THE ICY COLD BROTHER-IN LAW

SIX. THE NAIVE SISTER-IN LAW

By six-thirty, Brynlee had arrived at her restaurant. Her employees had gathered near the reception desk to greet her. They seemed very worried about her and had been waiting to hear from her since yesterday. But because her cellphone was broken and she was too busy with Lillah's funeral, she didn't have time to contact her employees yesterday.

“Miss Brynlee, are you all right?”

"I'm fine, Emily. I just have a few small wounds and bruises."

"Emily tried to contact you after the news broke on television."

“I don't have a phone now. My car and phone were badly damaged. I haven't bought a new phone yet." Brynlee showed a sorry look to all of her employees for not being able to update her condition yesterday.

The police handed over some of her salvageable items to Elyseen yesterday. Elyseen was her guarantor and resolved all legal issues while she was hospitalized. Last night, before leaving his house, Elyseen handed over her purse and handbag, which were slightly torn, but fortunately the contents were still intact.

“We heard the news of your accident yesterday. We are sorry for your sister's death."

"Thank you. I never thought that would happen to me,” Brynlee answered wistfully.

Being surrounded by people who pitied her made the toughness she had built so hard collapse in an instant. They made her feel vulnerable again. But Brynlee couldn't blame them for the concern they showed. The seven employees she recruited were good people. She chose them not without reason. She felt connected to them during the interview session, and she was very grateful to have them as her new family.

“What about the preparations for the restaurant opening tomorrow night? Everything okay?"

"Don't worry, everything is OK. Jason is going to buy tableware today.”

"Thank you so much, Jason. You might want to take someone with you? You have to buy some ceramic tableware, and they are very heavy.”

“I'll take Ambre and Tyson with me. I would need a woman with good taste and an errand boy to carry the pottery."

Tyson hit Jason hard on the back. Jason groaned in pain and hit Tyson's back. Their little fight made Brynlee laugh. It was the first time she had laughed since Lillah's death, and it felt great.

"You can take them, Jason. And today I won't be here long. I will look after my nephew. He is Lillah’s son.”

Brynlee's face turned sad. Talking about Levi always made her regrets and sadness come to the surface again. She hoped she could replace Lillah in Levi's life.

"Oh, we're really sorry to hear that, Miss Brynlee."

“Thank you,” Brynlee smiled at Brende. She was one of his assistants in the kitchen.

“Ok guys, you can go back to your respective jobs. Even though there isn't much work to do right now, I want you to seriously prepare for our big day tomorrow. Brenda, Sayre, you guys come with me to the kitchen after this. I want to check the stock of groceries for the restaurant opening tomorrow night.”

Brenda and Sayre nodded briefly. The others remained silent, listening to Brynlee's instructions.

"Emily, Robert, you're ready for tomorrow, right?"

"We are ready. Don't worry about the cashier and front door. We will be ready for tomorrow.”

Brynlee smiled proudly at her employees. Tomorrow was the big day. The day she had been waiting for since she studied culinary arts. Unfortunately, she would be alone on her big day. No family or relatives would stand by her side at the opening of her restaurant.

"Miss, are you okay?"

A gentle tap on her shoulder surprised Brynlee. His seven employees looked at him in confusion. Brynlee smiled stiffly at them.

"Sorry. I was just daydreaming. You guys go back to your work."

“Sorry, but you look pale, Ms. Brynlee. You should go home and take some rest.”

"Thanks for worrying about me, Emily. I was a little dizzy." Brynlee massaged her temples slowly.

To be honest, she wasn't strong enough to stand for too long in front of her employees. Her legs started to hurt and shake like jelly. The impact of the accident began to be felt.

“Miss Brynlee, we will wait for you in the kitchen.”

“Okay, I'll talk to Emily in a sec. I'll come to the kitchen after this," Brynlee said to Brenda and Sayre.

They both walked away towards the kitchen and left Brynlee alone with Emily.

"I think you need a chair."

Emily pushed the chair just as Brynlee was about to collapse. Her body slumped into a comfortable wooden chair and she breathed a sigh of relief when she could rest her aching legs.

"Thanks. You know, my whole body hurts a lot. I'm actually frustrated with my condition, Em. I'm afraid I won't be able to serve up a delicious meal for tomorrow because of my condition.”

“Don't worry, Miss Brynlee. You're not alone. We are all here to help you,” Emily gave a reassuring smile.

Brynlee was truly grateful to have an employee like Emily because she could always be relied on in all situations. She could even comfort her when she was truly hopeless with her life.

“Since I woke up this morning, I have been snorting and complaining that this all happened at the wrong time. I've prepared everything so that the opening of my restaurant tomorrow night can run smoothly and perfectly, but I've messed it all up. I had an accident and lost my sister at the last seconds before my big day.”

"Don't say that. You cannot blame yourself for all the misfortunes that befall you. Maybe this is one of God's ways to surprise you."

"Surprise me?" Brynlee furrowed her brows deeply. She didn't agree with Emily's words at all. What happened to her yesterday was more than a surprise, it was a disaster!

"I was so shocked. Everything happened at the same time. If I didn't have responsibility for this restaurant, I would definitely choose to lock myself in my room and blame myself for the rest of my life for causing this mess."

"It's not your fault. Everyone knows that you always drive very carefully. You shouldn't grieve for too long over your loss. You have a nephew who needs you.”

"Thanks. I had a hard day yesterday. And I hope everything gets better today. By the way, can you check out the tableware that Jason bought from Decatur? Looks like I won't be coming back here this afternoon because there are some things I have to do. I have to sort out my car insurance. So, can you help me check all the things I need for tomorrow?”

"Sure. Don't worry about the preparation for tomorrow. I'll make sure everything is in order."

Brynlee smiled in satisfaction. She was happy to have Emily as her employee. From the moment she interviewed Emily, she already had a feeling that Emily would be a reliable employee.

"Ok, I'll go to the kitchen now."

"Oh wait, I almost forgot to tell you something."

Brynlee raised one eyebrow. She was just about to get up from her chair when Emily called out with a frown.

"Yes? What is it?"

"Ummm, yesterday, Mr. Antonio Bernandes came here. He was looking for you and looked worried.”

Oh my God, Brynlee groaned inwardly. She had almost forgot about him. Antonio was probably frantically looking for her. Not because she was overly confident, but because they were going to have some projects together, and he might be worried that their partnership would break down because she had a car accident yesterday.

"I'll call him as soon as I get a new phone."

“He said he would come again today. Maybe," Emily said hesitantly.

"Okay. If he comes here, tell him I'll call him right away. And he needn't have worried. I'm fine."

Brynlee hoped that no more disasters would come to her life in the last seconds before the opening of her new restaurant. She wanted to invite Levi to her new restaurant tomorrow as a special guest of her family, but that was if Elyseen allowed her to touch his son.