Love and Food (6 page)

She sighs loudly.  “Why are you always right about everything?  It makes me sick, you know that?”

“I can’t help it.  It’s a gift,” Monica says and laughs.

“I will probably break down and ask my parents,” she says, giving in.

“Good girl.  I’m glad that I could talk some sense into you.”

“I haven’t done it yet, don’t get too excited.”

“Haillee, you would have to be crazy not to ask them.  They have money.  Giving you a couple grand would be like pocket change for them.  You’re their daughter; they’ll help you for sure.”

“If you haven’t noticed, I’m a grown woman.  I don’t want to have run to Mommy and Daddy whenever I’m in trouble.  I want to be able to support myself.”

“No, no, and no.  You’re not going to back out of this one.  You call them or I will.  I’m not going to let your stupid pride get in the way this time.”

“Fine.  I will call them.”

“Good.  I was just thinking, remember when the restaurant first opened?  It was a booming success.  Are you still doing the same thing that you were doing then?”

  “Absolutely nothing has changed.  People just lost interest.  I’ve wracked my brain trying to figure out where I went wrong, but the answer escapes me.”

“Well, I know nothing about cooking or restaurants, except how to pick up a fork and shovel food into my mouth, but I know that you know everything there is to know and I know what kind of person you are.  If there is anyone that can turn the restaurant around, it’s you.  Whatever the answer is, I believe that it’s inside you.  You just have figure out what it is.”

“I used to believe that about myself, but I’m starting to question myself and my abilities.  I’m starting to realize that maybe I didn’t know as much as I thought I did.  I’m starting to wonder if I got in way over my head.  My dream is blowing up in my face and there is nothing I can do about it.  It’s frustrating and a huge blow to the ego.”

“Failure happens to the best of people, but I don’t believe that you’re going to fail.  I believe you’re going to turn everything around and I’m not just saying that because I’m your best friend.  I’m saying it because I truly believe it.  You’re a person who doesn’t give up on their goals.  You’re the type of person that makes things happen.  You have all the right ingredients to be successful again and I believe that you will do it and next year at this time we will be raising a toast to celebrate all your success.”

“I really hope that you’re right, but realistically, it doesn’t look good.”

“Don’t give up, Haillee.”

“There is still a little hope left, but a little more dies everyday.”

“It’s not over for you.  I can feel it.”

“All I can do now is hope and pray for a miracle.  That’s about what it’s going to take at this point - a miracle.”

“Well, I believe that miracle is on its way.”

“Well, it better hurry up because the clock is ticking.”

Monica lifts up her glass.  “I would like to make a toast.  To the miracle that is on its way.”

“To the miracle,” she says, clinking her glass with Monica’s and hoping that a miracle really is really on its way and will be showing up on her doorstep very soon.

* * * * *

Haillee is standing in the dining room talking with Mack when Marcos, the owner of the restaurant across the street, and Bill, her landlord, walk through the doors of the restaurant. 

“What the hell is this?” she says to Mack, interrupting their conversation.

They both watch as Marcos tells Bill where he is going to put things when he takes over the space.  She watches as Marcos points to walls and talks about paint colors and points to the lights and explains how he his lights will be placed.  With every word that Marcos speaks and with every detail of how he’s going to change the place fills the air, the more infuriated she becomes. 

She storms over to the two men, “How dare you come in and here and act like this place is already yours.  This is my restaurant!  Look around, these are my tables and my chairs.  I haven’t gone anywhere and I’m not going anywhere.”

“Honey,” Marcos says, touching her arm.

“I’m not your Honey,” she says, ripping her arm away from his grasp.

“I apologize.  You are not my Honey.  Bill here,” Marco says, waving his hand in Bill’s direction, “has filled me in on your little predicament.  He has explained to me that your restaurant isn’t doing so well and that it will be closing very soon.  I’m very sorry to hear that, but I am very interested in acquiring the place after your departure.  Bill was just giving me a tour of the place.  I just needed to look at the place again to be sure that it is still something that I’m interested in.”

“Really, Bill?” she says, looking at her landlord in disbelief.

He gives her an apologetic look.  “I’m sorry, Haillee.  This was the only time that Mr. Perilli was available for a tour.”

“Can you believe this?” she says, turning and directing her question at Mack.  Mack doesn’t respond.  He avoids her gaze and looks at the floor.

“I’m very sorry for the intrusion, Haillee is it?  We didn’t mean any harm.  Can we shake and make up?” Marcos says, holding out his hand for her to shake.

“I bet you are,” she says, ignoring his hand.  “You’ve seen the place and now you can leave.”

Marcos wipes his offered hand on his pant leg and turns towards Bill.  “She is right.  We have seen the space and I remain very interested.”

“Get out,” she snarls. 

“We are leaving,” Marco says, looking her dead in the eye with a huge smirk on his face.

“You can plan all you want, Mr. Perilli, but your plans are going to remain just that, plans.  My restaurant isn’t going anywhere.  I’m not going anywhere.  You’ve sadly been misinformed.  This place is mine and it’s going to remain so.”

“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens,” Marcos says, the smirk remaining on his face.

“We’re not going to have to wait and see.  I know what’s going to happen.  Like I’ve already said, I’m not going anywhere.”

“Who knows what the future holds,” Marcos says, looking around the restaurant. 

“Bill, I will have you money in the next couple of days,” she says to Bill, defiantly.

“Speaking of money - money is not an issue for me.  My down payment is ready to go whenever you are,” Marcos says to Bill.

“Leave now,” she says, ready to physically push them out the door if she has to.

“We are leaving.  Shall we, Mr. Perilli,” Bill says, looking embarrassed.

She watches the two men leave the restaurant.  Bill walks through the door first with Marco’s following behind.  Just as Marco’s is about to walk through the doorway, he turns and looks at her with the same smirk he held throughout their conversation.  When they are gone and across the street, she turns to Mack.

“I would give anything to wipe that smirk right off his face,” she says, feeling her face warm from anger.

“Calm down, Haillee.  Don’t let that guy get under your skin.”

“What kind of person does what he just did?  What kind of person walks into another person’s restaurant and talks about how they’re going to take over when the existing restaurant is still open for business?  What happened to etiquette and good manners?  I would never think about doing what that man just did?”

“There are mean-spirited people in the world.  Not everyone is as nice and considerate as you are,” Mack say, patting her on the shoulder.

“I’m starting to see that.  It’s never been more clear just how awful people can be.  I used to think that everyone is really inherently good and honest at their core.  I’m starting to see the error in my thinking.  I’m starting to think that maybe the opposite is true.”

“Haillee, forget about him.  You told him what’s what.  You’re here and you’re not going anywhere.  That’s the facts.  He can look and point all he wants, but that doesn’t change anything.  Screw him.”

“Thanks, Mack.  I’m going to go into my office to calm down.”

“You’ve been doing that a lot lately.”

“Tell me about it.”

She walks to her office.  Her whole body shakes from her encounter with Marcos.  Mack follows behind her to return to the kitchen. 

“You going to be okay?” he asks when they get to her office door.

“I’m fine.  That man isn’t going to have this place.  He’s going to take over this place over my dead body,” she says, slamming the door to her office.

Chapter 5

There is a knock on her office door.  “Go away!” she yells through the door, still angry from her run-in with Marcos. 

Mack sticks his head in.  “There is someone out here that wants to meet with you.  I think that you’re going to want to talk this guy,” he says.  If Mack thinks that she should speak to someone, then she will.

“Fine,” she says.  “Send him in.”

When Mack opens the door fully, a very handsome man in a business suit stands next to him.  Mack motions for the man to enter and closes the door behind him.

“Ethan Saint,” the man says and holds out his hand for her to shake.

“Hello, Mr. Saint.  Sit down.  What can I do for you?” she says after shaking his hand.

“Well, you probably didn’t notice me sitting out there because of the conversation you were having, but I couldn’t help but overhear what you were saying to that gentleman.”

“If that is true, I’m going to assume that you use the term gentleman very loosely,” she says, trying to calm the anger that start to bubble up again from the earlier encounter.

“I do, actually,” he says, smiling at her.  “I couldn’t believe that he was handling his business in that manner, but who am I to judge.  That aside, I couldn’t help hearing the mention that your business is struggling.  Is that true?”

She doesn’t particularly like to speak about private business matters with complete strangers, but she decides to be truthful.  “Unfortunately, it is the truth.”

“Well, I think that I may be able to help you.”

“How so?”

“I am in the business of saving dying businesses with a specialty in saving crashing restaurants.  I think I can help you make this restaurant viable.  In fact, I don’t just think, I know I can.”

“And what would that entail?”

“I’ve looked around and I think that it will entail tearing down the old and starting fresh.”

“From scratch?”

“From scratch.  The restaurant needs a complete overhaul.  I’m talking from the décor to the menu.  It all needs to be scraped.”

“With all do respect, Mr. Saint, but are you crazy?  Do you know how much money that will cost?  Money doesn’t exactly grow on trees.  I don’t have that kind of money lying around.”

“The truth is, it will cost a lot of money, but how much is saving your restaurant worth to you?  If you’re willing to do what it takes, I’m willing to help you.”

“How much money are we talking about here?”

“I would say $30000 at least.”

“That’s a lot of money and I suppose that you charge a very hefty fee for your services.  Am I correct in that assumption?”

“A man has to eat of course, but I like to think that my fee is reasonable.  I also like to think that I’m worth every penny and I believe that my past work speaks for itself.  In your case, and I’m not sure why, maybe I just like what I saw earlier, I am willing to make an exception and except payment when the restaurant is back on its feet and strong again.  I guess I’m just a sucker for a good comeback story and I wouldn’t mind seeing you wipe that smirk off that guy across the streets face.”

“That’s very generous of you, but I don’t know Mr. Saint.”

“Ethan, please.”

“Okay, Ethan, there is a lot to consider.  It would be a lot of money to waste if things don’t work out.”

“It’s a risk.  There is no doubt about that, but what do you have to lose?  In my opinion, life is all about taking risks.  Life is boring if you don’t take a leap of faith from time to time.  If you take a risk and you fail, you just get back up.  If you take a risk and you succeed, there is nothing sweeter.”

“Like I said, I really need to think about it.”