Chapter 36
THIRTY-SIX
Sadie
Me
Just doing all the last-minute things. Leaving here in 10 to pick you up.
Bryn
I’ll be ready, babe!
I grabbed a purse from Dear Foodie’s side of the closet, a wardrobe that never crossed into Sadie’s—although tonight was an exception and there was far too much crossover for my liking—and as I opened the clutch to put my phone inside, it started ringing.
My boss’s name was on the screen.
“Hello?” I said as I answered.
“I assume you’re getting ready to leave or you’re on your way?”
I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror of my walk-in closet, turning to the left and then the right, assessing how this asymmetrical black dress hugged me. If I should wear the red heels or swap them out for a pair of silver ones. “I’m getting ready to leave, yes.”
“Good. Let’s chat for a minute.”
There was a small island in the center of my closet where I kept my jewelry and sunglasses, and I set my arms on the quartz top. “Okay.”
“You’re a professional. You’ve been doing this for a long time. So, I don’t need to remind you that you’ll be there as an employee of Seen , not the girlfriend of Hart Weston.”
“But you’re going to …”
“Yes.”
My head dropped. “I deserve that—I get it.” I paused. “Did you go to the opening two nights ago?”
“I did.”
“And what did you think?” I shifted my stance, appreciating the little give the red heels had when the silver pair had none, knowing right then I wouldn’t switch.
“I’m going to save my opinion until after you submit your review. Then I’ll be happy to discuss it in great detail. I don’t want to persuade you in any way.”
“I understand.”
“Sadie …” His tone changed, and I could feel a lecture coming on. “I have Hart’s signed NDA on file. I know why you told him about Dear Foodie and the circumstances that surrounded it, but now that he’s aware that Dear Foodie will be there tonight, you’ll be getting special treatment. That right there will alter your experience.”
I sighed. “I know.”
“So, already, things aren’t on an even playing ground.”
“There’s nothing I can do about that. You know I wanted to wait until after Toro’s review to tell him, but that didn’t work out. So, now, I’m in this horrible position.” I lifted my head and left my closet, the tight space making me feel more panicky. “And I’m a complete wreck over it. I’ve never been more excited and more distraught about eating at a restaurant in my whole life.” I took a seat on the end of my bed.
“You know, I hate math. I can’t fathom how something can have an exact answer. There are too many variables at play, too many things that can affect the outcome. But in writing, we can make room for those variables. We can color them in gray. We can finesse the words, creating a result that everyone can benefit from.”
My heart stopped. “What are you saying?”
“Five stars is five stars. Just like one star is one star. There’s no gray. No finessing. It’s as exact as can be with zero room to wiggle. But your rating this evening isn’t a number. There’s no math involved. It’s only words. Your words. And what those words mean to you could mean something entirely different to someone else.”
My eyes closed, and I nodded. “I hear you. Loud and very clear.”
“You know how I feel about honesty, but I’m also human, and there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for my family. I gave you one pass, and he’s who you picked. I’m not telling you to be dishonest. I’m telling you to use your words the best way you see fit.”
I smiled. “I will.”
“Have a good dinner, Sadie.”
“Thank you,” I said and hung up.
“You look absolutely stunning,” Lockhart said as he stood at the side of our table, staring down at me with a smile I wanted to lick off his face. “God, I’m one lucky man. ”
“Well, I’m one lucky woman.” I eyed him down—from the scruff on his cheeks to the starched white collar of his shirt to his dark brown leather shoes. “The way that suit looks on you? Whoa.”
“Look at my girl blushing her hardest,” Bryn joked.
I waved her off, laughing. “How’s everything going? This place is”—I peeked around our table, where the energy was so hot that I could feel the buzz in my chest—“on fire.”
“Eden thought it would cool off by tonight,” he said. “But I think we’re even busier than our opening night.”
“Well, I’m completely in love with every square inch of this place,” Bryn offered. “Charred owned my heart, and Toro has now stolen it—forever.”
He smiled at her. “Bryn, it’s an honor to hear that. Thank you.”
He then glanced at me as I said, “Don’t ask me how I feel about anything. My lips are sealed.”
He laughed. “Fair.”
Eden and Colson and Walker were making their way around the dining room—Beck was at an away game, or I was sure he would have been here tonight—and they slowed as they approached our table. As I looked at them, smiling, I could barely breathe, and that had nothing to do with the tightness of my dress.
This line that I was straddling was too thin, too unsteady, and too personal.
I wanted to be the professional that I was, but I loved this man, and I adored his family, and they deserved all the praise because I knew how hard they worked and what they had put into this restaurant.
So, the first thing I said when his siblings joined our table was, “I’m beyond proud of you guys.” My head shook. “Look at this place. It’s popping. I couldn’t be more excited for you. ”
Since Bryn had met everyone but Eden, following my compliment, I quickly introduced the two.
“I hope you’re enjoying yourselves?” Walker asked.
“Very much so,” Bryn replied.
“I’m so happy you could come,” Colson said. He patted his stomach. “And next time you’re in the mood to bake, I’ll gladly take an order of those cupcakes again.”
I giggled. “I’ll remember that.”
Eden gave me a smile—a sly one that I suspected was her specialty. “The toro nigiri and the hamachi and jalapeno are my favorite. I know you didn’t order either. I’m going to send some over.”
I wasn’t even a little surprised that Eden had looked at our ticket prior to coming to our table. Nothing slipped by her. She was one sharp lady.
“I can’t wait to try them,” I admitted.
The siblings said goodbye to us and left, and Lockhart leaned into my neck, holding my lower back as he whispered, “I won’t be home until late. I’ll text you.”
“You’d better.”
I could feel him smile, the way his scruff brushed my cheek before he put his lips in front of mine and kissed me. He lingered there, not nearly long enough, and pulled back.
“I’ll try to check in again,” he said. “But if I don’t get the chance, make sure to find me before you leave.”
I nodded. “I will.”
“Enjoy your dinner, ladies.”
The second he was gone, Bryn fanned her face. “The two of you are so ridiculously hot, I can’t stand it.” She grinned as she glanced toward her left. “Speaking of hot, I wish Beck was here. Those few minutes at the bar in Musik when I got to meet my pretend boyfriend wasn’t nearly enough.” Her eyes turned to full-on hearts .
“Lockhart said he has an away game.”
“Bummer.” She took a drink. “Girl, I’ve never seen so many good-looking people in one room. Do you have to show a photo of yourself before you make a reservation?”
I laughed. “That’s because half the people in here are famous. It’s the most popular restaurant in LA at the moment.”
Everyone online was talking about Toro. It had filled my social media feed from the moment they opened—and for good reason. This restaurant was absolutely breathtaking. It felt nothing like Charred or Musik. But like those two, it was an experience from the second you stepped inside.
One that hit every one of your senses.
And one that made you remind yourself that you weren’t here for the ambiance, but for the food.
The interior was decorated in all different shades of blue and silver—metallic and matte. Multiple textures had been used—from the floor to the ceiling to the linens and lighting. When combined, you didn’t feel like you were swimming in the middle of an ocean. You felt like you were sunbathing on the sand in Fiji; the sound of the waves lapping the shore was humming in your ear, and the warmth of the sun was wrapping its rays around you.
We’d only had two dishes so far, the tuna tartare—which Bryn ordered wherever she went—and the oysters, flown in from the Damariscotta River in Maine.
Both were positively divine.
“I think our next course is coming,” I said to Bryn as a food runner, headed right for us, halted at our table.
He set two small plates between us. “The toro nigiri and the hamachi and jalapeno, from Miss Eden Weston,” he said. “Enjoy.”
“Oh, I’m going to.” Bryn picked up her porcelain chopsticks from a small fish-shaped holder. “Take a picture. Hurry. I’m about to devour this, it looks so good.”
My phone was already on the table, and I positioned it over the two plates, snapping several shots from different angles.
“You’re good. Dig in.” I lifted my chopsticks off the fish holder and picked up the nigiri, moaning the second the fatty tuna hit my tongue.
“Right?” Bryn sang. “Like, couldn’t you eat a hundred more of these?”
“At least.”
I tried the hamachi next. It had been cut in thin slices, all placed in a circle, soaked in a brown sauce with pieces of cilantro in the center. On top of the fish were disks of jalapenos.
I covered my mouth as I chewed and blurted out, “Oh my God.”
“I don’t know about you, but I’m dead. This is the best food I’ve had in a long time, and we haven’t even gotten our main courses yet.”
I nodded in agreement, and as I swallowed, I let that news pass through me.
It hit my chest and stomach, and it came out of my lips in a smile. “Bryn …”
“Yes?”
I rubbed my lips together, trying to mask what I was feeling, even though I knew my best friend could see right through me. “They did it. Like, they really, really did it.”
“Fuck yeah, they did.”
There weren’t any lights on in my office. The only thing aglow was my monitor, the room completely silent as I read over the review I’d just finished writing.
My boss had told me to use my words.
I’d done just that.
But those words were honest. They were the most accurate portrayal of my experience—from the way I had felt when I walked into Toro to the fullness in my belly when Bryn and I left. I skipped over nothing, not a single detail, and accompanying those words were a series of photos that I’d cropped to protect the location of our table and any hints of Bryn, but I’d added no filters and done no Photoshopping.
I was giving them the real Toro. What they did with that information, how they decided to react, that was up to them.
Satisfied with my read-through, I attached the document to an email, and I sent it to my boss. I grabbed my phone, and on my way to my bedroom, I typed Lockhart a text.
Me
I miss you.
Lockhart
I miss you more.
Me
Are you still at the restaurant?
Lockhart
Yes, I’ll be here for a while.
Me
Will you be up for having breakfast in the morning?
Lockhart
If it involves you, I’m up for anything.
Where do you want to go? Or do you want to come to my place?
Me
I was thinking … maybe you could come to my place.
Lockhart
YOUR place?
Me
I think it’s time. I’ll text you my address. See you at 9?
Lockhart
9? Is this really you? Or did Bryn steal your phone and I’m talking to her?
Me
Asshole, LOL. I can do early when I need to. And I NEED to see you EARLY.
I love you, and I’m endlessly proud of you, Lockhart.
Lockhart
I love you too, baby.
The sound of a text woke me. I had no idea what time it was, but at some point during the night, I’d turned off my TV and pulled the blanket up over my head. I reached for my phone on the nightstand and saw Boss on the screen.
Boss
Toro was as perfect as you described. I agree with every one of your words. Brilliant review.