“Why?” I repeated.
“Because your employer assaulted you in public. I don’t tolerate that.”
For a second, just one ridiculous second, I thought maybe Hector Valdez had a heart under all that ice. That he’d actually bought a restaurant to defend me.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I said quietly.
“Clearly I did. Like I said, I was already thinking of buying it anyway.” He looked at me, something in his expression not quite right, like I’d missed the point entirely. “Why are you still working here?”
“Because I need the money.”
“I pay you well.”
“It’s not enough.”
His expression went from cold to arctic. “Not enough. I see. And giving away food for free helps with that, how, exactly?”
My earlier relief started evaporating like water on hot pavement. “That food was going to be thrown out.”
“That’s not the point.”
“Then what is the point?”
“The point is you’re reckless.” His tone stayed level and controlled, like he was explaining basic math to someone who kept getting two plus two wrong. “You work two jobs, barely function, make careless mistakes, and then give away what little you have. This is not sustainable behavior.”
“I work because I have to!” My voice rose. Did he think I was taking extra jobs as a hobby? Like some people collected stamps and I collected minimum wage paychecks?
“Then don’t let your side quest affect my daughter.”
Side quest. He just called my survival a side quest.
“Your daughter wasn’t even there!”
“No difference. Your emotional state directly affects her.” He paused, his sharp eyes taking in the restaurant behind us like he was already calculating renovations. “Also, if Lily had witnessed that scene, what kind of example would you have set? That it’s acceptable to be treated that way?”
And there it was. The real reason he’d swooped in with his checkbook and hero complex. He didn’t care that I’d been grabbed and humiliated. He cared about protecting his investment in Lily’s therapy. About making sure the help didn’tget too roughed up where it might teach his daughter bad lessons.
“Oh, so throwing money at problems is the better lesson to teach her?” I stepped closer because I was angry now. “Is that what we’re going for? When life gets hard, just buy your way out?”
“If it solves the problem, then why not?” He looked at me like I was being deliberately obtuse.
“Because not everyone has that option! Some of us have to actually live in the real world where problems don’t disappear when you write a check!”
“Your behavior is destructive, and you know it.”
“At least I’m destroying myself for something that matters! Those kids got to eat tonight! But sure, let’s focus on how helping people makes me a bad role model for your daughter!”
His jaw worked like he was physically holding words back. His hand pressed harder into his neck and I could see the tendons standing out, that one tell that said he wasn’t as composed as he pretended to be.
“Find better work,” he said finally, voice tight. “If you must work overtime, find somewhere that respects you.”
The dismissal in those words hurt worse than anything Greg had done.
“Right,” I said, unable to keep the bite out of my voice. “I’ll just go pick up one of those jobs that pay well and treat you like a person. They’re right next to the unicorns and fairy godmothers. Maybe I’ll stop by the tooth fairy’s office while I’m at it, see if she’s hiring.”
Something flickered across his face but he smoothed it away before I could read it. “If you want to keep destroying yourself, that’s your choice.” His voice dropped lower, got firmer. “But don’t do it around my daughter.”
He turned and walked away before I could respond, just left me standing there on the sidewalk with my anger and my shame and the humiliating realization that for one brief, stupid moment back in that restaurant, I’d thought someone had actually cared about me.
