“Chef, what do you want me to do with that salmon?”
“What do you think I want you to do with it?” I spat, rolling my eyes. “Take it to the movies? Filet it!”
“Hey!” Ben barked. “I’m not a mind reader, you know. Last week you wanted to roast it whole, two days ago you chunked it up for risotto.” Ben glowered at me. “What’s wrong with you? You’re acting like a real witch lately. If you want to fire me, then go ahead and do it. Because I do not need this crap.”
“Okay, okay.” I sighed and held up both hands. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. Just filet the fish, please. We’re going to keep it simple tonight—grilled with a balsamic glaze.”
“Fine,” Ben said, though his tone of voice said otherwise. “We open in less than an hour.”
“I’ll be there in five minutes,” I said, trying and failing to keep the edge from creeping back into my voice. I didn’t need Ben reminding me of the time.
Ben disappeared behind the door. I could hear him yelling, taking out his frustration on the rest of the staff.
“You should go,” Luke said.
He was right and I knew it. But I also knew that it was Friday, that the reservation book was full, and that for the next five and a half hours, I’d be on my feet, so busy I wouldn’t even have time for a bathroom break. It was going to be a long night. Before I was ready to face it, I just needed to rest a few more minutes. Besides, I was the boss here, not Ben, and the story of Grace’s two jobs—not to mention my role in helping her secure them—was too good not to share.
“In a sec. Anyway, Grace phoned me this morning, before the alarm went off. If she hadn’t been so excited, I probably would have slugged her,” I said, then went on and told him the rest of the story, or tried to. Luke interrupted me more than once with questions.
Just as I finished, Nan came breezing through the door, accompanied by Blixen and Nelson. I got up and gave her a hug, asked her if she wanted something to eat.
“No, no,” she said. “We’re on our way to the park. I just thought I’d pop in and say hello, see how the ticket sales are coming.”
“Sixty so far,” I reported proudly.
“Sixty!” she exclaimed. “That’s wonderful! Bob’s flyers are really doing the trick. When you see him, be sure to tell him I said thanks.”
“Will do. Have you met Luke Pascal yet? I told you about him,” I said, not mentioning the Grace connection but seeing a flicker of recognition in her eyes, “he built all our new tables. Luke, this is Nan Wilja.”
“I was about to say how beautiful everything looked,” Nan replied, reaching out to shake Luke’s hand.
As Nan and Luke exchanged pleasantries, Ben stuck his head out of the kitchen and growled, “Chef. Thirty minutes.”
“My master’s voice,” I said, faking a laugh to cover my irritation.
I knew what time it was. If it hadn’t been so close to opening, and if Nan and Luke hadn’t been standing there, I’d have had it out with Ben then and there.
“Are you sure you don’t want something to eat?” I asked, looking at Nan and Luke in turn. “We’ve got eggplant parmesan on special today. Come on into the kitchen and I’ll fix you a plate.”
“Can’t. I’m meeting Malcolm for dinner at six.” Nan reached into her pocket for her car keys. Both dogs got up from the floor, tails wagging. “See you Monday,” she said, then gave me a hug and said goodbye.
“I should go too,” Luke said, his head turning as Nan walked out the door.
“Are you sure?” I asked. “Let me wrap something up for you to take with you. It’s the least I can do after all your hard work.”
“Thanks, but I’ve got to run,” he said.
“Twenty-eight minutes!” Ben’s voice bellowed.
“All right, already!” I bellowed back, yelling toward the kitchen door. “When I need the time, I’ll ask for it!”
I turned around, ready to apologize to Luke for my outburst, but he was already gone.
Chapter 26
Nan
“Okay, you two. Ready to go to the park? Yes?” I opened the hatch on my car. Blixen and Nelson immediately jumped in, eager to get going.
“Good dogs. Let’s go,” I said, and closed the hatch.
“Nan? Hey, Nan?”
I turned around. Luke Pascal had come through the door and was trotting toward my car. I wasn’t all that surprised. He’d been looking at me pretty intently inside the restaurant and when I turned to leave, I’d felt his eyes follow me.
“I’ve been hoping I might run into you. Do you have a second?”
“Not really,” I replied, glancing at my watch.
“Right. You’ve got a dinner date. But you’re taking the dogs to the park first, right? Would you mind if I came along? I could follow you in my car. I’d really like to talk to you about something.”
Luke didn’t say what he wanted to talk about, but he didn’t have to. The subject, I knew, was Grace. I could see it in his eyes, the desperation of unrequited love. I was going to say no. But then I said yes, because the other thing I saw in his eyes was determination.
This wasn’t a man who could be brushed off easily. I was going to have to explain to him, in clear and certain terms, why he needed to leave Grace alone, if not forever, at least for a good long while.
“All right,” I said, opening the door to my car. “Follow me.”
* * *
Laurelhurst Park is much smaller than Washington Park, only about twenty-five acres, but it’s a quiet oasis on the east side of the river, green and a bit formal, designed by the Olmsted Brothers, the same firm that designed New York City’s Central Park, with a lovely little lake in the center. Such a peaceful spot. Even the dogs
