Week 22 - Wednesday

  Wednesday. Olivia started her first shift. True to her interview impression, she arrived bubbly, impeccably dressed (though quickly donning an apron), and full of positive energy. She had zero food prep knowledge, asking basic questions that made Tammy sigh audibly, but her retail background shone through at the counter. She greeted every customer with a genuine smile, remembered names, made effortless small talk, handled orders efficiently, and seemed completely unfazed by the dinner rush. She absorbed instructions quickly, eagerly helping Henry with packing and cleaning during lulls, asking smart questions about the chicken cooking process (which Theo answered vaguely with "good equipment, careful timing"). By the end of the shift, she felt like a natural fit, her cheerful attitude a welcome counterpoint to Tammy's quiet intensity. Theo was impressed. Skills can be taught, he reaffirmed internally. Attitude like hers? Priceless.

  Tammy, however, seemed even more off-kilter than usual today. A little fidgety, dropping utensils, mishearing an order detail. Minor mistakes, things she normally wouldn't get wrong, particularly given her intense OCD like attention to detail. Theo watched her discreetly, wondering if Olivia's presence was bothering her, or if it was something else. He made a mental note to check in with her later, but the evening rush swept the thought away. They sold out completely again, 150 sales, closing slightly early.

  Week 22 - Thursday

  Thursday morning, Jenny called, confirming she could start next week, working Thursday and Friday evenings after her classes, plus weekend shifts. Her voice was full of gratitude and determination. Theo felt a sliver of satisfaction. Giving her a chance felt… good, in a way that purely optimizing profit didn't. Maybe there was room for both. Theo never really got a chance to do anything for his parents, so Jenny’s willingness to help out with the family was something that really shone through for him. Definitely gave him good vibes.

  Around 3 PM, Sarah arrived, navigating the small shop with a surprised look. "Wow, place looks busier! And new faces?" she said, nodding towards Olivia who was expertly managing the counter.

  "Yeah, hired some help," Theo confirmed. "Olivia started yesterday, Henry and Tammy has been here since last week."

  Sarah grinned. "Moving fast! Okay, let's talk marketing while it's quiet."

  They huddled near the counter. Sarah pulled up the shop's social media pages (or lack thereof) and online review profiles on her tablet. "Right, reviews are still mostly positive, couple more five-stars since we last spoke, good momentum." She pointed to one recent review. "This one though – one star – 'Came by Sunday 8:45 PM, sign said open till 9, but doors locked, lights off. Just wanted my chicken fix! Poor service!'"

  Theo shrugged. "We sold out early Sunday, had to close." A single negative review wasn’t going to kill them, particularly given all the other positive reviews. Meh, whatever.

  "Totally valid," Sarah nodded, already typing a reply as the business owner. "'So sorry we missed you! We had an unexpectedly busy weekend and sold out earlier than anticipated. Please come back another time – your next Half Chicken & Chips is on us!' Boom! Turn a negative into a positive, shows you care."

  Shortly after she posted it, a notification popped up. The reviewer had edited their post: “EDIT: Wow! Owner replied and offered free chicken! THAT is top-notch service! Totally understand selling out now. Will definitely be back! Changing rating! Big stores should learn from this! HUGE fan now!”

  Theo stared at the screen. Impressive. Free chicken and chips is what, worth $16, less if you look at cost price, but turning a negative review into a positive, and showing people that the business cares, now that is priceless.

  Sarah then turned her attention to social media. "Okay, the posts I did last week got good traction, but they're falling down the feeds now. Need fresh content." Just then, Henry emerged from the back, having prepared a fresh batch of deep-fried Mars bars based on yesterday's success.

  "Perfect!" Sarah exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. "Dessert! Unexpected, visual, shareable!" She grabbed one, took an appreciative bite. "Oh my god, Henry, these are dangerous!" She immediately started arranging the desserts, snapping photos with her phone, adjusting the lighting, finding the best angles. "People love novelty soul food," she explained, tapping away. "We'll push these hard. Hashtag deep fried goodness, hashtag cheat meal, hashtag local eats…" She tagged a couple of local food bloggers she followed. "Planting seeds," she winked.

  Olivia watched, fascinated, asking questions, absorbing Sarah's techniques like a sponge. Henry looked proud (of his dessert creation!) and while interested in the digital marketing stuff, turned out to a be completely computer illiterate. Theo didn’t think any young kids wouldn’t know computers, but guess there is a first for everything. Tammy, however, hovered in the background, pretending to wipe down an already spotless counter, her expression unreadable, seemingly uninterested.

  Once Sarah finished her impromptu marketing masterclass, Theo insisted she take a proper meal break. They sat at one of the small tables, eating chicken and chips.

  "So," Theo asked, "How's Meta? How’s the new team going?"

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  Sarah sighed, poking at a chip. "The new structure is hell. More work, less clarity, boss is a complete micromanager, despite not having much of a clue about most things. Absolutely a seagull, swoops in from above, shits over everything then flies away…" She took a frustrated bite of chicken. "Honestly, makes me want to work on my side gig even more. But I'm so drained after work, haven't had much energy for it this week."

  "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.

  Henry swore loudly. Olivia gasped, covering her mouth. "But… why? She seemed… okay?"

  "Apparently not," Theo said grimly. Her distraction, her mistakes, her mention of money troubles… it all clicked into place with sickening clarity. He felt a surge of cold fury, quickly followed by a weary resignation. He’d misread her. Ignored the warning signs because he needed the help. He’d wanted to trust, just a little, and this was the result.

  He spent the next hour on the phone with the police, filing a report, giving Tammy’s details, knowing deep down the chances of recovering the cash, or even catching her immediately, were slim. She was likely long gone. He reassured Henry and Olivia, telling them it wasn't their fault, trying to project a calm he didn't feel. The betrayal felt sharp, personal, dredging up memories of his corporate ousting and how he had been backstabbed by people he thought he knew. Just when things were finally looking undeniably good… kicked down again.