"Are they up yet?" Avery asks for what Jade feels like is the fortieth time that hour
"Not yet..." She sighs, trying to focus on the spreadsheet in front of her "They said four o'clock and it's only three-forty. Come back in twenty minutes."
Avery's last day of school had been a half-day for students, just long enough for them to go and take their last final and complete any makeups if needed. The teachers then had until four that same afternoon to finalize grades and have them entered into the online grade book. The grades would then be available for viewing on the online parent grade portal. It would be very possible for Jade to give Avery her login information so her daughter could check on her own, but in today's environment she doesn't want to risk the password being lost or the account hacked. So much to the teenager's dismay, she needs her mother to check her final grades for her.
"What am I supposed to do for twenty minutes?" Avery groans, leaning against the doorframe
"Help bus tables?" Jade suggests "Clear some dishes? Roll silverware-"
"I will do anything but roll silverware!" Avery insists
"Someone has to do it." Jade smirks, her eyes still not moving from the screen
"Someone that you pay." Avery reminds her "Everything that I do, I do for free."
"I said I would hire you officially so I could put you on the payroll." Jade reminds her "Then I could pay you."
"But you'd make me waitress too." Avery sighs "I don't want to waitress."
"It builds character." She tells her daughter "And people skills."
"My people skills are fine."
"You can always go home." Jade chuckles, shaking her head "You're fifteen, you can handle being home alone for a few hours."
In reality, Jade would trust her to be home alone by herself with even a friend or two as well. Avery is a good girl, much better behaved and more responsible than her mother had been at her age. She knows that her daughter does enjoy being at work with her though, even if she's not willing to admit it up front.
"I want to see my grades!"
"Well then you'll just have to be patient, won't you?"
"Patience is so not my thing..." Avery sighs
"Yeah, you get that from me. Sorry." Jade chuckles "Go find something to do for twenty minutes. I promise we can check right at four."
"Alright, alright."
Avery closes the door to the office that her mother and great-grandmother share so that Jade won't be disturbed, then wanders down the back hallway towards the front of the diner. It's rare for both Jade and Judy to be there working at the same time. That's really the biggest benefit of them sharing the restaurant fifty-fifty, they can divide up the work fifty-fifty. Of course, if it's busy or there's an event or there's something major, they'll both be there. But on a random Friday afternoon? There's no reason why Jade can't fly solo.
"My mom told me to come help you bus." Avery says to one of the waiters "Anything I can do to lighten the load?"
"Twenty-three and seventeen need cleared." The waiter, who isn't all that much older than Avery, tells her, smiling as he hands her a washcloth "Thanks."
"Don't mention it."
As Avery maneuvers her way through the restaurant, she's greeted by the regulars who recognize her. For fifteen years she's been a constant presence somewhere within the diner, whether it be working on her homework at the counter or one of the booths while either Jade or Judy is working in the back, or whether she's just there to visit. Avery is just as much of a part of the Sandy Isle Diner as her mother and great-grandmother are.
The bells on the door ring behind her, signaling that another customer has entered the building. Avery barely pays the noise any mind, she's so used to it by now, knowing that the host will greet whoever it is and seat them. It isn't until a waitress grabs her attention that Avery realizes anything special is happening.
"Is your Mom busy?"
"Huh?"
"Your mom." The waitress repeats "Is she working on anything important?"
"I just need to speak to an owner." The man standing by the front door says
He looks very out of place. Most customers who frequent the restaurant aren't coming in dressed for a business meeting, but he looks the part. A suit and tie and dress shoes just scream 'out of place'. The only thing making him look like he belongs even slightly are the sunglasses resting on top of his head.
"She's busy." Avery tells him
"Look, this isn't a stick up or anything, okay?" The man sighs, pulling out his wallet and grabbing a business card "My name is Sam Webber, I'm a locations director for a production studio in California. We're doing some filming in the area, and I just need to talk to the owner."
Avery exchanges a look with the waitress who had grabbed her attention and shrugs, he seems legitimate enough. She isn't sure her mother will want to deal with him right now, but she can make that his problem instead of her own.
"She's this way." Avery motions for him to follow her "C'mon."
She leads him back down the hallway to the back office, the same way she had come just a few minutes prior. Avery knocks on the door twice to make her presence known, just as she always does, before opening the door.
"Mom? There's a guy here who says he needs to talk to you."
"Oh yeah?" Jade looks up from the computer "What does he...oh. You brought him back with you. Wonderful."
"Sam Webber." Sam pushes past Avery and into the office, extending his hand for Jade to shake "Pleasure to meet you."
"Sure..." Jade nods hesitantly "What...can I do for you?"
"I'm a locations director for a film studio based in California." Sam repeats the same spiel he had given up front "We're going to be filming on location a little ways up the beach for most of the summer. Long story short, our script has gone through a few rewrites and we need a restaurant to film the opening scene in. Preferably a diner-"
"So...you want me to shut down my operations so you can film your little short film here?" Jade cuts him off "During peak tourism season?"
"It's a feature film, ma'am." Sam almost looks offended "An adaptation of the romance novel 'Twilight Beach'? Perhaps you've heard of it?"
"I'm familiar with it, yes..."
Jade has never really been one for romance movies or novels, but her mother and step-mother are huge fans.
"I understand it's peak season." Sam continues "You'll only be closed for a day or two, three at the max. We'll compensate you for whatever revenue you would have lost by being closed, and pay you for renting the space. Not to mention we'll have our actors promote the diner on social media to drum up some extra attention."
"Alright..." Jade nods "If you can get that for me in writing, and assure me that it will happen on weekdays when we would've had slower traffic anyway, then you'll have yourself a deal."
She should really consult with Judy first, but Jade knows well-enough by now that her grandmother would also be on board. It's a decent deal, and the extra social media attention will help them greatly. In a world of food delivery services and pop-up dining, they need to do everything that they can to stay relevant.
"I can have that paperwork for you by tomorrow!" Sam grins "I really do appreciate this. We're in quite the bind with those rewrites and filming is scheduled to begin-"
"My lawyer will need to look over everything before I sign anything." Jade adds, cutting Sam off "I'm sure you can understand that."
"Of course." Sam assures her "I wouldn't expect anything less."
"Perfect." Jade nods, handing over her own business card "Call the restaurant's number whenever it's ready and they'll be able to connect your call to the office. We can make arrangements from there."
"Sounds like a plan." Sam agrees, pulling his business card back out and handing it over to Jade "In the meantime if you have any questions, feel free to give me a call."
"Thank you." Jade says as she takes the card "Talk soon."
"Talk soon."
Avery steps to the side so Sam can exit the office, nodding at him as he passes by. She then turns to her mother, an amused smirk on her face.
"What?" Jade smirks back when she notices her daughter's expression
"You're so funny when you're in business-mode. My lawyer will need to look over everything before I sign anything." Avery chuckles as she tries her best to mimic her mother's previous tone "S'like you're a different person."
"The business world will eat you alive if you're not professional, baby." Jade tells her "Trust me. If I had been any less formal with that guy he might've tried to take advantage of me somehow."
"Or maybe he really is just in a bind and would've been appreciative of you saying yes."
"Maybe, but unlikely."
"Do you think he even realized that you're you?" Avery asks
"Me?"
"New York Times Best-Selling Author, Jade West!" Avery says in an embellished voice
"No, I doubt he realized that." Jade laughs a bit as she turns back to her computer "Even once we sign all of the paperwork, I doubt anyone will realize that."
One thing Jade loves about her career is that it gives her the best of both worlds in most situations. She is well-known for her work, which she enjoys immensely, but not much else. In most circumstances she can fly under the radar without being recognized, even though she's a household name for most. She does a book tour or an interview or two here and there, usually when she releases a new book, and her social media following is larger than most women her age, but other than that she lives a pretty normal life. She works with her grandmother because she wants to, not because she has to, and she always has plenty of time for Avery.
"Maybe they'll want to make one of your books into a movie!"
"Not impossible, but also not super likely." Jade tells her "Should we check your grades?"
"Oh!" Avery glances at the clock "Yes!"
She hadn't even noticed that it was already a few minutes past four, the excitement of Hollywood had been too distracting.
"Alright, let's see here..." Jade says as she types her password in and waits for the screen to load "A in PE, A in American History, A in Chemistry, A in English...atta girl...A in Ceramics annnnd A in Algebra."
"A in Algebra?" Avery grins, looking at the screen over her mother's shoulder "Really?"
Math isn't exactly a struggle for Avery, but like her mother English and Language Arts come much more naturally to her. She had been ready to accept a B in Algebra.
"Ninety-two percent." Jade smiles "That's an A, kiddo!"
"I got straight A's!"
"Yes you did." Jade chuckles as she spins her chair around to face Avery "I would have been proud of you regardless, but congratulations."
"Thanks, Mama."
"You should call your grandparents and let them know, I bet they'll be proud of you too." Jade winks, picking up her own phone "But in the meantime, I need to call our lawyer and make sure he's available to look over that paperwork tomorrow."