“Also true.”
She covered her face with one hand.
Renee laughed softly.
“Sit, Destiny.”
Destiny sat.
Elijah said:
“The moment you leaned toward my table and told me to look underneath, I found the note.”
Destiny lowered her hand.
“I wasn't sure.”
“It worked exactly as you intended.”
“I couldn't let you eat that.”
“I know.”
She looked toward Harold.
“Is Luke here?”
“No.”
“What happened?”
Harold answered:
“His employment ended this morning.”
Destiny stared.
“Because of me?”
Elijah shook his head.
“Because of him.”
She was silent.
Elijah continued:
“You risked your job for a guest you believed had no influence.”
Destiny looked down.
“You didn't know my name.”
“No.”
“No power.”
“No.”
“No reason to believe I could ever help you.”
“No.”
“And you did it anyway.”
Destiny exhaled.
“I couldn't stand there and watch it happen.”
Elijah nodded.
“That is exactly the kind of person I need running the seventh floor.”
Destiny looked up.
“What?”
Harold smiled for the first time that morning.
Elijah continued:
“I want to offer you the position of seventh-floor manager.”
Destiny stared.
“You're serious.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
Elijah raised an eyebrow.
Destiny corrected herself quickly.
“I don't mean no. I mean…”
She looked around the room.
“I've never managed a floor.”
“You've trained new servers.”
“Yes.”
“You've handled member complaints.”
“Yes.”
“You understand service.”
“I serve tables.”
Harold leaned forward.
“You understand guests.”
Destiny looked at him.
Harold continued:
“That's harder to teach.”
She shook her head.
“Luke had management experience.”
Elijah smiled faintly.
“Yes.”
Destiny realized what she had just said.
Renee laughed.
Elijah said:
“We can teach budgets.”
Harold added:
“Scheduling.”
Elijah:
“Inventory.”
Harold:
“Labor forecasting.”
Elijah:
“Vendor management.”
Harold:
“Reporting.”
Elijah looked at Destiny.
“What I cannot teach easily is what you did yesterday.”
Destiny swallowed.
Elijah continued:
“Judgment when doing the right thing costs you something.”
Her eyes filled.
“I don't know what to say.”
Renee smiled.
“Say yes.”
Destiny laughed through the sudden tears.
“Yes.”
Elijah waited.
“Of course yes.”
Harold extended his hand.
“I'll work with you through the transition.”
Destiny shook it.
Harold held on slightly longer.
“I should have seen Luke sooner.”
Destiny looked at him.
“None of us did.”
“You saw enough.”
“Not until yesterday.”
Harold shook his head.
“Yesterday was enough.”