Thomas held up a hand. “You already did. You explained your priorities perfectly.”
He turned to Sarah. “What’s your name?”
“Sarah, sir.”
“Sarah, you just earned yourself a raise and a promotion to shift supervisor, effective tomorrow. We need more people who understand what this place is actually for.”
Then he looked at Harlan. “And you’re going to take some time off. Paid, of course. Use it to think about whether managing people—or terrifying them—is the same thing.”
Harlan nodded mutely, eyes on the floor.
Thomas picked up the burger, took a bite, and smiled for the first time all night. “Not bad, Luis!” he called toward the kitchen. Luis grinned from the pass-through window.
He finished half the burger standing there, then wrapped the rest in a napkin. “For the road,” he said to no one in particular.
At the door, he paused and looked back at Sarah. “Kindness isn’t a policy violation. It’s the whole point.”
Then he stepped out into the rain, backpack slung over one shoulder, just another tired traveler again.
The diner stayed quiet for a long moment after the bell above the door stopped jingling.