Chapter 5 - The Numbers Behind the Restaurant
The review started the next morning.
Not because Vincent threatened anyone.
Because his attorneys knew exactly which calls to make.
Sterling's payroll records were examined.
Mom was interviewed.
So were seventeen employees.
Three days later, Vincent asked Mom to meet him at a downtown office.
She brought me.
“Again?” Vincent asked when he saw me.
“I had nobody to watch her.”
“I meant the unauthorized negotiator.”
I climbed into a chair.
“Hello.”
“Hello, Rory.”
A lawyer entered carrying a thick folder.
Her name was Rebecca Sloan.
She placed it on the table.
“Mara, your records were extremely useful.”
Mom squeezed my hand.
“What did you find?”
Rebecca opened the folder.
“Systematic underpayment.”
Mom stared at her.
“How many people?”
“Potentially dozens, including former employees.”
Vincent's expression hardened.
Rebecca continued.
“Unpaid overtime. Altered time records. Improper deductions. Retaliatory scheduling.”
Mom looked stunned.
“All this time…”
Vincent asked, “Total exposure?”
“Still calculating.”
Sterling's voice suddenly came from the doorway.
“Enough.”
Everyone turned.
He entered with his own attorney.
“You're destroying my business.”
Vincent remained seated.
“No. Your records are doing that.”
Sterling looked at Mom.
“I offered you money.”
“You offered me what you already owed me.”
“You could have taken it and walked away.”
Mom stood.
“And left everyone else?”
“Everyone else isn't your problem.”
Mom stared at him.
Then she looked at me.
“Yes, they are.”
Sterling laughed bitterly.
“Now you're some kind of hero?”
“No.”
Mom's answer was immediate.
“I'm a waitress who wanted her paycheck.”
Vincent watched her carefully.
Sterling's lawyer whispered something to him.
Sterling ignored it.
“This place was nothing before me.”
Mom shook her head.
“This place is nothing without the people cooking your food, washing your dishes, cleaning your floors, and serving your customers.”
Sterling pointed at Vincent.
“You think he cares about you?”
The room became quiet.
Mom didn't answer.
Sterling continued.
“He's Vincent Kane.”
“I know who he is.”
“He doesn't do favors.”
Vincent finally spoke.
“No.”
Sterling smiled.
“See?”
Vincent stood.
“I don't.”
He buttoned his jacket.
“But sometimes people confuse kindness with weakness.”
His eyes moved toward me.
“And sometimes it takes a four-and-a-half-year-old to remind grown men how embarrassing that mistake can become.”
I smiled.
Sterling didn't.
His attorney pulled him aside.
They whispered for nearly two minutes.
Finally Sterling returned.
“We'll settle.”
Rebecca closed the folder.
“For Mara?”
Sterling sighed.
“For everyone with a valid claim.”
Vincent looked at Mom.
“This isn't my decision.”
Mom looked surprised.
Vincent continued.
“It's yours.”
She glanced at Rebecca.
“What happens if we don't settle?”
“We proceed.”
“How long?”
“Possibly months.”
“And everyone gets what they're owed if we settle?”
Rebecca nodded.
“Back wages, verified overtime, penalties where applicable, and written protections against retaliation.”
Mom looked around the room.
Then at Sterling.
“One more condition.”
He laughed.
“You're making conditions now?”
“Yes.”
“What?”
“You apologize.”
Sterling stared at her.
“For what?”
Mom's expression didn't change.
“For telling me people like me should be grateful you gave us jobs.”
Sterling's face burned.
“You're serious?”
“Yes.”
Silence stretched across the office.
Finally Sterling looked at her.
“I’m sorry.”
Mom waited.
He clenched his jaw.
“I’m sorry for what I said. And for how I treated you.”
Mom nodded once.
“Put that in writing too.”
Vincent looked away.
May you like
But I saw him smile.
---
