Pushed

Chapter 12

Mashed potatoes everywhere—stuckto cabinets and dripping from the ceiling. Potatoes and onions littered the floor like empty bullet casings. Eric had been hit in friendly fire—his usually pristine white smock drenched in tomato juice.

I may have overreacted.

“What was that all about?” Eric asked, wiping the tomato remnants from his chest.

I threw my hands up and groaned as I paced the kitchen, fueled by anger and adrenaline. “Ack! Can you believe the nerve of that guy? Coming in here and telling me I’ll soon be working for him. I can tell you right now, that’s never going to happen.”

“Do you know that guy?” Eric stirred a sauce on the stove. “He seemed to recognize you.”

A vision of us dancing and the heat in his eyes as he gazed down at me flashed through my mind. I’d been fantasizing about him! For days! And he had the nerve to waltz in here and yank the rug right out from under me.

A mix of anger, embarrassment, frustration, and betrayal pulsed through my veins. I should’ve known better than to trust someone like him. Even for one night. He was too smooth and charming. This was my own fault. I let my guard down for a few hours, and now it all could come crashing down around me.

“Not really,” I answered in response to Eric’s question. “We met once, but I knew nothing about him, other than his first name.”

I was sure I’d never see him again. But as my rotten luck would have it, not only did I see him, but he was trying to steal my dream.

“What are you going to do?” Eric asked.

I hung my head and pinched the bridge of my nose. Jasper had no idea I wanted to buy Moonstruck, too. He wasn’t declaring war. It just felt like it.

“I’m definitely not going to let this go without a fight. Jasper may not realize it, but coming here and saying what he said on my turf… he might as well have declared war.” I pounded my fist against the counter. “And that little food fight was just the beginning.”

I cleaned up my mess and went back to the office to take a few calming breaths, or twenty. It was time to be proactive and bold. I wasn’t about to wait around and let that aggravating ape in a designer suit hijack my restaurant.

When I was a little more under control, I called Tina Quince. “Hi, Tina. This is AJ Scott. I just wanted to check in to see how your dad is doing.”

“Thanks, AJ. That’s so sweet of you. He’s doing better and is out of the ICU. He has right-sided weakness and will transfer to an inpatient rehab unit soon. We expect it’ll be at least a few weeks before he can come home. It won’t be easy, but it could have been a lot worse. We’re grateful for that.”

“How is he taking it?”

“Grumpy as ever. But he is making a good effort in therapy. He’s too stubborn to let this beat him.”

I chuckled. “That sounds about right.”

“Oh, I understand congratulations are in order on your engagement to Jasper Rhodes. He’s quite a catch.”

Where on earth could she have heard that?

I wanted to ask but didn’t want to offend her. “Uh, thanks. It all happened so quickly. It doesn’t seem quite real.” Not real at all. This fake engagement was supposed to be a simple little ruse just for the gala. Nobody else was supposed to ever hear about it.

How could this have followed me here? And to the one person who held my dreams in her hands?

“I know how that is,” Tina said. “It doesn’t seem real that Dad had a stroke, either. Life seems to happen whether we’re ready for it or not.” She paused for a moment. “Actually, I’m glad you called because I need to talk to you about the restaurant. I talked to my brother—he lives in Oregon—and we’ve decided to sell it. Neither of us wants to deal with the hassle of owning a restaurant. And even if my dad makes a full recovery, this has gotten to be too much for him. It’s time to let it go.”

My hands shook so hard I almost dropped the phone. This was my chance. Time to be bold and speak up for what I wanted. “You know I love working here at the Moonstruck Steakhouse, and I would like nothing more than to continue to grow this place and make your parents proud. I have a proposal all ready for you. I can send it to you as soon as we’re off the phone.”

“You’ve done a great job and are an exceptional chef. We would love to have you continue there, but it’s also important to have someone involved who knows the business end, not just the kitchen. That’s why most restaurants fail in the first year, you know. We don’t want that to happen to the Moonstruck.”

“But I’ve taken business classes. I swear to you I’m ready for this. I’ve been working toward this my entire career.”

“That’s why this will be the perfect arrangement.”

“I’m not sure I follow.”

“We’d like to meet at the restaurant tomorrow to talk about it, if you’re available. We’ve come up with the perfect solution that will help the restaurant continue into the next generation. But it will also capitalize on your strengths. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

Everyone?

Somehow, that simple word shivered a chill down my spine. Like opening a fortune cookie and finding the message “You’re Next” inside, and nervously looking over your shoulder, expecting a serial killer to be waiting.

Even though this was the opportunity I’d been waiting for, I had a sinking suspicion this was not the win I was hoping for. Not even close.