Chapter 11
Harper
"What the fuck was that?" I whisper to Mark as the group breaks up. We head to our stations.
"The Ice Commander seems to have taken particular notice of you today.” His voice is sympathetic.
"Not just today. It’s every day. Every hour. Every minute," I scoff.
"He likes to test the new recruits."
"I’ve been here two months," I protest.
"And the fact that he’s still testing you means he sees something in you," Mark says slowly.
I roll my eyes. "I’d rather he forget about me."
"Not happening. Not when he hired you off the cuff.”
“Only because he was in a jam. He fired his sous chef, and I happened to be there. I don’t think it means he was impressed with me.”
Not when he didn’t even interview me.
“Spontaneous decisions are highly unusual for James. Which makes how he hired you stand out more. I’m sure he saw something in you.” Mark shoots me a sideways glance.
“He probably saw me and decided it was time for ‘fresh meat’ that he can beat the life out of.” I blow out a breath. “Maybe he’s trying to prove that he made the right choice?”
"By testing you?” He frowns.
"By testing me.” I tuck errant strands of hair under my chef’s skull cap.
"Just don’t show him any weakness. If you do, he’ll go straight for that like a shark." He nods toward Ollie, who’s shuffling up the hallway and toward James’ office.
His head is bent. His shoulders slumped.
"Bye-bye, Ollie." Mark shrugs.
"How can you be so callous?" I scowl.
"It’s survival of the fittest. Ollie’s been missing shifts, turning up late, and his dish got sent back by a guest."
"Ollie’s got a sick mother. He’s taking care of her and working here.” I bite the inside of my cheek.
I shouldn’t be worried about someone else. I have enough issues of my own, with the Lord and Master picking on me, but it feels wrong that James keeps picking on him almost as much as me.
"We've all got issues." Mark shrugs. "Plus, he didn’t have the answers James was looking for today.”
"Nice save with the dinosaur kid, by the way.” Henrik nods at me.
He was the first employee James hired and the one who’s lasted the longest. Older than James, with salt-and-pepper hair and a comfortable paunch, and he has an easygoing manner that makes him popular with the team. He’s also one of the few people James genuinely trusts.
His recognition makes me feel good.
But it’s nothing like the internal burst of fireworks I experience when James praises me for something I’ve done.
That probably says something about me. Something a therapist would enjoy unpacking.
Not that I have one. Yet.
Although, if I keep working with the Duke of “Adequate,” I may soon need one. I snort to myself. At least, he pays me well enough to afford the sessions.
Small mercies, eh?
I swallow down my chuckle, bowing my head in acknowledgement. "It was nothing.”
"You're getting good at these briefings, kid." He looks at me with admiration in his eyes. “Keep it up.” He nods at me then moves on, no doubt, on his way to speak with James, who must be in his office.
“The general manager likes you. You’ve got a great future here, kid,” Mark emphasizes the last word.
It’s not my fault I look younger than I am.
At twenty-six, I’m not old, especially not in the restaurant world. But inside, I feel older. Life has made sure of that.
The problem is that my face still makes me look closer to twenty-one.
In most kitchens, like at The Edge, I’m already the only woman. Looking this young just makes it worse. People assume I don’t belong there. Or they resent how quickly I’ve moved up.
Either way, it makes the job harder.
“Henrik’s a good guy. He has a good word for most people.” I try to play down Henrik’s encouragement.
“Not like that, he doesn’t. I have to admit, you’re bucking the trend and making an impression on senior management. Leo and I had a bet on how long you'd last."
I stop walking. "Excuse me?"
Mark has the grace to look sheepish. "To be fair, I bet for you. Leo said two weeks. I said you'd make it to two months."
"Good to know you have confidence in me.” I roll my eyes.
"You’ve lasted two months and one day." He holds up his hand. "You made me fifty quid. I owe you a drink."
Before I can decide whether to be flattered or offended, Leo appears on my other side. He's older than Mark, mid-thirties, already graying at the temples, with the kind of weathered calm that only comes from more than a decade on the line.
"Don't listen to him." Leo stabs his thumb in Mark’s direction. "I bet against you because I bet against everyone. Nothing personal."
"How reassuring."
"But for what it's worth—" He lowers his voice as we pass a cluster of line cooks. "You're the first woman to make it to two months."
That stops me cold. "What?"
“Last woman who made it past the trial shift was a pastry chef from Lyon,” Leo continues. “Talented as hell. Left after three weeks.”
“What happened?”
Leo and Mark exchange a look.
“James happened,” Mark scoffs.
I narrow my eyes. “What do you mean?”
“She came onto the big man. Right there in the kitchen. In front of everyone. James fired her on the spot. Told her to walk.”
Oh.
I wince.
Not that it’s surprising women would throw themselves at James Hamilton. But hearing it said out loud makes something settle uncomfortably in my stomach. The last thing I want is for anyone to think I’m one of them.
Especially him.
I’ve been so focused on keeping up with him in the kitchen that I haven’t stopped to think about how my reactions to him might look to everyone else. Especially because I can’t ignore the simmering tension between us.
Something needs to change. From now on, I’m going to keep this unexplained pull toward my boss firmly in check.
I’ll keep my distance. No lingering looks. No reacting to him more than necessary. The last thing I need is my irritation at his micromanaging being mistaken for something else. And it is only irritation. It’s not attraction.
Best to change the subject before I give anything away.
“I wish I could do something about poor Ollie.” I glance toward James’s office.
The two of them exchange another look.
“Umm, don’t contradict James.” Mark gives me a worried glance.
Leo does a double take. “Damn woman, do you have steel balls?”
“Nope. Just a heart.”
Leo and Mark continue toward their stations. I stay where I am.
The two of them turn to look at me, then turn forward and put their heads together.
“Don’t you dare bet on me again.”
They don’t reply. They’re totally betting on me again. Not that I’m going to let that stop me.
Someone’s gotta speak up for Ollie. And I guess that person is me. I can’t, in good faith, continue with my job when someone who needs it even more than me is losing his.
But bringing it up with the boss? The man who’s made it clear his cardinal rule is not to contradict him? Am I going to do this?
Before I can talk myself out of it, I turn and head up the hallway toward the lion’s den—I mean, his office.
Yep, apparently, I’m doing this.
I reach the door just as it opens. A shaken Ollie walks out. He looks like he’s about to burst into tears.
“Ollie, wait for me, okay?”
He’s so dazed, I know he didn’t hear me.
“I promise, it’s going to be fine.” Maybe not for me, but I gotta try.
He blinks then glances at the door. “I don’t think you should go in there.”
I frown. “Why not?”
“He’s busy.” He shuffles his feet.
“He’s always busy, but this can’t wait.” I nod at him reassuringly.
“There’s someone in there with him.” He shifts his weight as if uncomfortable.
I frown. “You were in there with him.”
“Until she interrupted us.”
“She walked in on the two of you talking?”
James would not let anyone cut in when he's in the middle of something work-related. Unless… “She’s someone he knows personally?”
“Maybe.” He doesn’t meet my gaze.
Which tells me everything I need to know. The Duke of Deep Freeze has a girlfriend? This, I need to see. I turn and knock on the door.
I expect him to ask me to leave. But he calls, “Come in.”
I slip into the office. And come to a stop.
The Ice Commander is sitting behind his desk, a bored look on his face.
He looks from me to the tall, willowy brunette standing next to him. She doesn’t seem to notice when I enter. She’s completely engrossed in James.
“You haven’t called me in weeks. So, I decided to come and check up on you.” Her voice is low and husky. When she places her red tipped fingers on his shoulder, he raises an eyebrow.
He doesn’t shrug her off. Or tell her to keep her distance.
A stab of something like jealousy slices through my chest. Nah, not jealousy. Most likely, just exhaustion from being overworked. I shove the confusing sensations aside and survey James’ companion with interest.
With her elegant posture, the woman looks like she stepped straight out of a fashion magazine.
Pale skin, and high cheekbones sharp enough to cut glass. She’s the kind of woman who’d look perfect beside someone like James.
A small, unpleasant twist settles in my stomach.
Of course, she’s beautiful. She also looks as unapproachable as James.
For a second, my brain starts down a petty road. Something about ice queens and glacial personalities. But I stop myself.
I don’t even know her.
And anyway, the last thing I want is to turn into the kind of woman who tears another one down just because she’s gorgeous.
Still… The two of them together make an intimidating picture.
Before I can stop myself, a ridiculous thought pops into my head.
If they kissed, would it look like two glaciers meeting?
A snort escapes me.
Oops.
I clap a hand over my mouth, but it’s too late.
The Ice Commander and the woman both stare at me.
His face is, as usual, a mask.
Her expression is one of curiosity. “Are you an intern?”
Damn, my fresh-faced look.
If I expect him to come to my defense, I’m sadly mistaken. He merely looks at me with challenge in his eyes.
Anger churns my guts. I tamp it down and keep my face composed. “I’m the sous chef.”