[Lea's Office -> outside -> Lea's Office]
"Thank you, Lea," Max answered.
He went out, where he saw his beloved waiting. She looked a little tired, a little anxious, but overall in better shape than he was.
She saw that he had cried, but had not run out crying, and took it as a sign that he had not been fired.
They stepped into each other's warm embrace.
"Lea agrees to hear you out too," Max said after a solid minute.
"Wonderful," Judy answered.
She stepped in, with the very emotional chef at her side, and sat down, setting her large handbag on the ground.
"I'm sure Mr. Williams has already told you all about how he got it wrong for the last two months, but I don't think he's told you that Mrs. Williams set him up," Judy opened, using only her married name to underscore her closeness with Max.
"When I retired, I should have had a conversation with him about individual time vs couple time going forward. Will he work less, how much, when. Instead, we decided to play it by ear. And each time an opportunity arose to do something nice together, I offered it to him, and when he kept saying yes, I didn't question how it was impacting his work. I tempted him; I stole him away from you and from his work."
Max wanted to interrupt Judy, repeat points he'd already made, but she didn't let him. She held up her ring finger to his yap, a gesture that took much strain but had distinct meaning, and then finished.
"In ancient Hebrew law, a thief is obligated to return what he had stolen. Since I can't return his time, I'm offering the next-best thing. My time, every Sunday, gratis. I do know my way around a kitchen. I'd also prefer to have Max's days closely clumped together as much as possible, so we can take trips together without disrupting anyone's schedule, but it's really not my place to make demands."
Max's eyes lit up when he realized the genius of his beloved's offer. She was a culinary talent rivaling himself, and working together in the kitchen was their greatest joy. That Sunday was such a sought-after day off only made the package sweeter.
He only hoped Lea would see it as a win-win the same way he did.