It’s the perfect mom answer but not the brutal honesty I was looking for. When I was paring down the menu with Eric, I pushed to make more cuts, but he was adamant about keeping everything. Now that I’m looking it all over, I’m having second thoughts, especially since we barely managed to prepare all the food today.
“It smells amazing in here,” Dad says, coming up next to me. “I might have snuck some of those Dorito mac and cheese bites when you weren’t looking. I’m not even going to apologize for it. Where did you come up with Doritos as the bread crumbs to fry everything in?”
“That was Eve, actually. It’s her mac and cheese recipe with a twist. We turned them into bites. In her recipe, she drenches the top with Doritos, so we used it as the batter.”
“That girl is smart. We need to keep her around, keep her happy.”
“Yes we do,” I answer, looking over the appetizers one more time as my dad bumps his shoulder against mine.
“That means you. You need to keep her happy.”
“Working on it, Dad.”
“Really?” he asks, looking pleasantly surprised.
“I hope so.” Needing to confide in someone other than Brig, who is far too emotional about love, I say, “I’m actually kind of scared of it all. I mean, I want her, Dad. She’s it for me, and I know that now. Breaking up with her was the dumbest thing I’ve ever done, but now that we’re about to open the restaurant, I still have to wonder if I can do it all. Can I be the man she deserves while running a kitchen and training a staff at the same time?”
Taking me by the shoulder, Dad guides me to the dining table, and we both take a seat. He leans back and says, “When we were opening the Lobster Landing, I had the exact same fears and doubts. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to handle it all, and there were many nights that I lay awake, anxiety eating me alive. I was putting everything we had at risk. When I asked your grandpa Clark for your mom’s hand, I promised him that I would always take care of her. The Landing was a gamble, and if it didn’t work out, I would be breaking that promise. I knew we had something special, but I didn’t ever believe it would get to this point, where my children are taking it over and helping expand the brand into so much more.”
“But you didn’t have a failure on your résumé.”
“I wish I did.”
“What?” My brow pulls together. “Why would you?”
“Because failure is what makes you grow, become better. I was laying it all on the line with no experience, with no one telling me my idea needed tweaking, needed massaging. I was going in blind, and that was terrifying. And trust me, I had my failures along the way, some that threatened my marriage. It wasn’t easy, but with each speed bump, I grew stronger and stronger.” He leans forward and grips my shoulders. “It’s good you’re afraid because that means you care. I would be concerned if there wasn’t that underlying fear driving you to be the best.”
“And what about Eve? She’s so—God, Dad—she’s perfect. She’s so strong, so confident, and most of the time I don’t think I could ever be enough for her.”
That garners a full-on laugh from my dad as he shakes his head. “Boy, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I was the same way with your mom. She’s simmered down since she’s had you kids, but when I first met her, she was a firecracker. Always busting my balls, challenging me. And I liked it because she pushed me to be a better man. That’s what Eve is to you: your counterpart in this life, the one who is going to help lift you up when you need it and ground you when your head is in the sky. You’re a dreamer like me, son. Deny it all you like, but you need a levelheaded woman to tame your wild soul.”
“And you think I can handle it all—being there for Eve and the restaurant?”
“If I didn’t think you could, then we wouldn’t be having this conversation. But there’s one thing you need to realize, Reid. You are better with her. Being with Eve isn’t going to hinder you; it’s going to enhance your life.”
I glance toward the front door as our new employees start filtering in. Eric is greeting them like the good guy he is. This all started with him, with his insistence that a relationship would kill the restaurant. But I think there was something he was missing, something he didn’t quite understand when he asked me to stop dating Eve. He doesn’t know how much his sister enriches my life with her sharp tongue, intelligent mind, and thoughtful words. As I watch him shaking hands and chatting, I realize I need to show him just how much I need her if I’m going to be the best version of myself.
I turn back to my dad. “Thank you, for everything.”
“No need to thank me when I can see it in your eyes. Now go greet our employees. We have some food to eat.”
“I think that’s the last of it,” Eve says, coming up beside me and leaning against the counter.
“Shit, you scared me. I thought you left with Eric.”
Eric left half an hour ago and took all the extra food to Snow Roast, where Ruth was kind enough to let us have an impromptu gathering for a few friends who wanted to sample the menu. I stayed behind to help my parents clean. I thought I was on my own, washing dishes as my parents retired for the night—but Eve just proved me wrong.
“I did. I helped him carry the food, but then I came back—wanted to help you clean up. Your parents were kind enough to host; I didn’t want to leave their house trashed.”
I rinse off the platter I’ve been scrubbing and stick it over on the towels I laid out to help dry everything. “Thank you, but I think I have it covered if you want to go back to Snow Roast.”
She picks up a dish towel and starts drying one of the dishes I already washed. “Nah. Eric doesn’t need me. He’s having a great time catching up with everyone. I really think he’s been in his element since he’s moved back and started working with you again. I can’t remember the last time I’ve heard so much happiness in his voice. I feel like he was barely living when he was in Boston, but being back here, with you, with me . . . it’s reawakened his passion, and I can’t tell you how grateful I am for that. Knight and Port means so much to him, and all he wants is to see it succeed.”
“We all do. I have a good feeling about it. There’s so much passion coming from all different directions, and when you have this many people working their asses off to put something together, only great things can come from it.”
Pausing, she takes a second to study me. “That’s not the normal, negative Reid I’m used to.”
“People can change.”
“I guess so.” She smiles and picks up a delicate blue willow-patterned plate to dry. “Oh my gosh, your mom still has this plate?” Churchill China, a coveted “artifact” in the Knightly household, it’s worth more than anyone would want to pay for a plate. There are five left in the house, and two of them have had to be glued back together.
“Yeah, and even though it keeps breaking over and over again, she finds a way to superglue it back together each and every time.”
“I can still see the look in your eyes when we accidentally broke it. You, Eric, and I were fighting over who had dibs on a batch of cookies, right? We were all pulling on it and somehow dropped it at the same time.”