The Restaurant(29)
“Nothing like a greasy burger to soak up any lingering alcohol effects, eh?” Billy said before taking another bite.
“It’s not fair that you don’t seem the least bit hungover.” Jill was working on her fries. They were dusted with olive oil, salt and rosemary, delicious on their own, but better still with ketchup.
“You’re just jealous. Tell me, why is it that you haven’t had a single bite of that burger yet? You always eat your fries first.” Billy was just about done with his.
Jill smiled. “Are you still hungry? I’ll be lucky to finish half of this.” She put half of her burger on his plate. He often finished what she couldn’t eat.
They chatted easily as they finished eating. Jill had worried that she’d been too flirty the night before, but Billy didn’t seem to think anything of it. It was like it had never happened. And as they laughed and chatted, she realized that maybe she’d been fooling herself. She and Billy were the best of friends and it was clear that he didn’t see her in any other way. She must have been temporarily out of her mind to think otherwise. If anything was going to happen between them, it would have happened by now. She told herself that it was just that she hadn’t dated anyone in so long. And maybe it was time to do something about that. Time to find someone to get her mind off her non-romance with Billy.
Chapter 12
Cory flew out of the Nantucket airport at eleven on Sunday for his conference. Mandy dropped him off at the airport and wished him a safe trip.
“I should get in around four on Thursday.” He kissed her goodbye, and she watched him walk off. There was a spring in his step. He was clearly looking forward to this conference and going to Vegas for the first time.
On the way home, she stopped at the market to pick up some laundry detergent. She hadn’t realized that she was almost out when she went shopping earlier in the week.
When she got home, she went up to her bedroom to throw a load in before meeting Jill and Emma later that afternoon for brunch. Jill was flying back from New York and Emma was picking her up at two. They were meeting after that.
Mandy did the sheets and towels first and when they were in the dryer, she emptied out Cory’s gym bag to add his clothes to the wash. Along with his t-shirt and shorts, a folded bill tumbled out. She picked it up and stared at the name on the envelope. It was a cell phone bill addressed to Scott Lawson. The address was Cory’s office, but he was the only Lawson there. And the cell phone number was unfamiliar. Scott was Cory’s middle name, though. It didn’t make sense.
She felt her chest tighten and the beginning of a panic attack building and sat down for a moment. She took a series of deep breaths and tried to will the feeling to go away. She hadn’t had a panic attack in years, but she couldn’t think of any good reason why Cory would need a second cell phone, or a different name on the bill. She set the envelope on the bureau and planned to ask him about it when he got home.
Emma and Jill were just sitting down when Mandy met them at Black-Eyed Susan’s. They all ordered coffee and didn’t really need to look at the menu. Jill and Emma both got the French Toast and Mandy got the Portuguese scramble with cheesy grits. While they waited for their food, Mandy filled them in on what the consultant had recommended.
“He had a lot of positive things to say. The food and service were both solid. He liked just about everything that he tried, but he did suggest that the menu itself could use an update to make it more fresh and modern.” Jill and Emma both nodded. None of them were surprised by that.
“He also suggested we give the restaurant a ‘face-lift’.”
“That sounds expensive.” Emma took a sip of her coffee and it was clear she was worried about the money.
“What would that entail?” Jill asked.
“I don’t think it would necessarily be too expensive. New carpet, definitely. What’s there is worn and needs replacing. And a fresh coat of paint on the dining room walls.”
“It does look a little dingy,” Emma agreed.
“He also suggested that we hang some new artwork, maybe on consignment from local artists.”
“Oh, that’s a great idea. It would keep costs down too,” Jill said.
“Right. I thought that was a great suggestion.” Mandy paused before continuing because she knew the consultant’s next one wasn’t going to be popular.
“He also suggested that we look for ways to cut back on staff. Maybe not have as many servers on and see about less help in the kitchen too.”
Jill frowned. “What do you think about that idea?”
Mandy laughed. “I hate it. And I think Grams would have hated it, too. We don’t have to take all the consultant’s suggestions. Of course Cory would be all for cutting staff. He guessed that would be one of the recommendations.”
“I don’t think we should make any drastic changes with the staff either. What else did he say?” Emma asked.
“His other suggestions were marketing related such as implementing more promotions and maybe a loyalty program.”
“How would a loyalty program work? That sounds intriguing,” Jill asked.
“It could be whatever we want. As an example, he suggested something like after ten meals, they get a free entrée. And that we should make sure we get the word out on social media, and see about online advertising, and coupons that we can give to local hotels and bed and breakfasts and of course, an updated website.”