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It was a fire. Jessica ran to the hot plate to see the flames engulfing the steak.
“OMG! OMG! OMG! Beth run!”
“Run? I’m not leaving you! What do we do?”
“First, calm down. Second, make sure all parties are accounted for. Third, find the source and extinguish it by smothering it and denying it oxygen,” Jessica recounted by route.
“I got it!” Jessica saw Beth get a dishcloth and fan.
“Stop! We are trying to smother it,” Jessica called out to Beth.
“Or extinguish, air extinguishes fire.”
There were no handles on the hot plate. If it stayed in the Shell, the Shell would go up in flames.
“Okay, no fire extinguisher, we can do sopping wet cloths.”
Beth followed Jessica as they dunked in rags.
“Uh, Jessica, I don’t think we should do this. I read it was bad, somewhere.”
Jessica stopped and looked at Beth. She didn’t read much but she wasn’t going to doubt. Then Jessica saw the shovel and had an idea.
“Jess, what are you doing?”
Jessica ran to the shovel and then scooped it under the hot plate and carried it outside, flaming steak and all. “I’ve got to get it out of the Shell!”
Chapter Five
Brian hated getting tested as if he was a rookie.
That was exactly what this dinner was all about. The board member Hayden Prince, also known as Shorty in Peace, wanted to talk to him. Brian tried to explain to him that he could just review the numbers himself, but Mr. Prince wouldn't have it. When Mr. Prince showed up to the dinner and he was empty-handed, Brian knew exactly what was going on.
“Hello Brian, you don’t mind if I call you Brian do you?” Mr. Prince asked. Just once Brian would like to be able to say yes, I do mind you calling me Brian, my name is Mr. Cholan. Instead, he smiled and nodded his head.
“Mr. Prince, I see you didn't bring the numbers. Is there some problem?”
Mr. Prince laughed. “Ah, so you were thinking this was going to be business as usual?”
Brian nodded.
“Well, you know, the funny thing is, this is business as usual. But it's business as usual for Peace. We don’t talk business with a man we can’t eat with.”
Brian wanted to tell him that no business was done in Peace. The place was living up to its name and everybody basically lived the life they wanted to day-by-day.
“I'm sorry, sir, I don't understand.”
“You don't and that's exactly why I didn't bring the numbers.”
“Sir?”
“Until you understand that the numbers are more than just that. The numbers in the final report represent people.”
Brian was really trying to hold his tongue. He knew that those numbers were people's lives.
“Ah, so you think I'm overstepping my boundaries, huh?”
“With all due respect, I've been at Butler Hotels for quite a while and I know what those numbers mean and where they come from,” Brian said, hoping that he didn't sound as upset as he was.
