by Gina Ardito
I might have gasped my surprise, but when I turned to see Joaquin and Nadir both rise from their seats, prepared to back me up, I lost the ability to make any sound at all. I turned back to Colin, my joy evident. “You should go. This is Jack’s last run of the night. If you stay on the bus, you’ll have to take a cab back to your car, and you know how hard it is to get a cab around here.”
I watched Colin gauge the situation: me with my late night soldiers, him armed with nothing more than a fat wallet and oodles of charm. At last, he shook his head and sighed. “You win. Goodnight, Lucie.”
“Goodnight.” He descended to the sidewalk again.
Once Jack closed the door, I fed my dollar into the meter. “Thanks, guys,” I said to my fellow passengers and the bus driver. “I appreciate the support.”
“Pffft!” Jack exclaimed. “What’d he think? That because he’s some smooth-talking townie, we’d leave you stranded? We trust your judgment, Lucie. You don’t wanna be alone with some stranger, we’re gonna back you up. Every damn time.”
I took my seat, convinced I floated above the hard plastic. I never thought I’d see the day when the great and powerful Colin Murriere lost at the art of the deal. At least he did it with grace.
Chapter 3
Ariana
I tried to ask Mom more questions about Chef Colin on Saturday, but all she said was they used to be friends, then they had a fight and didn’t talk anymore until yesterday. She wouldn’t tell me what they fought about or how come she never told me that she used to know him when we watched him on TV. So I asked Grandma when Mom left for work.
“Abuela? Why doesn’t Mom like Chef Colin?”
She looked up from the towels in the laundry basket, a frown on her lips and her forehead all wrinkly. “You’d have to ask your mama.”
“I did. She said they had a fight a long time ago.”
“So then, there you go.” Grandma picked up another towel and folded it over her arms.
No. There I didn’t go. I still didn’t know what happened. “But what did they fight about?”
“I don’t know, Ari.” Grandma sighed. “Anyway, it was a long time ago. Before you were even born. Why should it matter?”
Because it was a secret. That meant it was special.
Well, if no one else would tell me, I would have to ask Chef Colin next week. Eventually, I would find out.
Lucinda
I wondered how Colin would react toward me in the restaurant on Saturday, but I lucked out. He was too busy in the kitchen when I showed up. By the time he had everything in order for the dinner crowd, the dinner crowd had arrived and overwhelmed me. Apparently, the news that the winner of “All Star Chef” had bought the G & O hit our little hamlet like a tornado.
As a resort town, Snug Harbor offered a lot for tourists to love, including two different bodies of water with diverse but pristine beaches, sport fishing, scenic vistas, history, and family fun from mini-golf to a marine science museum within walking distance. What Snug Harbor didn’t have was the celebrity cachet of its Hamptons neighbors. So the appearance of a television star was a Big Deal. And the crowds hustling to get in on Saturday night made that fact apparent.
The more obnoxious of the patrons pushed and shoved their way forward, then tried to press twenty dollar bills into my palm, hoping I’d propel them to the top of the waiting list. But each time, I shook my head, declined the tip, and begged their patience while we did our best to accommodate all our diners.
At eight o’clock, Colin popped out of the kitchen and took a turn around the restaurant, shaking hands, thanking customers for coming, and generally playing mayor of the Gull and Oar. As he neared the front door, he stopped at my station. “How’s it going, Lucie?”
Ah. Business as usual. That was the strategy he wanted to employ with me tonight? Okay. I could deal. “Very busy, Chef, as you can see.” A wide sweep of my arm encompassed the impatient throng huddled in the foyer, still waiting to be seated. One of the waiters, Jordan, popped up to say table sixteen was ready, and I checked the list to see who would be the next lucky party of four. I turned to the crowd and called out, “Elliot? Party of four?”
Two couples stepped forward and one of the women said, “We’re Elliot.”
I pointed to Jordan, who bent to the shelf behind my station to grab four menus. “Your table’s ready. If you’ll follow Jordan…”
Colin, still standing beside me, waited until the foursome walked away before remarking, “Maybe you should have brought your little sous chef tonight.”
Distracted, I barely paid attention to him. “Who?”
“Ariana.”
“Oh.” Shoot. He was going to complain about her spending time here. Well, I’d have to head him off before he could issue an ultimatum. “She only meets me here when it’s absolutely necessary.”
“Really?” Colin folded his arms over his chest. “I got the impression from Sidney that she was a regular resident in the kitchen.”
My cheeks burned. Maybe in the past, but not anymore.
“Colin!” A man in the rear of the crowd shot a hand in the air and waved frantically, drawing attention away from my childcare issues.
Colin glanced over the sea of heads until he found and recognized the greeter. “Nat! Get up here.”
The man pushed his way forward, pulling an expensively dressed woman with him. I recognized him as one of the more insistent tippers from earlier. I’d nicknamed him “bone crusher” because when I turned down his twenty dollar bill, he tried replacing it with a fifty and squeezed his fingers around mine until my knuckles cracked. When I still asked him to wait until we could accommodate him and his party, he grumbled about how I didn’t know who he was and I’d be sorry.
“I told you I knew him,” he retorted as he passed me.
Not that I’d ever doubted he was acquainted with Colin. In fact, he wore that same self-important attitude I hated in my new boss. I simply hadn’t allowed that acquaintance—or his fifty dollars—to bump him up the reservations list.
“Your seating Nazi over there,” he told Colin, jerking his head in my direction, “wouldn’t give me a table. Said I had to wait like everyone else.”
Colin laughed and shook his head. “Come on. I’ve got the best seats in the house waiting for you.”
An unpleasant murmur rippled through the crowd. Those who’d waited longer than Nat the bone crusher snorted or tossed up their hands or grumbled under their breath. A wave of discontented customers threatened to swamp me with complaints. Unless I could find a way to stem the rising tide.
I clutched at Colin’s sleeve and leaned toward him. Once again, the smell of warm skin and lemons teased my nostrils. “Umm…Chef? I already explained to your friend that we have a long line of people waiting—”
“Don’t sweat it, Lucie.” He waved me off and disappeared into the back of the restaurant with his pals, leaving me to face the angry mob.
“Miss?” A robust man with a florid complexion immediately took the lead. “We’ve been waiting a lot longer than that guy.”
I couldn’t exactly lie, and since I didn’t really understand what Colin was thinking, all I could do was patch the damage. “I know,” I said, “and I apologize. To make up for your inconvenience, I’m prepared to offer you and your party a free appetizer.”
One dozen free appetizers later, I’d calmed the disgruntled patrons, but my own anger only intensified. I would have loved to stalk into the kitchen, tell Colin off, and quit on the spot—just for the satisfying drama alone. But single moms who were barely scraping by couldn’t afford drama. So I swallowed my resentment, smiled at the crowds, and updated my resume in my head. Again.
At least the night hadn’t become a total crapfest. Along with the new faces came several of our Saturday night regulars: Mr. and Mrs. Seifert, fixtures at the G & O for longer than I’d worked in the place; the McDonnells, who came for some peace and quiet whenever they managed to hire a sitter for their twin boys; and a
few of our routine “date” couples. All were excited to check out the new menu and waited patiently for their tables.
The evening’s drama, though, didn’t end with Colin and the bone crusher. Again and again, I watched one of the newer waitresses, Darlene. In particular, I watched her outrageous flirting with a man obviously on a date with a pretty, petite blonde. As Darlene’s laughter increased in frequency and volume, my heart went out to the blonde, who squirmed and toyed with her salad. I didn’t need a degree in psychology to know the woman sensed the attraction between her date and the waitress. But I couldn’t stifle my surprise when the gentleman asked for the check before they’d even received their entrees.
The reason for the odd request became obvious when Darlene sashayed over to me once the couple left the restaurant. “I need to leave early,” she said. “Family emergency.”
I didn’t buy her excuse for the time I needed to take a breath. Planting my hands on my hips, I gave her my iciest glare. “Yeah? The guy who just left is your cousin or something?”
She blinked, but tried to wave off my accusation. “What guy?”
Too bad for Darlene, I’d played enough games for one evening. “If you leave this restaurant before the end of your shift tonight, you’re fired.”
Darlene shrugged. “Okay, fine. Fire me. This job sucks anyway.” She stomped past me to the cloak room, a smug grin on her face.
I couldn’t help but see tonight’s events as an omen of more doom to come.
~~~~
At the end of the evening, as the rest of the staff filed out with their hasty goodnights, Colin popped up in the cloak room before I could escape. Again.
“Will you let me drive you home tonight? Please?”
Still steaming over the incident with the bone crusher, I shook my head and shoved my arms into my coat. “I don’t think that’s such a hot idea.”
“Lucie,” he said on a sigh, “it’s not safe for you to be taking the bus at this hour of the night. I’m surprised Sidney even allowed it.”
Allowed? My temper boiled, and I whirled on him. “Okay. In the first place, no one allows me to do anything. I’m a grown woman, and if I want to take the bus, I’ll take the damn bus. I ride the bus all the time. I’m pretty sure we established last night that I’m in very good hands on the bus.”
He waved off my reminder. “A fat old man and two young kids. If anyone ever seriously wished you harm, your fan club would be useless to you.”
“Yes, well, lucky for me, I treat people decently so they respond in kind. You, on the other hand…” I paused before adding, “…I’m seriously close to hurting you, myself, right now. So, let me catch my bus, and you have a good night, Chef.”
Blocking my path with hands planted on his hips, he sucked in an exaggerated breath. “Ouch. You know, it’s been a long time since I’ve been on the receiving end of a woman’s temper. What’d I do now?”
“You know damn well what you did. You and Nat.” I sneered the man’s name.
“You’re still sore over that?” At my sharp look, he shrugged. “That was business.”
“Of course it was.”
He ignored my sarcasm. “Do you have any idea who he is?”
“Your probation officer?” I asked with a sugary smile.
“Try the executive producer of ‘All Star Chef.’ I told him to come down to see the place I’d bought with the prize money from the show. And you left him standing around, waiting for a table, like a nobody.”
I stiffened, but judging by the change in his expression, even he realized what he’d just said. And to whom.
His cheeks flooded with color, and he held up a hand. “I didn’t mean that—”
“Yeah,” I said with more calm than I felt. “You did. But don’t sweat it, Chef. I’m used to hearing that term from you. However, in order to avoid embarrassment and upsetting other customers, may I suggest, in the future, you let your maître d’ know you’re expecting a VIP guest?”
This way, no matter who had my job after I left, Colin wouldn’t put them in the same awkward position. Which reminded me…
I pushed past him then tossed over my shoulder, “Oh, and by the way. I fired one of the wait staff tonight, so you’ll want to start looking for a replacement ASAP. Goodnight, Chef.”
I pushed through the door and sped down the block, praying he wouldn’t follow and yet, wishing he would. When headlights sliced the dark night, I even turned around once or twice to see if he’d driven up behind me like last night. He didn’t. For the rest of the walk to my bus stop, I chastised myself.
Why did I always give him the benefit of the doubt? He would never change. Raised as he was, with all the privileges of the truly wealthy, he would always consider anyone not born into his social circle as a “nobody.”
I really had to get away from him. He upset me too much, made me question my sanity and self-worth, and put me in a foul mood whenever we were in the same room.
No better time to update my resume and start seeing what other jobs were available to me. I wouldn’t limit myself to maître d’ positions or even restaurant work, either. Any job that gave me hours that could fit around my crazy schedule of school and childcare—that offered the added bonus of distance between me and Colin Murriere—was preferable to my current situation.
The bus pulled in right on time, and the accordion doors unfolded on a hiss and a squeal.
“Morning, Jack.” I climbed the steps and fed my dollar to the meter monster.
“Morning, Lucie.” He craned his neck to look past me. “No stalkers with you tonight, I see.”
“Nope.” I offered a weary smile. “Thanks to you and my other knights in shining armor yesterday.” I nodded to Nadir and Joaquin, then took my seat just as the bus lurched forward, slamming my shoulder against the rail on my right. I touched my fingers to the spot, felt the pain of a brewing bruise, and snorted in disgust. Perfect. The perfect end to a perfect night. All I wanted now was to crawl into my bed, pull the covers over my head, and hide from the world until tomorrow.
“I hear that guy’s some kind of TV star,” Jack said, eyes staring at me from the rearview mirror.
“Uh-huh. He won a reality cooking show last December.”
Jack snorted. “Big whoop. All those reality shows are fixed anyway.”
I didn’t reply, not wanting to give credence to his statement, but having no way to dispute it, either. I honestly had no idea if the show was fixed, or if Colin continued the good luck streak he’d lived with since birth.
Pulling my book from my purse, I allowed Kathleen Porter, the fictional forensic accountant, to lead me into a web of financial hanky-panky that would take my mind off Colin, Nat the bone crusher, Darlene, and all my other problems.
Chapter 4
Ariana
The following week, when I was all ready to question Chef Colin about how he knew my mom, Grandma told me I wouldn’t be hanging out at the restaurant anymore.
“How come?” I asked.
Grandma turned from the window she was cleaning, the rag and a bottle of blue spray in her hands. “Normally, little girls aren’t allowed in restaurant kitchens where their mommies work. Grandpa Sidney made an exception for you. But Grandpa Sidney isn’t the boss there anymore. So you’re not going anymore.”
No. That couldn’t be right. Just because Grandpa was leaving didn’t mean I had to leave, too. Why shouldn’t everything else stay the same? “Chef Colin said he wouldn’t fire anyone for six months. And Grandpa told him I was a great apprentice sous chef, the best he ever had.”
“I’m sure he was just being nice,” Grandma said. “Grandpa Sidney didn’t mind having you underfoot because he loves your mom and he loves you. But now that there’s a new boss, you can’t spend all your time in the Gull and Oar’s kitchen. So you’re gonna stay after school with your friends until I can pick you up.”
“But that’s not fair. I don’t want to stay in the afterschool program.” Eww. I hated the afterscho
ol building. It smelled like old feet. The Gull and Oar smelled like sunshine and garlic and flowers. All nice smells. “I want to hang out with Chef Colin.”
“It doesn’t matter if it’s fair or what you want. The restaurant is a place of business, not somewhere for you to ‘hang out.’” She sprayed blue stuff on the window glass and rubbed like crazy. “Chef Colin hasn’t invited you to stay, and it’s rude to take advantage of him.”
“He did too say I could stay. He said no one would be fired for six months. That included me.”
Grandma laughed. “You’re not an employee there, chica.”
“I am so.” I stomped my foot. “I’m an apprentice sous chef. I have a certificate on the wall and everything.”
“You’re a little girl who’s acting like a brat,” Grandma scolded.
I didn’t care. I stomped again. “Chef Colin said it was okay for me to be there.”
“Well, your mama says differently.”
“Where is Mom?” I was gonna hafta talk to her and tell her she was wrong about me staying at the restaurant, about Chef Colin being mean, about everything.
“She had a meeting with her counselor at school,” Grandma said, waving the dirty rag at me. “She’s planning her classes for next semester. So, don’t go bothering her about the restaurant. She’s been working very hard for a very long time. The best we can do is support her and cheer her on.”
I nodded. Mom worked hard all the time. Harder than Cinderella and Snow White combined. She needed to rest more. But she went to school all day, then worked at night. And she took care of me and Grandpa Sidney and Grandma, too.
My mom needed someone to take care of her, her very own Prince Charming. And since she was busy all the time, I would have to find him for her. I had a good idea where to look.
Lucinda
I only woke up when the ringing of the phone at my bedside permeated my sleep-induced fog. I fumbled the receiver, but eventually stopped the noise and managed a thick, “Hello,” into the mouthpiece.
