some in a minute if you don’t mind. First I need to talk to Dad. You too.”
Her father looked over from where he was sitting in the living room. “Duke told you?”
“Yes,” she said. “He did. I went to have brunch with him this morning. You should have told me what you’d done so I had a heads up.”
“What did you do, Stan?” her mother asked with her hands on her hips.
“I just told Duke what Hadley had been through with Eddie. I wanted him to know that maybe she wasn’t ready for what he could be looking for.”
She felt her face flush. “You don’t know him well enough to know what he is looking for. You don’t know what I am either. You don’t even know anything other than we went on one date and I like him. And you sure the heck don’t know what happened with Eddie and me.”
She realized her voice was getting loud and it never had before. “What does that mean?” her mother asked.
“What part?” she asked.
“All of it,” her father said. “But start with Duke and end with Eddie.”
She told them that she and Duke were dating. She was looking at it like any other new relationship. No one was taking advantage of the other. They seemed somewhat relieved.
“I didn’t tell you everything with Eddie,” she said. “I never do when in a relationship. Just like I don’t know everything about your marriage.”
“She has a point,” her mother said.
“What is it you didn’t tell us?” her father said.
