"Told you it was smart to stay put for now," Theo said, though he felt a pang of sympathy. He saw the opportunity. "Listen, Sarah," he began carefully, "You're obviously incredible at this marketing stuff. Way better than I could ever be. This shop… it's just the start for me. I have other… optimization projects… in mind down the line. Stuff that might need a serious digital presence, maybe even custom tech." He paused. "Ever considered doing this kind of marketing consulting as a side hustle? Officially? Not just pro-bono for chicken." He saw the flicker of interest in her eyes. "Wouldn't make you rich overnight, probably just a few hours a week to start, but I'd pay your consulting rate. And if things scale up like I hope… there could be much bigger opportunities, maybe even related to that cycling tech idea if we figure out the right angle."
Sarah laughed, shaking her head. "Wow, Theo. Trying to poach me already?" She considered it for a moment. "Look, I appreciate the offer, seriously. And it is tempting. But Meta, despite everything, pays the bills and looks good on the resume. Let me survive this restructure first." She smiled genuinely. "Keep doing the pro-bono help for now, okay? Call it market research. But… ask me again in a few months? If you're still serious then, and I haven't lost my mind at Meta… maybe."
Interested, but cautious, Theo assessed. Door remains open. "Fair enough," he nodded. "Offer stands."
Sarah left soon after, promising to check in on the social media engagement. The rest of Thursday evening was relentlessly busy. With Olivia handling the counter smoothly, Henry rocking the fryer and packing, and Tammy managing prep and the rotisserie (though still seeming oddly quiet and withdrawn), they sold out their entire 150 prep just before closing. Theo noticed Tammy fumbling with the cash register near the end of the night, dropping some coins, seeming flustered when he asked if everything was okay. Just stressed from the rush? Or something else? He resolved again to talk to her properly tomorrow, before the weekend hit.
Week 22 - Friday
Friday. Anticipating the weekend surge and fuelled by the dessert buzz Sarah had generated online, they prepped for 200 sales. The shop was busy from late afternoon onwards. Customers specifically asked about the deep-fried desserts, looking disappointed when told they weren't officially on the menu yet.
"Okay, decision made," Theo announced to Henry during a brief lull. "Desserts are officially on the menu starting Monday. Can you handle sourcing the supplies? Talk to our main distributor, see if they carry bulk candy bars, figure out the ice cream situation." He was deliberately delegating, testing Henry's initiative.
"On it, boss!" Henry grinned, already pulling out his phone to look up suppliers. Theo felt a sense of satisfaction. Henry was stepping up. Maybe, just maybe, Theo could eventually transition to overseeing, rather than working the line every single day.
Olivia was a star at the front, charming customers, handling orders flawlessly. She seemed to genuinely enjoy the fast-paced environment. Tammy, however… was worse than yesterday. Distracted. Making small errors, forgetting salt on chips, miscalculating change once (which Theo quickly corrected), dropping a pair of tongs. Her usual meticulousness was gone, replaced by a nervous, almost furtive energy. Theo watched her, his internal alarms finally starting to blare. He had to talk to her after closing tonight. No more delays.
They sold out the entire 200 prep again, closing the doors at 8:45 PM to a chorus of groans from hopeful latecomers. The demand for the (still unofficial) desserts was intense. "Definitely need those on the menu ASAP," Henry confirmed, wiping down the counter.
As Henry and Olivia started the closing clean-up routine, Theo headed to the freezer to do a quick check on stock, and see whether he needed to order in more stuff from the suppliers. He planned to grab Tammy for a quick chat as soon as he was done. As he was doing a quick once over of the chicken and potatos, he heard the front door of the shop slam shut, hard.
Strange. He'd locked it himself just minutes ago. He frowned and walked quickly back out into the main shop area.
Henry and Olivia looked up from their cleaning, startled expressions on their faces.
"What was that?" Theo asked.
"Tammy," Henry said, looking confused. "She just… grabbed her bag and bolted out the front door. Said she forgot something urgent. Didn't even say goodbye."
A cold dread washed over Theo. He strode quickly to the front counter. The cash drawer, which he knew he had closed after the last transaction, was slightly ajar. He yanked it open. Empty. Except for a handful of loose coins. The thick wads of twenties, tens, and fives from the entire day's sales… gone.
"No," Theo whispered, his blood running cold. He looked towards the front door, then back at the empty till. "No, she didn't."
He spun around, grabbing his phone, dialling Tammy's number with shaking fingers. "The number you have dialled has been disconnected or is no longer in service."
Disconnected? Already? This wasn't impulsive. This was planned.
He looked at Henry and Olivia, their shocked faces reflecting his own dawning horror. "She… she cleaned out the till," Theo stated flatly, the words tasting like ash. "Tammy just robbed us." He quickly did a mental calculation based on the POS sales data. With cash usage still pretty high in this part of town, easily three, maybe four thousand dollars in cash sales from today and yesterday, on top of some cash he set aside to pay the team with towards end of week. "$3,500," he estimated numbly. "She took about thirty-five hundred dollars." Not enough to bankrupt him, not anymore, but a sickening blow, a violation.