Page 12 of Irresistible

“Charlie!” Scarlet called out as she entered the restaurant.

“Scarlet!” Charlie yelled as he turned around to face the front of the restaurant.

As always, he was tending to orders coming off the line. At almost eighty years old, Charlie Haden still ran the restaurant during most shifts, hustling around the place in his ever-present dark green apron.

“How have you been? I haven’t seen you in a couple weeks!”

“Oh, same old. It’s been pretty much the same thing for the last fifty years. Great work, great customers, and a great restaurant to run,” Charlie said as he ran an order to a nearby table.

“You have such a neat attitude, Charlie. I could sure use some of that.”

“Attitude is a choice, as much as we don’t like to think it is,” Charlie replied with a sagely tone. “We have your order, by the way. Are you getting lunch for the entire branch? Is it someone’s birthday? I hope you’re at least splitting this with a few other people.”

“Yeah. This is for the whole branch. But the boss is actually the one paying today.”

“Jim? I didn’t know he had that sort of money. This is almost a hundred-dollar order. That’s a lot to throw around for a random lunch,” Charlie chuckled.

“No. Not like that. The CEO of the bank is in town. He offered to buy lunch for the entire branch. He’s having me work as his assistant for a little while, so I ran out to get it.”

“The CEO? Like, the CEO of all of Local Citizens?” Charlie asked, a surprised look spreading across his face.

“Yeah. Richard Grant. Have you heard of him?”

“I’ve seen him on the news. Rebecca, do you know anything about this Richard Grant guy? The CEO of Local Citizens?” Charlie called out to his wife, who was standing by the dessert tray on the other side of the counter.

“I’ve heard a few things here and there about him. Apparently, he’s really young for a CEO. I don’t think he’s even forty yet,” Rebecca called back.

“Do you think you could get him to come out to the restaurant? Tell him if he comes to eat here, his meal is on the house. All I’d ask for is a picture,” Charlie asked.

“I’m not sure. I’ll definitely ask him,” Scarlet replied, picking up the two large bags containing the lunch orders for the branch.

“That’d be great. Thanks, Scarlet!” Rebecca yelled from the the dish room. She worked just as hard as Charlie, if not more so.

“Of course!”

Scarlet handed Richard Grant’s credit card to the cashier, waited for her receipt and turned to leave the restaurant after tucking everything back into her pockets. She said goodbye to Charlie and Rebecca and left to head back to the bank. There was, of course, more work to do for Richard.

Her phone rang, reading “JIM” on the front screen.

“Hello?”

“Are you almost back?” Jim asked in a hasty tone.

“Yeah. Why?”

“I just think Richard has more work for you to do. He didn’t ask for you, but I think he came out of his office and was looking for you.”

“Tell him I’ll be right there. I’m just leaving Charlie’s now,” Scarlet said in a placating voice.

“Ok. No worries. Just thought I’d check.”

Scarlet hung up the phone and started her car. There was important work to be done, and she told herself that couldn’t miss out on a single moment. Of course, she would do anything to be near Richard, after all.