Manager Doubled a Poor Man's Bill — The Waitress Secretly Slipped Him the Real One
Chapter 15
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June nodded. "That's consistent with the employee feedback."Leon turned to Ellis. "Your view?"Ellis looked at Roz before answering. "She has the instincts. She also knows what she doesn't know, which is more important than pretending to know everything. She's made mistakes. She owns them. The staff trust her because she doesn't ask them to do something she wouldn't do herself."Leon closed the report. "Then the acting title ends today. Rosalind Petrakis, we'd like to appoint you floor manager of Ninth, effective immediately. You'll continue the management course, and the tuition arrangement will remain in place until you finish your degree."Roz sat very still. She had rehearsed several possible responses during the bus ride that morning. None of them survived the moment."Thank you," she managed. Then she took a breath. "I won't promise I won't make mistakes.""Good," Leon said. "Anyone who promises that isn't paying attention.""I will promise that if I make one, I'll tell you what happened and what I'm doing to fix it.""That's the promise I wanted."When Roz left the meeting, she found Benny waiting by the service station with a paper bag in his hand. He had bought two pastries from the bakery next door and had been standing there long enough for the bag to go soft at the bottom."I heard," he said. "Congratulations.""Thank you."He looked at the kitchen door, then back at her. "I owe you an apology. I heard Darren tell you to change the price. I knew it was wrong, and I kept my mouth shut. I told myself I had a kid and rent. That's true, but it doesn't make what I did right."Roz accepted the apology without making it easy for him. "I know you were scared. I was scared, too.""What do I do now?""You help me fix it. If you see something wrong, you say so. If you don't know how to say it, come find me and we'll work it out. But don't tell yourself silence is the same as staying out of it."Benny nodded. "I can do that.""Good. Now take those pastries into the kitchen before the chef thinks you've been stealing from the pass."He laughed, and some of the tension between them lifted.That evening, Leon returned to Ninth with June. The host greeted him before he had reached the desk."Good evening, Mr. Haverty. Welcome back. We have the window table ready for you."Leon glanced toward the windows, where the last light of the day lay in long amber strips across the tablecloths. Then he looked toward the service station and table twenty-two."Not the kitchen-door table?" he asked.The host hesitated, then understood. "We can seat you wherever you prefer, sir.""Table twenty-two, please.""Certainly."The host walked him there without a glance at his jacket or his boots. The table stood level, its leg repaired properly. The service trolley had been moved out of the aisle. The kitchen door still opened and closed, but now the route between it and the dining room was clear.Roz came over carrying two menus. She placed one before Leon and one before June."Good evening, Mr. Haverty. Good evening, Ms. Haverty. Can I start you with water?""Please," Leon said. "And tell me what's good tonight."