“Ally left a very prestigious restaurant to work here. She’s doing it for the good of her career and because she wants to work here with me. I will not let you scare her off with your big, dumb caveman routine.”
I shrugged again.
There was no excuse for my attitude because I didn’t have one. If anyone had an attitude around there it was him and that woman on my back constantly. With their constant insistence that I didn’t either know what I was doing or have the authority to tell them no, my ability to control the job nearly slipped through the cracks.
Derek, for his part, seemed to understand and decided to leave before it got more tense in there. I didn’t blame him, since I was probably not going to stick around either. Anything else that could have gotten said were also words that would likely lead to us shouting at each other or worse.
The problem was now I was pissed. Really, really pissed. Where did he get off talking to me like that? Like I was some asshole who wandered in and bullied my way around. It was clearly the other way around if anything. Ally had been obnoxious, and I could see her rubbing off on my little brother.
I put my glasses and hard hat back on and went outside. Duncan made eye contact with me and grimaced. My face must have told the whole story. I walked over to where the sledgehammer was and began to switch out my gear.
Demo always helped me release the pressure valve and deal with my anger. It was one of the many perks of the job. There was almost always something to knock down, and if you felt like knocking the shit out of something, you could do it and be productive at the same time. A wall in the tasting room was going to need to be halved, so I figured now was as good a time as any.
6
Ally
“You’re absolutely positive about this?” my mother asked.
I held the phone between my shoulder and my ear as I moved around my apartment getting ready for work that night. It was a big night, the last I would be working at the restaurant before going to the vineyard full-time.
“Yes, Mom,” I said. “We’ve already been through this. I went over everything with the financial planner you wanted me to. I talked it over with Daddy. I’ve had this conversation with you at least three times.”
“I know. I’m just worried about you, honey. I don’t want you making an impulsive decision and possibly compromising what you worked so hard to achieve. Don’t you remember how excited you were when you first got the job at the restaurant? You said it was the best position you ever had, and that it was going to make such a huge difference in your career,” Mom said.
“I do remember that,” I said. “And that’s exactly what’s happening. Working at that restaurant honed my skills and also helped me to prove myself. If I wasn’t working there, Derek never would have seen what I’d made of myself since culinary school. He wouldn’t have chosen me to work at the vineyard with him. And that is an incredible opportunity. So, I was right. Working at the restaurant did make a huge difference in my career. “
“But is it going to be a good difference? I know we’ve talked about this and everything checks out, but there’s still the possibility that something could go wrong. Everything you’ve told me sounds good, and I know if it all came to fruition, that vineyard could be an incredibly successful place. But nothing is guaranteed. Even with all the planning in the world, all the hard work, all the determination and drive, things could still go wrong.”
“They could. But they could also go perfectly. And things coming to fruition is kind of the whole point of a vineyard, isn’t it?” I asked.
I was hoping Mom would laugh at my corny attempt at a joke and some of the tension would break. But she didn’t. She just let out one of those huge sighs I was convinced mothers learned in some sort of seminar before giving birth.
“This is your future we’re talking about, Ally,” she said.
“I know it is. And that’s why it’s so important for me to do this. I’m really excited about this opportunity, Mom. I know it’s a risk. Of course, I do. If I didn’t, that would be the problem. This could be disastrous. But it could also be amazing. And I truly believe it’s going to be amazing. Do you know how rare it is to get to be a part of building a restaurant?”
“It does sound exciting,” she admitted.
“It is. It’s huge. And if I wasn’t going to be willing to take risks and do things that were a little crazy, I never should have gotten into this business. That’s part of it. You have to just trust that I know what I’m doing and that together Derek and I can make that vineyard restaurant something incredible. Now, I have to go. It might be my last night, but I don’t want to be late. I wouldn’t put it past Antony to give me enough shit for the next few years just because he’s not going to have the chance to anymore,” I said.