He recovered fast, though. He didn't dignify her crack at me with a response, which suited me fine since he did say, "I'll accept your resignation, of course. Right after you show me your pockets. Or I call the police. Whichever you'd like."
Her face paled. "The police?"
"You tried to poison one of my guests. I suspect the police would be interested."
"It's not poison," she growled at him. "It's a joke. It'd just make them sick for a few days."
"And they'd blame the food," I said, my hands closing into fists. "How dare you?"
She took a breath to answer but Kegan didn't let her. "You can't quit, you are fired. Get out, and if I see you again I will call the cops."
She grabbed her coat and purse and stormed out the kitchen's back door and Kegan turned on the rest of the staff. "Anyone else got secrets in their pockets?"
They shook their heads frantically. He studied them each in turn, paying special attention to Crystal's minions, then refocused on her closest friend Dave. "Do I need to worry about you?"
Dave blinked, apparently not having realized Kegan knew he'd allied himself with Crystal. "No. Seriously. She was bragging about it but I thought it was like with Brash, all talk. I really didn't think she would—"
"You have one more chance. The rest of you, watch him. If he so much as sticks his hand near his pocket you tell me, or Mary. Right away. Got it?"
They all nodded.
"Redo that plate. I'll go make sure she doesn't sneak back in." He stalked away.
Dorothy lost control. "I'm so sorry, Mary," she sobbed, her tears real where Crystal's had been manufactured for the occasion. "I was watching but I missed it."
"You knew she'd try something?"
She nodded sadly, and so did several others. She took a deep breath and let it out, and once she'd calmed herself a bit she said, "I knew she was plotting something, and she was actually bragging about it a few minutes before she did it."
When I'd left the kitchen to use the bathroom. So brazen of her.
"But I couldn't figure out how to tell you. Not without her maybe being even more subtle." Her tears rose again.
I squeezed her shoulder. "You let me know and that made all the difference." I looked around at my stunned staff. "Well, she's gone now, so let's not give her any more of our time and energy. We have things to do."
They all nodded, and we set to work replacing the tainted food and sending out the other meals. Crystal's departure changed a lot of my planned duty schedules and revising them on the fly meant I didn't have time to rehash the whole mess, but when I went out to meet Kegan in the dining room after he sent a waiter to fetch me the tension in his face and shoulders told me he'd rehashed more than enough for both of us.
"We're getting compliments," he said when I reached him at Tess and Forrest's table, "and I figured you should be here for them."
Forrest grinned at me. "That steak was amazing. I've never tasted anything like it. There's a secret ingredient, isn't there?"
The steak. Oh, Forrest, there was so nearly one you wouldn't want. I made myself grin. "Maybe. I'll never tell. That's what 'secret' means."
He laughed, and Tess smiled at me. "Thanks for taking a second to come out here. I'm sure you're crazy busy."
I nodded. "It's been quite the night."
"Yes, I'm sure," she said, and I realized she knew something had happened. How, I didn't know, unless she too had picked up on Kegan's stress. Certainly he wouldn't have told her.
I looked up at him, noting a muscle jumping in his jaw, then slipped my arm through his. "But it's great too. Thanks, of course, to this lovely man. He's done so much to make this place a success." He hadn't stopped Crystal, though, and I felt sure he was furious at himself for that and for letting her poison the staff for so long. So I added, "No better boss, no better boyfriend, ever," and squeezed his arm.
He looked down at me and smiled, a small smile but at least I'd coaxed one from him.
"Well, I kind of like my boyfriend, but I see your point." Tess winked at me. To Kegan she said, "Tonight has been absolutely perfect. I'm sure there have been little glitches behind the scenes, but don't let them get to you. It's incredible."
I leaned against him. "See, told you."
His smile was a little bigger this time. My gratitude toward Tess was immense.
*****
Once the guests had all left and Steel was spotless, Kegan returned to the kitchen. "Mary, Dorothy, can you go buy coffees from Mildred for everyone?"
Dorothy said, "We can make some here if you'd like. Less expensive."
I suspected he wanted us out of the way more than he wanted drinks, and sure enough he said, "No, you guys deserve a treat for how well you worked tonight." He pulled his wallet from his pocket and handed it to me.
Dorothy and I gathered the group's orders, a significant number since "everyone" included all the wait staff, and left the restaurant. She didn't speak to me as we walked, but her posture said it all.
"Dorothy, you're not blaming yourself, I hope."
She gave me a sad smile. "Kind of."
"Well, don't. As your chef I'm ordering you not to."
I smiled at her, and her answering smile was a little brighter. "I'll do my best."
Once Mildred had finished her good-hearted scolding for wanting so many coffees only minutes before her ten o'clock closing, she said, "Night went well over there, I hope?"
"It had its moments, let's say." I adored Mildred, but her ability to keep a secret was next to zero and I knew Kegan wouldn't want the details broadcast. "We survived, though."
"Wonderful." She turned to Dorothy and frowned. "You look upset, honey. Is it still..."
She trailed off, and Dorothy said, "No, she got fired tonight so that'll be the end of it."
Pieces fell into place with a near-audible clang in my mind. "You've been warning me about Crystal all along. Not leaving my wallet around, taking those roses home with me... you've been afraid she'd do something to me."
Mildred shook her head. "Not the sharpest knife in the drawer, are you?"
I rolled my eyes at her. "Hey, she seemed to like me when I first started working there. Why would I assume she was out to get me?" I turned to Dorothy. "Why was she?"
"She did act like she liked you," Dorothy said, "but I think she thought sucking up to you would get her the chef position she wanted."
"How, exactly?"
"She expected to be made Steel's chef when the old one got fired for starting that fire. Isaac being promoted was a slap, but once he was gone she bragged about how she'd get Steel for sure, especially since Kegan would think you two got along great. Then he gave you both restaurants when you'd just been hired. She got Dave and a few of the other young ones worked up about how it wasn't fair, and convinced them that if they got rid of you she'd be made the chef and she'd make sure they got the easiest jobs in the kitchen."
I shook my head. It seemed so high-school, so petty. "Tell me the truth, do you think Dave and her other friends are dangerous?"
I appreciated that she paused, giving my question serious thought. At last she said, "No. They're followers. If they like who they're working for, they'll be fine."
"But they don't like me."
"Actually, I don't think that's true. Crystal talked big and they listened. When you left the kitchen near the end tonight Angie gave Dave a hard time for going along with Crystal and he said he has nothing against you, that he doesn't even know you."
"Which is true." I sighed. "Think I can get him to like me?"
She smiled. "Of course. It'll be fine."
"Well, and who wouldn't like you, honey?" Mildred set down the last two trays of drinks to pat me on the head. "Now take these and get your butt out of here so I can go home."
We laughed and Dorothy and I carted the trays back to Steel, where Kegan stood by the bar with the staff sitting before him in the dining area. Once we'd passed out the drinks and settled at a table, he said, "All right,
folks, thank you for that. I really appreciate your honesty. See you tomorrow."
They left, and Dorothy and I looked at each other, confused. Once only the three of us remained, I said, "I'm assuming something happened while we were gone?"
He nodded. "I asked for what they don't like about working here. Got quite the list." He tapped the notepad next to him.
"Like what?"
Carrying the notepad, he left the bar and sat beside me. "The first person to speak said I can be a little overbearing, and that got the others going." He flashed us a wry smile. "Did you know I'm not always the easiest person to work with?"
Dorothy chuckled, and I put my hand over his, so impressed he'd open himself to his staff's criticism like that. "I think I might have heard that somewhere."
He freed his hand and wrapped his arm around me. "No doubt. Well, they'd all heard it too. They did understand why I get like that, but they'd rather I didn't. Other than that, mostly little things. Kitchen floors are too hard so their feet get sore, not enough pens for the wait staff, stuff like that. I'll fix them all, though, however I can. It should help with their morale."
"Anyone mention Crystal?"
He shook his head. "So I did. Dave swears he just got caught up in what she said and wasn't thinking. I took him aside before we all started talking to ask if he can work for you and he says he can. If he's any trouble, let me know. The others all say they have no problem working for you, here or at Magma."
"Sounds like it went well."
Dorothy said, "It does, but why did you have us leave?"
His arm tightened, stiffened, around me, and I realized he'd had a reason and didn't want to share it with her. So I said, "Well, we both think this place is perfect, so there's no point getting our feedback. Right?"
She grinned. "That's right. I do agree with the hard floor thing, though. My legs ache every night."
"Well, go home and put them up." Kegan smiled at her. "And thank you. I understand from the others you've been keeping an eye on Crystal."
She blushed. "It didn't work. I wasn't the one who saw her."
"You were, indirectly," I said. "I figured out that you were worried about her and it made me watch her."
Kegan dropped his arm from my shoulders and leaned toward her. "Why didn't you tell me what she'd planned?"
His voice was gentle, but tears filled her eyes anyhow. "I was scared. And I didn't have any proof she was trying to sabotage Mary so I couldn't do anything. I didn't want her against me. She made people's lives miserable."
"She can't do it any more," he said. "Thanks in big part to you."
She smiled through the tears. "And Mary. Do you need me any more tonight?"
"Go home," Kegan said, smiling at her, and on impulse I got up and hugged her.
She hugged me hard and whispered, "It'll be great working with you without her around."
"Ditto."
We grinned at each other and she left. Once the door closed behind her, Kegan got up and locked it then slumped back into his chair. "God, what a night."
"Yeah."
He shook his head. "You tried to warn me about her and I didn't listen. I had no idea it was that bad. I should have known she'd only show her best behavior around me."
"Until she didn't."
He grimaced. "That comment about you pissed me off but I figured there was no point letting her debate it with me." He looked at me. "You're not upset I didn't confront her on it, are you?"
My heart melted at the concern in his eyes, and I reached out and gave his hand a squeeze. "Of course not. Who knows what she'd have said next if you'd given her the chance?"
"That's what I thought too."
We sat in silence until I said, "So what else did you discuss with the staff?"
He looked at me.
"Dorothy's right, you didn't need to send us away to find out what they didn't like."
He shifted his chair closer to mine and put his arm around me again, cuddling me closer than before. "I wanted to know what they really thought about you, and her, and I didn't want either of you to hear it."
"Us? I'm their supervisor, so I get me. But why her?"
"I wanted to know if they thought she could be your sous-chef."
"That'd be a promotion for her, yes? I totally think she could do it."
He kissed my hair. "And they did too. But I don't want to do that just yet. I think we should see whether there's anyone with a little more training and more initiative. Dorothy's great when she knows what to do but she's not a real go-getter."
I had to admit this was true. "So you're going to interview some people?"
"Actually, I thought maybe you should."
I raised my eyebrows. I'd never have expected him to give up something as vital as staff recruitment, not even to me.
"The menu went over so well tonight that it shouldn't need much of your time over the next two weeks before Magma opens. That'd be more than enough time to hire someone else, or to promote Dorothy if that's what you think we should do."
Still not sure I could have heard him right, I said, "So it's up to me?"
He nodded. "I know you can do it. Besides, you'll be working with the person, more than I will anyhow. So let's post the job tonight so we can start getting applications right away."
We spent about fifteen minutes in our office reviewing what Crystal ought to have been doing, in the process realizing how little she actually had been doing other than griping and bragging, then wrote it up and posted it on Kegan's usual job-ad sites.
"There," he said once it was online. "If you need help deciding let me know, but otherwise I'll meet whoever it is once you've done the hiring."
I couldn't believe he was trusting me with this. It felt like a great sign. "Yes, sir. Will do."
He laughed and wrapped his arms around me. "I like the sound of that. What else can I command you to do?"
I kissed him.
"I didn't command that."
"You were thinking it."
"What am I thinking now?"
I widened my eyes and let my mouth fall open. "You dirty man!"
"You are reading my mind," he said, pulling me closer. "So let's do it already."
We did. Twice.
Chapter Twenty-Five
I had no time at Steel or Magma the next day to even glance at the steadily rising stack of applications for Crystal's job, so I hauled all the faxes and hand-delivered resumes home to go through them there.
I'd just barely made myself a tea to drink while I worked when someone knocked on my door. Tanisha had mentioned she might be in my neighborhood, so I opened the door without checking the peephole.
Big mistake.
Brian said, "Can I come in? I need to talk to you."
Hadn't I made myself clear enough for him on Friday?
Apparently not, since he took my momentary shocked silence for a yes and walked into my apartment.
"Brian, no. I don't want to talk."
"But I made a plan."
I hadn't expected that. "You did? For what?"
He dropped onto my couch. "For getting a decent job."
I took a seat on the couch's opposite end. "Really? Well, good for you." I couldn't help thinking it was good for me too, good for me for having made myself tell him the truth though I'd felt bad. Now he'd taken the first steps toward changing his life. "So? What's the plan?"
He glanced at the stack of applications on my coffee table. "You're doing the hiring now?"
"This time, yes. We're seeing if it works out. Come on, out with the plan!"
"It's pretty simple, really, and actually it just got easier. I was going to apply and have you tell your boss to hire me, but now we don't have to worry about that step."
I pressed my fingers to my temples, wondering if my sudden headache meant my brain was trying to escape this idiot. "So, your plan is that I give you a job? When you've never worked at a restaurant before?"
"It's perfect. You'd be nice to me sinc
e we're friends, and I wouldn't have to worry about getting fired for some stupid reason, and then we'd get to hang out all the time."
The first two parts of that sentence were bad enough but the third... one person's "get to" is another's "I'd rather live with Crystal". I stared at him, trying to decide where to start.
"What? You don't like it?"
Sure, let's start there. "No, I don't. For starters, we're not friends. For another thing—"
"Of course we are. We talk, we—"
"You talk. You know nothing about me, and you don't care either."
"I do," he said, looking like I'd kicked his puppy. "Why would you say I don't care?"
"How's my leg doing?"
He blinked. "How should I know?"
I shook my head and couldn't hold back a humorless chuckle. "Exactly. You should know because you would have asked me about it if we were really friends, if you cared at all. I listen to all your problems and you don't pay any attention to mine. You've never asked about my leg, not once. And when I tried to talk to you, right after it happened, you didn't even let me. It's all Brian all the time with you, and I don't want that any more."
"Oh, so it's supposed to be all about you instead?"
I stared at him, trying to figure out how he'd gotten that from what I said. "I..." What was the point? He would never get it. "Fine, whatever, it's all about me. Which is why you need to go. Because I won't be hiring you and I will tell Kegan not to either and I have work to do."
He shook his head. "I thought I'd given you enough time to get over your pissy mood on Friday but I guess not. I'll come find you later."
I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing.
"What's so funny?"
I managed to pull myself together. "Do you actually speak English? Because you don't seem to get what I'm saying. I am not in a pissy mood. I am simply not willing to be your free therapist and bank machine any more. Don't come find me later. Don't come find me in a month, or a year, or a decade. I am done with this. I am done with you. You are on your own."
He stared, then to my surprise said, "Okay."
"Really?"
Toronto Collection Volume 1 (Toronto Series #1-5) Page 96
