Victoria looked at him. She's nine, Daniel said. And she has conditions. I respect that completely, Victoria said. I'm not sure this is funny, he said.
It's a little funny, she said. And also completely right. She paused. What about Kevin? I'll handle Kevin.
Daniel Victoria. He said it clearly. Not sharply. I need to handle this myself. If you step in, it confirms the story.
It makes me look exactly like what he's saying I am. She held his gaze. And what are you saying to me right now is what? A warning? No, he said.
It's honesty. You said you wanted honesty. That's what this is. He leaned forward slightly. I am not afraid of Kevin Draper.
I've been doing my job for 6 years before you ever drove to my street. And I'll be doing it 6 years from now. Regardless of how this, he gestured briefly between them resolves. She was quiet. But I needed you to know, he said, because you deserve to know what's happening in your own restaurant.
And because he stopped, because what? He looked at her. Because I'm not good at asking people for anything, he said slowly. And I'm trying to be better at it. So, I'm telling you this instead of handling it silently and pretending everything is fine, which is what I would have done 6 months ago.
Victoria stared at him for a long moment. You have no idea what it means to me that you called. She said, "You mentioned, I know. I'm saying it again because I mean it twice." He almost smiled.
She leaned back. What do you need from me right now? A nothing. He said then, "Actually, just this. Exactly this.
Someone to tell." She nodded. They drank their coffee. That should have been the hardest part of the week. It wasn't.
Friday came with a crisis that had nothing to do with the restaurant. Daniel's phone rang at 11:43 in the morning, kitchen mid-service, and it was Mrs. Perkins number and he knew before he answered. He knew the way parents know the specific frequency of their own alarm system firing that something was wrong. Daniel Mrs.