The Restaurant(39)
The thought crossed her mind, when their hands accidentally brushed against each other and Billy immediately jumped and apologized, that there was absolutely no vibe between them. And there likely never would be. But if Billy was never going to be more than a best friend and business partner, she was very much okay with that. And she was looking forward to working with him the next day.
When Emma got home a little before eleven, she poured herself a glass of wine and joined them.
They were still sitting around the kitchen table. Jill put out some fresh crackers in case anyone felt like snacking again. Billy and Emma immediately reached for the cheese.
“Was it busy tonight?” Jill asked.
Emma nodded, her mouth full. “We were steady. It seemed pretty good for a Thursday night. Paul tried out a few new menu items as specials and they went over well.”
“Oh, what did he make?” Jill suddenly felt hungry at the mention of food and reached for a cracker and a slice of cheese.
“A lobster pot pie, lobster mac and cheese, and tater tots smothered in short ribs, melted cheese and sour cream. They were all ridiculously good.”
“Luxurious comfort food. I like it.” Jill thought it all sounded amazing, and she knew how good the short ribs were.
“Can we go there for dinner tomorrow night?” Billy asked.
“We could. I’d love to get your feedback on the restaurant, too.”
They chatted for almost another hour, before Emma started yawning and it started a chain reaction.
“I’m going to head up.” Emma stood and rinsed her glass in the sink.
“I think I’m about ready to call it a night too,” Jill said.
“Sounds good to me.”
Jill led Billy upstairs to one of the extra bedrooms and showed him where the linen closet was.
“Jump in the shower whenever you feel like it tomorrow. I’ll be up early and coffee will be ready when you are.”
Billy grinned and pulled Jill in for a hug. “The service is good here! Thanks for everything. I’ll see you in the am.”
Even after a late night and several glasses of wine, Jill was still an early riser and rolled out of bed the next day a little before six. Emma and Billy were still sleeping, so she made her way quietly downstairs, fired up her laptop and made a cup of coffee. She always loved the early morning hours when she could savor her coffee while she browsed the news online and looked through her email.
Billy came down an hour later, laptop in hand. He’d already showered and was in an old t-shirt and sweats, with damp hair.
“Help yourself to coffee. Sugar and K-cups are by the machine, cream is in the fridge and coffee mugs in the cupboard by the sink.”
Billy silently made himself a cup of coffee and joined her at the kitchen table.
“If you’re hungry, there are bagels and eggs.”
“I’m good with coffee for now, thanks.”
“I was thinking we can do a Zoom call with the office at eight-thirty and have a mini-job order meeting. What do you think?”
He grinned. “Great idea. They were teasing me yesterday about taking today off and slacking. I told them we were working here today.”
Jill set up the Zoom call and had everyone in the New York office dial in at eight-thirty and after a few minutes of joking around, they had a lively and productive meeting. Billy had a new client and several really hot jobs and as he talked about them, everyone, including Jill got excited to work on the searches and to see who they might already be working with who could be a good fit.
When Emma came down to the kitchen a little after ten, she stopped short when she saw both Jill and Billy on their phones and typing away on their computers. She made herself a coffee and a bagel and took both of them back upstairs to get away from the chaos in the kitchen. Jill had to laugh as she knew how loud they could get and how energetic. At times, Billy paced around the kitchen, gesturing with his hands as he talked to a candidate.
When they were both off the phone, they had several fires to put out and situations to discuss. It was fast-paced and exciting, and Jill loved every minute of it. She and Billy both fed off the energy of the other and it made them both work better.
When they stopped for lunch Jill made turkey sandwiches, and they ate quickly while they worked. The rest of the day flew by until about four o’clock when the madness stopped and they both took a breath and called it a day as Emma left to head into the restaurant. They told her to save them a table if she could.
“That was wild,” Billy said as he shut his laptop.
Jill was still on a high from a fun, productive day. “It was awesome. We always did work well together. I really miss the energy of the office,” she admitted.
Billy frowned. “You know we all miss you too. Can you cut this experiment short? Can’t your sisters cover for you, maybe?”
Jill shook her head. “No, I really can’t. Remember the terms of the will? We all have to be here for at least a year together.” She sighed. “It’s really not that bad. And a year will go by fast. When I’m able to, I’ll come back more often, maybe on a Wednesday night and work in the office Thursday and Friday, then come back here for the weekend.”
“Or you could come Thursday night and stay through the weekend…” Billy wore a teasing grin.
Jill laughed. “I’ll see what I can do.”