Dish Best Served Cold (Corporate Chaos Series Book 5)

by Leighann Dobbs

  Dish Best Served Cold

  Leighann Dobbs

  Lisa Fenwick

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Also by Leighann Dobbs

  Also By Lisa Fenwick

  About Leighann Dobbs

  1

  Sarah adjusted her black chef’s beret hat and tucked a strand of her long brown hair up under it in the back. She took a deep breath and looked around the large kitchen, pleased with how it looked. As usual, it was spotless, something that she insisted on. She liked everything in its place, and her staff knew that. The previous night had been hectic with an event, but one would never know it from how the kitchen looked now. The floors had already been polished and all of the rubber mats scrubbed clean, and the dozens of pots and pans hanging from the rows of racks were gleaming. All of the chef’s cutlery was clean, the knives were sharpened, and everything hung in its appropriate place.

  “What is that smell? It’s amazing!”

  Sarah smiled at Sue, one of the office workers at O’Rourke’s Signature Events. Sue made her way down to the kitchen daily, regardless of whether there were events going on or not. She knew that Sarah was almost always experimenting in the kitchen and that she welcomed feedback. Sarah often placed food in one of the large refrigerators with a Try Me sign on top of the container, and the staff was always more than willing to help her out.

  “Thanks. It’s for the tasting tomorrow night. It’s mashed cauliflower with garlic and rosemary. So many people are on low-carb diets, I figured I would add a spin on regular mashed potatoes, hoping that no one even realizes it’s not potatoes! Try some.”

  She grabbed a large spoon and scooped out a mound for Sue, who eagerly grabbed the spoon from her and tasted it.

  “Oh my God. You’ve done it again. I would have no idea that this wasn’t mashed potatoes if you hadn’t told me. How is this even possible? Amazing.”

  “Well, it did take me about three tries before I perfected it. I plan on serving sliced Kobe beef with it, and I didn’t want the flavor to overpower the beef. Sometimes it takes forever to get the flavors just right, so that they aren’t overwhelming. I don’t want it to flop.”

  “Oh, it won’t. Like always, it’s perfect.”

  “Thanks. Tell whoever else is in that they are welcome to come have some. I’ll place it in the usual spot, and they can warm it up in the microwave.”

  Sue thanked her again and left, and Sarah transferred the food into a large plastic container and put a sticky note on it. She would make a new batch tomorrow for the tasting. She never allowed day-old food to be served. Everything had to be fresh. Her kitchen, her rules.

  After wiping her hands on a dish towel, she grabbed the top of the trash bag from the canister and pulled it out, twisting the top and tying it shut as she did so. She walked to the rear door and pushed it open with her hip. A few feet outside the door, she started to slide down the pavement, almost as if she were on a patch of ice. Except it was May, so slipping on ice was impossible. Her legs started to go in different directions, as if she were going to do a split, and her arms flailed around helplessly. Grabbing onto the trash bag with both arms tightly, she hugged it, thinking that if she fell forward, at least this would buffer her fall a bit.

  She started to pick up speed down the ramp, the rubber soles on her clogs only making it worse when she attempted to pull her legs back together to try to stop sliding.

  “Heeelp!” she cried out to no one in particular. She was alone, and aside from the kitchen staff and delivery people, no one was ever around back.

  Finally, she was able to gain her balance when she was almost at the bottom of the walkway near the dumpster. Standing still for a minute, she tried to catch her breath. Then she slowly walked to the large dumpster, hurled the trash bag into it, and looked at the ground where she had slid.

  Dang it! She had told her staff to make sure they were careful when they emptied the trash because the spills could be extremely slippery due to grease. Someone could easily break an arm or a leg, and when you were a chef, breaking either meant you were out of a job for a while. She walked over to the barrel that held sand in it, grabbed the giant scoop inside, and threw some sand down along the long slippery patch.

  As she was throwing the final scoop down to cover the grease, she felt a chill, and the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She turned around quickly, as if someone was creeping up behind her. More than once lately, she had felt like someone was watching her, that something odd was going on. Just little things, like items being moved in the kitchen when she swore she hadn’t moved them. Noises outside but no one else being there.

  More than once she had wondered if maybe it was her ex, Raffe Washburn. Her relationship with him wasn’t on the best terms at the moment. Working for him at his restaurant, EightyEight, hadn’t worked out very well, because it wasn’t working with him as she had hoped. It was for him. Something that she was reminded of on a daily basis when he would tell her that she took too long to plan the specials, or that a last-minute dish she had whipped up wasn’t going onto the menu at all. Meanwhile, he was so slow and methodical with his planning that it led to the same boring food every day, and that wasn’t what Sarah wanted to serve as head chef. She liked to be creative and different, spontaneous. That had been the whole reason that she had accepted the position in the first place, to have creative freedom. But having to get Raffe’s approval days ahead of time wasn’t exactly what she had in mind.

  She sighed heavily, tossing the scoop back into the barrel and turning to go back inside. Thinking about Raffe made her sad, and she didn’t have time to feel that way. She had a VIP tasting in less than twenty-four hours to focus on.

  Brenda stepped out a few feet from behind the dumpster with a smirk on her face. She could tell that Sarah was uneasy. She had looked around the area like she thought she was being followed. Good! She had looked funny sliding down, her arms thrashing around and legs going in different directions. Too bad she hadn’t fallen and broken an ankle or a leg, though. If she had, then she wouldn’t be able to cook, and that would have blown her chance for yet another article in which she was mentioned as being the head chef for the stupid big fundraiser that Gertie O’Rourke was having.

  She kicked the side of the dumpster. Sarah didn’t deserve any attention at all for being a good chef! She wasn’t any better than Brenda had been during the Chef Masters Challenge in which they’d both competed.

  But of course, because Sarah and Raffe were cheaters, Sarah got all the attention now. And it just happened to be a coincidence that Veronica, the assistant that Brenda had been suspicious of during the contest, worked at O’Rourke’s?

  That had basically sealed the deal that Veronica had been in on fixing the cooking contest as well, as far as Brenda was concerned. Heck, that old bat Gertie was probably the ringleader. Brenda knew they all played a role in getting her kicked off the show. Her cooking skills were too good. They had seen her as a threat and wanted her gone.

  Meow!

  She looked down at Kidney, Gertie’s cat, who was rubbing up against her leg.

  “Scram! Stupid cat
.”

  The cat trotted away, disappearing into the thick brush that was up against the fence that ran along the property.

  She eyeballed the cat. Anytime Gertie was in the local papers or on social media, that stupid cat was right there with her. Kidney! Talk about a dumb name. Apparently Gertie had come up with it because her long-lost daughter needed a kidney. Maybe, Brenda thought, she should mess with the cat. That would most likely upset Gertie more than if she burned the damn building down.

  But Gertie wasn’t the only person she wanted to make miserable.

  Sarah, Veronica, Gertie…they all deserved to be taught a lesson. And, since they all worked together, it would be super easy to mess with them at the same time! But what else could she do? She really wanted to unplug some of the refrigerators and freezers and make the food spoil. But the doors were always locked, and the building was solid.

  Aside from a vent that was on the side of the building. She had already unscrewed it and tried to stick her arm inside, but the vent was too long. She was pretty sure that the kitchen was on the other side of the vent, or at least close to it, because when she put her ear up to it, she could hear the faint sound of motors humming. What else needed to run all the time? If she knew where the plugs were, maybe she could snake a wire or something into the vent and yank the plugs out for some of the appliances. Or short-circuit them. Maybe she should do it at the last minute. It wasn’t like they could repair an oven or the giant refrigerator last minute.

  Her plotting was interrupted by a noise, and she quickly jumped back behind the dumpster and crouched down out of view. Slowly peeking out to the side, she saw Raffe Washburn walking toward the kitchen door. Good. Maybe Sarah would think that he put the grease there. Word on the street was that they’d broken up. Things with Sarah being the head chef at Raffe’s super-trendy restaurant, EightyEight, hadn’t worked out as perfectly as they had hoped, apparently, because she was working for Gertie now. Boo-hoo.

  Raffe hesitated at the bottom of the ramp that led to the rear door of the kitchen. What was all this sand doing all over the place? It looked like someone wanted to throw a beach-themed party. For all he knew, they were. They had some pretty crazy requests from clients, from what he had heard, and Gertie was known for being able to host the most extravagant events around.

  He stepped around the mess and rang the buzzer, shifting uneasily on his feet while holding the bouquet of flowers that he had picked up away from his face. He'd never brought flowers to a woman before. He had had them delivered before, sure, but physically brought them himself? No. He had never really had to make much of an effort with any girlfriend. They always seemed to want to be with him all the time and hung on his every word. Except Sarah. She was independent and, well, different from all the others. She hadn’t cared about his money and was very career oriented and a hard worker. Which was why he had thought giving her the position of Head Chef at his restaurant was a great idea.

  She hadn’t appreciated his feedback on her menus at EightyEight, but wasn’t that what she wanted? It was his reputation on the line. After all, it was his restaurant. Sure, he wanted an eclectic menu, something different for everyone, but Sarah took so long to perfect her creations! He hated to admit it, but since she had left EightyEight, things had gone downhill. He wanted her back, at work and in his life. But it seemed like every time they talked, it ended up in an argument, and he hated that. Now he felt like he was walking on eggshells every time they spoke. He just wanted his girlfriend back.

  “Oh… er… hi,” Sarah said to him as she opened the door, looking irritated. She stepped outside and looked around the area and then back at him. “Have you been out here the whole time?”

  “Uh, no. I just got here. I brought you these.”

  Raffe handed her the arrangement, the colorful flowers brushing against his head.

  “Oh, uh… thanks,” she mumbled, taking the bouquet and turning back to go into the kitchen.

  Raffe felt awkward. Why did she make him feel this way lately? They had been so close before, and the conversation had been effortless. Now it was like pulling teeth to have a conversation. They were always short and tense.

  “So, how’s things going for the tasting tomorrow night? I bet you’re whipping up some amazing food,” he said, following her into the kitchen and feeling like a puppy dog.

  “Yup.”

  “Uh, so are you free tonight? I thought maybe we could go out to dinner or to a movie?”

  He watched as she took a deep breath. This couldn’t be good.

  “Sorry, I’ll be here all night making sure I’ve got it all set for tomorrow. You of all people should know that I like the food to be spectacular. I mean, I’m still working on the side dishes, and I have no idea what dessert will be.”

  “You don’t even have a dessert planned yet?”

  As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he wished he hadn’t said anything. She looked annoyed and rolled her eyes, which didn’t surprise him. This pretty much summed up the last few months she had worked at EightyEight. How could she wait until the last minute to finalize the menu? At his restaurant, something like this would have been finalized at least four days ahead of time. Of course, Sarah had hated that. He should have just given her the flowers and kept his mouth shut. After several minutes of awkward silence, with Sarah ignoring him and puttering around the kitchen, he decided it was best to leave.

  “Well, I’ll let you get back to work. I’m going to drop by TJ’s office for a quick visit,” he said, looking at Sarah’s back as she whisked away feverishly, not even turning around.

  He walked by the flowers that she had tossed on the countertop. He shook his head as he left the kitchen area. Women! He just couldn’t figure this one out.

  2

  Marly Kenney held up the tiny outfit, inspecting every inch of it. It had to be perfect for the charity ball. She measured the two tails that came down in the back of the tux. She had spent hours making this ridiculous little tuxedo.

  “What is that? Is that for a baby?” Jasper asked as he entered her office, a frown forming on his face.

  “No, it’s for Kidney.”

  “Huh?”

  Marly rolled her eyes.

  “Jasper! Kidney, Gertie’s cat? This is his special outfit for the charity ball this week, for the Kidney Foundation. Hello? We talked about this. Not to mention we are going to it!”

  “Sorry, I forgot. As long as we aren’t making baby clothes, I’m fine. You know how I feel about kids!”

  Marly forced a smile as Jasper kissed her on the top of her head and left the room.

  Yes, she sure did know how he felt about kids.

  Raffe knocked on TJ’s office door, which was partially open, and then stuck his head inside the office and looked around. His eyes fell to the small meeting table, where there was a picture of TJ and Veronica, taken at the beach. He knew because he had been the one that had taken it. TJ was Sarah’s brother, and they were pretty close. Naturally Raffe and TJ had gotten pretty close when he and Sarah had been a couple, and it wasn’t uncommon for them to double date. In fact, the four of them had done a lot of things together as a group. He smiled at the picture and the memory of that day at the beach with Sarah. The smile quickly turned into a frown, thinking about how things had gone so badly between them over the last few months.

  His stomach growled, and he headed down the stairs and toward the lobby. It was lunchtime, and maybe he could catch TJ on his way out. He was starving and hated eating alone. Of course, he could always go eat at one of his restaurants, but that got tiring. He was there enough to work.

  As he entered the lobby, he saw Edward Kenney at the front desk, talking to Myrtle. Edward’s arms were moving around as if he were exasperated about something. As he walked closer, he heard Edward asking about Gertie, a question that Myrtle seemed to be ignoring as she continued to work on a crossword puzzle. The more Myrtle ignored Edward, the more animated his hand gestures became.

 
; The phone rang, and she held her hand up to silence Edward as she answered it.

  Raffe couldn’t help but laugh. Poor Edward. It seemed that he was always trying to find Gertie, and it had never once dawned on him that maybe Gertie didn’t want to be found. Everyone knew that she was dating Tanner Durcotte, including Edward. But Tanner had taken a consulting job in China that was almost nine months long, so to Edward, that must have meant that maybe he could work some magic and make Gertie change her mind and go out with him. He certainly deserved an A for effort.

  “Myrtle, you look as beautiful as ever today,” Raffe said. Myrtle smiled at him. “By any chance, do you know where TJ is?”

  “Thank you, Raffe,” Myrtle said, looking at Edward almost as if she were waiting for him to agree with Raffe’s compliment. Instead, Edward was looking at his watch. Myrtle sighed, and Raffe couldn’t help but wonder if she actually liked Edward. In a romantic way. They would make a pretty cute couple. Myrtle loved to travel, as she always talked about places she wanted to go. Edward always seemed to want to whisk Gertie away, but Gertie couldn’t care less. At least that was what Raffe thought. “TJ went to run an errand with Veronica, I believe.”

  “Oh, okay. Well, I am starving and thirsty. Edward, care to go grab some food and a drink with me? We haven’t talked in a while. It would be nice to catch up,” Raffe said.

  “Well, I was planning on staying here until Gertie came in,” Edward said, looking toward the front door as if Gertie would magically appear for him.