Chapter 9

Pam walked to the library to continue reading the book on dreams. I gave her cash to pay for lunch and for whatever else she needed then dressed and drove down the mountain to meet with Ron, my general manager. I made a mental note to call my bank and have Pam added to my credit card account.

Walking into our company office, I saw Cheryl, my assistant. After greetings, she expressed surprise. "Tom, you look great. Has something good happened?"

"Why do you ask?" I couldn't help but smile.

"You look different ... happier than normal."

"You mean for normal when I return from the cabin?" I grinned.

"Yeah, I suppose."

"You're right. I had a great week and was able to begin focusing on the future for the first time in a long time."

"I'm thrilled. It's been a really rough time for you."

"And I'm sure I made it rough on you, Ron and a lot of our team. I apologize for that. Cheryl, you're the best staff assistant it's possible to have and I just haven't treated you that way in a long time. Can you forgive me?"

Tears came to her eyes and she reached her hand to me.

"Of course. We all love you Tom and we know your world almost ended when Lydia died. You're a wonderful man but you just haven't been yourself. We understand that."

"Are you available for lunch tomorrow? I'd like to take you and Ron out."

"Sure, I was going to meet my daughter but we can do that some other time."

"Good. Can you call Mandi and see if we can get a table at the Rudder for around noon?"

"Sure."

I walked to Ron's office and waited while he yelled at one of our suppliers. Evidently, this guy had delivered some substandard steaks that our chef refused to serve. He promised to give us credit and deliver a new shipment immediately. I wished all such calls ended that well.

"Hey boss! How's it going?"

"Ron, it's good to be back. What were the numbers for last week?"

"They were good. The Bistro is up 5% over the same week last year; the Place is up nearly 9% and the Rudder is up 3%. We launched the new radio ad spot on Monday and saw a pickup in reservations this past weekend. I got your message about adding rabbit to our menu at Bistro and Tim loved the idea. He's searching for a supplier now and is planning to work up some dishes for you to try. Did you see that in a restaurant at the lake?"

"No, I went up to Greenville for a couple of days and had it for dinner in a restaurant there. It was delicious. I don't know of anyone around here serving it, do you?"

"No, I don't. You know your dad had an idea one time to serve various game dishes in the fall and winter. It didn't go over so well but times have changed. I think people are more adventurous now. Tim said that he would also like to try elk and venison dishes."

"You know, that gives me an idea. Why don't we have a contest between the cooking staffs to come up with the best dish from non-traditional meat or fish?"

"That sounds like fun. What rules do you want?"

"Let all the chefs know that they can order sample sizes of any meat or fish they want and have three-person teams compete to see what they can do. It must be an original dish and contain at least two sides. Each team can do two separate entries. The winning team members will be given two extra days of paid vacation and all the bragging rights they want."

"That's a great idea; also very generous. So your idea would be to put some of these dishes on the menu?"

"Why not. Let's shake things up a bit and have some fun."

"Who would be the judge?"

"My dad plus one other person to be named later."

"Uh, okay. That works for me. Can we announce it during the staff call tomorrow morning?"

"That'd be fine."

"Tom, something's happened with you. I haven't seen you this happy in five years. What gives?"

"I'm finally looking forward and not back. This has been a watershed week for me, Ron, and I've finally been able to come to terms with Lydia's death. I can't give you all the details right now but I will soon."

"Does it involve a new woman?"

I grinned and said, "Maybe."

He paused and then grinned. "Okay, I'll wait until you're ready but I'm very happy for you. It's good to have the old you back."

"Thanks buddy. Now let's talk about my plan to meet with the employees." I handed him a printout of the schedule he had emailed me. "I've marked the individuals I'd like to meet with and a suggested time for each one. It's going to take me a couple of weeks to get to everyone but I think it's well worth me doing."

"What do you want me to tell them? This is going to scare them to death if we don't tell them the reason ahead of time."

"Let's tell them that I've been very impressed with their work and I want to personally thank them."

He smiled. "I think that'll work." Ron quickly looked over the schedule and agreed it was doable.

"You mentioned meeting several of our former employees and taking them to lunch. You want to do that, say, in about three weeks?"

"Yes, or whenever they can be scheduled. I know these folks are more problematic so if they say 'no' then we won't push it. But if that happens, I'd like their home addresses so I can send them a personal note."

"I like that. Let me get Cheryl working on it."

We talked about remodeling that was needed and a few minor things before I left for a quiet lunch at Wendy's. I was in the mood for their chili that was both good and low in calories.

As I drove to the airport, I thought about dinner that evening. I had recently heard about a new place, The Boathouse Rotisserie and Raw Bar. The reviews were very positive. All of us liked seafood so I decided to call there for a reservation.

The plane was on time and I caught up with Mom and Dad in baggage claim. We hugged, of course, and I kissed Mom.

She said, "Your father and I are thrilled that there's a young lady in your life again. How did you meet?"

"Pam and I want to tell that whole story tonight as it takes a while. But let me just give a brief outline. We met two weeks ago over at the cabin. Just wait until you meet her. She's everything I could wish for."

Dad asked, "Did you meet at Susan's Place or a store?"

"No, she was in the cabin when I arrived." I saw a confused look on their faces.

He asked, "Did you know she was there?"

"Only after I turned the lights on. She had found a key I left for Jeremy under a flower pot and had been staying there about a week."

Mom exclaimed, "Oh my! So she just made herself at home?"

"Well, there were a lot of good reasons for it and we'll talk about those tonight."

Dad responded, "This ought to be an interesting evening."

Mom asked, "Is she staying at your house?"

"Yes, for now anyway. She's kind of limited on money."

"You said she's having lunch with Donna?" Mom asked.

"Yeah, that's another part of the story we want to tell you."

Dad replied, "Sarah, we better take a nap. This is going to be a long evening."

We loaded the four large bags in the car and drove to their house on Lookout Mountain. They lived in a 90-year-old restored antebellum-style house that has won many decorator and garden awards over the years.

After carrying the luggage upstairs, we sat and visited a few minutes and talked about their two months in Europe. I told them about the Boathouse and our reservation at 7:00 pm. Dad had also heard about it but had not yet dined there.

I returned to the office to continue catching up from the vacation. I called the bank and asked them to add Pam to my credit card account. The bank officer asked me to stop by and sign a form at my first opportunity. While I was on the phone with him, I asked to speak to Jason.

In a few seconds, he came on, "This is Jason, how can I help you?"

"Hey buddy, this is Tom Sumter."

"Hey man! How you doing? It's been too long since we talked."

"I know. Business is improving and I've been really busy. Hey, I've a friend who's looking for a job. I think she would be wonderful working as a teller. Do you know of any openings?"

"I'm amazed at the timing of your call. Just this morning, one of my most experienced tellers told me her husband was being transferred to Atlanta next month. So I'm going to have an opening and there'll be time to train a new person before the turnover. What's you friend's name?"

"Pamela. Jason, this is going to sound unusual. She made me promise not to help her get a job. She wants to do it herself and not have anyone pulling strings to make it happen. I will tell her you have an opening and will send her down. But please evaluate her just like any other applicant and feel free not to hire her if you don't think she can do the job. Understand?"

"Tom, believe it or not, I understand what she's saying. I like that attitude and I promise I'll not show any favoritism."

"Great, that's very important to her."

"Good, I'll look for her."

I walked back to Ron's office and sat down. He had already bounced my contest idea off the chef at Bistro, and Tim was excited about the opportunity to kick Judy and Bill's butts. They were the chefs at the other two restaurants.

"Tim was satisfied with your dad as a judge but he's concerned about your person to be named later."

"Yeah, I want to have a mystery judge so no one can politic with them prior to the tasting."

"Actually, that's a good idea. These folks will do anything to win. And, of course, no one can sweet talk your dad."

We talked a few minutes about other menu changes I was mulling over before I returned to the office to answer emails and review the various on-line comments about our restaurants. Most of the comments were very positive.

Arriving home later that afternoon, I found Pam in the kitchen, looking through cookbooks.

"Hey sweetheart, how was the office?"

"Good. I had a nice meeting with Ron and things are rolling along."

"Did your mom and dad get in on time?"

"Yep, they were in baggage claim when I arrived. They're excited about meeting you. We're going to a new seafood restaurant at 7:00."

"Do we need to pick them up?"

"No, they're meeting us there. How was your lunch with Donna?"

She smiled, "We had a marvelous time. I really like her. We talked about everything. In fact, she's as easy to talk to as you are."

"She's always been that way. They have a ton of friends."

"I think she's going to be like a second mom to me. We went to the Bistro and the food was fantastic."

"How was the service?"

"Very good. We had a lady named Vivian and this nice young man name Eric but he seemed nervous. He actually dropped the basket of rolls when he first walked over."

"You have that effect on guys."

"You weren't nervous when we first met."

"You're right. I was scared to death with all that screaming."

"Awwww, poor baby. Have I made it up to you yet?"

"I think another 50 or 60 years might do it."

She stood and tucked herself in my arms.

"That's a nice thought. Now help me. What should I wear tonight?"

"Pam, don't ask me. Just pick something."

"Seriously Tom, what should I wear? I want to look nice for your parents."

"Sweetheart, this is not a dressy restaurant. I'm going to wear khaki trousers and a long sleeve navy shirt. You're going to look great no matter what you wear."

"Well, you're sweet but I'm a little nervous about meeting your parents."

"Go get a few things and let's pick something together. I need a beer."

While I walked to the kitchen, she walked to her closet and brought several outfits for me to critique. After some debate, she decided on a medium gray wool pants suit with a burgundy blouse and black three-inch spike heels. She also decided to add a colorful silk scarf that was one of Lydia's favorites. Once dressed with glamour makeup, Pam looked amazing. She could have been a cover girl for any magazine.

We decided to drive Angel since the restaurant had valet parking. Valets always put cars like her near the front door so they can keep an eye on them; and it helps advertise the fact that well-to-do people eat there.

My parents walked in a few minutes after we arrived. "Oh there you are," I said.

Mom replied, "Hey Tom, and this young lady must be Pamela." Mom and Dad were all smiles.

"Hi Mr. and Mrs. Sumter."

Dad replied as he approached, "Please call us Jim and Sarah."
Pam hugged both and I remember thinking we would never get that smile off his face.

"And please call me Pam."

Dad surprised me when he replied, "I think I want to call you Pamela. You're just too elegant for a Pam."

Aaaaa that dirty old man was starting to emerge.

Pam's face lit up in a flash. "Tom, why don't you have the charm of your dad?" She hugged him once again, kissed him on the cheek and whispered something in his ear that I couldn't hear. Dad roared with laughter. It became their little secret. The only clue was from that moment on, she called him James and he called her Pamela.

Mom glanced at me and whispered, "I think he likes her."

We were seated immediately. Like in all restaurants, the other patrons stared at Pam as she graced the room.

While we studied the menus, a man walked to our table and introduced himself to Dad. "Mr. Sumter, my name is Ray Walker. I'm the owner and I'm honored to have you here tonight."

"Well, thank you Ray." Dad and I stood. "This is my wife Sarah, my son Tom and his friend Pamela."

The two ladies nodded and smiled while Dad and I shook his hand.

I said, "We've been hearing good things about this restaurant so we wanted to experience it in person."

Ray replied, "Thank you very much. I've been to your restaurants and they set the

standard for all of us. Unfortunately, I've never had a chance to meet you before now."

Dad asked, "How did you know it was us?"

"One of our servers used to work for you and she told me. I quickly checked the reservations book to make sure."

"Oh, who's the server?" Dad asked.

"Morgan Thompson."

I replied, "Fantastic. She was a very hard worker for us. I hated to lose her." Dad didn't know her since he had retired by the time she was hired.

"She's very good ... I'll ask her to stop by. Well, thanks again for coming. Enjoy your meal."

After we placed our orders, Morgan slipped in behind me and tapped my shoulder. "Morgan! Great to see you again." I stood and we embraced as friends before I introduced her to everyone.

"Tom, it's good to see you. You look great."

"And so do you. How long have you been here?"

"Since it opened about three months ago."

"How's your little one doing?"

"Very good. He's in kindergarten now. I've remarried, by the way."

"That's wonderful, Morgan. Congratulations. I'm very happy for you."

She smiled as Mom and Pam congratulated her.

I continued, "My staff assistant is going to be contacting you soon. I want to take you to lunch and talk through a couple of things that I feel guilty about. I owe you some apologies and I really want to talk it through with you. Okay?"

"I'd love to have lunch with you, Tom, but it's not necessary. I know what you were going through was tough and none of us took it personally."

"But that doesn't excuse it. So would you have lunch with me, please?"

There was a pause but then she said, "Sure. I'll be glad to."

"Good. My assistant's name is Cheryl and she'll give you a call."

"Great, you folks enjoy dinner. It's very nice to meet y'all."

Pam looked at me and smiled. I turned to my parents and explained my plan to meet personally with many of our current and former employees to apologize for being out of sorts with them these past couple of years. Dad said he was proud of me for doing that.

As we dined on very nice scallops, shrimp and oysters, the subject turned to Pam and me and our relationship.

Mom smiled before asking, "Can you tell me how you two met?"

Pam started, "Tom broke in on me late one night and I liked him so much I decided to keep him."

Everyone chuckled.

"Pam, maybe I need to tell my version of the story. I arrived very late at the cabin one night a couple of weeks ago. I knew someone was there for several reasons. When I opened the bedroom door, she screamed like a banshee and scared me to death."

I went on, with Pam's help, telling the whole story complete with the assault, our dreams and the revealing of Lydia's dreams with Donna and Susan. Mom and Dad sat quietly with tears in their eyes and appeared to be totally dumbfounded by what we said. A lot of questions were asked and answered.

Dad, as the problem solver he always was, asked, "Pamela, since you had to leave Charlotte so quickly, is there anything we can do to help tie up any loose ends you have there? I know the owner of the restaurant where you worked. Were you able to leave on good terms with him?"

"Yes, I made sure of that James. I told him about the assault and why I had to leave so quickly. He actually paid me that morning for everything I was owed and gave me a $100 bonus. In return, I promised him that I would come back to work there if an opportunity came."

Dad was very pleased and told her so.

I looked at him and said, "Pam has that book she damaged. The policeman who assaulted her has recently been charged with dealing drugs stolen from the evidence locker. We think that book is important to the prosecutor. What should we do?"

"I would give it to the prosecutor and the sooner the better. If this guy is out on bail, he's going to be looking for Pamela to get that book before she can do anything with it."

"That's what I thought," I replied. "Could we give it to Brett and have him send it to the prosecutor in Charlotte? That would let the guy in Charlotte know that other people in authority know about it."