by K. M. Morgan
There were of course other factors at play in keeping the restaurant open like revamping the menu, running specials, and not having a work environment more emotionally toxic than a waste dump. At the same time, there was no denying that Daisy’s work here would play a big part in whether Tres Chic stayed afloat or sank.
Daisy didn’t always do well when operating in a pressure-cooker environment. Sometimes she couldn’t stand the heat and had to get out of the kitchen. Thankfully, she was able to quiet her mind and buckle down. It took her a few hours, but she was able to hash out a dynamite concept for the place. She fleshed out all her ideas into a concise blueprint of a design, then headed into the kitchen to show it to Adam Dunning.
Chapter Eight
Apparently, things hadn’t quieted down in the kitchen as much as Daisy had thought. Daisy would have to wait in line to see Adam. As Daisy approached the owner’s office, a rotund man in a white chef uniform was exiting with a wide smile on his face. The name embroidered onto his uniform was Eric Manning.
Daisy knew that name. Eric was the head chef at Desmond’s Delicatessen on Pine Avenue. That reminded Daisy--she could really go for one of the Reuben sandwiches from Desmond’s. They had some killer dishes. It was all simple food, but boy was it delicious. Daisy’s mouth began watering just thinking about their potato salad and cole slaw. Not to mention their sweet potato fries.
Daisy had to restrain herself before she got worked into a food frenzy. Besides, there was a bigger issue at play. For example, what was Eric doing here at Tres Chic?
Daisy didn’t have to wait long to find out. As Eric left the kitchen, Logan Walsh bolted towards Adam’s office. Logan was the longtime sous chef at Tres Chic. It was no secret that he’d been waiting to get the bump up to head chef. His patience was certainly being tested. Logan had been stuck in neutral as the second in command in the kitchen for four long years.
When Benjamin Kotter vacated the head chef position and went over to Ooh La Lunch, Logan figured he was a shoe-in for a promotion. Instead, the head chef position had remained vacant for months. Logan was nearly pulling his hair out. Seeing Eric Manning from Desmond’s Deli coming out of his boss’s office was the last straw.
Suddenly, Logan demanded answers. “You have a lot of explaining to do.”
Adam was in no mood to be assaulted by Logan’s emotional baggage. He stopped him cold. “Not to you I don’t. You’re a sous chef, I’m the boss. Don’t ever forget that.”
Logan unloaded on his boss. “Do you forget all I’ve done for you? I’ve given up my life, my time, and some days even my sanity for this place. I’m an overworked, underappreciated, walking heart attack risk because of you. And how do you repay me? By bringing in Eric Manning.”
Logan had been bottling up his rampant insecurities for a while. It wasn’t a surprise that they spilled out all at once. His lack of promotion was one thing. The man had many more problems on his plate. To start, there was the stress of working for a demanding owner. Next, the threat of the restaurant going out of business loomed like an anvil waiting to fall on his head at any moment.
If that wasn’t enough, all the chefs had taken on an increased workload with the absence of a head chef. The meant longer hours for the same pay. That had led to stress eating, followed by worry lines taking up residence on his face. In the past few months, Logan had gained twenty pounds. He also looked ten years older, which was not a welcome sight for a man who was approaching his upcoming fortieth birthday with great trepidation.
Daisy knew all this because Logan’s fellow cook Trevor Thompson feared the same thing could happen to him. Logan was the ultimate cautionary tale. Certain jobs were emotional quicksand, swallowing everything around them. If Trevor wasn’t careful, he could take up stress eating and find himself on blood pressure medication in no time. Trevor’s greater concern was the havoc this job was causing in his relationship. The honeymoon phase Trevor had with his girlfriend Samantha Johnson was now over. He just hoped that he could avoid any further damage.
Given that, Trevor watched the rest of Logan’s conversation with Adam Dunning with great interest. Daisy was equally intrigued.
Adam Dunning meanwhile wanted the conversation to end in a hurry.
“Repay you? Listen to me you little punk. Don’t you ever talk to me like that again, got it?” Adam barked.
Logan kept pressing the issue. “Answer the question. You went behind my back and hired Eric Manning as the new head chef, didn’t you?”
“You’re just looking to get fired, aren’t you? Go on, keep pressing my buttons then. I’m just trying to do what’s best for my restaurant,” Adam replied.
“No, because then you would have promoted me.”
“I’m warning you, get back to work while you still have a job to go to.”
Logan wasn’t done. “Eric Manning is a hack compared to me.”
Adam laughed.
“What’s so funny?” Logan replied.
“You sure have a big mouth for a guy who can’t back it up,” Adam said.
Logan was dismissive. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Adam put him in his place. “Face it, you were never meant to be more than a sous chef.”
Logan refused to believe that. “Emily disagrees. She thinks I’d make an amazing head chef.”
Emily Dunning was the general manager at Tres Chic. She was also Adam’s daughter. Nepotism had taken the thirty-three year old far. She wanted to be more than just the second in command however. Emily had designs on running the place. Adam was in no hurry to give up the reins though. Even though he was in his late sixties, retirement wasn’t a word in Adam Dunning’s vocabulary. That had led to plenty of spats between Adam and his daughter.
Apparently, much to Adam’s chagrin, members of the staff were beginning to take sides on the issue.
Adam wasn’t going to have that. “Emily doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”
“She has a lot of good ideas. You should try listening to them,” Logan insisted.
“Don’t tell me what to do—especially when it comes to my daughter. Now shut up and get back to work,” Adam demanded.
Logan just glared at Adam.
“That’s an order,” Adam barked.
Logan turned around and headed back to work, muttering angrily to himself the entire time.
Chapter Nine
The last time Daisy had seen that many tense arguments in a row, she was on her couch binge-watching a trashy reality TV marathon. It was far less enjoyable seeing shouting matches take place in person. Not to mention highly unprofessional.
Unfortunately, Daisy had to talk to Adam about her designs. At the same time, she didn’t want to bear the brunt of his anger.
Just then, Adam spotted Daisy, who stood out like a sore thumb amidst the rest of the kitchen staff.
“I’m not paying you five grand to stand around. Get to designing already,” Adam barked.
“Actually, I have a design ready for you,” Daisy replied.
Adam was taken by surprise. “Oh.” He tried to hide his gruff exterior. “It better be good.”
***
Daisy was on pins and needles waiting for Adam’s reaction to her design. She prayed for no drama. Adam took his sweet time in responding. He seemed to be going over the design she’d drawn in microscopic detail.
Daisy got part of her wish at least. Adam didn’t end up ripping into her. At the same time, he was only able to muster light praise.
“Maybe you’re not as much of a rip off as I thought,” Adam said.
What an interesting choice of words. Was that what passed for a compliment in the Dunning family? There were a number of snide jokes Daisy could have made. She decided to hold her tongue. Sure Adam was a first rate jerk, but he was also a client. Daisy reminded herself of that.
“Thanks, I guess,” Daisy replied.
Once again, Adam found a way to show how twisted his logic was. “Learn how to take a complim
ent.”
Yikes. He was actually being serious. Daisy wondered how Adam developed such a skewed world view. After all, with compliments like that, who needed insults? No wonder the staff was so disgruntled.
Daisy wasn’t going to let Adam completely off the hook. She got the last word in. “I assure you, my decorating skills are worth every penny.”
Chapter Ten
Now that Daisy had Adam’s approval on her design, it was time for her favorite part of the job—shopping. As a side benefit, she also got to leave the den of drama that was Tres Chic. It felt so good to be outside grabbing fresh air. Not to mention being allowed to catch her breath.
***
Daisy’s shopping trip ended up being a resounding success. It took her several hours and a number of stops, but she was able to find the perfect décor to transform the restaurant. Even better, she managed to stay on budget. Even a stick in the mud like Adam Dunning could appreciate that.
***
The smile on Daisy’s face didn’t last long. As she approached the back entrance to Tres Chic from the parking lot, she saw Adam Dunning kissing a woman a few cars away. Daisy’s mind ran wild. So this was the woman Adam was having an affair with. Daisy didn’t want Adam to see her walking by. He might blow his top or snap at her unnecessarily.
Daisy ducked between two cars so she was out of Adam’s sightline, yet still close enough to hear what was going on.
Adam then pulled back from the kiss with heavy thoughts on his mind.
The woman meanwhile seemed delighted.
Wait a minute. That wasn’t just any woman. Daisy recognized her. The woman’s name was Jessica Mitchell. She was a well-known local realtor. She and her real estate partner husband Bill had taken out a billboard by the highway for the last few months.
Daisy was glad she’d ducked out of sight. This situation had hot mess written all over it.
Daisy listened in to the conversation.
“This is great news,” Jessica said.
Adam was far less enthusiastic. “What are you talking about?”
“This means now we can be together—in the open,” Jessica said.
Jessica leaned in to give Adam another kiss.
His face went white as he pulled back. “Are you kidding?”
Jessica was confused. “What’s the matter with you?”
“What’s the matter with me? You’re the crazy one talking about making our relationship public.”
“Cupcake, I don’t understand why you’re acting this way. I thought you loved me.”
Adam did not give her the response she was looking for. “You know I care a lot about you. I just think we need to keep a low profile right now with my wife threatening divorce.”
Jessica had a much different take on the future of their relationship, and had taken the steps to take things to the next level.
“Adam, I broke it off with Bill.”
Adam went nuclear. “You what?”
Jessica wasn’t done. “I told him I’m in love with you.”
Adam was outraged. “Why would you do that?”
“Because, it’s the truth. I’m tired of living a lie.”
Adam started to panic. “I’m sorry. I can’t deal with this right now.”
“What’s the matter with you? Is this how you talk to someone who tells you they love you? By telling them you can’t deal with it?”
“You said you don’t want to live a lie anymore. The truth is, I can’t deal with this. I could lose everything here…and it’s all your fault.”
“Me?”
Adam nodded. “I didn’t ask for this. Remember, you came on to me.”
“I just gave up my husband so we could build something special and you’re acting like I ruined your life.”
Adam and Jessica were in completely different states of mind. That was never more apparent than with Adam’s response.
“We need to take a break.”
Jessica became furious. “You’re breaking up with me?”
“No. I just think we need to take a break,” Adam said.
“What do you think I am, an idiot? People don’t ever get back together after going on a break. It’s just a polite way of saying things are over.”
“Ok, fine. Whatever you want to call it. The fact is, I need a break. My life savings is at stake here.”
Jessica groaned. “Of course it’s about the money. I thought you’d turned a corner. That you really loved me. I should have known better.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Oh no you don’t. You’re not getting off that easy.”
“What do you want from me?
Jessica narrowed her eyes. “I want you to pay for the pain you’ve caused me. And I’m going to make sure you do.”
Jessica swung her purse at Adam and hit him across the face with it.
Jessica then stormed off to her car.
Adam rubbed his face, then trudged back to the restaurant.
Daisy meanwhile continued to duck out of view between two cars. And here she thought things would have calmed down since she went out shopping. Instead, they were more explosive than ever.
Chapter Eleven
There would be no reprieve coming. Not for Daisy, and certainly not for Adam Dunning. Just as Daisy was about to get up from ducking between the cars, she heard another female voice yelling at Adam.
“You should be ashamed of yourself,” the Voice said.
Adam stopped short of the back door to the restaurant and turned around. He looked surprised to see the woman.
“Emily. What are you doing here on your day off?” he asked.
Suddenly, Daisy realized who the woman was—Emily Dunning. Emily wasn’t just Adam’s daughter. She was also the general manager of Tres Chic. Although Trevor Thompson had told Daisy it was due to nepotism, not merit, that Emily had gotten the bump up to management.
Like Daisy, Emily was in her early thirties. The parallels ended there. Emily had an air of insecurity to her. It stood out in her body language. Daisy wondered if Emily had impostor syndrome—the belief that she didn’t deserve the status she’d achieved. Or perhaps insecurity was a given when she grew up with a harsh, distant father like Adam Dunning.
It may have been Emily’s day off, but she looked dressed for work. She had her long, black hair pinned back and wore a white blouse with a dark blue skirt. Emily had gotten her mother’s looks. She was a tall, slender woman with blue eyes and great skin. The only thing she seemed to get from her father was a temper.
“Mom told me what you did,” Emily said.
“That’s none of your business,” Adam insisted.
“Since when is you destroying our family not my business?”
“Don’t you dare talk to your father that way.”
“Or what, you’ll fire me? Isn’t there something better you should be doing instead of threatening my job?”
“As a matter of fact, there is. I should be getting back to work,” Adam said.
Emily folded her arms and shook her head in disgust. “You’re unbelievable. You should be at home begging, groveling, and pleading for mom to take you back. I can handle the restaurant.”
Adam latched onto that last sentence and ignored what came before it. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? You’ve been trying to push me aside so you can take over. Now you figure this is your chance.”
Emily was in disbelief. “Don’t you even care what you did to mom?”
“Stop trying to change the subject. You can’t deny that you have designs on running this place. Well, I won’t be pushed into early retirement.”
“First of all, you’re in your late sixties. That’s hardly what I’d call early retirement. Second, yes—I think I could do some great things for this business.”
“Like promoting Logan Walsh to head chef?”
“He knows the menu front to back,” Emily reasoned.
“I’m overhauling the menu to compete with Ooh La Lunch,” Adam revealed.
&n
bsp; “I still think he would make a great head chef.”
“You’re only saying that because you’re sleeping with him…aren’t you?” Adam said.
Emily stammered and looked away from her father’s stare.
“That’s what I thought. There’s another reason why you’ll never be taking over for me. The first rule of restaurant industry is—never let your personal feelings cloud what’s best for the business. The second rule is—nepotism will only take you so far,” Adam explained.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“The fact is, you don’t have the chops to run this place. Ooh La Lunch would eat you alive.”
Emily was equal parts hurt and outraged. She fired back. “You don’t seem to be doing much better.”
“I can take care of myself,” Adam said.
Emily went right at him. “Is that why your restaurant’s failing and your marriage is in shambles?”
Adam glared. “You’re lucky you’re my daughter.”
“That’s debatable.”
“I meant, you’re lucky you’re my daughter or you’d be so fired right now. As it is, you’re on thin ice. So shut your mouth, go back to your apartment, and stay out of my business.”
Emily wasn’t done. “What about mom?”
“I have work to do.”
Adam then walked away.
Emily glared at him, then walked to her car, still bent out of shape.
Daisy meanwhile remained crouched between two cars. She reached for her emergency stress cupcake. This was turning into the ultimate high blood pressure day, and it wasn’t even over yet.
