Chapter Two
Jase
A beautiful woman was staring at me, and I couldn’t tell if she was pissed off or terrified.
At first, I thought maybe she was checking me out, but then her whole body went tense, her fair skin growing paler as her blue-green eyes went huge, and…was she shaking?
“Nice to meet you,” I said with a nod to her and the other woman beside Jillian, trying to come across as both professional and nonthreatening. Not a balance I usually had to achieve, but then again, I couldn’t remember a woman ever looking at me like I’d kidnapped her beloved pet goldfish, filleted it in front of her, then served it to her as sushi.
Maybe the women were unsatisfied customers Jillian was trying to win over. My shoulders tightened at the thought. If someone’s experience here had been terrible enough to warrant the owner make it up to them, I’d failed at my job.
Dani lifted her mouth into what could only be classified as a smile in the broadest sense of the term and gritted out, “You too,” before dropping her eyes to the barstool in front of her.
I swung my gaze to Jillian for an assist. Or a clue as to what the hell was going on. “Partner in crime for what?” I asked.
My boss lifted her chin a fraction, a glint in her eye, and I knew right then I would hate whatever came out of her mouth next.
“Talia and Dani work for the Healthy Birth Coalition of Philadelphia, and they’re putting together a fundraiser. I’ve volunteered us to cater it.”
My brows shot up, and I fought to keep my voice neutral. “Did you?”
Dani glanced at me from beneath dark lashes.
“And when is this happening?” I asked.
“September,” Jillian replied.
My jaw flexed. “This September?”
Jillian raised her chin higher, nose practically aimed at the fucking ceiling as if daring me to challenge her. “That’s right.”
I nodded, forcing my grimace into a smile as fake as Dani’s had been. “I see.”
Tension clung to the silence between us like static about to crack. Finally, the other woman cut in.
“You know, Dani and I should probably get back to the office,” she said, laying a hand on Jillian’s arm. Jillian’s combative posture melted as she turned to the woman. “We can’t thank you enough for all you’re doing for the symposium.” Then she nodded to me. “You too, Chef.”
Her smile seemed genuine, and it was almost enough to pierce through the frustration simmering beneath my skin. Frustration I think she saw, because she wasted no time giving Jillian a hug and turning for the door.
Dani was right behind her, but Jillian stopped her before she could make her escape.
“Oh, Dani! Why don’t you swing by on Monday? Jase will be here, and you two can start planning out the menu. I know there’s no time to waste.”
I muffled a snort. The moment we lost our audience, I’d be addressing a thing or two with my boss.
Dani gave a tight smile, looking almost pained. “Sounds good,” she mumbled as she tucked a long strand of dark hair behind her ear. Her gaze lifted to mine for a second before dropping to the floor, and she hurried after her colleague.
I waited until the door swung closed behind her, then pinned my full attention on Jillian and crossed my arms over my chest.
She flashed me a look of innocence, then spun on her heel and headed for the stairs to her office, shoes clacking on the hardwood with each step. I rounded the bar and weaved through the tables after her.
“Jillian.”
She waved her hand over her shoulder as she climbed the stairs. “No need to thank me, Jase. Your enthusiasm is thanks enough.”
I took the stairs two at a time. For someone so small, she was alarmingly quick. “This isn’t what we agreed, Jillian.”
“And what did we agree?”
I crested the top step and followed her into the office across from the staff room, my hands landing on my hips as she took a seat at her desk.
“We agreed that as long as we turned a profit, I’d have the final say in how we run things. We’ve been in the green for five months.”
“And you did an impressive job getting us there so quickly,” she said as she neatened a stack of papers that were already neat.
“I also never signed on for a catering gig.”
“Which is why you’re so fortunate to work for a brilliant woman like me who did it for you. You’re welcome.”
I squeezed my eyes shut, pinching the bridge of my nose to fight off the headache slowly but surely piercing my brain and shredding the last of my sanity with it.
“I thought you’d be thrilled about it,” Jillian added lightly, “seeing as we also agreed I would fund your restaurant concept of choice once we hit our goals here. The word of mouth this kind of event can generate could be the boost we need to get us there.”
“It could also sink us.” My hand dropped to my side. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to pull off a catering gig of this scale? And do well? With a crew our size?”
“Then it’s good I have such an excellent chef to do it.”
I brushed off the attempt at flattery. “Are they even paying for this, or is it all out of pocket for us?”
“They have an allotted food budget for the event, and anything beyond that I’ll cover personally. Ardena’s accounts won’t be touched.”
Oh good, so it was just her personal finances I had to worry about. I took a step forward. “Jillian?—”
“Jase.” I came up short as she turned in her chair to face me, the lightness gone from her voice. “It’s a fundraiser for an organization I believe in, doing work that matters. This is important to me. I want them to have the best, and that’s you.”
My shoulders sank, chest collapsing on a sigh.
I didn’t want to do this. It felt last minute and impulsive, and it deviated from the focus I’d set for the restaurant for this year. A focus I knew would get us where we wanted to be.
Was this possible? Yes. Assuming that Dani girl knew what she was doing, which, based on our meeting, I was far from convinced of.
But Jillian had already given me a lot she hadn’t needed to—the kind of freedom and control over her restaurant that most people would never let go of, no matter how good the chef. Plus, she was promising more. A restaurant of my own. A promise she’d shown every indication of keeping.
And when it came down to it, she was the boss, and no matter how patient her words, she wasn’t asking.
“Fine,” I grumbled.
A smile lit up her face.
“But,” I said, holding up a finger, “I get final say on the menu. If we’re doing this, we’re doing it right. Nothing bacon wrapped.” I counted off on my hand. “Nothing stuffed. Absolutely no ‘puffs’ of any kind.”
Jillian nodded along earnestly. “Agreed. I trust your judgment wholeheartedly. I won’t get involved.” I raised a brow, and a corner of her mouth quirked. “Any more involved.”
I gave it a week until she was whispering appetizer suggestions in Dani’s ear.
“I’m going to get your restaurant ready for a successful dinner service now,” I said, turning for the door. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t commit us to cater any other high-profile events in the meantime. No royal weddings, please.”
“So just regular ones, then?”
I shook my head, lips tugging up despite myself, and headed for the stairs. One thing I’d never have to worry about while working for Jillian was things getting too predictable.
Halfway down the hall, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I paused and stared at the name on the screen.
This was the second time my mom had called today. If I ignored her again, she’d either give up until tomorrow or call another four times, probably in the middle of service. Either option would mean having to listen to her go on about how I never make time to talk to her, which would either spiral into her heavily implying I had a drug problem (based on nothing whatsoever) or insisting my life was falling apart without Gabby in it. Sometimes she managed to do both in one go.
Most of the time, I was glad to be back living in the US, but a six-hour time difference and international calling fees sounded like heaven right now.
I ducked into the staff room and closed the door behind me before leaning against one of the lockers and answering. “Hey, Mom.”
“Oh, there you are. I thought I was going to have to keep calling. You hardly ever answer.”
“Yeah, sorry. Just working a lot.”
“Your brother works a lot and still manages to answer my calls.”
I let my head fall back against the locker, welcoming the dull thud against my skull. I doubted she called Alec in the middle of his workday at whatever insurance company he was at, but sure. “Yeah. Sorry.”
“I just worry about you. You haven’t been home in a while, and Alec said he’s hardly heard from you. We just wonder what you’ve been up to?—”
“I know, Mom,” I said, forcing my voice even as I reeled in my patience. She wasn’t wrong that I hadn’t been home in a while, and I tried to remind myself this was coming from a place of love. “I’ll try to find a time to visit, but I have to get back to prepping for service, so?—”
“Actually, that’s why I called. Stephanie’s baby shower is in a couple of months, and I wanted to make sure you’d be here for it.”
No.
I barely bit back the response in time. It was frustrating enough being compared to Alec over the phone. The last thing I wanted was to be face-to-face with his perfect life so my parents could see all the ways I’d failed them that much clearer.
“Do guys even go to baby showers?” I asked lamely instead.
She scoffed. “That doesn’t matter. It’s a family event, and you should be there. Your father and I expect it. And you could bring Gabby.”
Here we go .
“Mom, Gabby and I haven’t talked since we broke up. Almost a year ago.” Which was exactly what I’d told my mom the last time she asked about Gabby.
“Oh, I know, but you two were so good together, and she got along with Stephanie so well. I just thought it would be nice.”
I was pretty sure Gabby had met my brother’s wife a grand total of two times in the two and a half years we’d dated. I’d be surprised if they’d said more than five sentences to each other.
“Plus, you never know when a second chance could come about. I bet if you asked, she’d be thrilled.”
“I’m pretty sure she moved back to Boston, so I don’t see that happening.”
There came a knock on the door. It cracked open to reveal Aubrey’s small frame, an inquisitive look on her face. My absence had officially been noticed by my sous chef.
I pointed at the phone at my ear, then held up a finger to let her know I’d be down in a minute. She nodded and closed the door behind her.
“Look, Mom, I really have to go. We’ll talk more about the baby shower later, okay?”
“But—”
“I love you, bye.”
I hung up and tossed the phone onto the nearest bench, leaning my hands on the cool wood as I let my breath drain out of me. My heart pounded as though I’d just completed a circuit at the gym, and for a second, I forgot I wasn’t still an angry eighteen-year-old refusing to go to college.
I wasn’t sure my parents ever remembered.
Jillian did, though. So did my staff downstairs, and that was where I needed to focus.
On good food. Good service. Building this place up to the potential I knew it had. Potential I was determined to reach.
I took one last cleansing breath and pocketed my phone, the version of myself I felt good about finding its way back to me as I headed down to the kitchen to do the one thing I knew best.