After the chaos settled down,
as they walked, Veronica told Kevin about Dexter offering such a high salary to hire servers, along with Lip's analysis. Then she explained why she'd come along in the first place. "I mostly want to ask Dexter what he's really thinking."
"Lip probably does have some bias against Dexter," she added, "but… he might not be completely wrong."
"Five thousand dollars a month really is a lot."
Kevin took a moment to process that. "Man… that's complicated. Five grand a month? Why don't we just go work for him as servers?"
"If we both do it, that's ten thousand a month! We'd be rich!"
Veronica laughed and nodded. "Sure—then you go beg him."
"Deal! No problem!" Kevin laughed right along with her. "For that kind of money, I'd kneel down and beg without hesitation."
"Nice, Kevin," Veronica said. Then her eyes shifted mischievously. "But what if he makes some inappropriate demands of me? Like wanting to have a wild night together?"
Kevin's eyes flew wide open. He thought about it for a few seconds, then shook his head seriously. "Five thousand? Nope. He'd have to pay extra."
Smack!
Kevin got a solid slap on the butt.
He yelped in pain.
The two of them messed around again for a bit.
After that,
Kevin finally got serious. "You can ask Dexter, sure—but watch how you phrase it. He's actually a pretty good guy. First time he met you, he even brought you a gift."
"Even if Lip really is right and he's setting a trap for Fiona… honestly, Fiona wouldn't exactly be losing out."
Veronica nodded. "Yeah, I know. Don't worry."
About half an hour later,
Kevin and Veronica met up with Dexter.
Veronica didn't jump straight into questions. She just smiled and said she was free today, so she tagged along to check out his restaurant.
Dexter didn't mind.
After all, Veronica was interesting—and pretty normal.
Before long,
since it was already afternoon, the three of them didn't waste any time.
With Kevin leading the way, they went to meet someone who could handle all the permits and licenses the restaurant needed.
After that, everything was straightforward.
They agreed on the fees, paid a deposit, left copies of Dexter's documents, and all that remained was waiting.
Then the three of them strolled over to the storefront Dexter had rented.
After just a few days,
the place looked almost brand-new.
Tommy and his crew were finishing up the last bits, and everything would be done by tonight.
It was Veronica's first time there. She looked around carefully, then frowned a little. "Dexter, your restaurant still seems pretty far from opening, right? Aren't you going to build a proper kitchen?"
Dexter smiled, shook his head, and pointed to a tiny partition in the corner. "That's the kitchen."
"????" Veronica was confused. "That's it? A restaurant kitchen shouldn't look like that."
"It normally wouldn't," Dexter replied with a smile. "But my restaurant is a bit special. It doesn't need a big kitchen, and it doesn't need much equipment either."
Hearing that,
both Veronica and Kevin felt puzzled—and curious.
"What do you mean?" they asked at the same time.
"Simply put," Dexter explained, "we'll have limited servings. We'll only sell a fixed number of meals each day. Once they're gone, that's it."
Veronica and Kevin were stunned. "????"
Could that really work?
Limited supply?
How expensive would each dish have to be just to break even?
Kevin had worked at the Alibi for years and genuinely considered Dexter a friend. He immediately got anxious. "Dexter, are you kidding? In a neighborhood like this, that kind of business model won't work…"
"Relax. I have a plan," Dexter said calmly. "We'll try it out and see how it goes. Yeah, the overall economy around here isn't great—but that doesn't matter. My food is good. I believe people will come."
Kevin was left speechless, not knowing what to say.
Veronica, who had stayed quiet until now, suddenly realized something.
If you worked as a server at this restaurant, tips probably wouldn't be much of a thing.
"So that's why you're offering five thousand a month for servers?" she asked. "Because they probably won't make much in tips?"
"Fiona told you, didn't she?" Dexter smiled and nodded. "That's one reason. There are others, too."
Veronica was intrigued. "Can you explain?"
"It's a bit complicated," Dexter said after thinking for a moment. "For example—before opening, I put up a job posting offering that kind of salary to hire young, attractive women as servers. What do you think would happen?"
The moment he said that—
Kevin's eyes lit up. He reacted instantly. "Damn! With that pay, this place would be swarmed with hot girls!"
Dexter grinned. "Exactly. And just like that, my restaurant gets massive publicity—without spending a single dollar on advertising."
Kevin immediately gave him a thumbs-up. "Man, no wonder you're rich. That brain of yours really works."
Veronica was impressed too. "That's really smart."
Dexter smiled and continued. "And on top of that… a five-thousand-dollar server naturally comes with certain expectations."
"My dishes will be expensive. The servers' clothing, grooming, and behavior all need to be refined. They have to be like models—pleasing to look at—so customers feel that seeing servers like that makes the money worth it."
"Considering all that, I personally don't think five thousand is an especially high salary. What do you think?"
Kevin didn't hesitate. He gave another thumbs-up and said bluntly, "Badass."
At that point,
Veronica no longer thought Dexter was setting any kind of trap for Fiona. She was completely convinced that he was genuinely here to do business and make money.
So—
What was there left to ask?
She needed to hurry back and tell Fiona that she absolutely had to fight for this job.
As for herself…
Veronica knew where she stood. She knew she probably didn't meet Dexter's standards, so she didn't even bring it up.
"Dexter—Boss Dexter," Veronica said with a smile, "if you get the chance someday, could you teach us how to make money?"
"After everything Kevin's done to help me, do you even need to ask?" Dexter said without hesitation, nodding. "Of course."
"Thank you so much!" Veronica said happily.
They chatted for a bit longer.
Then the three of them left the storefront.
At the entrance of the Alibi,
Kevin and Dexter went inside the bar.
Veronica headed straight for the Gallagher house.
—
At the Gallagher house, in the backyard,
Fiona was digging again, still searching for Aunt Ginger's remains.
Debbie and Carl had taken the day off school and were digging too.
Veronica saw the scene. Knowing what was going on, she didn't say much—just shook her head with a wry smile. "Fiona, take a break. I need to tell you something."
"Go ahead," Fiona said, exhausted. She paused and wiped the sweat from her face.
"Kevin and I went to check out Dexter's restaurant," Veronica said without beating around the bush. "I found a chance to ask him why he's offering such a high salary."
"Lip got it completely wrong."
"Dexter is genuinely here to do business and make money. He's not setting you up."
"If you want this job, you're going to have to try harder."
Fiona looked confused. "What do you mean? Explain it properly."
Veronica didn't waste time. In one go, she more or less repeated Dexter's explanation word for word.
After listening, Fiona fell silent.
Her emotions were complicated—part disappointment that the job wasn't basically guaranteed for her, part admiration for how clever Dexter was…
After a long moment—
"So what if it's about being young and pretty?" she said.
"I'll dress up properly. I won't lose to anyone else!"
Her fighting spirit flared up.
Hearing that, Veronica grinned wickedly. "If that doesn't work, before the restaurant opens, figure out a way to sleep with him."
Fiona laughed and cursed, "Screw you…"
But curse or not—
Deep down, Fiona did keep that idea in mind. She didn't reject it outright.