Page 71 of Love, Second Chances and Other Nonsense
He grunts, acknowledging the truth of this. “So what, you thought you’d swoop in and save the day? Be the hero, and Caitlin would throw herself right back into your arms?”
“No,” I shake my head vehemently. “I just want to help. In whatever way I can. Even if it means working as a server. Hell, I’ll scrub the toilets and mop the floors if that’s what you need.”
“Pretty big step down from running your own company,” Peter observes, studying me closely. “Why would you give that up?”
I take a deep breath. This is the moment for complete honesty, no matter how it makes me look. “Because I was miserable there. I never wanted to run that company. I let my parents dictate my life for too long, and as a result, I lost the only thing that ever really mattered to me.”
Peter is silent for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Finally, he sighs, turning down the heat under the pot. “Let me get this straight. You want to work here, at a strugglingrestaurant that might not even be in business six months from now, doing menial labor for minimum wage plus tips, all to win back my niece who has made it abundantly clear she wants nothing to do with you?”
Put like that, it sounds ridiculous. But I nod anyway. “Yes, sir. That’s exactly what I want.”
“And what happens when she tells you to go to hell? Again?”
I meet his gaze steadily. “Then at least I’ll know I tried everything. And maybe I’ll have helped her family’s restaurant.”
Peter studies me for what feels like an eternity, his blue eyes seeming to peer straight into my soul. I force myself to hold his gaze, to let him see the sincerity behind my words.
“We need a server,” he says finally. “Ours are dropping like flies, all of them going to work elsewhere. Hours are long, the pay’s not great, and the work is exhausting and thankless.” He pauses, watching my reaction. “Still interested?”
“Yes,” I say without hesitation. “Absolutely.”
He shakes his head slightly, as if he can’t quite believe what he’s hearing. “You understand this isn’t a yes. I’m not hiring you, not yet. I need to think about this, and, more importantly, I need to talk to Caitlin. If she says having you around would make her uncomfortable, that’s the end of it.”
“I understand,” I nod, trying not to let my disappointment show. It’s more than I expected, honestly. The fact that he’s even considering it feels like a small miracle.
“If, and that’s a big if, I hire you,” Peter continues, “understand that you’ll get no special treatment. You’ll be at the bottom of the totem pole. You screw up, you’re gone. You make Caitlin uncomfortable, you’re gone. You use this as an excuse to pressure her, you’re gone. Are we clear?”
“Crystal clear, sir.”
Peter nods once, then gestures toward the door. “I’ll be in touch. Or not. Don’t hold your breath.”
I know a dismissal when I hear one. I thank him for his time and turn to leave, but his voice stops me at the door.
“Adam.” It’s the first time he’s used my first name. “I have to ask; what exactly are you hoping to accomplish here?”
I turn back to face him; the answer rises easily to my lips because it’s the simple truth. “I’m hoping to earn back her trust. Even if it takes years. Even if she never loves me again. I just want the chance to remind her who I really am when I’m not letting fear and guilt rule my life.”
Peter’s expression softens almost imperceptibly. He doesn’t respond, just nods once more and turns back to his cooking.
I pause at the door, my hand on the knob.
“Actually, sir,” I say, turning back before Peter can fully return to his work, “if you have another minute, there’s more I need to say.”
24
Chapter 24
Adam
Peter looks up, his expression a mixture of surprise and resignation. He sets down his spoon again and gestures to a pair of stools tucked against the wall. I perch on one, hands clasped between my knees to hide their slight trembling. This isn’t a conversation I’d planned to have today, but it’s one I’ve rehearsed in my head a thousand times since Caitlin left; all the things I should have said, all the apologies I owed her and never properly made.
He sits across from me, his face impassive. “I’m listening.”
I take a deep breath. “I’m deeply ashamed of how I treated Caitlin. Not just the big things, like abandoning her on Thanksgiving for that cruise, but all the small daily betrayals, too. The way I’d let conversations at family dinners exclude her. The way I’d pretend not to notice when my mother or Millie said something cutting. The Halloween party she worked so hard on,where I let my friends ignore her.” My voice cracks slightly with this last memory. “She spent three days making appetizers that no one even thanked her for. And I let them treat her that way. I said nothing.”
Peter’s eyes narrow, but he doesn’t interrupt.
“There’s no excuse for any of it,” I continue. “I could tell you I was caught between my family’s expectations and my love for Caitlin, that I was trying to make everyone happy, but the truth is simpler and uglier than that. I was a coward. I took the path of least resistance. I chose peace with my family over standing up for the woman I claimed to love.”
