There was a pause, and I cringed for the guy before gently clanging a spoon on the side of a pot so that it sounded like I was busy and hadn't heard any of that. The restaurant had slowed a little, but I still had a few eggs on the stovetop, and I watched them, gently tapping the spoon and trying not to care how the guy responded.
"Ouch," he said.
"Well, Alex, I have to tell it like I see it. I didn't get this far in life by pretending things were okay when they're not. The idea seems good, the team seems good, but you still don’t know a thing about money. You're wasteful, quite frankly. This whole trip is too much. How much are we spending on this? You booked the nicest hotel in town. Just now, the valet, I saw you hand him a ten-dollar bill for a tip. And the same with the cashier at this place. She did nothing but make change for you, and you left her a twenty."
"It's a couple of tips," the young man said.
"Money wasted," the older one returned in a huff. "The whole trip is money wasted. What's it, a few grand we've spent to get us both out here? And for what? To talk me into more money? The very money we're spending by being here? I had said I'd give you a hundred thousand, and you've wasted what must have been three of it of it on this."
"I paid for this. I do have money of my own, you know."
"Not the kind you need, or I wouldn't be here. You're not to be trusted yet, Alexander. I'm not saying you won't be sometime, but not yet. You're not ready for these sums of money. This project would be a bottomless pit. You're already here to ask me for more money right now, and we haven't even gotten started."
"Fine. I'll make it work for what we said before."
"No."
"What do you mean, no, Grandpa?"
"I'm not investing anything at this time."
"Wh-wh—"
The younger guy started to stutter and say something, but I had to actively tune them out because I had eggs ready to come off the stove.
My heart was beating fast for that guy. I did my best to think of my actions instead of what was being said at the table next to me. I concentrated on keeping up with the stove and the items under the heat lamp.
Mark came to grab a few of the plates I had been working on, and he made a face at me, shifting his eyes to glance toward the guys. He could also hear what they were saying.
"The wheels are already set in motion, Grandpa."
"That's what breaks are for," the older man said in an emotionless tone. "If it's meant to be, it'll happen sometime in the future."
"I've hired people and rented things. I've made arrangements to start this summer."
"That's not going to happen. At least not with my money." I heard noise—the sounds of chairs scooting across the floor and silverware clanging.
They were getting up.
I tried not to notice as they walked past.
Mark barely had time to get out of their way, and I turned to look at them when I knew they were walking by. The older gentleman went first, and the younger one followed him in a hurry. He stopped in his tracks when he saw me, digging in his pocket. He came up with a wad of cash and put it down on the ledge between us.
He turned and walked out without so much as saying a word to me. I glanced at the money. There was a hundred-dollar bill in the stack along with other bills. He had given me too much, and I considered stopping what I was doing so that I could return the extra money. But he was preoccupied with following his grandfather, and I wasn't going to interrupt them.
"Whoa, did he just give you that?" Mark said, coming around the corner again when they left the kitchen.
"Yes," I said simply, wishing my hands didn't need to stay clean so that I could stop and pick it up.I turned and tended to a few of the eggs that were in pots, dropping two more of them when I saw the next ticket.
I heard Carly's footsteps, and then I heard her yell out. "Hey, you guys might as well do ten more cups. They've disappeared from the case in the front," she said.
"Heard you," Mark said.
"Gotcha," I said, nodding and opening another package of eggs.
"What happened with those guys who ate back here?" Carly continued, coming to stand in front of my area and speaking in a quieter tone.
"Nothing," I said, shaking my head.
