Recipe for Romance

by Susan Perkins

  "Hi, Kirsty here."

  "Kirsty, where have you been?" Gina sounded worried. "I've been ringing and ringing. You can't have been out every time I called."

  "Sorry, I went away for a few days," Kirsty apologized. "Was it something important?"

  "Something important? Kirsty, you get kicked out of the hotel kitchen by Chef, there's a rumor going round you've been sacked, and you wonder if I've been trying to get hold of you for something important." Gina sounded highly indignant. "I thought we were friends. Why didn't you ring to let me know what was happening."

  "Oh, Gina, I'm so sorry. I got really upset and wanted to get away from it all. I should've rung you before I left. You'll forgive me, won't you?" Kirsty pleaded with her friend.

  "So tell me what happened. Were you sacked? Did Chef or Mr. Stuart fire you? No, it couldn't have been Mr. Stuart. He's been off with flu the past few days. Come on, Kirsty, tell me everything."

  "Honestly, Gina, there's not much to tell." Kirsty furiously tried to think of an explanation for her friend. She didn't want to lie, but couldn't tell the whole truth either. "Chef did order me from the kitchen, but according to my contract, I have to be officially dismissed by Mr. Stuart. As you said, he wasn't there, so I sort of left things hanging until I could see him. Is he back yet?"

  The last words Kirsty said very tongue-in-cheek. Gina couldn't find out she knew his whereabouts, or her friend would want to know what was going on.

  "Yes, he came back this morning. I'd leave it till Monday though. He's got a terrific backlog of work. The poor guy hasn't had a minute to himself all day."

  "Gina, can you hang on a moment?" Kirsty asked as the call waiting tone sounded. "Somebody's trying to come through on the other line."

  "It's okay, Kirsty. I'm on early shift tomorrow so I'll call around before I come into work. We can talk about it then."

  "Gina, wait!" Kirsty didn't want her friend to come round and ask why she looked so happy when she was about to be fired. Her words fell into silence as her friend had already hung up. Kirsty sighed and switched over to the other line.

  "Hi, Kirsty!" Even over the phone Reeve's voice sent shivers up and down her spine. "How are you, my love?"

  "Fine now," Kirsty told him. "I've missed you."

  "I've missed you, too." He spoke quickly. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to wait a bit longer before I see you again."

  "What do you mean?" His words caused unease to stir inside her. Her gaze fell on the food laid out in her kitchen.

  "Kirsty, I've got a stack of work here I have to get through. By the time I even make a dent in it, it'll be too late to come to your place for dinner. Then tomorrow night we've got the Freemasons function here at the hotel. I won't be able to see you until Monday."

  "Oh, Reeve, it's not fair. You shouldn't be working so hard when you've only just recovered from the flu." Kirsty couldn't help complaining, and her voice was tense with frustration. "Can't you leave some of the paperwork until next week?"

  "No, I can't, my love. Believe me, I'd dump it all in the bin if I could, but I really need to get things up to date." Reeve sounded genuinely upset, and Kirsty felt sorry she'd been so irritable. "Listen, Kirsty, come into work about nine o'clock on Monday, and we'll get everything sorted out between you and Antoine."

  "Wouldn't it be better if I came in at my normal time? I'd think Chef would get even more annoyed if I come in late." Kirsty thought it wouldn't matter what time she arrived, Chef still wouldn't let her in the kitchen, but she had to give Reeve the chance to try and sort things out.

  "No, Kirsty, please do it my way. I want to clear my desk before you get here. Then I can give the problem my undivided attention." Reeve rang off after a few more endearments,, leaving Kirsty to deal with her frustration.

  Why is he so sure he can charm Chef into letting me have my job back? How serious is he if he lets work come before seeing me?

  Kirsty shook her head to clear the confusion. She packed the duchess potatoes into the freezer and threw the vegetables into a stockpot. The beef could sit in the fridge when it was cooked. There could be no evidence of her romantic dinner to make Gina suspicious.

  The more her thoughts dwelled on Reeve's phone call, the more upset Kirsty became. They'd only parted this morning, but Reeve already sounded different, more distant. He had returned to being her boss instead of the wonderful man who brought her senses to boiling point. Memories of his kisses and caresses stirred her body, but she forced herself to become calm again. Had he regretted their time together? No, Reeve wasn't so shallow. He had told her the truth. Work came first and he thought it best to get it out of the way before he became distracted by her.

  Of course. Kirsty decided. You wait, my girl. He'll be as loving as you want him to be when you see him next. Kirsty tidied up the kitchen and watched television until bedtime, laughing at herself for allowing her fears to overcome her.

  Gina breezed into the house on Sunday morning, full of news from the hotel and questions regarding Kirsty's situation.

  "Did you say Mr. Stuart has had the flu?" Kirsty tried to make her question sound innocent.

  "Yes, he didn't come in at all last week, " Gina dipped her hotcake in the maple syrup. "Came back yesterday. Not too sure how it's going to affect you, though."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Well." Gina paused to swallow another mouthful. "Hmm this is great. I never have time for breakfast at home."

  "How's Mr. Stuart coming back going to affect me, Gina?" Kirsty asked persistently.

  "Well, he's your main hope of keeping your job, isn't he?" Gina finished eating and sat back with a sigh of satisfaction, then picked up her cup of coffee.

  Kirsty felt her fingernails bite into her palms as she clenched her hands under the table. Why couldn't Gina just get on with it instead of dragging things out like this?

  "Where was I? Oh, yes. Mr. Stuart came back yesterday morning. I didn't know he'd come back until he strolled through reception and went into the kitchen. Then he came out with Chef Antoine and they headed for his office. Can I have another cup?" Gina held her cup out, and Kirsty forced herself to be calm as she poured her friend some more coffee. "Anyway, Chef waltzed back through reception about fifteen minutes later with a big grin on his face."

  "A grin?" Kirsty couldn't believe her ears. If this was Reeve's solution, he had a very funny way of sorting things out,

  "Yes, a grin. He looked very pleased with himself." Gina peered at her friend, trying to see how her news had been received. "Doesn't sound too good for you, does it?"

  "No." Kirsty's abrupt reply startled Gina, who blinked at the anger in the short word.

  "Sorry, Kirsty, but I thought you should know. At least now you'll have some idea what to expect tomorrow."

  "Thanks, Gina. I know you mean it for the best, but it doesn't make it any easier to accept my career has just gone down the drain." Kirsty concealed her unhappiness by collecting the dirty dishes and taking them into the kitchen.

  "So what will you do?" Gina picked up more dishes and followed her.

  "Start looking in the situations vacant column, I suppose."

  "You need to contact the union, Kirsty. There must be something in your contract which stops Chef firing you in an underhand way. "

  "I never even thought of looking at my contract," Kirsty confessed. "I felt so mad about everyone using me as a scapegoat I just wanted to blast off at them."

  "I'd dig it out and go over it with a magnifying glass." Gina reluctantly stood and collected her belongings. "Sorry, I've got to go, but if I hear anything at work, I'll give you a ring, okay?" She put her arms around Kirsty and gave her a hug. "It'll all turn out right in the end. Who knows, maybe the theatre restaurant will be so impressed by your application they'll offer you the job anyway."

  Kirsty kept a brave face while saying goodbye to her friend. Once the front door had shut behind her, she sagged against it , hardly able to climb the stairs. She pushed off from the door with a
n effort and dragged herself up to the lounge, then collapsed on the sofa.

  The loss of her job was bad enough, but expected. The news of Reeve's friendliness with Chef Antoine upset her badly. What hidden agenda was he following if he could kiss her so passionately one day, telling her she could leave things up to him, then the next be on such good terms with the man who had destroyed her?

  Kirsty decided the only person to rely on was herself. She went to her bedroom and grabbed the cardboard box she kept her important documents in. Sitting on the sofa, she rummaged through its contents until she found her contract with the Hibiscus Hotel.

  "Let's see." Her finger ran down the page until it reached the clause regarding dismissal. "Theft as a servant, repeated disobedience, insufficient respect for customers, dishonesty. I suppose he could get me on the last one if he can make his accusations stick. Shame it's Sunday. I could do with a union rep to help me understand all this legal stuff."

  Nothing could be done until the following day and, looking out the window, she saw the sun shining from a glorious blue sky. Maybe a stroll along the beach would clear her mind of the never-ending round of questions and confusion. Her mind resolutely focused on getting to the beach while she walked across the Orewa streets. Once there she kicked off her shoes and wriggled her toes in the golden sand then lifted her face to soak up the sun. No breeze blew today, so no sand yachts raced, and only a few people enjoyed the sunshine. Kirsty felt invigorated by the strong ozone smell of the sea and the warm sun shining down. She walked to the southern end of the sand with shoes in hand then back north, the exercise filling her with contentment and dreams of the future she hoped to share with Reeve. Her mind insisted Reeve couldn't be the type of guy to love to her one day, then stab her in the back the next.

  Once level with the place she'd started she sat down in the shade on the grassy bank linking her hands around her knees. Her thoughts turned to Reeve as she stared out to sea and the time they'd spent together at his villa. How wonderful his touch had felt, the feelings which had coursed through her. A smile lifted the corners of her mouth.

  Her face turned down the beach, but she was not paying any attention to the scene in front of her until a movement snapped her gaze into focus. Kirsty blinked, at first convinced she was seeing things and her daydreams of Reeve had been so strong she'd conjured up his image. A man walked back from the water's edge and it looked exactly like him. It couldn't be Reeve. He'd told her he was busy at the hotel. Besides this man walked arm-in-arm with a woman. She was an extremely attractive woman who looked vaguely familiar. Kirsty rose to her feet to convince herself she'd been mistaken, intending to stroll toward the pair. The man put his arms around the woman at the same moment, and hugged her close. With a smile he dipped his head and kissed her cheek. Kirsty watched him release her and with a wave of his hand hurry toward a car parked on the road side of the grass verge. Kirsty's temper rose. She recognized Reeve's car when she saw it.

  "The sneaking rat!" Her temper erupted. "Wait until I see him. He'd better have an explanation for meeting another woman when he told me he'd be at the hotel. If he hasn't got a good reason, he'll wish he'd never heard of Kirsty Lawrence."

  Kirsty realized her voice had grown quite loud. She glanced round to see if anyone had heard her. The only other person on her part of the beach was the woman Reeve had been with, and this person walked rapidly toward another exit. Within moments the stranger had disappeared from sight.

  Kirsty spent the rest of the day waiting for Reeve to call her. The more her thoughts turned to the beach interlude, the more convinced she became he'd betrayed her. One thing kept rearing its head above all her other thoughts. Although he'd called her 'my love', not once had Reeve said he loved her. It was early evening before the phone rang.

  "Hi, Kirsty." His voice caressed her and despite her anger, her body warmed with an automatic reaction. "Sorry I couldn't ring sooner, but I've been so busy. I've only got a moment, but I thought I'd better remind you about tomorrow. You won't forget, will you? Nine o'clock and not before. "

  "No, I won't forget," Kirsty promised. "Reeve..."

  "Good girl. See you tomorrow." The phone went dead.

  Her mind seethed with frustration as she stared at the receiver in her hand. He hadn't let her get a word in so she still didn't know about the woman on the beach, and why Reeve had met her in secret.

  Kirsty went to bed at eight o'clock, intending to get up at her usual time and arrive at the hotel earlier than Reeve expected her to. He'd been so insistent she arrive promptly at nine she convinced herself he was hiding something from her. Her imagination ran riot as she visualized herself confronting Reeve with his meeting on the beach. She tossed and turned in her bed. It wasn't until the early hours of the morning when her mind gave up and she settled into a deep sleep. The clock showed eight-thirty when she woke on Monday morning. Kirsty took pains with her appearance after a hurried breakfast. She could certainly ensure her clothes were clean and fresh, despite not being able to dress up for work.

  Her nerve almost failed her in the staff car park. Two minutes to nine. Should she go straight to the kitchen, or would it be better to go to Reeve's office? He hadn't told her where to go, just when to arrive.

  "As far as I'm concerned, I'm still employed here, so I'll go to the kitchen. I hope Reeve's there, but I doubt he'll have the nerve to show up. He's a dirty rat and will probably let me fight it out with Chef on my own."

  Kirsty arrived in the kitchen as Reeve entered from the restaurant doorway. Chef glared at Kirsty as she entered, his back to the restaurant.

  "Lawrence, what are you doing here?" Antoine's eyes narrowed as he looked at her, a nasty sneer on his lips. "Come to beg for your job back, I suppose."

  "On the contrary, Chef, I have no need to ask to be re-employed. As far as I'm concerned, I'm still a member of the staff of this hotel." Kirsty stared at him, daring him to refute her words.

  "This is only your opinion, Lawrence." He looked ready to order her from the premises again. "Mr. Stuart is back, so your time here this morning will be short."

  "Chef Antoine, I should like to see Miss Lawrence and yourself in my office." The firm voice made the chef jump. He obviously hadn't realized Reeve had come up behind him.

  "Really, Mr. Stuart, I don't see the need for me to be present when you officially dismiss this incompetent member of staff." Chef threw Kirsty a smug glance.

  "Nevertheless, Chef, I'd like you to be present. If you don't mind."

  Reeve held the door open, and Antoine strode through with Kirsty following in his wake. She didn't look at Reeve as she passed him. Her anger with him would be difficult to keep from her face. In the office Reeve shut the door decisively and waved them to seats before he took his place behind the desk.

  "Now then, Chef, I'd like to know exactly what is going on in your kitchen. Ever since my arrival, your area of the hotel has not functioned to the standard expected and required. With one exception." Reeve fixed Chef with his steely eyes, reminding Kirsty of a butterfly being pinned to a board.

  "My dear Mr. Stuart, I would have thought the explanation would be obvious." Chef Antoine's voice dripped condescension. He no longer bothered to hide the fact he considered Reeve to be a person far inferior to himself. "The problem all along has been Lawrence. I gave her increasing responsibility about the time you arrived here. I admit I was in error. She wasn't ready. What I didn't expect was how deceitful the woman could be. Her mistakes were well hidden, but her plans failed when she tried to lay the blame at my door. I really don't see why it is necessary for me to tell you this. You only need to give Lawrence her marching orders."

  "Please be patient, Chef." Reeve's voice was calm, but it sounded deadly to Kirsty because she could hear the hidden strength beneath the placid tones. "As I mentioned, there was one period of exception when the kitchen functioned perfectly. This was—"

  "This last week, of course," Chef interrupted. "When Lawrence was not here."


  "On the contrary, Chef. From the reports I've received, the kitchen has been functioning even less efficiently than before during the past week. The period I refer to was when you were absent with the flu, Chef Antoine. The period, in fact, when Miss Lawrence remained in sole charge."

  "Naturally the woman would take extra pains to get things right when there was nobody to hide behind," Chef blustered, evidently unsettled by Reeve's accusation. "Surely you're not saying it is I who am at fault, Mr. Stuart? I'll have you know I am highly respected throughout the catering world. I will not be accused of being less than perfect in my own kitchen. I assure you, I could walk out the door of this miserable establishment and instantly have a position in a much better establishment."

  "Such as the theatre restaurant?" Reeve asked in a quiet voice. "I know you've applied for the position of head chef. In fact, I understand you told them at the interview you'll be available for the position, as soon as you have cleared up the problem of your contract with this hotel."

  "Then you have heard wrong, Mr. Stuart." Chef's voice had risen and now held a hint of panic. "I admit I've been approached by the theatre restaurant, but, of course, I have told them I cannot accept another position whilst I am under contract to this hotel. A fact of which you are well aware."

  "A contract which states it shall become null and void if, and I quote, 'the facilities and working environment fall below the chef's required standard...if the standard of staff employed to assist the head chef shall fall below the standard expected and required by the head chef...if the reputation of the hotel should suffer due to any of the aforementioned reasons, or for all of the above reasons, then this contract shall be terminated by either the employer or the employee.'" Reeve leaned over the desk and pinned Antoine with a steely look. "I put it to you, Chef Antoine, you have deliberately sabotaged the hotel restaurant in order to use the escape clause in your contract. To keep your own reputation intact, and to fulfill the requirements of the escape clause, you have been placing all the blame on Miss Lawrence."