Love on the Back Burner

by Barbara Oliverio

  A tiny silver-haired woman bedecked in jewels took my hand in hers. “What restaurant do you work at, my dear? I must certainly come there for dinner some evening.”

  “I’m flattered,” I said as I smoothed down my chef’s coat, “but I’m not a professional cook.”

  “What!” exclaimed another woman, whose stiff curls were highly lacquered. She turned to Natalie’s mother. “Why, I never would have guessed. It’s just like you Lorraine to be so cutting edge. How did you find this untapped reservoir of talent?”

  “Alexandria is Natalie’s dear friend and coworker. We’ve had dinner at her house before and just knew she would be perfect.”

  “Well, you are better than a professional. Trust me, if you opened your own restaurant, I would be the first one in line on opening night!” said the jeweled woman. A chorus of “me too” and “oh yes” followed.

  “I’m flattered. Thank you so much.” I ducked away from the chirping to return to the kitchen. I stopped for a moment to take in the cake table where Elliott had managed to concoct a drape effect out of some snowy white fabric that I was afraid I would discover was one of the minister’s vestments if I looked too closely.

  Natalie motioned me over to the small bridal table a deux that she and Sam were sharing.

  “I see that Mom had you on parade.”

  “You mean the ‘Golden Girls’? Yes, they were all very complimentary of the meal.”

  “Thank goodness. Those women are on the board of her Ladies Auxiliary. One bad review from them, and Mom slips down to the bottom of the pecking order forever.”

  “Those dear ladies?” I turned back to glance at the table I had just left.

  “Oh no, Alex, don’t be fooled. Those four ladies are the unofficial make-or-break committee in my mother’s auxiliary. Trust me, it’s a good thing the meal turned out well.”

  “Natalie! You didn’t tell me so much was riding on this! Remember when you asked me to cook? ’Oh, just low-key for extended family,’ you said.”

  “See how you’re reacting now? Do you honestly think I would have told you that then?”

  “I guess not.”

  “By the way. Pretty interesting ‘lasagna’ here, Alex,” she pointed to her plate.

  “Oh. Well. Last-minute change of plans,” I grinned. “Good thing we have all that practice in changing courses at work, huh?”

  “I’m not even going to ask what prompted this change,” she shook her head. “I know the lasagna would have been great, but this is divine.”

  “Let’s just say that if you are looking for a way to pay the church for the wedding facility, a donation toward a new refrigerator would be a good start.”

  She looked at me with a quizzical tilt of the head, then her eyes widened. “Oh no!”

  “Oh yes.”

  “But how did you accomplish all of this so quickly and still have time to duck in to the back of the church to catch us reciting our vows?”

  “I had help.” I pointed to Elliott, who at that moment was chatting up one of Natalie’s bridesmaids.

  “Elliott? He couldn’t possibly—”

  “Well, Cam helped, too.”

  “Cam? But how? Where is he?”

  “He’s in the kitchen right now scrubbing a pile of pots, while wearing a lovely floral pastel apron and his gym clothes.”

  “What?”

  “Oh, I’ll tell you later. I’m sorry I missed the actual ceremony. Just enjoy your big day, sweetheart!” I gave her a peck on the cheek and headed toward the kitchen to check on my “sous chef.”

  I walked through the door and stopped to watch Cam rinse the final pot, spin it upside down, and heft it onto a giant towel on the counter to air-dry. He caught my eye and winked. I walked over to the outside door to lean on the jamb and hoped that the fresh air that blew in would cool my reddening cheeks. Darn it, why did he have to look so appealing—even in that ridiculous apron printed all over with cabbage roses!

  “Looks like a success, partner!” He smiled as he leaned backward on the counter and crossed his arms.

  “Um … hmh …” I was having problems meeting his gaze. I cleared my throat. “Uh, Cam, I just can’t thank you enough. I mean, you really came through for me, and I, uh … it’s just, I’ve … I’ve not really been very nice to you since you started working at the company.”

  He looked down at his feet and smiled. “Welll. I have to agree that you didn’t exactly roll out the red carpet that first day. I mean, all that business about your chair—”

  I whipped my head up. “Hey, I’m sorry that I’m very particular about my chair. How would you like it if I came and readjusted YOUR chair—what?”

  He had his head tilted and his mouth in a wry smile.

  “Oh, nothing, Ally-Cat, you are just really cute when you get your Italian temper up like that.”

  “What! Look Mr. Grayson—whatever ethnicity that is—don’t dis my background. And who gave you permission to call me by my family nickname?”

  By this time, I was standing right in front of him with my head tilted up and my fists firmly planted on my hips.

  He took my fists in his hands and pulled me closer and kissed each one lightly. “Ah, no one could get anything over on you, could they?”

  He dropped my hands and tilted his head down to my face. He took my head in his hands and gave me the most delicate of kisses on the lips. He leaned backward on the counter, and I just stood rooted on the spot, looking up at him, blinking.

  “Um, wha? How?”

  He threw his head back in laughter and said, “Mark this day on your calendars, folks. Miss Alexandria D’Agostino—speechless.” He then took me in his arms fully and proceeded to kiss me in a fashion that could only be described as masterful. Several delightful moments later, I pulled back and put my hands on his chest, but he kept his arms around me.

  “Cam … what brought all this on?”

  “Alex, you silly girl. Don’t you know I’ve been attracted to you from the moment you were so territorial about your computer and your chair. I thought, well, here’s a little spitfire that I would enjoy matching wits with.”

  “But you were so standoffish.”

  “Well, sure, who wouldn’t be, with you and your whole ‘I don’t date men from the office’ policy.”

  Oh, right. I guess I did practically hand him a card that said that within two minutes of meeting him.

  “But it wasn’t just not dating me. You were so aloof in any situation!” I ran my finger behind the ruffle on the shoulder of his apron.

  “Come on, Ali! You were so prickly it was always like talking to a cactus!”

  Oh, right.

  “Remember when I ran into you guys at the trade show? You all but kicked me out of the restaurant.”

  Guilty.

  “And when I tried to make innocent conversation about how you learned to cook? You bit my head off.”

  Guilty again. I leaned my head toward his chest.

  “I’m sorry, Cam. I’m usually not so … so …”

  “Adorable?” He tilted my head up with one finger under my chin and kissed me again. “Ah, Ally-Cat, don’t you know that those were the times that you were the most irresistible?”

  I reached up to push a tendril of hair out of his eyes. “And just who gave you permission to use my family’s nickname?”

  He grinned. “I heard your brother use it at Govnr’s Park that night and thought that it fit you perfectly, with your catlike reactions and your spiky little mane.” He ruffled my hair, which by now was truly standing every which way but loose.

  I kissed his fingertips and smiled to myself.

  “What are you thinking now, Alex?”

  “I was just thinking of how Damian said that I just needed get to know you better—that there might be something you could help me with and there might be something I could help you with. And here you are, helping me with this dinner.”

  “He’s very wise. I don’t suspect that he meant something in
the kitchen, however.” Cam pulled me closer and whispered in my ear. “I think that we might be able to ‘cook up a little something’ as we get to know one another better, though.”

  I smiled a shy smile. At that moment, the kitchen door opened and the music got louder as Elliott dashed in. We sprang apart.

  “Hey you guys, they’re cutting the cake and— whoops! Sorry!” He backed out the door but stuck his head in again just long enough to waggle his eyebrows and say, “Next time, maybe I should knock?”

  “Elliott! This is a church.” I wadded up a towel and ran toward him, tossing it at him unsuccessfully.

  Cam followed and grabbed my hand, pulling me back and laughing.

  “Ah, let him go. We’re not hurting anybody.”

  I stopped in my tracks. Not hurting anybody? Wait a minute. Was Cam forgetting someone, like Ava? Redhead, gorgeous, legs up to there?

  “I guess not. If you say so.” I searched his face.

  He pulled me toward him again, but I was confused.

  Wasn’t he dating that vision? Didn’t I just see them in the office the other day, making plans to entertain at some fancy “castle”?

  “Cam. Isn’t there someone who needs to know about all this?”

  He looked confused. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Alexandria. Who would have to know?”

  “Well, what about Ava?”

  “Ava?” He shook his head. “Why would she need to have an opinion? And how do you know about Ava?”

  How could he! Oh, no, I was not going to be fooled by a sweet moment in the kitchen by this two-timer. I was not somebody’s idea of “something on the side.” “I would think she would have a definite opinion!”

  “No-o-o,” he shook his head again. “There wasn’t anything in the contract that forbids a dating relationship.”

  It was worse than I thought! They must be married! Contract indeed—those were marriage VOWS, mister.

  I pulled away. I did not want to deal with this right now or I would explode and cause a huge scene.

  “Um. Cam, I need to get in there and talk to Natalie’s mom.” I started toward the door to the dining hall. “And I need to talk to the kids. They’re going to clean up the hall and—”

  He grabbed my hand. “Ali, I don’t understand. What just happened here? I thought we were starting something good.”

  Hmmph. How many other girls had he pulled that on? Well, sorry, pal, not me, not now.

  “Really, Cam? I think you understand EXACTLY what happened here, and you just don’t like the fact that I caught on to your ways. I was right about you from the start, Slick!”

  He dropped my hand. “What?”

  “You’re just the worst type, only trying to get one over on a girl. You … you …”—I couldn’t think clearly enough—“chair adjuster!”

  I ran through the kitchen door, and he followed into the bustling dining hall. The wedding guests stared at him in his unorthodox attire. A few guys whistled and catcalled. He looked down at his floral apron, yanked it off and threw it down, stared at me for a moment, then stomped back through the kitchen.

  Elliott came over to me and leaned his elbow on my shoulder.

  “Well, well. A little romance brewing, eh?” I pulled away from him.

  “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean. Please keep him away from me. And I’ll be happy the sooner he’s gone from our lives completely.”

  “Keira, it was awful,” I lamented when I finally reached her early the next morning.

  “Slow down, honey. Tell me again how all this happened.”

  I took a deep drink of my hot green tea and recounted the events of the wedding, pausing only long enough for Keira’s occasional interjections or questions.

  “But, Ali,” Keira said when I had finished, “I still don’t get it. Why didn’t you just ask him directly about this Ava person? And why are you so sure that he’s not being honest, anyway?”

  “Seriously, Keira? What part of ‘the contract doesn’t mean anything’ don’t you understand? As well as ‘we’re not hurting anybody’?” One of the things that made Keira so successful in her job was her ability to see a problem from all sides. But right now, I just needed her to see my side, darn it!

  “Okay,” she began patiently, “here’s how I see it. First of all, what exactly has he done that even remotely indicates that he’s a player? Has he been flirtatious with all the girls?”

  “Well, no, but—”

  “And, in your dealings with him, has he been anything other than polite—and don’t bring up the readjusting the chair thing because that, as we all know, is a very freaky quirk that we all love about you but certainly isn’t a crime.”

  “Well, no, but—”

  “And, when you saw him with this Ava person, was he possessive or gentle or in any other way husbandly or boyfriendy toward her?”

  “Boyfriendy?”

  “Don’t split grammatical hairs with me—just answer the question.”

  “No, but—” Really she was relentless when she was logical. But I had to admit she was right. Then she delivered the question that sealed it.

  “AND, didn’t you tell me that Damian got a good vibe from him? Don’t you think that your brother would have given you a bit of a head’s up if he perceived any type of a cad vibe going on?”

  Drat. She was right. Damian had only met him for a couple of hours that one evening, but my brother was a great judge of people. He would have picked up on something shady.

  “You’re right, you’re right. He was actually the one who counseled me to give Cam a second chance and not be so judgmental.” I paused to sip more tea.

  “What are you thinking, Alex?”

  I took a deep breath. “I think I probably owe it to Cam to talk with him straight on and get the real story. Yuck. I hate it when I know the right thing to do.”

  Keira laughed. “You always know the right thing to do! Sometimes you just need a bit of a nudge, that’s all.”

  “Oh, Keira, now I feel even worse!” I buried my head in my arms.

  “How can that be?”

  “I made such a fool of myself, losing my temper like that! What if he doesn’t want to talk to me at ALL! What if he has given up on me?”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Do you really think that if he has real feelings for you, that the little melodrama from last night would change it? Besides, if he has given up on you, he wasn’t that interested to begin with.”

  “True, true,” I pondered. “You’re right.”

  “But of course. Usually.”

  “And modest, too,” I snapped back with a grin.

  “Okay, Keira, once again thanks for talking me down. I’m going to get cleaned up and call your mom, and see if she wants to go to Mass and go to brunch downtown, then maybe take in a movie. Hopefully I can keep myself occupied and not get so anxious until I go into the office tomorrow and have the opportunity to talk with Cam.”

  “Good girl. Call me tomorrow and let me know how it goes.”

  “You bet. Luckily, it will be slow at the office tomorrow, so I should have plenty of opportunity to find him and try to salvage my dignity. Amazingly, for the first time in weeks, I don’t have one meeting scheduled on my calendar!”

  Chapter Twelve

  “Hey, what is up with this meeting request?” Elliott scooted his chair back and leaned into my cubicle the next morning.

  “What meeting request?” I opened my e-mail and saw the message he was referencing.

  To: All Employees

  From: Kenneth

  Subject: Exciting News!

  Team,

  Please join me in the large training room for an exciting announcement at 9:45. Snacks will be served.

  I turned to look at Elliott.

  “The large training room? Exciting announcement? Snacks?”

  “I know,” he nodded. “This sounds odd.”

  I leaned back in my chair and tapped my fingers on my desk. What type of announcement war
ranted such a disruption in our routine?

  “Do you think it’s a RIF?” Elliott asked, referring to the scourge of the high-tech industry: reduction in force.

  “Nah, couldn’t be that, right? I mean have you had any indication of that?” I was more hopeful than confident. A RIF could obviously come at any time, for any reason.

  “I dunno.” He scooted his chair back into his own cubicle. “All I know is that we have a grand total of six minutes to get into the training room. Let’s go.”

  He walked over to my desk and waited for me as I grabbed a notepad and pen, straightened myself to my full five-foot-two, and prepared to walk into whatever awaited us. I looked over at Natalie’s desk as we walked past it. Whatever news was coming, she might be super-annoyed that she wasn’t there to hear it firsthand. I had my smartphone in my pocket and would decide whether to break our “emergency only” rule to contact her on her honeymoon after I heard what this was.

  Knowing Kenneth, however, this was probably another of his announcements that HE felt was earth-shattering but that the rest of us took in stride. Something like the fact that a breakfast burrito cart would be stationed outside the back entrance every Wednesday, or that every Friday would now be Hawaiian shirt day. I loved working in this quirky small company, but sometimes …

  As Elliott and I trooped into the room and prepared to find a seat, I noted that Cam was standing at the front of the room talking to Kenneth in earnest. Probably getting the technology in order for a last- minute slide show presentation. He looked over at me, and I ducked my eyes. Darn it! That was not the right way to start if I was going to try to make amends. I looked up again, and his glance was elsewhere—at the doorway, as a matter of fact, where that Ava was walking in along with two other people. They were all dressed in matching blue polos with some sort of logo that I couldn’t identify. Come to think of it, Cam was wearing the same polo.

  And so was Kenneth. The penny dropped and I realized what was happening, but I was too stunned to move.

  “Hey, what’s with the matching outfits?” whispered Elliott, but then he realized the same thing I did, and we looked at each other wide-eyed. Before we could talk to one another, Kenneth began to speak.