Chapter 0187


    Abby


    The restaurant is closed for the evening, and it’s about time that I gather my team for an impromptu


    meeting.


    “Listen up, everyone. I know it’s been a long day, but we need to talk about something important.”


    My eyes scan over the faces of my staff: Anton, the homeless chef who turns out to be a culinary


    genius; Daisy, our beloved waitress who once worked the streets; Ethan, a war veteran with a limp who


    has be my trusted restaurant manager; John, a single father with a past alcohol problem; and


    finally Karl, my ex-husband turned line cook.


    Anton sets down hisdle and wipes his hands on his apron. “Is everything okay, Abby?”


    “It’s about that article,” I hesitantly begin, fully aware that I’m opening a can of worms. “People are


    talking, and we need to be prepared for whateveres next.”


    Daisy looks up, her eyes narrowing. “So what are you saying? We should prepare for the worst?”


    “Not exactly, but I think we should be cautious,” I say. “I mean,e on, let’s be real: Anton, you’re


    homeless. Daisy, you have a past you’re trying to move away from. Ethan, you’ve got your own set of


    scars, and—”


    Ethan suddenly cuts me off, a fierce look in his eyes that I’ve never seen before. “Are you trying so say


    that you’re ashamed of us, Abby?”


    “No!” The word bursts out of me, and I feel my face flush. “I’m not ashamed. You all are the best team I


    could’ve ever asked for. But I have to publish an article before thepetition, and—”


    Daisy leans against the counter, shooting me a sideways look. “What are you suggesting? That we put


    on a show? Make the ce seem more ‘normal’, like we’re not a bunch of weirdos?”


    “I don’t know,” I admit. “Maybe it would be good to be proactive about it, control the narrative a bit.”


    Ethan chuckles darkly. “What are we gonna do? Put out a press release saying, ‘Hey,e to our


    restaurant; our staff is just as messed up as you are?’”


    Iugh despite myself. “Well, when you put it that way, it does sound terrible, doesn’t it?”


    Karl steps forward, locking his eyes on mine. “So what’s the real issue, Abby? Are you scared of losing


    business, or are you scared of what people will think of you?”


    His words hit me like a ton of bricks. Am I trying to protect my business, or my reputation?


    “Both,” I finally confess. “But mostly, I’m scared that if peoplebel us as haphazard or unconventional


    right off the bat, they won’t give us a chance. People are judgmental. And all your talents—your gifts—


    will be overlooked.”


    Anton nods slowly, taking my words in. “Miss Abby has a point. A restaurant is still a business. But


    perhaps there is a way to have the best of both worlds; to have our cake and eat it, too.”


    John nods, adding, “We’ve all fought hard to be who we are, to get to where we are. Let’s not lose that


    now. Not for anyone.”


    My eyes finallynd on Karl, and the sparkle in his eyes steels my resolve. “So we’re all in agreement?


    We stay true to ourselves,e what may?”


    Karl smiles, his eyes softening in that special way that still makes my heart skip a beat. “We wouldn’t


    have it any other way, Abby.”


    A sense of warmth and certainty floods over me. Standing here, in the restaurant we’ve all worked so


    hard to build, I realize that we’re more than just a team; we’re a family, just like Daisy said. Updated at


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    An unconventional, imperfect, but entirely genuine family. And that’s worth more than any reputation,


    anypetition, any amount of sess.


    I clear my throat, trying to dispel the sudden lump forming there. “Alright then, let’s prepare for another


    day of proving the world wrong. One meal at a time.”