“None for me. Thanks. I think I’ll have a glass of the Gnarly Head red instead.”
“You got it.”
Lydia circled back to Gemma. “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve eaten prunes on your toast this morning. If pot roast doesn’t do it for you, we still have halibut I can grill.”
“What? Oh, no. Pot roast is fine. What’s up with you? Why are we here?”
Lydia dodged the question to some degree and replied, “Family meeting. Getting you all together in the same room, I only have to make one announcement and get the backlash out of the way in one fell swoop. Go on, get yourself a table. Leia and I will be around to take orders in a minute.”
Gemma took her wine and found a seat. But something felt off. She decided to make herself useful and dragged over another table, putting two together to make room for everyone, then pulling over eight chairs. Four couples. Eight chairs. But she still hadn’t set eyes on Paul.
Leia came out from behind the grill. After giving Zeb a peck on the cheek, she headed straight for Gemma. “Do you know what this is all about?”
“I thought you did.”
“Me? No. I was about to head home when Mom dropped the news that she wanted us all in here for dinner, had to be tonight, or so she said. It couldn’t be any other time. She even turned away customers for this event.”
“You’re kidding? I’ve never known her to do that before for a family meeting. Funny, I don’t see Paul.”
“Yeah. Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen him around for a couple of days. But that’s not unusual. As a supplier, he does have a route to work, and sometimes that cuts into his weekends with Mom.”
“Really?”
“Well, yeah. Most restaurants are a seven-day effort. I’m sure some make enough during the week that they get to close over the weekend. But you know Captain Jack’s, we always stay open seven days a week.”
“Grilled halibut or pot roast?” Lydia shouted from across the room.
“We need to get rid of that halibut,” Leia announced. “I’ll grill it up. Gemma?”
“Oh, it doesn’t matter to me. Whatever you have on hand. I can eat fish as long as it hasn’t gone bad.”
“I better double-check to make sure,” Leia said as she rounded the corner back into the kitchen. After a few minutes, she called out, “Forget the fish. I think it might be iffy at best. Monday’s delivery will be fresh fish. Tonight, it’s pot roast for everyone or chicken sandwiches.”
“Pot roast,” Zeb muttered. “Something warm on a chilly night sounds good. ”
“I think that’s a consensus,” Luke added as he tugged Lianne over to the main table. “We’re fine with whatever you have, though. We’re mot picky.”
“Anyone know why we’re here?” Lianne whispered.
Lando took a pull on his beer. “Nope. But we’re about to find out.”
After everyone had been served the pot roast with potatoes and baby carrots, Lydia took a seat at the head of the table. She cleared her throat. “Thanks for coming. I know it was last minute. I thought making the announcement here at the restaurant, I’d avoid any awkward questions moving forward.”
Luke picked up his beer and raised the bottle, prepared for a celebratory toast. “Is this about you and Paul? Have you picked a date yet? For the wedding?”
“That’s just it. Paul and I have decided to call it quits. He moved out a week ago and moved back to his farm.”
“What happened?” Lando asked.
Lydia eyed her oldest triplet. “It seems Paul found someone else. It seems it had been going on for about three months or so. He found someone younger and someone who didn’t have a restaurant to run, someone who could spend more time with him. At least that’s what he said. It’s over between us. No need to make a big deal out of it.”
Gemma laid a hand over Lydia’s. “Any chance of working out the problem?”
Lydia’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not a big believer in forgive and forget when it comes to cheating. Paul is history. The truth is, I’ve asked for a new supplier.”
“I’m sorry,” Gemma stated, entwining her fingers with Lydia’s.
Leia got up to wrap her mom in a hug. “I’m glad you aren’t tiptoeing around the fact that Paul cheated on you.”
“I’m not trying to tiptoe around anything—no need for that. I’m a straightforward-type person. Personally, I’m glad he’s gone. It just wasn’t meant to be.”