Running From Love (6 page)

The car pulled into the parking garage of the Up Side Burger Santa Monica headquarters. From the location and the outside appearance, the building might pass for a low-rent warehouse. It had been just that when Trevor’s grandfather had shrewdly bought the property, but since then the inside had changed from a warehouse with a metal desk and a rolling chair to a luxe interior done in Up Side Burger’s signature colors of red and blue. Trevor got out of the car and took the elevator to the third floor. He exited the elevator and smiled at Becky, his mom’s executive assistant for the last twenty-five years.

“Trevor, you’re back!” Becky jumped from her chair and walked from behind her desk. She hugged Trevor and a smile broadened across her face. Becky, her brother Robert, and his daughter Stephanie were like family. Really, the only thing close to family that he and Mom had left. “Your mom is so excited. Could hardly wait to get you back to Los Angeles.” Becky nodded toward the closed office door. She lowered her voice. “Doubt she ever lets you leave again.”

“How’re you? How’s Steph?” Steph was four years older than him and was like a big sister. She’d finished grad school before he did and immediately started working with Trevor’s mom at Up Side Burger once she graduated. Steph
loved
Up Side Burger. Always had. Steph’s passion for Up Side Burger was similar to what Trevor remembered his grandfather Harold and grandmother Estelle having. Even as a kid, Steph always wanted to go to an Up Side for her birthday. Mom joked that Steph would probably have her wedding reception at the Up Side Burger on the Santa Monica Pier.

“She’s good. Your mom has her in the finance division now.”

“Really?” Trevor scrubbed his hand over his jaw. “Mom finally let her stop being a fry cook?”

“You know your mom only makes you guys do that stuff the first year,” Becky said. “Besides, she’s right. Good for all of us living the cushy life at corporate to know how the restaurants run. I loved those days.”

“That’s a twenty-five-year-old memory for you. The time away from the fryer has numbed the pain. Plus, when you did it, you only had to be there a week. Me?” Trevor planted his hand on his chest. “Not only did I have to do a full year after grad school, I started working in the restaurants when I was fourteen.”

Becky waved her hand. “Cry me a river, Trevor. Up Side Burger is a good gig. We’ve always had people lining up to get jobs.”

Trevor leaned toward Becky. “Whatever. Mom is a beast. She makes all the other MBAs stick it out for six months. But me and Steph? She made us each be a fry-jockey for a
year
.” Trevor shook his head with mock disdain. “You put on a cap and flip burgers six days a week, ten hours a day, for twelve months.”

Becky laughed.

In truth, some of his best memories at Up Side Burger were when he’d worked at the restaurants. He’d started as a fourteen-year-old in the Valley taking out the trash, scrubbing bathrooms, and mopping floors. Not because his parents needed him to—by then they’d already moved into their Bel Air manse—but because they wanted him to learn how to work, to never be entitled, to not become like some of those silver-spooned trust funders he’d just spent the last six months waiting on at Mesquale.

At the time, working as a mop boy at Up Side Burger had sucked. He was the owner’s kid and the founders’ grandkid. Everyone knew it. He’d learned more lessons riding a mop at Up Side Burger than he’d learned getting his MBA at one of the top business schools in the country. He’d also sorted out what he wanted in his life. He’d learned about how hard his grandparents and parents worked. How much they’d sacrificed. He’d learned that money, no matter how much, didn’t buy happiness and it didn’t equal substance. Nope. Some of the best people he’d met and still knew worked hourly and survived paycheck to paycheck.

Even flipping burgers was a good gig when it came to Up Side Burger. His parents and grandparents could be proud of that. They always paid above minimum wage, included healthcare benefits, and offered tuition reimbursement for employees who had worked with the company for over twelve months.

“Trevor!” His mother stood just outside her office door.

His heart warmed. No matter how much they disagreed about his future, she was family. Adele Brice was a beautiful woman. Even he knew it. Damn, he took pride in it. Tall with a sharp jaw, patrician nose, and bright blue eyes. Her hair fell in a straight bob to her shoulders. Even now, at five p.m., nearly the end of her day, her white shirt was crisp and clean. Her suit pants still held a crease and she still wore her heels. Mom was a machine. Clocking in for however many years? All while raising her own kid and taking care of her husband. He hadn’t really understood just how dedicated she was until he’d grown up, worked a job, and seen what it took to keep that kind of dedication about anything.

She pulled him into a hug. A tiny gasp came from her mouth. Her whole body stiffened … wait, was she …

“Mom? Are you crying?” He pulled back and examined her.

“No, of course not.” She smiled and waved her hand in front of her face. “Why would I cry? My only son and last living relative just returned from six months in the middle of the Pacific.” She reached toward a box of tissues on Becky’s desk.

“Told you,” Becky said and lifted both eyebrows.

“Mom, come on, I wasn’t gone
that
long. And you came to Mesquale for an entire week while I was there.”

“One week. I’ve seen you one week in half a year.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. “Trevor? Any mother on the planet will tell you that is completely unacceptable.”

He smiled and so did she. While her words were most likely exactly how she felt, her tone was teasing.

“You all set in there?” Becky tilted her head toward Adele’s office. 

Adele nodded. “You take off.”

“Just waiting on Steph.” Becky pulled her purse from the bottom drawer of her desk and turned toward the windows that looked out into the hall. “And there she is!”

Trevor turned. Steph’s face lit up and she waved to Trevor. Steph was beautiful and wonderful and Trevor had always adored her the way an almost–little brother should.

“Trev! You’re back!” Steph pulled him into a hug. Her black hair tickled his face as she squeezed him. “Dad said you’d be home this week. He said to carve out some time for a workout.”

“He’ll totally kick my ass.”

“Yes, he will,” Steph laughed. Her dad had been head of security for Up Side and the Brice family for over twenty years. 

“Look at you, a suit and heels? Who would have thought?”

“Come on, you’ve seen me in a suit before.”

“It’s been a while,” Trevor joked. “Last time I was here you were opening the new restaurant in Valencia. You walked in here one day wearing a uniform. Not a suit.”

“I remember that I actually considered leaving Up Side Burger that day. It was a tough open.”

“You never told me that.” Concern fluttered across Adele’s face.

“Why complain?” Steph shrugged. “Complaining wasn’t going to get me anywhere. Just had to dig in my heels and work a little harder. Hard work can get you through just about anything.”

“Wow, sounds like she’s been taking lessons from you, Adele.” Becky lifted her purse over her shoulder. “You all go on and work yourselves from here to the grave, because I know you can’t help it. Me? Two more years, and I’m out. Okay? I got my whole retirement planned in Paris. You want, you can come with me, Adele.”

Adele flashed her gaze toward Trevor. “Just have to convince this guy that it’s time for him to start running the place.” She squeezed Trevor’s arm and he stiffened.

“You two go on and enjoy your dinner. She’s been working with the corporate chef on a little dish just for you.” Becky winked.

“See you later, Trev,” Steph said, walking with her Aunt Becky toward the elevator doors. “Don’t forget, my dad expects to see you for a little Krav Maga in the next couple of days.” 

Trevor waved to Stephanie and Becky as they got onto the elevator. He turned toward Adele. “Letting people slack a little bit. Getting soft in your old age?” he teased.

“Maybe.” Adele walked into her office. “I’ll have you know that I now go home early on Wednesdays and Fridays.”

“Like noon early?” Trevor walked past the couch and chairs and toward the giant conference table.

“No!” Adele waved her hand at him like he’d lost his mind. “I leave at five. That’s early.”

“Oh my God, Mom, you’ll never change.”

Dinner waited for them on the conference table. They’d done all of this what felt like a million times since he’d left for college. He’d come home for a visit, the driver would pick him up, he’d have dinner with Mom, go home, and she get there around seven-thirty. Sometimes they left together, though oftentimes when he got in earlier she stayed at the office to work. She was a machine. A type-A machine with a splash of OCD. Her fear and anxiety and desire to make Up Side Burger thrive had only heightened when Dad died. Suddenly Mom had been alone with her decisions, and she’d dug in even deeper, stayed even longer, dedicated herself entirely to the company. He understood that she’d been trying to make the company as strong as possible for when he took over because she’d told him so … frequently.

Adele sat in a chair at the head of the table and Trevor sat to her right. Four platters covered with silver lids rested on the table.

“Your birthday is nearly here.” Her smile was hopeful. “Does your early return mean you’re excited to start running Up Side Burger?”

His face froze. There had been arguments, harsh words, slammed doors, and hard feelings on both sides because he didn’t want to run Up Side Burger. His gaze caught his mother’s face. Her eyebrows lifted, her eyes expectant, an air of hopefulness surrounded her. He would not ruin their reunion, not right this moment.

“What’ve you got here?” He took the handle of the silver lid over his plate. His mother’s shoulders sagged. She knew he was dodging her question, but Adele decided to play along as well. 

“I had Chef Jeffrey try out a new possibility. A veggie burger.”

Trevor hesitated. Up Side Burger didn’t change their menu. Ever. His family stuck with what worked. Sure, they tweaked and modified the menu to make everything they sold perfect, but there hadn’t been an addition to the Up Side Burger menu in twenty-six years.

“People are changing how they eat. Less meat, more plant-based foods. You’re the one who brought that to my attention.” Adele shook out her linen napkin and placed it on her lap. “The kitchens have been working on this since you …” Adele paused, it was like she could barely say the word. “Since you left,” she whispered. “This is the best one they’ve come up with. At least that’s what our focus groups say.”

“You’ve been taste-testing and using a focus group?”

Adele nodded.

The very fact that his mother was this far along meant that Adele was determined to place a vegetarian option on the Up Side Burger menu. Wow. Trevor lifted the silver lid to reveal a huge burger. The bun was a traditional Up Side brioche. The patty even looked Up Side. Thick and big with grilled onions and melted cheese, his mouth watered.  “Is that vegan cheese?” He slid his gaze toward his mom.

She nodded and picked at her salad with her fork. “He used almonds, I think.”

“Wow.” Trevor lifted the burger. The rich aroma caused his mouth to water. “This looks amazing.” A smile teased the corner of Adele’s mouth. She could say what she wanted about vegetarians and people eating more plant-based foods, but this burger was a peace offering. He took a bite. Rich meaty flavor cascaded through his mouth. The consistency was thick and satisfying. The cheese was gooey awesomeness.

“Mom, this is fantastic.” Trevor set down the burger and looked at this mother. “Maybe the best veggie burger I’ve ever had.”

“I’m glad you like it.” Her face bloomed into a smile.  “Would you write up your thoughts for Jeffrey? He’s really gotten behind the idea of a veggie burger, and he knows what he
wants
the burger to taste like, but at his core he’s a meat eater. He’s really looking forward to hear what you thought about it.”

“I think it’s fantastic.” Trevor bit into the veggie burger again and the tang of grilled onions and the rich taste of faux cheddar cheese zinged his taste buds.

“I was surprised you decided to come home early.” Adele picked at her non–Up Side Burger salad as he ate. She was as fastidious about her diet and calorie consumption as she was every other aspect of her life. She looked up and her gaze latched on to him.

“I got my shifts covered and just thought I’d come home.”

She wiped her napkin over her mouth and took a sip of her tea. “Should I take this as a good sign?” She asked, a hopeful smile on her lips. “That you know your birthday is around the corner and you’ve accepted the deadline and you’re ready to take over?”

Trevor closed his eyes. He pressed his lips together. The final bite of his burger lay before him and now … now he simply wasn’t hungry anymore. He grasped a napkin and wiped his hands. “Mom …” He shook his head. There was no good way to say any of this to her, no way that she wouldn’t think his decision foolish and immature. He was about to break her heart.

“I can’t run Up Side Burger.”

Adele sighed. She put down her fork and her gaze settled on Trevor. “You’re giving up your entire future if you turn your back on Up Side Burger. Not only that, but you’re forcing a sale of a privately held company. You understand the terms of the trust that was established by your father’s will. You know what happens if you decline to take over.”

He pressed his eyelids closed. “There has to be a way. There has to be something we can do to change the terms that will allow you to stay on and run—”

“Trevor, I don’t want to stay on.” Adele’s voice was stern, her words clear. “I’ve been running the company the last nine years for you and for our family’s legacy. Before your father died, I helped him because he needed the help, and to be honest, it was the only way I could see him. He was a complete workaholic, like his father before him. When he passed, I knew the only choice for me was to run Up Side until you took over.” Adele set her fork beside her plate.