Leaving the barbeque.

So our first family barbeque was a little messy, but overall it went well and even ended with some key issues resolved. Well, I shouldn’t say it ended. Rather, Diana and I had to leave for work while everyone else stayed. Some of the drivers did drink wine or beer, so better they stayed until fully sober.

We took Diana’s car again, and while on our way to the city, I finally asked her.

“So… you’re moving in with us?” I couldn’t help the grin on my face.

“If it’s no trouble, yes,” Diana said with a soft chuckle.

“How come you made up your mind? You seemed hesitant last night.”

Diana sighed. “I… had a short talk with your mother. It made me realize I’ve been saying a lot but not doing much. I told you I was committed, yet still unsure about moving in with you. How does that make sense?”

“I think it’s a perfectly reasonable thing to be unsure of,” I admitted. “It’s a big deal, more so for you than all of us.”

She nodded. “It’s what I’d been telling myself, but they may have just been excuses. I’m… nervous. Less so now than yesterday, but still. It’s a big step.”

“If you still need time to think about it…”

Diana shook her head. “I thought about it enough. Give me a week to sort things out and get my things. Hell, renting that house would be another source of income, so it makes even more sense.”

“Are you sure you’re okay renting that house? Wasn’t it your dad’s?” I asked her.

“Yes, but it’s not like we had a big attachment to it. We moved there after we sold the ranch. Better keep to myself that my dad passed away in one of the bedrooms, though.”

I felt a chill run down my back. “W-Which bedroom?”

“The same one I’ve ridden you in more than a few times.”

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

Push the thought aside, Oliver. If her dad’s ghost didn’t already come to haunt you for it, he won’t start now.

“What about, you know, our switched up schedules?” I asked.

“I’ll live,” Diana said with a shrug. “Yeah, it’ll be weird at first. Maybe even creepy. The house IS big. But still, I want to. And besides, thinking about it pragmatically, it’s really a lot more efficient for all of us.”

That’s true. In fact, just having Red around to keep Cake company is already a plus.

“Well, if you’ve made up your mind, I’m happy. I said I wanted you with us, and I meant it. And you saw how the girls reacted, too.”

Diana smiled fondly. “Yeah…”

With how eventful things were, it felt like a whole day had already passed, yet we were only just about to start our 8 hour shift. I hoped nothing like yesterday would happen, but I knew I’d better be ready for anything. At least we’d have Dylan again, making the night much more manageable.

Speaking of Dylan, the guy was ready to hear all the details from the night he missed. Someone from the staff told him through text about the near fight that happened and he wanted to hear it from my own mouth.

“Nothing happened, which is the point,” I told him as I fixed the collar of my shirt. “We got it under control before it came to blows. Luck, mostly.”

“Why do interesting things happen when I’m not around?” Dylan said.

“Don’t worry. If something like that happens tonight, we’ll let you handle it,” Diana told him.

“Not… what I meant.”

“Joking. If it does happen again, we call security. That said, keep a sharp eye on our customers.”

That was the plan. What’s the point of these mind-reading abilities of mine if I can’t use them to spot some troublesome drunkards?

And yet not much of interest happened. It was a busy yet fairly standard night. We had plenty of people in the first half, drinking and eating cheese and ham boards and the like. We had our late dinner and went back to the bar, only to find our dear boss sitting at the counter, waiting with a smile.

“Ah, finally! Oliver, can I get a whiskey on the rocks?” he asked me.

“Sure. Did you just arrive?” I asked him.

“Yes, and this jetlag is awful. As far as my body is concerned, I should be having breakfast, not a drink, but that’s confusing, too.”

“You could’ve poured the drink yourself,” Diana told him. “No need to wait for us.”

“Your work area, your rules. I’m not touching anything,” he told us all. I set the glass in front of him and he took a fairly generous sip, groaning with a smirk. “Dylan, how are things so far? Are the weekend nights too difficult?”

“It’s busy, but we’re growing used to it,” Dylan said. “Diana lets me handle my specialties and Oliver is pretty much on point everywhere else.”

Luke nodded. “Yes, it seems we have a good team here. I heard about yesterday already. I’m sure you’ve had to recount the story many times, Oliver, but would you mind telling it to me again? In detail, please.”

This was a request I couldn’t refuse. The owner had the right to know exactly what had happened, so I told him everything, not the summarized version I gave Dylan.

“It wasn’t luck, and you know it, Oliver,” Luke told me. “You’re not just selling yourself short, but also denying a useful skill of yours. It was good judgement and excellently handled. Not only that, but… Luke smirked. “I’m actually here for two reasons. First, I want to congratulate you three. The restaurant and the bar combined are making 58% of our profits. People are coming more for our food and drink than for our rooms, and I for one am happy about it. You’re all getting a raise. The people of the restaurant are getting one, too, of course.”

If my eyebrows shot upwards, Dylan’s could’ve shot outside his face. Dude’s jaw dropped, speechless.

“Those are the good news,” Luke said. “But I also have some neutral news. No bad news, in case you were wondering. Since the restaurant and bar are doing so well, Diana, I want you to take the afternoon shifts during Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Time to give the day crowd a literal taste of your skills.”

It was Diana’s jaw’s turn to drop. This shocked her more than hearing about a raise. “W-Wait, so I’d be working Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday afternoon, Thursday afternoon, Friday night and Saturday night?” she asked to confirm.

“Is that a problem? The restaurant is keeping its profits up during the day, but not the bar. Could be that people don’t drink a lot during the day, but I’d like to test having you here in the afternoon for a month or two at least. I still need you here on Friday and Saturday nights, though.”

“...” Wait. WAIT. If Diana starts working in the afternoon… our schedules wouldn’t be flipped anymore!

Diana began to laugh. Softly, as she often did, but still, her laughter confused both Dylan and Luke.

“Is… something the matter?” Luke asked.

“No, sir. Just… I’d just made up my mind about something, but this change in shifts works in my favor,” Diana said.

“I see. Well, it’ll be a test for a couple of months, but if it works, we can make it permanent.” Luke didn’t pry, not now at least. “Ah, but there is one final thing. It concerns you, Diana, and while I want you to say yes, it’s really up to you in the end?”

“Hm?”

“On this last trip, I happened to meet a certain someone. A Japanese bartender nicknamed Sir Excellence. Have you heard of him?”

Diana’s eyes went wide. “Heard of him? I studied his book!”

“We got to talking and I told him about you, about your skills. I asked him if you could study under him for a week or two, and he agreed. Well, on the condition that I sponsor an event for him, but I was going to do that anyway. So, the question is, Diana… Would you be willing to go to Japan to study for two weeks?”

Diana didn’t have to look at me, but she did. It was so easy to tell she wanted to accept, so I smiled and gave her a thumbs up.

Patreon.