Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
Miles
I couldn’t help but notice the change in Kat as we returned to the kitchen and tried to act like I hadn’t just finger fucked her in the bathroom a few minutes before.
She was much more relaxed, and there was a nice color on her cheeks that made my dick stir with excitement because I knew why it was there.
I resumed my position, relieving Jamie as she joined Kat at the front of the kitchen.
Everything was running smoothly, and I was happy to see Darryl keeping up with the flow.
The night was winding down, but I knew we still had another hour or so of a full-on rush, so I kept my head down and stayed focused.
Clarissa had popped in a few times, and I noticed the curious glances she’d given to Kat and me but chose to ignore them. The last thing I wanted to do was draw attention to Kat and make her feel embarrassed about what happened.
“I need two cheesecakes, one lava cake on the fly,” Jamie announced to the pastry chef.
I looked up to find her whispering in Kat’s ear as she hung the ticket on the rack. Kat’s eyes lifted to mine, and a blush spread across her face as she shook her head no and looked away. Jamie glanced at me, then turned her focus on the remaining orders that needed to go out.
“How’s it going?” Clarissa asked, standing next to me as I cut more vegetables and tossed them into the pan. It was the last two dinner orders that we had, and I was ready to be done.
“Great,” I smiled at her and finished cutting the last few potatoes.
“Thanks for taking care of Kat.” She leaned against the cabinet behind her and looked around the kitchen. If she only knew just how well I’d taken care of Kat. “And thank you for being here tonight. You were a lifesaver. Darryl too.”
“He’s a great guy,” I replied, steering the compliments to where they were needed. “Just trying to get a fresh start. I appreciate you giving him a chance tonight.”
“He ran a few plates out for us early when we were in the weeds. Didn’t have to think twice, he was a complete natural.”
“I can tell.” I smiled proudly at him.
“I know he’s been working for you, and I don’t want to overstep, but if he’s ever looking for another job, I’d love to bring him on here.”
“His employment with me is temporary until he gets on his feet again. I think he’d appreciate the offer if you want to make it.”
She nodded and squeezed my shoulder.
“Thank you, I’ll be sure to do so before he leaves tonight.”
Once she was gone, I finished cooking the veggies, plated them, and sent them to the warming station until the meat was ready. I took off my apron and hung it behind me, officially done for the night, aside from cleaning up.
Kat took the lead on getting the last few orders out while Jamie jumped in to help with the dishes.
I loved that no one in the kitchen felt above anyone else and that they all joined in to get the job done.
I had worked in a few kitchens before starting the food truck and knew that it was rare to have such a strong bond between employees.
Typically you find everyone looking out for themselves and not worrying about others.
That pushed me out of those environments and led me to start my own business.
After everyone had left, Kat and I were the last two left.
She’d stuck around to work on the menu for the next day while I’d stuck around to spend time with her.
I found stuff to clean, so it wasn’t overly obvious, but my goal was to see if she’d let me take her home again, or better yet, out for a bite to eat so we could talk.
It was after eleven when Kat finished and slipped her purse over her shoulder. I could see the exhaustion on her face and knew tonight wasn’t the night to try to hang out. But I couldn’t help but feel the need to check in and see how she felt after what had happened earlier.
I grabbed my stuff and was ready to head out with her when Clarissa came back.
“Can I talk to you two for a moment?” she asked.
Kat’s face fell, and I knew she was worried that Clarissa knew what had happened between us in the bathroom.
“Sure, what’s up?” I said, breaking the silence.
“I’ve found three food bloggers who are interested in judging the competition next weekend, as well as Luka Fagiolo from The Starling.”
“That’s great,” I replied, noticing how nervous she seemed.
“It is,” she agreed, nodding her head. “One of them asked how we would feel about having the event recorded. He has a friend who works for one of the local news channels, and they thought this would be a fun story to cover. I wanted to run the idea by both of you first as I know this was supposed to be a fun, friendly competition, and I don’t want to overstep by allowing the press to get involved and broadcast it. ”
Kat chewed her lip nervously.
“I’ll give you two time to talk about it. You don’t have to decide tonight, but with the competition only being a week away, I do need to give them an answer by Wednesday.”
“Okay, we’ll discuss it and let you know.”
“Thanks, and great job tonight. See you guys tomorrow.”
I walked with Kat into the brisk evening air and waited for her to say something, but she didn’t.
“Are you okay?” I asked, gently touching her elbow to get her attention.
“Yeah, I’m just processing the info.”
“It’s a lot to think about.”
“It’s not just that,” she sighed, leaning against the side of the building. “I’ve always dreamed of being a chef at The Starling, working under and learning from Luka. It makes me nervous that he will be one of the judges.”
“The nice thing is that it’s just a fun competition. There’s no pressure to impress anyone,” I tried to reassure her.
She pulled away from the wall and shook her head at me.
“You don’t get it. Luka remembers everyone. If he comes to judge this and I mess it up, it’ll kill any chance I have of ever working in his kitchen. He can literally end my career with one bad comment. A negative review could tarnish the reputation I’ve worked so hard to build.”
“Shit,” I mumbled, scrubbing a hand down my jaw. “Do you want me to talk to Clarissa and see if she can find someone else?”
“No,” she said sadly. “You don’t cancel on Luka. I just have to try my best not to screw this up.”
She turned and walked away. What was supposed to be a fun competition between us had now spiraled into something heavier and more intense than I’d ever imagined.