NOW – 9:49 AM, Sunday.
“Still no word from him?” Stella never said Clint’s name if she could help it.
Stella and Clint hated each other. He would’ve fired her, but no one made the fish quite like Stella. She was the lead cook. Firing her would be stupid. He’d lose half his customers.
She hated him for what he’d done to Charlie. Some said it had something to do with back taxes. Others insisted it was the fact that Charlie had slipped behind on his loan payments. Either way, one day, Charlie owned the place; the next, it belonged to Clint.
Stella had job security, and Rick hated her for that.
She stared at the fish. For a long time, her eyes flitted from fish to fish.
“Earth to Stella, are you okay?” Rick said from the condiment stand where he was putting out the lemon wedges, tartar sauce, and malt vinegar bottles.
“Hmm?” she said without turning from the wall of mounted catfish.
“You been staring at them dang fish for ten minutes, Stel.”
She still didn’t turn from the wall.
Rick cleared his throat. “We open in ten minutes, babe. I could use some help.”
Stella finally turned away from the wall. She almost said it, but it was a crazy thought. Most likely, she just needed new glasses. But everywhere else she looked, things looked normal. For some reason, the fish all looked a bit fatter that day.
Rick picked up the tray of spare Tabasco sauce bottles and turned to the back. Something caught his eye as he passed the front counter-an envelope. It was addressed to Stella.
“Stella. Did you see this?”
Turning from the wall of fish, she said, “What is it?”
“It’s an envelope addressed to you. Want me to open it?”
“No, that’s okay. I’ll do it.”
She picked it up and smiled.
That looks like Charlie’s handwriting, she thought, wiping her eyes.
She pulled open the brass fastener and dumped the contents on the bar.
The deed to the restaurant.
She flipped through the pages.
Something’s off here.
The last page had been signed and notarized. Effective as of the previous night, Stella was the new owner.
She cried. Rick sensing her distress, stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
Peaking inside the envelope, she noticed a note that hadn’t fallen out. She reached in and pulled it out.
My dearest Stella,
I’m sorry to have abandoned you in this anticlimactic fashion. Clint did me wrong. I’m sure you trust him no more than I did. But I believe he won’t be a problem anymore.
I want you to have the restaurant.
And to apologize. I never had the courage to confess how much I loved you.
But I could tell you loved Rick. And that he loved you. I hope you will say yes to his marriage proposal. May the restaurant be as good to you as it was to me.
All my love,
Charlie.
Rick read the note from over her shoulder.
She had always put Rick off because she suspected how much Charlie loved her. Saying yes to Rick would’ve meant hurting Charlie.
Rick pulled the ring box from where it was every day during the past eight years, from his right pants pocket. He opened it in front of Stella’s eyes.
“What do you say, Stella? Want to marry a broken-down old cook who has loved you since we met?”
Stories by Shawn 