Can't Stand the Heat (Corporate Chaos Series Book 2)

by Leighann Dobbs

  “I’m Gertie O’Rourke.”

  “You? You’re Gertie O’Rourke?” Veronica was dumbfounded. She’d heard the name many times since joining the show and had pictured a young powerhouse, not some old lady in a wheelchair.

  Gertie O’Rourke was the executive producer of the show. She called most of the shots. Her name was well known within the cooking industry, something Veronica only discovered through her job. Most people spoke as if they were afraid of her, which intrigued Veronica. She knew Gertie didn’t put up with any crap, and she liked that.

  “Heh. Not what you expected, huh? Not a lot of people want to see a chef in one of these,” Gertie explained, her long fingers gesturing to her wheelchair. “’Course, these days maybe that’s changed.”

  Veronica twisted her lips. Had things changed? Maybe not so much. When the producers were choosing the original chefs to be in the first elimination rounds, they’d veered toward the more attractive contestants. She’d even overheard them saying that prettier faces made for higher ratings. “I’m not so sure things have changed. They seem to be obsessed with good looks in the TV industry.” Veronica glanced down at her own body, now three sizes larger than it had been just a few months ago.

  Gertie snorted. “Yeah. Always about the looks, isn’t it?”

  “It usually is.” Veronica took another spoonful of the mousse. Her whole life had been about looks. About her being fat. The kids teasing her because of it. Her mother lecturing her. Her father leaving.

  But she’d worked hard to overcome that. She’d lost more than one hundred pounds and spin cycled her way down to a size two. That’s when she’d gotten the job at Draconia Fashions. Her future had seemed bright. She’d even had a shot at marrying her billionaire boss, Jasper Kenney.

  But Sarah and Marly had ruined that. Her brows dipped in an angry scowl as thoughts of how the two women had destroyed her future reminded her of the real reason she took this stupid job.

  “I wanted to be a star chef, you know,” Gertie said wistfully.

  “Yeah, well welcome to the you-don’t-always-get-what-you-want club. I used to want things too.”

  Gertie eyed her thoughtfully, and Veronica felt the tug of a strange bond forming. She supposed they must have fought similar battles—Gertie with her disability and Veronica with her weight—and Veronica had never met anyone who could commiserate with her. Everyone she knew had led charmed lives compared to hers.

  “Back when I started years ago people in wheelchairs weren’t as accepted. A TV show with a chef in a wheelchair? No way was that going to happen. Cooking shows were still new, heck TV was even pretty new. But I wanted to be a pioneer in the culinary television industry, so I had no choice but to work behind the scenes. I had to fight to even be able to do that.” Gertie’s face pinched. “My parents told me I wouldn’t do anything with my life, actually that I couldn’t, because I was disabled. I’ve been using this godawful contraption since I was two years old, you know.”

  Veronica stared incredulously at Gertie. She knew exactly how the old woman felt. The sudden urge to confide in Gertie made words rush out of her mouth unchecked.

  “My parents said the same things about me. I was overweight, and that was my disability. According to them, at least. My father left when I was only five, and my mother always told me it was because I was fat. That I was lazy and obese, and that’s what made him leave. And that’s why I had no friends or boyfriends…” Veronica’s voice trailed off as she tried to push down the painful memories. Like the one about her senior prom, when she’d saved all year to buy the most beautiful plus-sized gown. She could still remember the painful hollow feeling when it became obvious her date wasn’t going to show and the twist of the knife in her heart when her mother laughed at her as she stood crying in the doorway.

  “That’s terrible,” Gertie said. “Parents can be cruel, even when they think they are protecting you.”

  Had her mother been protecting her? Veronica didn’t think so. “I tried to lose weight. I tried so hard! The kids at school were so terrible to me. Calling me blubber. It was horrible. I’d come home from school crying, and my mother would tell me that the kids were right, that I was a fat loser.”

  Veronica’s eyes stung. She’d never told anyone this before, but now that it was out she felt a huge relief. Like something malignant had been bottled up inside her festering all these years and she’d just released it.

  For a minute she almost felt a little less angry. A little less vindictive. A little less determined to make the world pay. But then suspicion set in. What was this old bat up to anyway, and why the hell had she opened up to her? She didn’t even know her.

  “Ha! I know just how you feel. Kids were mean to me too. Sometimes they would throw things on the floor so I couldn’t get by and my wheels would get stuck. And my parents always seemed angry with me, as though it was my fault. I was so bitter and angry. But I took that anger and turned it into passion. I had always wanted to cook and had spent hours reading cookbooks as well as cooking at my school, thanks to an amazing home economics teacher.

  “I wanted my own show, but no one wanted a chef in a wheelchair. So I became the brains behind the first cooking show to ever be televised, and I grew from there. Julia Child and all that wine? My idea. That southern gal who uses all the butter? Also my idea. The tall man who eats bugs and travels to all those exotic places? Yup, that’s my idea too. You see, my brainchild was the notion that every chef has to have some kind of gimmick.”

  Veronica stood silent as she listened, nodding her head. She and Gertie were kindred spirits. It was impressive that Gertie had achieved all that given her disability, especially decades ago. She must have had to overcome a lot. The woman had a will of iron, something Veronica admired. Gertie’s pride in her accomplishments was evident the way her face lighted as she told the story. What accomplishments did Veronica have to be proud of?

  “You know, I was so angry at the beginning of my career. I did some mean things and hurt people…” Gertie cocked her head and looked up at Veronica. “Just as I suspect you might be doing. I had that same sour look on my face. But I knew what I was doing was wrong, and I never really felt any satisfaction from being so mean. So, I channeled that negativity into positivity. And you know what? My career really took off after I made that change. And it’s been an amazing experience for me ever since. Maybe, if you did the same, your life would be better, you’d be happier.”

  Gertie’s eyes drifted to the chocolate mousse Veronica held, and then she slowly wheeled out of the room, the annoying squeaking of her wheels fading as she moved farther away.

  Veronica looked down at the mousse. She had no appetite for it now. That stupid old bat had ruined it with her speech. Yeah, sure she’d overcome a lot of adversity. And sure, she might have seen right through Veronica, but who was she to give a lecture? It reminded Veronica of her mother’s lectures.

  Landon’s voice suddenly filled the air, announcing that time was up. Veronica threw the mousse in the trash and hurried off to watch Raffe and Sarah lose.

  Sarah finished placing the silver dome over her dish just as Landon yelled out that time was up. She had hustled the entire hour, making sure everything was perfect while worry gnawed at her gut with the doubt that she was even cooking the right dishes.

  She’d decided on lobster risotto, because Raffe had raved about it that time at Jasper’s. He’d even asked for the recipe, so it seemed a safe bet. She didn’t know anything about what the guy liked to eat. Hopefully he’d remember that one meal and be smart enough to figure it was Sarah’s only clue to his culinary preferences.

  But what did Raffe make for her? He was clueless about what she liked, so she’d tried to put herself in his head and figure out what he might think was her favorite.

  Men didn’t use the same logic, so instead of writing down her actual favorite meal—lasagna—she wrote down something she knew he liked—pork. The night before, Raffe had raved about the pork served in t
he courtyard. And didn’t men usually just assume women liked what they did when it came to certain things?

  That’s how Harley, her ex-boyfriend, had been. Every gift he had given her was something that he would have liked. They watched the TV shows he liked. Lucky thing she wasn’t involved with him anymore. He had caused enough damage in her life. Now she got to watch whatever she wanted.

  She glanced over at the table that held the finished meals, all sitting under their silver domes. For dessert, she’d made lemon meringue pie. She knew Raffe liked that because he had asked Jasper to keep his fridge stocked with it at one point.

  “Time for everyone to join their partner for the reveals!” Landon barked, herding them all into the adjoining main room as a crew member rushed ahead of them, pushing a cart carrying all of the meals.

  Raffe was already there, standing next to a table that had been set up like something you’d find in a fancy restaurant. White tablecloth, crystal goblets, flickering candles, gleaming cutlery, linen napkins, and of course, the meal he’d prepared sitting under its silver dome. There were five other tables, all similarly readied.

  Sarah’s chest squeezed. Did the other chefs all know their partners’ favorites? If so, and Sarah and Raffe had guessed wrong, they’d be going home today.

  The crew member placed Sarah’s meal next to Raffe’s on the table, moving slowly to ensure nothing slid off the plates or that the domes didn’t topple. Sarah shot Raffe a quick smile as she walked to the table. Raffe held out her chair and she sat, then he took the seat opposite.

  The room filled with the scraping of chairs as all the couples sat. Then Landon finally walked to the first table, Sarah and Raffe’s.

  “How well do you really know your partner?” Landon glanced around the room. “One of the mainstays of a good marriage is the little details. So this challenge is important. If chef couples can’t remember each other’s favorite meal, I hardly think that lends itself to matrimonial bliss.”

  The audience chuckled, and Landon smiled at his own cleverness. “Today’s challenge is a little different. Each couple will enjoy each other’s cooking while the judges are doing their tasting.”

  Sarah’s heart thudded as she stared at the silver domes. Would he just get on with it? They’d divided the meal into the dishes under the domes and separate dishes for the judges as instructed. Sarah knew the combination of flavors, consistency, and seasoning of hers was perfect, but was it the right one?

  “Raffe and Sarah, please remove the domes on your main courses.” Finally.

  Sarah’s eyes locked with Raffe. Though he appeared calm, she saw a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. She grabbed the smooth metal of the dome and lifted. Pork chops! At least they would be partly right. She glanced over at Raffe, who was staring at the lobster risotto, a smile quirking his lips. Had she guessed right?

  “Please flip over the cards on your table.” Landon instructed in a monotone.

  They flipped them over, revealing matching foods with what they had each cooked. He had written lobster risotto! Yes!

  “Next, the desserts. Please remove the domes.”

  Raffe removed his dome, revealing Sarah’s perfectly peaked lemon meringue pie. Sarah could tell by his reaction that she had guessed correctly.

  Sarah slowly lifted her dome, her heart racing. They were batting one thousand. Did she dare hope…?

  She stared at the dessert. The dome slipped from her hand, and she had to fumble to recover it before it clattered to the floor. On the plate sat a hot pink marshmallow Peep surrounded by M&Ms.

  What the hell kind of dessert was that? And why the hell would Raffe have chosen it? She didn’t remember ever mentioning Peeps or M&Ms to him, and aside from being ugly and bizarre, it wasn’t even something that required cooking!

  She jerked her eyes up to Raffe, who stared down at the ugly dessert, apparently just as dumbfounded.

  “Well, that’s certainly different,” Durkin said, emphasizing the word different and not in a positive way. “I didn’t realize we stocked Peeps.”

  Raffe opened his mouth to say something, but all that came out was gibberish. Knowing that the judges wanted an explanation, Sarah swooped in to save them.

  “I can’t believe he did this! We had our first date the day after Easter, and I had mentioned how I didn’t get any candy for Easter. Peeps are my favorite, and when dessert was brought out for us, it was Peeps and M&Ms,” Sarah gushed, hoping she sounded believable. What a stupid story! Peeps! Ha! If this had happened in real life, she would not have been impressed, but she smiled and hoped the judges bought her story. It was their only hope, because she sure as hell hadn’t written Peeps and M&Ms on the card. She’d written chocolate mousse!

  The judges and other contestants all broke into a collective “Awwww.”

  Unfortunately, it wasn’t written on the card. Landon took glee in telling them that even though the story was cute, it was points off for the mismatch. Sarah was just happy they hadn’t been laughed out of the contest. What had Raffe been thinking?

  The only saving grace was that they scored high points on the judges’ tasting. Landon went down the row, revealing each of the other couples’ meals as Sarah picked at the pork chop in front of her. As he proceeded, her spirits picked up a little. Most of the other couples hadn’t guessed correctly either, and some of them lost points on the tasting.

  After all the reveals were completed, only one couple got everything correct: Brian and Rob. Sarah and Raffe came in third. Unfortunately, Tom and Kelly came in last and were eliminated. Sarah had mixed feelings. She liked Tom and Kelly, but she didn’t want to be the one sent home. Maybe it was better not to like any of the other contestants.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, congratulations on your win. To help you celebrate, we have a special treat for you!” Landon bellowed.

  A special treat! Last time the treat had been their accommodations. Not such a great thing in Sarah’s point of view. So this time it had to be something good. Maybe this time it was money or a car. She could certainly use both. Although, on second thought, a car isn’t really practical when you live in New York City. Her thoughts were interrupted by Landon’s announcement.

  “We have flown in two family members for each of you, and they are waiting for you in your bungalows! Have a great night!”

  Family members? What did he mean? Sarah’s chest flooded with panic. The only two family members she’d listed on her application were her parents, and that was in case of emergency. The same parents who knew nothing about her fake engagement.

  Everyone else cheered; they were all thrilled. Sarah felt the pork chops rising in her throat…

  7

  Family members? Raffe doubted any of his would come, but it seemed as if Sarah would have a nice family. So why did she have that look of panic on her face?

  Raffe was about to ask her when Gina waltzed over to them and gave Raffe a very long and borderline inappropriate hug.

  “Congratulations!” she exclaimed loudly, glancing back at her husband as she squeezed Raffe.

  Raffe tensed, his arms at his side, as Gina hugged him tightly. It was a little too tight for his liking. What was going on here? He saw Tony giving him a dirty look out of the corner of his eye. He didn’t want to be rude and brush Gina off but at the same time couldn’t help but feel that she was being a bit over the top and showboating. Kim and Dave had also won, and she had walked right past them without a word of congratulations.

  “We should really get going, Raffe,” Sarah gave him a raised brow look and walked away.

  He stepped back from Gina’s grasp and quickly thanked her then bolted for the door to catch up with Sarah.

  “Hey, wait up!” he called. She was already part way down the path that led to the bungalows.

  “Oh, sorry. I wasn’t sure if you wanted to stay and chat some more with Gina,” Sarah smiled at him. Any hint of jealousy that Raffe had thought he’d seen was no longer there. Probably imagined it. Had he wanted Sar
ah to be jealous?

  “What was up with that Peeps dessert, anyway?” She made a face. “Do you realize that could have sent us home?”

  Raffe held his hand up. “I had nothing to do with that. I made a chocolate mousse, not that ridiculous Peep and M&M monstrosity. Someone swapped them out. I guess you were right about the eggs and walnuts after all. Someone is trying to sabotage us.”

  “I don’t get it.” Sarah stopped in her tracks and turned to Raffe, lowering her voice. “All the other chefs seem so nice. Who would play dirty like that?”

  Raffe saw she was genuinely perplexed. Sarah wasn’t used to the ugly side of business in which most people would screw their grandmother to get ahead. But Raffe was, and the reason was obvious. “There’s a lot of money involved. Sometimes that brings out the worst in people.”

  “Are they doing the same to the other teams? We have to tell Landon.”

  A lizard darted in front of them, and Raffe watched its speckled body disappear into the plants lining the path. Should they tell Landon? Raffe’s killer business instinct told him that might not be a smart move. “Hold on. Whoever it is hasn’t succeeded in making us lose so far. Both times we came out fine.”

  “Yes, but maybe we won’t next time,” Sarah said.

  “I think we need to see if we can get some proof first. It might backfire if we go around accusing someone without proof.” Raffe tilted his head. “That was a great save with the Peep story, by the way.”

  Sarah’s face cracked into a proud smile. “Thanks. I’m not usually good at making stuff up, but I was desperate and it popped into my head. Guess we’re even after that save you did with the Waldorf salad in the first contest.” Sarah started walking again. “You may be right about not telling Landon. Let’s keep our eyes open, though.”

  “Deal. We’ll be extra watchful.” Raffe stuck his fist out and Sarah bumped it. He felt a rush of warmth. They were in this together.