Chapter 5 - The Rumors Upstairs
By the time I returned to the dining room, everyone knew.
Conversations stopped when I passed.
The cooks stared.
Two servers pretended not to look at Ellie sleeping in my arms.
Grant had been removed through the front entrance in handcuffs. Customers had taken videos. Within an hour, the restaurant’s name was spreading across social media.
I wanted to disappear.
Instead, Mr. Vale walked beside me.
No jacket.
No tie.
His shirt still wrinkled where Ellie had slept against him.
The room fell silent.
“Service is suspended for the evening,” he announced. “Guests will receive full refunds. Employees will be paid for the complete shift.”
No one moved.
Mr. Vale looked toward the kitchen.
“Anyone with information regarding misconduct by Grant Mercer will be interviewed by independent counsel. No employee will be punished for speaking honestly.”
A cook near the pass raised his hand halfway.
“Sir?”
Mr. Vale nodded.
“Grant took money from our tip pool.”
A server spoke next.
“He changed our hours after we clocked out.”
“He threatened to report my immigration status,” a dishwasher said.
“He made me work with a fever.”
“He fired my brother after he complained about the walk-in freezer.”
The voices multiplied.
Mr. Vale stood motionless as years of fear poured into the room.
I watched his face grow harder with every accusation.
Finally, he raised one hand.
“Adrian will take statements from each of you. You will receive copies. No one speaks to company attorneys without independent representation present.”
A woman named Rosa stepped forward.
She had worked at the restaurant for nine years.
“Why should we trust you now?”
The room became silent again.
Adrian looked uneasy, but Mr. Vale did not avoid the question.
“You shouldn’t.”
Rosa blinked.
Mr. Vale continued.
“Trust based on a speech would be foolish. Judge what happens next.”
He turned toward me.
“Your coat.”
I hesitated.
“I can take the bus.”
“You’re not taking an infant onto a bus at midnight.”
“I don’t need special treatment.”
“Tonight is not about what you need to prove.”
He signaled to Adrian.
“Have the car brought around.”
As we approached the back entrance, Rosa touched my arm.
“Lena.”
I stopped.
Her eyes filled with tears.
“My sister runs a licensed daycare from her home. She helps mothers who work nights.”
“I can’t afford—”
“She’ll help.”
“I don’t want charity.”
“It isn’t charity. I’ve watched you cover everyone’s tables for months. Let someone cover yours.”
For the first time that day, I nearly cried.
“Thank you.”
Outside, a black sedan waited near the curb.
Mr. Vale opened the rear door.
I looked at him.
“You don’t have to do this.”
“I know.”
I climbed inside with Ellie.
To my surprise, he entered from the other side.
“Are you coming with us?”
“I need your address.”
“I can give it to the driver.”
“I’m aware.”
The car pulled away.
For several blocks, neither of us spoke.
Ellie woke and stared around the dark interior.
Then she saw Mr. Vale.
She smiled.
It was small and sleepy, but unmistakable.
He looked almost offended by it.
“Why is she doing that?”
“Babies smile.”
“Not usually at me.”
“You fed her.”
“That creates loyalty?”
“At seven months, absolutely.”
Ellie reached toward him.
He looked at me.
“What does she want?”
“To pull your hair, probably.”
He hesitated, then offered one finger.
She grabbed it.
The hard lines of his face softened.
“What was Rose like?” I asked.
His gaze remained on Ellie.
“Loud.”
I smiled.
“That doesn’t sound terrible.”
“It was at six in the morning.”
“Daniel snored.”
“That is less charming.”
“It was when the house became too quiet.”
He looked out the window.
“Quiet can become unbearable.”
“Yes.”
For a moment, we were not an owner and an employee.
We were simply two people who had loved someone and survived the loss badly.
The car stopped outside my apartment building.
Mr. Vale looked through the window at the cracked entrance light and peeling paint.
“You live here?”
“It’s what I can afford.”
He stepped out before I could stop him.
At the front door, a bright paper notice had been taped beneath my apartment number.
FINAL RENT WARNING.
I pulled it down quickly.
Mr. Vale had already seen it.
“How much do you owe?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“You work for me.”
“That still doesn’t make my rent your business.”
He looked as though very few people spoke to him that way.
“What will happen in six days?”
“I’ll pay it.”
“With twenty-eight dollars?”
“I get tips.”
“The restaurant is closed pending investigation.”
Panic returned.
“For how long?”
“At least several days.”
“I can’t miss several days.”
“You’ll be paid.”
“I need more than base pay.”
He studied me.
“Come to the restaurant at nine tomorrow morning.”
“Why?”
“To discuss your job.”
“You said I wasn’t fired.”
“I said you would know if I had fired you.”
“That is not the same thing.”
“No.”
I tightened my arms around Ellie.
“You really are frightening.”
May you like
He looked at the baby resting between us.
“She doesn’t seem to think so.”
