“He came a little early. Like early this morning, as a matter of fact. But he’s perfectly healthy. He weighs six pounds, ten ounces and is nineteen and a half inches long. And he’s gorgeous.”
She heard the pride in Ken’s voice and she couldn’t blame him. His son was beautiful.
“He definitely is. But what are you doing here? Get yourself home and to your new baby.”
Ken laughed. “Adam’s with him now. I just dashed in to check on things and to ask if you wouldn’t mind pulling some double duty tonight. The other manager couldn’t make it in tonight, but I’m working with her to cover my other shifts for the next couple of days since George made an early arrival. The temporary manager I hired will be able to start on Sunday.”
“Of course I can handle things. I’ll make sure the assistant chef handles the kitchen. Let me run home and change into something more managerial.” She couldn’t hold back the tears that pricked her eyes. “And you named him George—after your dad.”
Ken smiled. “Yeah. George Louis after my dad and Adam’s.”
She squeezed his arm. “That’s so sweet. Now, you—go home. I’m so happy for you and Adam.”
Ken couldn’t keep the grin off his face. “Me, too.”
She threw her arms around him and hugged him. “I can’t wait to come by and see him.”
“We can’t wait to show him off. But give us some time to get used to being parents.”
“Of course. You just call or text me and let me know when you’re ready to have people come by.”
Ken’s eyes glittered with tears. “I’ll do that. Thanks, Amelia.”
She squeezed his hands, her own eyes welling with happiness. “You’re welcome. Give Adam my best. And give that baby a kiss for me.”
“I will.”
Ken left. Amelia ran into the kitchen to let Stefanie know she’d have to take over management of the kitchen tonight. Then she drove home and changed out of her work uniform and into a skirt, blouse and heels, fixed her makeup, pulled her ponytail out and flat ironed her hair. Now she looked more presentable. She finished off with some jewelry to complete the look.
By the time she hurried back to the restaurant it was nearly time to open. Fortunately, she’d made it in time. She stepped into the kitchen to check on things and found that Stefanie had it all under control, just as Amelia knew she would. Amelia only hired assistants who could do her job as well as she could. Stefanie was a couple of years younger than Amelia and might not have Amelia’s level of experience, but she was a damn good cook and an exceptionally strong manager. Amelia had every confidence in her abilities. Plus, she’d still be right there at the restaurant to oversee things.
She checked on the bar and waitstaff, went to the front reception area to make sure the reservations and greeting area was prepared, and checked on tonight’s reservations. By then people had started filing in, so she got out of the way and let the more than competent staff do their jobs.
It was hectic, but manageable. She managed to dash into the kitchen a few times to check on things, but Stefanie was managing fine despite being one person down, which allowed her to deal with the overall managerial duties of the restaurant.
“Amelia, Flynn’s on the phone for you.”
She nodded and went to grab the phone.
“Hi, Flynn.”
“Ken called me. Is everything all right there?”
“Everything’s perfect. I have Stefanie taking over head chef duties in the kitchen and I’ll be managing tonight.”
“Okay, thanks. My brother’s at the house with my sister and me. We were going to come in for dinner, but if you think all of us being there will be a hassle for you, we can go somewhere else.”
Her lips curved. “Flynn, this is your restaurant. Of course you should come.”
“How full up are we tonight?”
“About as busy as we typically are for a Friday night.”
He cleared his throat. “Can we get a reservation for eight, then?”
She shook her head. “You come in whenever you want. I’ll make sure there’s a table for you.”
He laughed. “Okay. See you then.”
She hung up, smiling as she made her way back to the dining area. It was sweet of him to call, but ridiculous that he’d even consider not coming to his own restaurant. Then again, that was Flynn—always concerned about how things affected her or other people.
He was actually a really nice guy. And she wasn’t going to think too much about that because there was work to be done, and that’s where her mind should be.
They were at least three hours into the dinner hour when Flynn came in, accompanied by Mia and a striking-looking man who looked remarkably like Flynn. That had to be Grant, because the resemblance was close. Same dark hair, same intense look. They were roughly the same height except Flynn was more muscular.
Flynn came over to her right away. “How’s it going?”
“It’s all going fine. Stefanie’s doing a great job in the kitchen. I’ve tasted everything and it’s perfect. We’ve had a packed house tonight but service has been smooth.”
“Great.”
She motioned for one of the hostesses, who brought over the menus. “And we have a nice table set aside for you and your brother and sister.”
“Thanks.” Flynn turned and motioned to the dark-haired man standing next to him. “Amelia, this is my brother Grant. Grant, this is Amelia Lawrence.”