My first day running Moretti's was chaos.
I arrived at eight in the morning, dressed in business casual, the key Dante had given me clutched in my hand like a talisman. Tony greeted me at the door with a coffee and a sympathetic smile.
"Ready for this?" he asked.
"Absolutely not."
"Perfect. That means you're smart enough to know what you're getting into." He led me inside, where the morning prep crew was already working. "Don't worry. I'll show you everything. And the staff already loves you from last time."
The restaurant was beautiful in the morning light, all polished wood and gleaming surfaces. I could see why Rosa had loved it here.
"First things first," Tony said, pulling out a massive binder. "This is everything. Suppliers, staff schedules, inventory, financial reports, customer complaints, health inspections. Your job is to know all of it backwards and forwards."
I flipped through the binder, feeling overwhelmed. "This is insane."
