Opening

"Alright, headcount," announced Cyrus as Tormino's employees gathered in the breakroom.

"Chouteau is staying, correct?"

"Yes," answered Anita.

"Rainier?"

"Staying," Shasta confirmed.

"Taft?"

"Leaving to stay with Frank's grandmother," Sierra exclaimed cheerfully.

"Is Frank paying you to take care of his grandmother?" Anita asked.

"We talked about it," Sierra replied. "I’ll get a bit of money, plus room and board. Frank's grandmother is hoping we'll get married, though, so we’ll see."

"You are so calm about this. How can you be so calm about a possible marriage?" Leigha asked, bewildered.

"Because once I figure out more of the song, I’ll go wherever she heard it. I won't be there too long, and I'll find a new job in whatever town I end up in."

She glanced over at Cyrus, who was scowling as he handed her a letter of recommendation.

"Sonata 1?"

"I'm here until spring," answered Miles.

"Sonata 2?"

"I'm staying. Maybe I’ll take a vacation around the holidays."

"Denied. Mori?"

"I'm staying."

"Alright, so that leaves us minus one cook. We need two cooks and at least two new part-time servers. Everyone, dismissed."

"Didn't you already clarify this with Frank?" Leigha asked.

"It's for my notes," Cyrus grumbled, clearly overwhelmed by the clutter in his office, a result of wedding planning with Linda.

Everyone returned to the dining area and kitchen, while Linda wandered to the back.

"Hey," she called, following Cyrus as he walked to his cubicle.

"Hey," he grumbled back, settling into his chair.

"I heard Sierra's leaving."

Cyrus sighed deeply, slumping into his seat. "So many people I need to hire, and Frank still hasn't gotten Corporate's approval or even a new district manager."

"I'm sure things will be fine." Linda tried to squeeze behind him, prompting Cyrus to adjust his seat so she could fit. She leaned over and began massaging his shoulders.

"And then there's training... it's a lot for Shasta and Anita. Plus, more schedule rearranging..." Cyrus whined, his voice trailing off as Linda continued to massage his tense shoulders.

"You’ll do great. You always do," Linda reassured him, resting her head on his as she worked. Cyrus smiled, tilting his head to kiss her when the back door suddenly opened.

"I got your approval!" Norman announced, dropping a stack of papers into Cyrus' lap before running off to bother Anita.

"I thought he wasn’t the district manager anymore," Linda questioned.

"He isn’t. It’s just an excuse to visit Anita," Cyrus replied, glancing over the documents. Everything was ready for the new hires.

"Well, that settles it!" he declared, standing up with a piece of paper in hand. Linda followed him out of the office.

"Don’t you have work today?" he asked as they walked to the front.

"Not for another hour or so. I came by early to get some food to go."

Cyrus nodded as they stepped onto the dining floor. The restaurant was in full swing. Norman took a seat next to Frank, who was busy helping his grandmother onto a bar stool. Meanwhile, Anita was chatting with Norman and trying to draw Shasta into the conversation. Neither man seemed thrilled by the attempt.

In the corner of the restaurant, Oliver and Master Malzieu were sketching the people around them. Leigha stopped by to chat with Oliver, but Miles quickly pulled her away to serve other customers. Ramona, still struggling to project her voice, was doing her best to communicate with a customer who was having a hard time hearing her.

"Sure is fun here," Linda observed, smiling.

"Yeah, it is," Cyrus agreed.

He placed a sign in the window just as Miles passed by. Curious, Miles paused to read it: "Help Wanted."

A smile spread across Miles's face as he remembered the same sign in the window over a year ago. Suddenly, he heard a squeak and turned just in time to catch Ramona in his arms, much like the first time they met.

"Gotcha," he said, helping her back to her feet. Ramona blushed pink.

"Thank you," she whispered before hurrying back to work. As Miles turned back to his tasks, the echoes of their first encounter played in his mind, making his smile linger just a little longer. He glanced around, taking in the lively atmosphere, and felt ready to tackle the day ahead.

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Thank you for those who have read to the end. Your love and comments encouraged me to keep posting chapter as life had its ups and downs. I'm glad I found people who enjoy these characters as much as I did writing them.

Full story is available on Amazon.

Tata for now! Have a great rest of the year and thank you for making the Tormino's staff apart of it.