3D: Back to Work

As Winterfest memories faded like melting snow, Aubrey grew excited to get back to work. She and Julio took advantage of the holidays to enjoy their families and a much needed respite. With the baby on the way, she knew seizing those moments would be important despite not being a fan of long breaks. Still, family visits were so much more lively from everyone’s excitement about their new addition. In moments of idleness, she rested. Temptation to check her email lurked in every corner like a stalker, but she resisted. After New Year’s Day, it would be full speed ahead before D-Day. Until then, rest was a priority.

The new year came in quietly at the Pruett-Corleonesi estate. They watched the countdown and toasted with sparkling cider before Aubrey dragged herself to bed. Her blinks had gotten slower, and her head nodded a few times. The tiredness of the first trimester was in full effect during the holiday pause, but after New Year’s Day, she sprinted down the stairs to the office as if fatigue was a thing of the past. Her first order of business was to share her news with the rest of the world before the baby bump gave her away. The first person on her list was Keegan, of course. They hadn’t seen each other since a little after Harvestfest, and Aubrey missed her friend terribly. She thought of him often, wondering how he was and what he, his brother, and his roommate got into. Her eyes always rolled when she thought of that woman. A Weekly Catchup was long overdue, and she sent him a text with New Year’s greetings and a request to meet. After that, she opened her laptop and got to work.

J. Pruett’s Grill was finally stable and thriving, thanks to the new crew and Keegan’s outstanding leadership. Months ago, she thought of how to set the restaurant apart from other burger joints, but the idea was premature. No one would pay extra for a premium quality burger if the service sucked. But those problems were in the past now, and it was time to initiate the plan. Aubrey had been researching nearby farms and generated a short list of farmers to contact about partnerships. She wanted to strike a deal quickly before any other restaurant got the same idea. So far, she was on track to be the first restaurant in the area to use fresh, local ingredients. Perhaps one day, after her Windenburg restaurant was up and running, she’d return home and open a farm-to-table restaurant in San Myshuno.

Over the next week, Aubrey received several replies from farmers. Some weren’t interested. Others wished they could entertain such an idea, but couldn’t handle the volume she’d require. Only one farmer responded favorably, but he wouldn’t be available until the end of spring! Aubrey caught him during the busiest time of his life. He had little going on crop-wise as spring had just begun, and he used the off season for other projects such as building and fence repairs. But this season, he used the time to expand his ranch and train new farmhands. He also had several pregnant cows and wasn’t willing to divert his attention until after everything settled. Aubrey sighed in relief at receiving a yes, finally. But by the time she could meet with the guy, she’d be having her own baby. Between her family and Salma, someone could watch the baby for a few hours while she tended to her business, however. Besides, the world didn’t stop because she was out of commission, and she definitely didn’t intend to cease building her empire.

Keegan was already at the restaurant when Aubrey arrived. Did he miss her, too? The way he lit up when she approached certainly said he did.

She greeted him with a warm hug.

“Keegan! It’s SO good to see you!”

“Yes. You too. I hope you had good holidays.”

“I did,” she said, grinning from ear to ear. “How are you? How was Winterfest?”

He smiled at her barrage of questions.

“Sorry,” she said with an embarrassed grin. “I just missed you so much!”

He nodded.

“I am well, thanks. We had nice Winterfest. The nicest in a long time.”

All thanks to the nice bump in pay he received just months before, no doubt. That was the of way things. He was her employee, and he got promoted. Nothing unusual. But the part of her who cared deeply about her friend’s well-being was happy to know she was part of the reason he and his brother could finally have the holiday celebration they deserved.

She got lost in her friend’s eyes briefly before realizing they were still standing in front of the host’s station and snapped out of it enough to see about a table. Just as she turned to the host, Keegan interrupted her.

“Oh, our table is upstairs.”

She followed him and browsed the menu.

“How about you?” he asked. “Your holidays, I mean.”

A sudden shock zipped through her body as if a teacher had called on her and she wasn’t prepared. Should she tell him the news? She was hoping they could ease into it, or maybe she could wait until the end of their meeting. Who was she kidding? She’d been wanting to share this news with him ever since she discovered it herself!

“Uhh… Yeah! Yeah, we had a great time. I had my family over again, and…”

She looked up, only to find him staring back in a not-so-impressed manner. He didn’t know what information got left out, but he knew her well enough to see the gaping holes in her story.

“…And… Okay… So, I’ve had a secret to tell you for a while, but I wanted to tell my family first.”

His cute puppy eyes lit up in anticipation.

“Julio and I… We’re expecting!”

“Expecting?”

“Yes! I’m pregnant!”

He sat there, stunned, unable to speak for a few moments.

“Congratulations,” he said, finally. “That is good news, yes?”

She was so blessed to have people in her life who knew her well and understood how her brain worked. Keegan was one of those people which made her feel even more blessed. Things would be so different if she had to explain herself all the time.

“Yeah, it’s good,” she said. “I was very surprised at first…and a little disappointed, as you could imagine. I want to have kids, of course, but we wanted to wait a few years. But once the news sunk in, I was happy. I am happy.”

Keegan smiled warmly.

“Good. I am glad for you.”

Aubrey exhaled in relief.

“Thank you. Well, now that we got that out of the way, shall we discuss business?”