Epilogue Rafael
“Do you think you’ve got it?” I asked Robbie. He nodded, though I detected a trace of attitude I wasn’t sure I liked. Where did Grey keep getting all these strays from, anyway?
“I’m sure I’ll cope,” he said. He sounded bored.
I lifted my chin, trying to rise above it. It probably didn’t feel good to accept a job as a dishwasher when you were his age. He was just starting out in the job market, and he wanted to be higher up already. The impatience of youth. I couldn’t blame him for that.
“Well, if you get stuck, you can always ask Luca,” I said, my hand landing on the shoulder of our proud newly-minted chef. “He did your job for the last year and a bit. If there’s anything you can’t find or you don’t know where it goes, just ask him.”
“Not too much, though,” Luca said hurriedly. “I’m still training. I need to focus.”
Robbie snorted. “Haven’t you been paying attention over the last year? You should know how to work the whole kitchen by now.”
“Is that your intention?” I asked. “To learn how to be a chef so you can move up?”
Robbie shrugged. “Does cooking pay more?” At our nods, he made a loose gesture. “So, yeah. I’m obviously going to want to move up.”
I had my concerns about whether he had the stamina to keep up with the demands of the job; you couldn’t succeed as a chef unless you really believed in the role. Still, time would tell, and if not, we’d only have to train up a new dishwasher.
“Brendan’s going to have your back today,” I told Luca. “You two should be able to cover everything between you. If not, let me know. Now that Drake’s got his full range of motion back, I can help out with the prep a bit more.”
“Isn’t it a bit weird?” Robbie asked. He was wrinkling his nose at the mention of Drake. “I know I’m not an expert, but I’ve never heard of a restaurant having two Head Chefs.”
Luca shook his head impatiently. “You’re new here,” he said. “Give it time. You’ll see it works perfectly. Chef Drake and Chef Rafael make everything flow just right.”
“But who do I listen to if I’m being given different orders?” Robbie asked.
I sensed his presence before his arms snaked around my waist, holding me from behind. His head popped over my shoulder. “Raf,” he said. “Always listen to Raf.”
I chuckled. “See? Chef Drake knows exactly how to keep this place running smoothly.”
“Are you two, uh…?” Robbie asked with a gesture. It was obvious enough for him not to have to finish the sentence.
“They’re a power couple,” Luca said. His eyes were shining with hero worship, and though it made me smile, I couldn’t help thinking it was probably time for Luca to find someone of his own. He’d grown in confidence a lot since he started work at The Crow, but he was still single.
Maybe we’d have to try and fix that.
“That’s enough,” I said, affectionately, but needing to spare my own blushes. I couldn’t take much more of this praise. I pushed my glasses up my nose and gestured to the kitchen at large. “Now, come on. Prep’s not going to start itself.”
“Are you going to show us how to make your signature dish today?” Brendan reminded me.
“Right, right,” I said, sighing. There was already a lot going on, between Robbie’s first day and Luca’s training, but I had promised.
The dish was a two-hander; it required two chefs to finish it in order to be ready in time for serving, and we’d worked out a rhythm that allowed us to do it in the most efficient way possible. Now that Ainslie had moved on to start his own business, following in Beau’s footsteps, it seemed like a good time to teach it to someone else.
Not to mention the fact that Drake and I no longer needed to work in tandem to cover for his wrist, giving us more freedom to create new dishes. Still. It was going to be a bit of a shame to let this one go. I just wanted to make sure someone out there knew how to cook our legacy dish.
Once the prep was done, Drake and I stood shoulder to shoulder once again, with Brendan and Luca watching us eagerly. Even Robbie poked his head around the corner from the dishwashing sink, and I pretended I didn’t see.
“Now, you have to be tender and careful with the way you place each new layer on the base,” Drake said. “Building up something like this takes time and care; you can’t just throw it on there, tempting as it may be to jump in with both feet. It’s important that you build a good foundation.”
“Communication is very important,” I added. “If you’re not sure how the next step is going to go, or you need more time, you have to tell your partner. If you don’t, both of you could end up in a real mess, unprepared for what comes next.”
“Don’t be afraid to push harder when you need to,” Drake said, skewering one of the pieces into place. “Yes, you should be careful with the dish, but not so careful that you’re walking on eggshells and the whole dish falls apart at the first challenge.”
“The important thing is really to pay attention to the needs of the dish as a whole while keeping an eye on your partner’s work and pace,” I said. “Sometimes, one of you will have to step up a little more to take up the slack. That’s okay. The other one will return the favor when you need it.”
“It’s about working together, not competing,” Drake agreed. “Don’t worry about who’s faster or neater or better. Just make sure you make the best possible dish between the two of you.”
“And everything will turn out perfect,” I said, tilting my head up to look at him with a smile.
Robbie’s voice piped up from where he wasn’t supposed to be watching. “Are you still talking about the food?”
Drake and I exchanged a glance – and burst out laughing.
“You’ll get it one day, kid,” he said, putting the final garnish leaf on top of our signature dish.