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He shoved the drawer closed and got back to his job. Everything would work out. It always did. He didn’t need to worry about staffing because Penelope would return. And maybe he could get one of the bartenders to help pull some weight.
A knock rapped on his office door and he glanced up to find Gabriel standing with his hands clasped tightly in front of him. “Sir?”
Shane motioned for him to enter. “What do you need? Is everything set for tonight’s dinner rush?”
“That’s what I was going to speak to you about.”
He glanced up from his computer screen and then sighed before turning his chair to give his friend his undivided attention. “Is there a problem?”
“Reservations are fully booked tonight. There are several large groups listed on our schedule. This will be a strain on the kitchen staff and the wait staff. You hired me to help you create the kind of dining experience that people go to the city for, and yet you don’t give me the support I need.”
Shane’s defenses rose immediately. “You know as well as I do that this place is a small town. It’s hard to fill positions without head-hunting out of town.”
“I do know that. What happened to Eloise? I thought you had decided to hire her. Even if you hired her temporarily, it would be better than not having that position filled.”
That was before he realized just how much he needed to protect people like Eloise from his cousins. One night offered very little risk. Having her here when they could show up was a completely different matter. He didn’t want to give them any excuse to speak to her.
“Shane,” Gabriel said more firmly. “We need at least one more person on staff. If you can’t provide that for me, then we need to close for the night.”
He scoffed. “Closing an entire restaurant because one person needs to be on staff? Do you even hear yourself?”
“It’s either that, or you need to be the one to weed out our reservation list. I don’t know how you’d do it, but I wouldn’t want to be the one to explain to anyone why they didn’t get a table when their friends did.”
Shane sighed. Gabriel made a good point. The town was too close. Someone was bound to notice, and the older generation of women were bound to talk about it—gossiping about who might be considered favorites.
He dragged a hand down his face. “And you’re sure you can’t make it work with those you have on the schedule tonight? Is there anyone who can pull a double? Can we offer overtime to anyone?”
“If you ask me, you might have pushed the opening of this restaurant too soon.”
Shane bit back a retort. The restaurant was a new venture—a way to continue growing his small empire like his grandfather had. This restaurant was really an ode to that man. Truth be told, Shane didn’t know the first thing about running a restaurant. He was better at the therapeutic service business.
“But to answer your question, there is no one else who can fill in tonight. You need to hire at least five more people, but we could make do with one more until then.” Gabriel lifted his arm, pulled aside his sleeve, and checked the time. “I’ll need to know within the hour. We have prep work to do. I’d rather not waste any food for this evening’s meals if I don’t have to.” He gave Shane a meaningful look. “If Eloise can return, she’d be my first choice. She was a quick learner, and she had no problem following orders.”
Gabriel headed out the door, leaving Shane to mull over what he’d said. Marc and Madeline hadn’t made an appearance since that first night. The probability that they would cross paths with Eloise coming or going wasn’t high. And in the meantime, he could keep an eye on Eloise from here.
Something deep down inside him seemed to shy away from where he was going with this thought process. That part of him continued to insist this was a bad idea. If only Marc and Madeline hadn’t managed to cross paths with Eloise. Then none of this would be an issue.
He groaned, settling back in his seat. This was the exact definition of being between a rock and a hard place.
Shane picked up his phone, then let out a curse. Of course. She didn’t have her phone. He wasn’t sure what her family’s house number was. The only one he felt he could try would be Brielle unless he chose to drive out there in person and hope she was home. Both options made him feel absolutely sick to his stomach.
The latter would be better. At least then, he wouldn’t have to speak to Brielle.
4
Eloise
“That guy is giving your phone back today, right?”
Eloise glanced up at Brielle and then back to the buttons she was working on. “Yeah. He wanted to take me to lunch and apologize for his sister forgetting to give it back.” She flashed her sister a smile. “He seems pretty nice. I think it will be fun.”
Through the mirror, she could see Brielle watching her from her vantage point in the doorway. She leaned her shoulder against the door jamb. “And how did you meet him again?”
“I guess he’s Shane’s cousin?”
Brielle’s brows furrowed. “Are you sure? Shane said he didn’t have family.”
Eloise shrugged. “They definitely knew each other. And Madeline called Shane her cousin.”
