My Magnolia Summer by Victoria Benton Frank

Author:Victoria Benton Frank
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2023-06-06T00:00:00+00:00

My heart stopped. I started to sweat, the back of my neck got hot, and I felt as if the hallway was spinning. I read the email again, and then another time to make sure I’d read it correctly. I had. I’d been fired.

Chapter 17

Magnolia

I needed to breathe. I walked into the waiting room, oblivious to everyone around me. Chef had fired me. After all this time, all my work . . . had been for nothing. Oh, my God. What was I going to do? I wondered who already knew. I wondered if Ronny knew. Shit.

I bit my lip to hold back the hardening in my throat and the tears that were threatening to spill out. I bit down harder and closed my eyes. Stop it, Maggie! Get it together! When I opened my eyes, I saw a couple of people gazing at me sympathetically. Thank God, Gran had awakened and was getting better. That’s what mattered, not losing my job. But it did matter. That job meant a lot to me! One day I was up for a promotion, and the next week it was over.

I forwarded the email to Jim. Within moments, he replied, and said he’d call me later. He also included some very colorful language not worth repeating. I took a trip to the bathroom to pull myself together. I was so angry, but I was also stunned. I didn’t think this would happen. I mean, I supposed I’d feared it would happen if I made a horrendous mistake in the kitchen, but I never thought he’d drop the hammer on me like this. All I’d done was ask for—not demand—a little more time off for a family emergency.

I needed to be strong for Gran. I knew she would sense my distress and get worried. Thank goodness she was still asleep when I reentered her room. I told Alice I needed to do a few errands before heading over to the Lantern. She and I would talk later. I kissed Gran gently on the forehead and I did the same to Alice. She was the living, breathing definition of a great friend.

When I climbed into the truck, I started to take apart the minimal email. Chef had started with the phrase, “In light of recent events” and signed off with “Best”? I didn’t understand. It just seemed so cold to end my years of employment with a two-sentence email. I had spent hours in his kitchen, learning, cooking. We’d spent so much time together, working only inches apart. Not all my memories of Bar JP were bad. Even Chef Jamie could be funny sometimes. I just couldn’t believe it was all over. No, I wouldn’t let all the time and heartfelt effort I’d put into my job go into the trash.

I took a deep breath and typed a reply.

Dear Chef Jamie,

I want to thank you for the opportunity to work alongside you and the team at Bar JP. Over the last two years, I learned so much from you, and truly believe that who I am as a cook is mostly to your credit.

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