Commitment Issues

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Cameron's POV

As soon as I opened the door, a blast of cold air hit me. It was always crazy cold in El Cruce. Mostly because that's how my parents like it.

I was greeted with smiles, slaps on the back, and courteous nods as I made my way through the sweaty crowd of people. I gave my fair share of hugs to family members who made it a part of their everyday life to visit the restaurant at least once a day. Probably to make sure it was still in one piece.

Finally, I made my way to the back, towards the kitchen. Curtis, my older cousin who was always more of a brother, gave me a quick hug before leading me into the kitchen.

"He doesn't understand what 'leave' means but I didn't want to get the police involved," Curt explained.

My cousin wore his messy coils of hair in a bun that sat perfectly on the top of his head, well behaved and neat. The beginnings of a beard were visible and the dark circles under his eyes, one of the symptoms of being a new parent, had disappeared. He looked more like a man and less like the child I endured the chancla for.

I dapped him up before spotting Ricardo, sitting on the counter.

Rico had been working for me for a good two months and there had always been problems with him. Guests always discreetly pointed out that he was the one thing wrong with El Cruce. He was extremely rude and his even his vibe came off as nonchalant and attitudinal. So really, he didn't even have to speak because his posture said it all.

I didn't want to fire him because he was a family friend and I didn't want to be rude to them. But he really had to go. I had offered him a position as a finance manager but he turned that down. Enough was enough now.

"Rico! It's been a dumb long time since we've--"

He cut me off, mean mugging me. "I'm not leaving. I need this job more than anything. I'm two weeks behind on my rent and they turned my water off. I'm sure you don't have to worry about all that, you being a silver spoon coon and allat."

I never actually had it like that until now but I wasn't about to point that out.

I drew in a breath, laughing a little. "No one said anything about you leaving. Why would I make you leave when you're the one that keeps things going here? We wouldn't be able to function without you."

Curtis snorted and I elbowed him.

"Exactly. Dats what I was tryna tell Curt here but he don't wanna listen. This restaurant woulda been done without me." When Rico said Curt's name he pointed at him, waving the gun he had in his other hand. "These Mexicans don't know nothing about strugglin'."

Everyone in the kitchen stopped and stared.

I shifted uncomfortably before setting my bottom lip. Sighing, I took my time responding. "Aight, I didn't want to have to say it but we would have been out of business without you. Every single customer stops me and tells me how much they enjoyed their experience because of you. You're the freaking MVP of the restaurant," I lied, watching Rico's expression soften. "Curt clearly doesn't know how important you are."

"Nah, fuck allat. Curt, you testing my patience, man. Keep playing and you bout to be splattered all over dis floor," Rico warned, switching his gun from his left to right hand. "Is he understanding me or do I need to speak Spanish for 'em? You can never know wit these kinds."