Rob Wicked and his sons were a sight to be reckoned with, with their colorful tattoos, shockingly bright blue eyes, and dark hair—Rob’s speckled with silver, like his beard.
“There’s Caity Cat and her sexy sister,” Zander said with a wink. He was as much of a flirt as Wells.
Rob shut him down with a cool it look.
“Why did I suggest we hire you again?” Cait asked, but she was smiling, not annoyed.
Abby had immediately noticed the difference in Cait’s interactions with the Wickeds compared with the way she was around most everyone else when Cait had allowed Rob to drape his arm over her shoulder as he asked after her. She’d spent a long time talking with Zeke about his volunteering and tutoring at a community center, and she’d asked him to check on Aria, the girl she’d mentioned working with at Wicked Ink, and she gave Zander as much guff as he gave her. At first all of Zander’s flirting had made Abby think there might be an attraction between him and Cait, but Cait had made it clear that it was sibling-like affection and nothing more.
Zander flashed an arrogant grin and said, “Because you missed me? You needed some eye candy? You wanted your sister to meet me?”
“More like, your father and Zeke come as a package deal with Cocky McFlirt, and dealing with your mouth is worth the hassle to get a quality job done,” Cait retorted.
“I knew you liked my mouth, Caity Cat.” Zander blew her a kiss.
“Zan,” Zeke warned, and Zander chuckled.
Abby got a kick out of the way Zeke, with his crow-black hair and low-key personality, was continually reining in Zander.
Rob motioned toward the side patio and said, “Abby, I asked Cait to bring you out so we could discuss the ordering window. I have a few suggestions. We have restaurants with walk-up windows on the Cape, and I think you stand to lose money with just a walk-up window during the high season. There are too many rainy, cold, windy days, when people aren’t on the beach. They might love your food, but standing in the driving rain to order and pick up lunch and sprinting to the car won’t be as appealing as ordering from an indoor counter, where they can then sit at a table and enjoy their meal.”
“Are you thinking we should build a shelter around the window or screen in the patio? Because I don’t really want to screen anything in,” Abby said.
“No. An awning over the window as we discussed will be fine. But inside the restaurant you have that counter area outside the kitchen, which is a perfect place for indoor ordering. I think we should replace the countertop, clean up the cabinets, and break through the wall to the kitchen to create a pass-through. That would allow for easier ordering and serving of food and provide shelter during inclement weather. And if you go that route, then I have another suggestion. I know you had your heart set on the window being installed here.” He pointed to the area closest to the water on the side of the building. “But logistically, if you shift it toward the parking lot so it’s in line with the inside counter area, your staff won’t have to run back to the kitchen to pick up the food.”
“That makes sense. I can’t believe we didn’t think about that.”
“With all due respect, you’re a chef, not a builder. From a consumer point of view, the closer to the beach, the better. But from an efficiency standpoint, the continuity of flow makes more sense.”
“I wasn’t planning on redoing the counter, but roughly how much would it cost to open up that wall and replace the counter?” Abby asked.
He glanced at Cait with a brief but clearly paternal expression and said, “You’re Cait’s family, which makes you our family. We can get it done for the cost of materials. The bottom line will depend on the materials you choose. Laminate is a lot cheaper than granite or marble, but it’s all about the image you want for the restaurant. It could run a few thousand up to eight or ten grand. My brother is in the restaurant business, and based on his experience, with your setup here on the beach, I think you’d get a high rate of return on your investment. You mentioned you have friends helping you paint and power wash tomorrow. I’ve made a few calls, in case you decide to go this route. If you go with marble or granite, Justin and Blaine have a selection on hand that they can bring over today. But that decision should be made soon.”
“How long will it take to do the work?”
“If you don’t mind us working late tonight, and if need be, early tomorrow morning, we can get it done before you paint. Why don’t we give you and Cait a few minutes to talk it over?” Rob nodded in the direction of the parking lot and said, “Let’s go, boys.”
When they were out of earshot, Abby said, “What do you think?”
“I think it makes sense to do it, but as far as going with a cheaper or more expensive product, I don’t know. I’ve never owned a restaurant, and I don’t know much about the island economy or what you can expect to earn. All of that is in your hands.”
Abby walked into the restaurant and said, “How do you think it would look with the pass-through? Would that make it look cheap? People would see the kitchen staff.”
“I think they can make it pretty enough that it won’t detract from the restaurant during dinner hours. And there’s something nice about seeing your food cooking. Tank took all of his employees to a fancy Italian restaurant last year, and we could see the kitchen staff through the bar area. It didn’t take away from the elegance at all.”
“That’s good to know. I guess we wouldn’t have to keep both the counter and the window open at all times, because that would mean more staff and more overhead. But it would give us options, like Rob said. I think it does make sense, and if we’re going to do it, we might as well do it right, with a nice marble or granite countertop. I like stainless steel in the kitchen, but it’s too cold for customers to see. I wish Aiden were here to give us his opinion.” As the words left her lips, she realized what she’d said and cringed. “When did I start needing a man’s opinion to make my own decisions?”
“I hardly call wanting to get the opinion of someone you trust needing it to move forward.”
“But the fact that I want it is almost the same thing.”
Cait was shaking her head. “You want his opinion because you trust him, and honestly, I think you should trust him. He hasn’t steered us wrong yet, and there’s no doubt he has a wealth of knowledge about business and finance.” Her expression softened, and she said, “But I understand where you’re coming from. I didn’t trust anyone for so long, I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to. But I’ve learned that there’s nothing wrong with valuing the opinion of someone you trust. Especially your boyfriend’s, since you trust him with your body and your heart, which are way more important than a restaurant.”
“You’re right, and intellectually I know that. It just feels weird after all these years to have my thoughts turn to someone else for critical decisions. It was the same way yesterday when I was working on the menu. I kept wondering what he’d think about my choices. I know how close Aiden and I have gotten, but I guess I hadn’t realized how much a part of this restaurant he’d become, too.”
“Does that bother you?”