dished up the food onto two plates.
Dani took hers and studied the eclectic offering. There were several kinds of dumplings, tempura vegetables, a casserole that smelled heavenly.
Jim poured her tea, then added a small amount of sugar. Okay, maybe it was just her, but this was a guy who enjoyed taking charge just a little too much. She would be lucky if he didn't cut up her food and put it on her fork for her.
'I've been looking for a manager for a while,' he said. 'I need someone who can respect my vision. This restaurant
Dani thought about all Gloria had done, letting her work her ass off and think she had a chance with the company only to finally admit Dani would never do better than Burger Heaven.
'I can handle difficult,' Dani said. 'As long as there are clearly defined goals and targets.'
'Hey, that I can provide.' Jim dug into his food and urged her to do the same. 'Isn't it great?' he said when he'd chewed and swallowed.
She sampled the various dishes and had to agree. When they'd finished, Jim rose and invited her to tour the restaurant with him.
He explained about the specific arrangement of tables and how regulars who spent big had special seating areas. He preferred overbooking and didn't mind sending people away.
'Won't they be unhappy and unlikely to return?' she asked.
'Some will be, but in my experience people want what they can't have and for a lot of them, that's dinner at my place.'
Dani wrinkled her nose. She was more of a 'please the customer at all costs' kind of manager.
They walked through the swinging doors that separated the front of the store from the back. As they stepped into the pristine, open kitchen, she braced herself for flying insults and swearing in several languages. Instead there was an unnatural silence.
She stared at the men all working hard- chopping, blanching, prepping. The tallest of the group walked toward him. The embroidered name on his white jacket identified him as the executive chef.
'Park, this is Dani Buchanan. She's interviewing for the manager job.'
Park turned to face her, then bowed slightly. But he didn't speak.
Dani had worked with enough brilliant chefs to expect attitude, opinion and a volume that would shatter the eardrums of the uninitiated.
'Hi,' she said brightly. 'I loved the sample menu. This is one place where making recommendations would be easy.'
Nothing about Park's handsome face changed. He blinked slowly.
Before she could figure out what else to say, there was a loud clang in the back of the kitchen as two metal bowls fell into a metal sink. Jim immediately turned and spoke harshly in a language Dani didn't understand. Everyone froze in midmotion, even Park.
Jim turned back to her and shrugged. 'Gotta keep the boys in line.'
'Sure,' she said, trying to smile and failing. There was something seriously wrong in this kitchen. It was too organized, too quiet, too perfect. Where was the controlled chaos of creativity?
Jim led her back to his large office and motioned for her to sit in one of the chairs in front of his desk.
'I believe in keeping on plenty of wait staff,' he said. 'I might be willing to keep my customers waiting for a table, but once they're seated, everything flows smoothly. You'll like the crew. They work hard, they're on time, they're perfect at their jobs, or they're fired.'
Perfect? Who could guarantee perfection on a regular basis?
'Do you have a lot of turnover?' she asked.
'It takes a while to get the right person, but once we find a server who works, they stay a long time. The money's great.'
Based on the number of reservations they had each night and the crowd that might or might not get seated, Dani could believe that.
The restaurant had everything going for it- great location, better food, cachet and five-star service. There was only one six-foot problem.
Jim talked more about the restaurant, his vision, expectations and the need to be on time, work long hours and give a hundred percent every day.
Dani listened carefully even as she tried to figure out why she had a knot in her stomach.
'I like you,' Jim said unexpectedly. 'I know your grandmother. Not well, but I know enough to understand if you rose to manage one of her restaurants, you've got the right stuff and you're not afraid of hard work. To be honest, I've been looking for the right manager for a long time. I think you're her. Let me write you up an offer and then we can talk again.'
Dani blinked. 'You're kidding?'
Jim grinned. 'I know you're excited.'
He kept talking, but she wasn't listening. Excited didn't exactly describe the knot in her stomach.
This was a great opportunity. Sure, Jim might be difficult, but no one could be as bad as Gloria and she'd survived her.
So why wasn't she more thrilled? Was she really getting a bad feeling or was she falling into self-sabotage? Did she secretly believe Gloria's claim that she just didn't have what it took and could never make it on her own?
LORI WALKED INTO the kitchen and found Sandy already there.
'You're early,' she said.
Sandy poured herself a cup of coffee. 'I know what it's like to be tired after a long day. Of course,
Sandy smiled at her and Lori realized she'd really started to like the other nurse. Lori considered the fact that she didn't hold Sandy's full-blown beauty against her a sign of a mature character.
Sandy waved the coffeepot at Lori who shook her head. 'Not if I want to sleep tonight.'
'I know. I get hyped up on coffee and then I don't fall asleep until nine or ten in the morning. My body clock is totally screwed up. Speaking of screwed, did you see those twins on CNN?'
Lori shook her head. 'What twins?'
'Bimbos. Former centerfolds. It was awful. They've written some stupid self-help book so us lesser mortals can learn to be as sexy as them. Can you imagine?'
Lori didn't know what to say. If tall, busty, gorgeous Sandy considered herself a lesser mortal, what did that make Lori? A mutant?
'They were on CNN talking about their book?'
'Uh-huh. That part was bad enough, but then the stupid reporter brought up Reid. Of course they had to dump on him and say he was lousy in bed.'
Sandy pressed her lips together. 'It's that damn newspaper article. Kristie and I were talking about it a couple of nights ago. The thing is, it's so unfair.' She smiled, as if remembering something amazing. 'I had absolutely no complaints about my close encounter with Reid and neither did Kristie. It was everything we wanted it to be.'
She sighed. 'Of course I was a fan and, I confess, just a little slutty at my interview. I threw myself at him. Not that he said no.'
Lori couldn't think. Her mind went totally blank, which was probably for the best. Otherwise she might have exploded.
'You slept with him during your interview for this job?'
Sandy nodded. 'Kristie, too. It was fun. That big desk in his office at the sports bar. Yum. I…' She stopped and stared at Lori. 'Are you okay?'
No, she wasn't okay. She was furious. Not with Reid, but with herself. For being stupid enough to think he was a real person. He wasn't. He was just a shallow, disgusting pretend human being.
'I'm fine,' she said from between clenched teeth.
Sandy grimaced. 'Oh, God. I just put my foot in it, didn't I? I thought you'd slept with him, too.'
