She tried to befriend the manager, but he was having nothing to do with her short of the most meager dealings required to instruct her, which was minimal because she was under another supervisor. This restaurant might prove to be the biggest challenge of all just because of the manager’s superior attitude.
John came home and they began to settle in to some semblance of married life. He made her breakfast and left it warming for her and she tossed his exercise clothes into the washing machine with hers and then folded them and took them up to his room. If she wasn’t working in the evenings, she sometimes brought a book into the room where he was and would read while he did too or watched TV.
They still had their meetings and responsibilities, the same as before, but John also had her go back to the restaurants she’d worked with earlier from time to time to check on things on days she had off. Often he went one way on a plane and she went the other in her car, but they seemed to have established a working marriage relationship with relatively little conflict.
She still went to her childbirth class alone. In fact, she didn’t even mention to John she was taking it, and she knew he was still going to a number of doctor appointments on his own as well. They both seemed comfortable in living and working beside each other and still keeping their private lives somewhat private.
It was three weeks into her new “job” that she was finally able to start to uncover the questionable purchasing at the second Austin restaurant. With some digging, she was able to determine the main wholesale food supply company the manager used was owned by a series of corporations that were ultimately owned by his brother in law. Kate assumed that the company could charge whatever it wanted and the manager was kicked back a portion of the exorbitant profits.
She talked it over with John to determine if there were any charges that could be filed, but he didn’t think there were and so they went on to fire the manager and begin the process of tuning up what remained. The day that John revealed to the employees she was working for him, was the first time Kate ever saw him struggling with a headache.
The whole time he was meeting with the staff, he seemed to be less amiable than usual and then when they were done and headed home, he asked Kate if she would mind driving. He got into the passenger seat and tossed back a white tablet with a diet Coke and then reclined his seat and closed his eyes with a grimace.
He was obviously in so much pain by the time they got home that Kate had to help him out of the car and into the house. Once there, he took another pain pill and then took an ice pack and went to his room to try to relax where it was dark and quiet. Kate went back to the kitchen to eat dinner alone and worry about how feeble he had seemed to become in just a few hours this afternoon compared to how robust he’d seemed this morning. He may have been right about losing this battle much faster than he had expected.
Although not life threatening, Kate was beginning to deal with some physical issues of her own. Her tummy had begun to feel humongous and she could no longer lift things and bend and move around like she was used to. Not only that, but she struggled to sleep comfortably and for the first time in her existence, she experienced heartburn. She’d never been so miserable in her life.
John was always careful to keep their relationship casual and comfortable, but he also came home one day with a big, new Mercedes Benz sedan for her so she would have a little more room and better safety than her Dodge Intrepid for her and the baby. They had a bit of a discussion about the luxury car and finally settled on giving it to her for Christmas not quite two weeks away, but John would still own it and she would sell her car for now. She buckled the seatbelt around her huge tummy that day on the way to work and was grateful John was so considerate.
On one of the last days Kate was going to be working at the second Austin restaurant, she was sitting in the manager’s office, going over the payroll records and wondering why she was having such a hard time keeping her mind off of Jason this morning. She could swear she could almost smell his after shave today.
She was still sitting there trying to focus when one of the female servers came rushing back into the kitchen in almost heart failure and several of the other staff gathered around her to see what was going on. Kate was just going to go out and see about it and get them all back on task, when she heard why the girl was breathless after all. The waitress almost squealed, “Do you know who is out there? Jason Falcon and some of his band! Right here in our own dining room! I wonder if he would sign the new CD I just bought.”
She continued on, but Kate heard none of it. It took everything Kate had to continue to breathe and walk calmly back to the office and shut the door. Oh, how she wanted to go and look out that window. Just once. Just long enough to see how he was doing with her own eyes. But she couldn’t. She knew it would be a mistake and a risk he would see her and realize she was pregnant, not to mention make her miserably lonely again. It was already all she could do to make it through the days without him and it had been more than six months. She put a hand on her tummy and looked down at the baby she was carrying and wiped at her tired eyes and went back to her desk as she whispered, “C’mon baby Falcon; we’ve got work to do so we can get out to Amarillo on Friday.”
Entirely unable to focus, as good as her intentions were, Kate glanced up at the window to the parking lot every few minutes and when she finally saw him and a few guys go back out across the way there, she couldn’t help herself and turned her chair to watch. He still had that something about him that spoke of confidence and understated power. And even from this distance as he paused once and looked all around, he was still as handsome and striking as ever.
She saw them pile into a couple of cars and drive away and she sighed a long, shaky sigh and picked up her pen. She had a whole new life now. Her days with Jason were over and she knew it. After all, it was her doing. It was just hard to control the memories sometimes.
Nights were the worst. No matter how tired she was when she finally laid down; there was inevitably a period of wondering what he was up to and if he was okay. She still prayed for him several times a day, just like she did for her family and baby and now John, and now that the advancing pregnancy made resting peacefully impossible, she prayed for him during the night as well when she woke up with him on her mind. Sometimes she would dream they were still together and he was still the same Jason she’d grown up with and for just a second when she woke up there would be this happy, easy peace like she’d felt when he used to hug her close. It was heaven and she hated to have to finish waking to reality.
***
Aerie played a concert down in Austin and then had another one in Corpus Christy the next day and they drove from city to city rather than fly for such a short trip. For some reason, Kate had been on his mind more than ever this trip and it was uncanny enough that he almost wondered if there was a reason for it. He hoped everything was all right with her.
They pulled away from their hotel late in the morning and then stopped at a restaurant on the south end of Austin that had come highly recommended for lunch. There, the thoughts of Kate became even more pervasive and he had to almost wonder if she was around somewhere. Throughout the meal he kept looking around and even Cody noticed and asked him what was wrong. Jason just shook his head. If he told Cody he could smell Kate’s perfume and that she was haunting him today, Cody would just nod and give him that look of pity he did anymore now that Cody no longer believed Jason would ever get her back.
But he himself had never given up hope. He never would. It didn’t matter how long it took. It wasn’t like he would ever start over with someone new, no matter how long she was gone. His was a devotion for life. He’d come to realize that more surely than ever. It was too bad Kate hadn’t waited, because Jason had done just what she’d always needed him to do. Gotten used to all the glitz and knew without a doubt Kate was indeed his only flavor.
On the way back to the car, he couldn’t shake the feeling she was nearby. It was almost as if he could feel
her spirit. That she really was haunting him. In a way, it was almost freaking him out a little. He paused and looked around before finally climbing into the rental car with a sigh. Kate, wherever you are, I still love you forever.
***
With Austin wrapped up, Kate began to pack for the all day drive to Amarillo. John had started to recommend she take a week or two off for the holidays, but she knew if she had that much time on her hands, she’d climb the walls missing Jason. John must have understood, because he left it up to her to make her decisions.
She went to her last childbirth class by herself and was glad she’d never have to face all those couples again in her life. She’d needed to do it for the baby’s sake, but it had been a heart wrenching experience.
For the first time, pulling up stakes was more troubling to her. Going from a real home back to the hotel, was bad enough, but this time she would be alone over Christmas and it was an intimidatingly lonely thought.
Even worse, John was finally looking like he wasn’t feeling great a good portion of the time and for the first time, the other day she had watched him struggle to pull something from his memory and ultimately give up. The tumor was finally starting to affect his amazingly sharp mind.
That last morning, he woke up with the beginnings of a headache. She could see it in the small lines between his eyebrows and the shadows deep in his eyes. They hadn’t spoken much of truly important things, but the realization was there all of the time now that this good, honorable man was dying. Even though she had only known him a short time, it was one of the most heartbreaking things she’d ever had to watch.
He came into the kitchen, dressed for work, and she turned from the stove and smiled at him. She couldn’t fix his troubles, but she could do her best to brighten this inevitable road to death. She put a plate of a scrambled egg skillet on the breakfast table in the alcove by the window and then put a gentle hand to his cheek and looked at him. “Headache already?”
He nodded silently and went to the fridge for orange juice. She wished they were closer friends and that he felt like he could talk to her about what he was thinking and feeling. Bringing hot croissants, she put them on the table in front of him and came to stand behind him and gently rubbed his temples for a moment. “Does that help at all, or make it worse?”
“Both, I think. But I’m fine, Kate. Sit down and eat your breakfast before it gets cold.”
She sat across from him. “Should I say the prayer?” He nodded again and she began. She asked for a blessing on the food and then added one for John and then added one for both of them to be watched over and then closed the prayer and he looked up at her.
“You’ve never been alone at this time of year before, have you?”
She passed him the eggs as she admitted, “No. It’s going to be a little weird. Do you usually spend Christmas with someone?”
“Sometimes. For a while, after my divorce, I spent it with my children. Then when they outgrew that, I’d sometimes visit my mother, or my sister’s family. Now my mother has passed away and my sister lives in the Bahamas. But there have been several years I’ve been alone. It’s not too bad. It makes for a more quiet, peaceful holiday, but sometimes that’s a good thing. Peace and quiet is good for spiritual introspection. This is after all, a celebration of Christ’s birth.”
Kate nodded. That would be true. It would still be incredibly lonely, but maybe she could simply focus on Christ and get through it okay. He was watching her as he sipped his juice and wondered out loud, “Why don’t you get up there, Kate and then see how things go. If you’re busy right away, fine, but if not. You’re only going to be a few hours from your family. Maybe they could come to you if you feel like there’s no way you could go visit them. And then catch a plane back here Christmas Eve. The restaurant will be closed for a couple of days anyway, even if you’ve gotten hired. Then you can hit it again after. Just put the tickets on your expense account.”
“I’ll think about it. What are you going to be doing?”
The same as usual. I’ll probably go golfing with friends a few times, and I usually go to some Christmas concerts. That type of thing. Christmas morning I go to the homeless mission and help out there. But mostly, I’ll just work here.” He gave her a sad smile. “Now that I’m dying, I’ve finally figured out that a great deal of my life is pointless. When I failed with my family, I switched my focus to building an empire. In retrospect, that doesn’t mean much. At the very least, I should have tried again. Don’t make the same mistake I made, Kate. Go see your family if you can.”
She finished her breakfast in a somber, introspective mood, and then got up to clean up and straighten the kitchen. She needed to be making some plans for after the baby was born. It would be too easy to bury her sorrows under a career in business and make the same mistake John had made. Sure, she would have a child, but as a single parent, it would be even more paramount that she try to live life on a more eternal track.
In a way, she was incredibly grateful for John’s perspective. He had certainly had to face facts in the big picture and it was enlightening to be reminded that there’s a purpose to this earthly existence. She didn’t necessarily believe John had failed the test as he seemed to worry, but she knew he had massive regrets. She had a couple as well, but maybe she could do better in the future, especially where her child was concerned.
She came down the hall with her big suitcase and purse, and John automatically picked the suitcase up and carried it to her car and put it in the trunk for her and then stood beside the car looking at her. “Be safe, Kate. Amarillo is a nice town, but be careful. And don’t overdo. That baby isn’t far off. Get the bellman to bring this for you and order in room service. I don’t want you to be miserable just sitting waiting, but maybe this should be the last restaurant you deal with until the baby is a few months old.”
She put an arm around his waist and gave him a half hug. “Thank you for your concern, John. I’ll think about it. Don’t drive if you have to take pain medication. Get Gwen’s son to come and take you if you need to.”
At that, he gave her a real smile. “Thanks, but I’ll wait for this tumor to kill me and not a reckless driver.
Pulling away from his house, she considered what he’d said about traveling when she was this pregnant. That same issue had crossed her mind, but the down time would kill her. She would go crazy with missing Jason. She thought about her new husband, even though the marriage had been for business and felt guilty just for thinking that. But it was true. All work and no play made Kate a dull girl, but the alternative was too painful.
She couldn’t believe her heart was still so sore after this many months, but it was what it was and she needed to keep busy. Still, the airlines wouldn’t even let her get on if she was too outlandishly big. She needed to wrap up Amarillo and San Francisco as quickly as she could, both because of the baby and because of how fast John was going down hill.
Having the bellman take her bags up was very nice and she followed him onto the elevator with a sigh. That had been a hellaciously long drive, even with stopping and walking around every hour or so. She walked into the room, tipped the bellman, kicked her shoes off and headed for a long, hot shower and then bed. She was definitely going to take John up on his room service idea.
The next morning, she applied to work at the restaurant, but the manager simply shook his head and said, “Look, lady. I’m sure you need this job, or you wouldn’t be asking, but there’s no way I can have someone as pregnant as you are walking around here working. The patrons would be outraged.”
Undaunted, Kate said, “Then let me work in the office. You can see my training and recommendations.”
“I’d love to, but I have a wonderful book keeper slash assistant and we’re all under control that way. I’d hire you anyway, but it would be a waste of the owner’s money and I take his trust pretty seriously. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to try elsewhere.”
He was so sincere and she felt so good ab
out him she decided to just go with her gut on this one and let him know right up front what she was up too.
She glanced at his name tag. “Well, Glen, in light of that. And the fact you’ve admitted you take John Garland’s trust pretty seriously, I’ll tell you right up front that I work for him. I’m a consultant of sorts, I guess you might say. I usually come in and get to work without anyone realizing that at first, but this baby has become a bit of an issue. And rightly so.
“But I still need to work here for a while and give John my honest opinion of how things here are going. It’s not that he doesn’t trust you. It’s just that I’ve been able to improve some things at his other locations and he decided to send me to all of them. Even the ones that are thriving, like here. And I hope you’ll continue to be as good to work with as you were when you thought you were sending me packing, because we need to work together here as amiably as possible.”
Glen had been surprisingly willing to work with her as soon as he spoke to John on the phone and confirmed that what she was saying was true. He ended up not telling the rest of the staff she wasn’t just another person he’d hired. He had her start as an expeditor. That way, she could get to know everyone and sort of work between the kitchen staff and the wait staff and when they weren’t rushed, he let her help in the office as well.
At first glance, this restaurant looked to be thoroughly under control, but Kate knew she needed to spend some time here to make sure of that. She was also only working five or six hour days because of the advanced pregnancy and was grateful Glen had been so willing to accommodate that.
Falcon Song: A love story Page 16