Chapter 12
Lucas sat in his grandfather’s small office and presented Joe with his options, none of which Joe looked particularly thrilled about. “I’m not cutting my employees’ pay. That’s out of the question,” he all but barked. “Those kids barely make enough as it is. What else you got?”
“You can change vendors. Shop around a little and see if you can get a better price on buns, butter—”
“Absolutely not,” Joe said. “I’ve been working with the same vendor since I opened these doors, and it’ll be a cold day in hell when I stop.”
Lucas took a deep breath and settled back into his chair. “If we don’t come up with something, I’m afraid you won’t have enough money to get you through the season.”
“I’ve managed for over five decades to keep this place up and running, even during the recessio
