The Hero's Sweetheart. Cheryl Wyatt

nodded, tears filling her eyes. “He shook me so hard I bit my tongue.”

      “I’m so sorry. I keep telling you, you need to get away from him. Why won’t you listen?”

      “I know. But I can’t.” Patrice shrugged with the shoulders of someone already defeated.

      Olivia wanted to talk sense into her, to ensure her safety, but Patrice looked too distressed right now to listen. That talk would have to wait. For now, out of sensitivity, Olivia sent Patrice the kindest smile she could and tried to think of worthwhile words to say.

      Naem interrupted them. “Trouble’s brewing. Jack is at the computer cutting Perry’s check.”

      “Since today’s not payday, that’s not a good sign,” Olivia said.

      “No. Maybe if we have a talk with Perry and he promises to do better, Jack will relent.”

      She nibbled her lip, recalling the conversation about impairment and possible drugs. “Naem, I’m not sure that’s the best decision.”

      Naem looked at her funny. “Hey, we all stick together. All us little people.” Naem eyed her, then Jack. “What were you doing in his office, anyhow?”

      Olivia realized the potential for distrust and division. “He had questions about the diner.” Olivia answered carefully. “Probably the same questions he asked you, Darin and Patrice.”

      Naem nodded. “He said he needs to speak to me again today. Darin’s in there now. Maybe we should all compare notes.”

      “Maybe.”

      As she and Naem donned aprons, washed hands and tucked pens behind their ears, Darin emerged from Jack’s office. Wordlessly he headed straight for the grills.

      Perry was nowhere to be found. She eyed the clock. He was twenty minutes late.

      Jack helped Darin prepare bacon, then took over washing dishes. After customers started piling in upon the diner opening, a surprise to Olivia because she hadn’t thought they would continue to, day after day, Perry rolled in looking hungover and unkempt.

      He only got four steps in before Jack pointed to the door.

      Perry stopped, lowering his spit bottle. Gross. How could anyone chew tobacco in a restaurant? Not to mention it was a major health-code violation and one even Sully wouldn’t tolerate.

      “What?” Perry blinked at Jack, who looked more livid by the second.

      Perry on the other hand, looked as stoned as he probably was.

      “No.” Jack barreled around the corner to stand in Perry’s way. “There’s the door. Walk back through it. You’re done here.” He handed Perry his final check.

      “You’re firing me ’cause I’m only an hour late? What up, dude?”

      “Out. Now. Or I’ll call the police.”

      As mad as Jack looked, Olivia mentally advised Perry to do what Jack said. The anger in Jack’s eyes told her that calling the police on Perry was the most humane of two choices. Getting tossed out on his ear by Jack was probably the less appealing of the two.

      As Jack walked Perry out, he said, “You need to get professional help.”

      Perry sneered and muttered something to Jack that probably would have earned him a fist in the face from a less-controlled man.

      “Oh my. I cannot believe he actually fired him,” Patrice whispered later to Olivia as they tucked order pads into the next shift’s aprons. Everyone had been walking on eggshells since the incident.

      You mess up once, I warn you. You mess up twice, you’re done. That’s what he’d said when they’d all gaped at him after he escorted Perry out. Zero tolerance. Since then Jack had not said another word. To anyone.

      “I know. To Jack’s credit, Perry pushed him over the line. He was warned,” Olivia said.

      “Yeah. Multiple times. Still.”

      Nothing else needed to be said. Olivia knew one thing. She wasn’t about to cross Jack. He was nothing like his dad. Sully might yell a lot, but he was all bark and no bite. Maybe even passive to a fault when it came to setting boundaries with employees. Jack, on the other hand? He was all bite. Little to no mercy seemed his mantra.

      Other than that Fords were the only car built tough and worth having. Olivia smiled fondly remembering Sully telling her of their Chevy-versus-Ford sparring. Though Sully had made her promise to give Jack a hard time about Ford once she met him in person, so far, she hadn’t had the nerve.

      “Of course he could have been using Perry as an example.” Patrice shrugged.

      “To show his power you mean?” Olivia hoped not. But it bothered her that Jack didn’t even try to find out Perry’s background. Or, if he had, she wasn’t aware of it.

      “I don’t know. Maybe. That doesn’t seem like the Jack I remember, but maybe the military and war changed him.” Patrice didn’t have to finish the rest.

      Changed him. And not for the better.

      Just as Olivia thought. Change was, at this point in her life, her absolute worst enemy, and right now Jack Sullenberger was captaining that particular moving ship.