“You know what the kitchen needs because you’ve worked beside the cooks.”
He pointed toward the business card.“You know what servers need because you’ve done the job.”
Then he looked toward Emily.
“And yesterday you demonstrated something more difficult to teach.”
“What?”
“Judgment.”
I shook my head.
“I abandoned a full dining room.”
“You chose a human life over an entrée.”
Someone laughed.
Even I smiled.
Then the smile disappeared.
“I don’t have a business degree.”
“I didn’t ask whether you had one.”
“I’ve never managed a region.”
“You won’t start there tomorrow.”
“So what exactly are you offering?”
“Six months of paid management training. Full benefits starting immediately. Then, if the program goes well, the regional role.”
Emily covered her mouth.
I looked again at the number.
My eyes burned.
This wasn’t rent for a few months.
This was health insurance.
