“Shit,” Cole said. “And here I was all afraid to tell you two.”
Slater tucked the bill into his pocket. “It’s good that you were afraid because all joking aside, I still think you need to be careful. If things get ugly between you two…”
“Dude, I know. Believe me, I wouldn’t have taken this step if I didn’t think…” He trailed off, shaking his head. “It’s not just a flash in the pan. I’m crazy about her. I really think this could go somewhere.”
“Just be careful,” Slater said. “That’s all I ask. Because if things go south, we could be slapped with a nasty lawsuit and I don’t need to tell you that lawsuits suck up a lot of time and money.” He grimaced. “Christ, I’m getting an ulcer just thinking about it.”
“Go chew on a TUMS. It’s going to work out fine,” Flynn said. Smiling, he clapped Cole on the shoulder. “I hope it works out, Ripper. I really do. Everyone should have someone.”
Slater laughed. “’Everyone should have someone. Jesus, Hammer, you’re wasting your talent here. You should work for Hallmark.”
Fedora almost immediately regretted the Proper Distance Policy she’d insisted on. She found herself really longing to go back to the way they’d been in Seattle, relaxed and able to freely express their affection for each other. After only three days, she wanted to cave. Her decline started when he asked if he could talk to her in her office.
“I can’t stop thinking about how you looked this morning in the shower.”
He kissed her thoroughly, his hands roaming all over her behind. She went from normal to insanely turned on in an instant. She kissed him back for a good minute or so but then pushed him away when it seemed like they might not be able to stop. Plus, he hadn’t even closed the door.
“Cole. Come on. Remember the PDP,” she reminded him.
With a hard body shake, he got a hold of himself. “Yeah, okay. I…I just needed a pick-me-up. I’m good now. I’m good.” He tugged on the hem of his shirt, smoothed it, and walked out the door, back straight, making her laugh.
The next day, she found an index card in her chef’s coat pocket. There was a coffee bean taped to it and some writing. I’ve BEAN missing you.
She immediately thought of their trip to The Roastery and was touched and amused. She went out onto the floor and saw he was across the room, but he looked up and made eye contact. Despite the PDP, she held up the card and smiled.
His answering grin was dazzling.
That night, after her shift at Hat Trick, she went home with him and as they were walking toward the stairs to go to bed, she told him she’d changed her mind.
“Changed it about what?”
“I think we can abolish the PDP.”
“Hot damn. Really? Why?”
“I don’t like it.”
He smiled.
“And it’s too hard.”
He pulled her close. “I agree one hundred percent. It was killing me. I think we’ve turned a corner, Chevy. How are you feeling about it? Nervous? Scared?”
She looked up at him and answered honestly. “I feel pretty good about it, actually. Still a little nervous.”
“So is it official? Are we a couple?”
With a hesitant smile, she nodded. “Yes.”
With a whoop, he swooped her into his arms and went up the stairs with her, like a hero in a romance novel.
Holding onto his neck, she asked with a laugh of delight, “What are you doing? What’s going on?”
“We’re celebrating our official change in status.”
Fedora liked that idea. She liked it a lot and with a freedom they hadn’t felt since they’d returned to San Diego, they celebrated long into the night.
Chapter 15
Neither she nor Cole were into public displays of affection, so after a couple of weeks went by with no changes at all in how the staff responded to her, Fedora relaxed and really began to enjoy being in a relationship with Cole. They’d even gone on a double date with Flynn and his lady, Tracy. At first, Fedora had felt like the lone young person, but that sensation soon wore off. Flynn and Tracy were funny and so down-to-earth that Fedora already felt as if they were old friends. Fedora also began spending a lot of time at Cole’s house, mostly because it was so much nicer than her own place and his kitchen was big and extremely well-appointed. However, even though Cole had invited her to leave some of her essentials at his house, she continued bringing things back and forth in an overnight bag because that was a slippery slope, as far as she was concerned.
She was working on the schedule when the phone rang. The Barracudas had made it to the playoffs, so she had to make staffing adjustments to reflect the expected increase in business. The three amigos had also requested she create a special entree just for the Playoffs. As a result, she was slightly distracted when she answered the phone.
“Hat Trick Brewery and Tasting Room.”
“May I speak to Fedora Echeveria, please?”
The voice was familiar.
“Speaking.”
“Fedora, this is Anson Lau.”
What the…?
“This is quite a surprise,” she said in what she hoped was a normal tone.
“I was wondering if you had time to meet with me later this week to talk about a business proposition.”
This got weirder and weirder. She couldn’t help but feel he’d gotten the wrong number even though he’d asked for her by name. She got up and closed the door.
“A business proposition?”
“I want to expand my horizons and try something different so I’m thinking seriously about opening a fast casual restaurant. I want to develop a concept that can be easily applied to many locations, not just here in San Diego. That’s where I’d start, but the sky’s the limit.”
“And you want to talk to me?”
“I came in to Hat Trick like I said I would, but I didn’t tell you I was there. It was a stealth visit, but let me tell you, the food was astounding. Leaps and bounds above what I had there the last time. What you’ve done with the menu is smart too. You reworked it, didn’t you?”
“I did—both the food and the wording.” The three amigos hadn’t thought the menu needed help, but she had. The descriptions were about halfway there, serviceable, but not particularly enticing.
“I knew it. The service is better too. You have a talent for this business, Ms. Echeveria and I want to work with you.”
“How can you possibly…? You don’t know me.”
“That’s true, but I have a gut feeling. Plus, Roo Roo loves you and that goes a long way with me.”
It took her a moment to remember Roo Roo was Cole’s mom, Ruth Ripley.
Feeling shell-shocked, she agreed to meet with him later that week and then immediately called Kiefer. Her hands were shaking, so it was a good thing she had him on speed dial.
“Dude, guess what.”
“You’re pregnant.”
“Shut up! No.”
“Publisher’s Clearing House knocked on the door with a check made out to me.”
She laughed. “No. Want a hint?”
“Yes.”
“Someone called.”
“Prince William. He wants you to come cook for the Royal Family.”
“Kiefer, come on, be serious.”
“It could happen! Okay, not the prince. Gordon Ramsay?”
“No, but you’re damned close. It was Anson Lau.”
“Anson Lau called you? Shit! I’m trying to figure out what he could have been calling about and the only thing I can think of is that they made a mistake at the Chew and Brew and you actually won, but that can’t be it.”
“No, wait until you hear.”
She recounted the conversation.
“Fedora, this is fantastic. Congratulations. You’ve paid your dues and the universe is finally recognizing you.”
“I know. I should be happy. I should be over the moon, but I…I can’t quit my job at Hat Trick. The Three Amigos will be crushed.”
She sighed. What he was saying was true, but that didn’t make the prospect of resigning any less horrible and Kiefer was acting as if this were a done deal and it wasn’t. She was a long way from shaking hands. Hell, she didn’t even know what the deal was yet.
“Okay, you’re jumping the gun here. I haven’t even heard Anson’s proposal. For all I know, he’s looking for someone to do all the work while he gets all the credit. Or maybe he wants to do something I want no part of, like a turkey-themed restaurant.”
“Hey, people thought Howard Schultz was nuts to suggest Americans would take to lattes and look how that turned out.”
“You forget there’s the tiny little detail that turkey is not addictive like caffeine is. Plus, I have turkey burgers on our menu and they don’t sell worth shit.” She sighed. “Anyway, that’s not my point. It’s just a meeting. Nothing’s been decided.”
“Okay. It’s still amazing news. If you end up being a household name, I want instant front-of-the-line reservations for life.”
“Kief, Anson said fast casual. No reservations.”
“Details, details.”
She laughed. “But I promise if I ever open a restaurant that takes reservations, you’ll always have a table. But…”
“I knew there’d be a catch.”
“You have to keep all of this under your hat. I mean it. No tweeting or anything. Not even ‘my roomie is going to have an important meeting.’ If you violate this directive I’ll be forced to withhold my cooking from you for a month.”
Kiefer gasped. “No pappardelle carbonara? No carne asada burritos?”
“Not even toast.”
“You’re such a hard ass.”
Over the course of the next few days, Fedora had to repeatedly remind herself that she wasn’t doing anything wrong by not telling anyone about her meeting. If she ended up accepting Anson Lau’s business proposal, she would tender her resignation with plenty of notice. She would even help find her replacement. She had every right to advance her career. The part that didn’t sit well with her was keeping it a secret from Cole, but there was no point in getting him involved until she knew more.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how she looked at it, the meeting with Anson went very well. He told her his idea, which was, like he’d said, to develop a fast casual concept with potential for expansion.
“And I’m thinking a melding of Mexican and Asian flavors might be just the thing.”
She instantly thought of the three amigos’ argument whenever she had brought up the idea of adding Mexican dishes to the Hat Trick menu and she thought it was a valid argument, which was why she’d never fought too hard on this issue.
“Anson, San Diego is up to its ears with Mexican restaurants. And we’re so close to the Mexican border that it doesn’t make sense to try it here.”
“It makes more sense than opening in Poughkeepsie. People here know good Mexican food, so if we can make it here, we can make it anywhere.”
He not only had a point, he had more years of experience in the restaurant business than she and the three amigos combined.
As she thought about being able to finally bring in some of her family’s recipes—her abulela’s menudo and her dad’s salsa—her heart leapt.
He then started talking to her about dishes he’d already dreamt up—a banh mi taco, a boneless Korean short rib quesadilla, and fajita, peppers and onion fried rice. That prompted her to suggest fire roasted corn slathered with a ginger, Sriracha and lime butter; a kung pao taco in a crispy wonton shell; a chicken adobo rice bowl.
“I like how you think, Fedora,” he said with that trademark grin.
The more they talked, the more ideas they got. Anson started jotting down notes in a precise all-caps print. They brainstormed what the restaurant might look like, the price points, timelines, even possible locations. When he finally got down to the money, he made her an offer that was more than fair, considering how much prestige his name would bring to the project and the fact that she had no investors or money to bring to the table. They parted on the understanding that she had ten days to think about it, but as she drove away she’d already made up her mind.
Chapter 16
Cole received a call from his mother not five minutes after he’d changed his relationship status on Facebook. Harry was doing his best to take a nap on his computer keyboard and Cole had to keep gently pushing him aside. This was an ongoing battle between them. Funny how Harry only seemed to want to sleep on the keyboard when Cole was there.
“Are you really in a relationship or are you just faking again?” his mom asked by way of a greeting.
“Hello to you too, Mom. It’s for real.”
“Oh thank God. With Fedora, I hope?”
“Yes. It’s official.”
“Oh, honey, that’s wonderful.” He heard relief and joy in her voice and his chest flooded with warmth, not just because he’d made his mom happy, but because he had fallen most of the way in love with Fedora. When he thought about it—and this was pretty often—his life was nothing short of perfect right now. He was healthy, his family was healthy, he had a job he loved going to, he had an amazing woman at his side at work and at home.
“I’m so happy for you. And guess what? I’m so relieved, I’m not going to start hounding you to take the next step. I’ve learned my lesson. You know how I feel. However, I will say, just this once, that it’s not too late to have children.”
“Mom…”
“When you get to be as old as I am and you’re looking at your life to see what you’ve accomplished and what your life was all about, your children are at the top of the list. You’ve made me so proud, son. You’ve accomplished so much. I don’t tell you often enough, but there it is. I can’t imagine what my life would have been like without you in it.”
He heard the waver in her voice and because he got a little choked up too, he changed the subject.
“The auction is on Thursday. Are you still coming down for it?”
“You bet your patootie I am. I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Fedora’s going, isn’t she?”
“Yes. I wish I weren’t.”
“It’s for a good cause, son.”
“That’s what I keep telling myself.”
“You’re going to pull in so much money, it will be embarrassing. You’ll see.”
Or it could be so humiliating the memory would burn in his brain until the day he died. That fear of being the least popular bachelor still buzzed around like a mental fly no matter how many times he swatted it way. And yet, as he ended the call with his mom, he acknowledged that it was not as strong as it had been.
“Why is that, Harry?”
Harry had won the keyboard war and was busy reveling in the win, rolling around on his back, his tail twitching.
Cole rubbed the cat’s head affectionately. “Do you think Fedora has something to do with it, boy? Is she the reason why I don’t feel so stressed out about going up on the auction block?”
Maybe. He had a girlfriend now. He hoped his self-esteem as a man didn’t depend on whether he had a woman or not. Before, he’d been sure it didn’t. And yet, there was that saying that behind every great man was a great woman. Garnering high bids at the auction didn’t qualify as making a man great, but if he set aside the sexist idea that the woman’s place was behind the man, he could see that two people together could be more than twice as strong as one alone. And the knowledge that a woman like Fedora had chosen him…was it that bad that he drew strength from that?
No. No, it wasn’t. He imagined that was the divine plan, in the long run. Eve being Adam’s helpmate. And vice-versa, as far as he was concerned.
The more he thought about it, the more he embraced this idea. Since they were “Ripdora” now, she’d be even more invested in Hat Trick. Cole had always envisioned them eventually branching out to opening other locat
ions and giving the Yardhouse and BJ’s a run for their money. That had been something he, Flynn and Slater had thrown out there in the beginning as a pie in the sky goal, but at this point, with the Tasting Room being so successful, it wasn’t as impossible as it had originally seemed, despite Slater’s confidence that it could be done, given adequate time. With a talent like Fedora managing the food side, who knew what they could accomplish?
The day she’d met with Anson Lau, Fedora took to the internet as soon as she got home. He’d given her his curriculum vitae and some hard numbers on the financial status of his current restaurants, but she wanted to do some of her own homework. After hours online and on the phone with friends in the industry, she could find nothing nefarious and very little negative. As far as she could tell, this was a smart move for her. Partnering with someone like Anson Lau could potentially catapult her onto the grid as someone to be reckoned with in the industry. And wouldn’t it be sweet to show Mason that he hadn’t damaged her career in the slightest. She fantasized about her and Anson on the cover of Food and Wine, Sunset or some other prestigious publication. That would put that self-important asshole in his place because This Week in Marina Del Rey was nothing compared to that.
The only sticky part was extricating herself from Hat Trick. A war between loyalty and ambition had been waging inside her ever since Anson called with his proposition. She owed Flynn, Slater and Cole a lot. They’d taken a chance on her and given her a position as executive chef, even though she’d never held that title before. They’d supported her, praised her and paid her well, and she’d learned so much. There was no substitute for on the job experience and, needless to say, she’d never have met Anson Lau in the first place if it hadn’t been for Cole and Ruth.
And yet as Kiefer had said, business was business. She wanted to believe that the three amigos cared for her as a person and would applaud and congratulate her. There was a possibility the meeting she’d called would turn out just fine with no hard feelings. She’d heard visualization was a good tool so she pictured the four of them breaking out bottles of ale and clinking them together to celebrate this amazing new career adventure she was embarking upon.
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