The Chosen

uniforms.”

“Be nice,” Vera scolded. “I don’t know which one of you is more sexist and insolent, you or Lee.”

“Me,” Dan B. asserted.

“You’re probably right. I’m going to check out my room now, and see what else this Kyle character has to say. Meantime, I want you, Donna, and Lee to go over every single piece of equipment in the kitchen. Make sure everything’s hooked up and wired properly, and keep a list of anything that doesn’t work. Also check out the dry stocks, see what Feldspar’s already got. We don’t want to find out on opening night that we don’t have any salt.”

“Got’cha.”

Dan B. went back down the line. Vera opened the big room service door and found Kyle marking things off on a clipboard. He looked phony, like an act. Vera had the notion that he’d been waiting for her all along, and wanted to appear busy when she came through.

“I’m pretty much done for now,” she announced. “Can you show me my room?”

“I’d be happy to.” Kyle put down the clipboard and grinned. “I don’t know about you, but I’m really excited. We’re gonna crank in some business. Did Mr. Feldspar tell you? The Inn’s already got its first four weekends booked in advance.”

“You’re kidding me.”

“Nope. Hundred percent occupancy. All ninety rooms.”

Vera doubted this. “He told me there were a hundred rooms.”

“Total to let, sure. The other ten are for the local room reservations, the ones on the second floor. Those are the ones you’re in charge of. Didn’t Mr. Feldspar tell you?”

“He told me,” Vera answered. You run ninety rooms and I run ten, but I’ve still got the restaurant. This was getting absurdly complicated. If Kyle was the room service manager, why shouldn’t he be in charge of all the rooms? “How many of my rooms are booked in advance?”

“None,” Kyle said.

Vera frowned.

She followed him to the opposite end of the RS kitchen. It infuriated her: if anything, Kyle’s kitchen was even more elaborate than hers, with more walk-ins and equipment. She stopped cold at the next sight. “Hey,” she said. “How come you’ve got four lobster tanks and I’ve only got two?’’

Kyle held back a laugh. “Look, Ms. Abbot—Vera— don’t get hot under the collar. Just because I have a bigger facility than you doesn’t mean that Mr. Feldspar thinks I’m any better than you. It’s business.”

“Business?” Vera objected. “What’s business got to do with you having two more lobster tanks than me?’’

Now Kyle did laugh, openly. “I don’t believe it. We’re having an argument over lobster tanks…

“And you’ve got more ranges, more ovens more convection steamers, more—”

“Stop and think a minute at what you’re saying. You run the restaurant, I run room service. I’ve got ninety rooms to handle, all you’ve got to worry about are the separate dinner orders.”

“Oh, and that instantly means you’re going to be doing more business than me?”

“Of course it does.”

“Back in the city I used to run a hundred and fifty dinners a night—that’s a lot more