“Oh, for fuck’s sake…”
“Just listen,” I tell him. “I started to realize that I’ve spent all my life trying to get that quick release, that instant gratification, and it wasn’t until tonight that I realized that’s not really what I want. It’s never really been what I want, but that’s because I’m a coward. It’s just easier to take advantage of people than to put the best person forward and try to make things work with them.”
Jim laughs. “That must have been one terrible blowjob.”
“Actually, it was fantastic. She does this thing with her tongue—pierced, by the way—where she’ll—”
“I got it, I got it,” Jim interrupts. “You’d actually be willing to do all this just to keep your job?”
“Yeah,” I tell him, “but it’s not just about that. With me as executive, you’ll have the regulars and you’ll get solid reviews, but with Wilks, you’ll get something more. You’ll get an innovator, and I’m willing to bet you $10,000 that if you give him enough room to do what he wants to do, this place is going to be packed every night from here until you retire a wealthy, wealthy man.”
“You’ll be down something like $60,000 a year,” Jim says. “Are you sure you’re okay with that? I mean, why not just go somewhere else and do the executive thing there?”
“Because I’d rather stick with something that I love,” I tell him.
“I can’t just fire Cannon, though,” Jim says. “He’s been here as long as you have.”
“Yeah, but he’s worthless. I’m actually good at what I do and you were ready to let me go.”
Jim chuckles. “Is he really that bad?”
“He’s terrible,” I answer. “You wouldn’t believe how many times I have to have him redo a dish before it’s anywhere near good enough to send out.”
“And why is it that you didn’t tell me about that before tonight?”
“I figured that if you were going to try and replace me with someone, it’d be the sous chef. As long as that’s Cannon, I never really felt like I had anything to worry about. He’s never been a threat.”
“So, I’m just supposed to believe that all this is genuine and you’ve suddenly turned benevolent because a blowjob in a parking lot made you realize that there was more to life than screwing people over?”
I laugh. “Well, when you put it that way, anything’s going to come across suspect.”
“And you’re not yanking my chain about taking a massive pay cut?”
“If it’ll help get things turned around, then that’s what we need to do. When Wilks starts bringing in the hordes, you can always give me a raise.”
Jim scoffs.
“That must have been one life-changing blowjob,” he says. “All right, we’ll do it. I’ll let Cannon know at the end of his shift, and we’ll get Wilks started tomorrow.”
“Okay,” I tell him, and walk to the door. “You might want to make sure you tell Cannon outside the restaurant. He’s one of those predators that plays victim until someone really calls him on his shit. That’s when he explodes like a toddler’s diaper and all the shit starts oozing out.”
“Thanks for the visual, Dane,” Jim says, smiling. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
For the first time since I can remember, I leave the restaurant in a good mood. I don’t mean to screw over Cannon, but the guy is pretty fucking useless on pretty much every level imaginable.
Oh well.
Now, I get to go home and do something I’ve been trying to convince myself I didn’t want to do.
Tonight, I’m going to tell Leila that I want to be with her.
I get to tell Leila that I’m single again—though, I’ll probably leave off the “again”—and that I want to see if there’s anything between her and I other than this growing hot pull in my chest.
The funny thing is that I still don’t really know her all that well, but what I do know is enough for the certainty that I want to know more.
I can’t wait.
First thing’s first, though: I’ve got to drop off the car.