Emily, the hostess, recognizes me immediately from behind the large mahogany stand. Behind her on the black wall is Bistro 59’s large bronze lettering. Emily’s white collared shirt is tightly pressed, and her black tie is tied perfectly around her neck. “Oh, hi, Mrs. Moore.” Her megawatt smile stretches across her soft cheeks.
“Emily, I told you that you can call me Lena. Mrs. Moore sounds so formal.” I giggle.
“Sorry.” She winces. “Habit, I guess.”
“That’s okay.” I give her a smile. “Is Logan here? My friend and I were hoping to stop by and see him and to grab some lunch.”
“Um, yeah,” she says, glancing over her shoulder to the kitchen door. “I think he and Natalie were back in the prep kitchen.”
“Oh. Well, do you mind letting him know Abby and I are here?”
“Of course. I’ll be right back.” Emily leaves us, headed straight for the kitchen.
Abby and I wait near the front of the restaurant. Several minutes pass when Logan still hasn’t appeared from behind the large metal swinging door.
I can feel Abby lean toward me, whispering in my ear. “Do you think he’s okay? It’s been a while.”
I open my mouth to answer her just as the swinging door flies open. Logan appears behind it. His face is serious as he crosses the dining room. At first, he doesn’t notice me but as soon as his eyes shift to the front, he smiles at the sight of me. The first expression on his face has me wondering what or who put it there to begin with.
Logan smooths his hands down the front of his chef jacket. He straightens his growing hair, running his fingers through to the ends. His tongue slides inside his mouth, moving from one cheek to the other. I can tell he’s eating a Tic Tac.
When he reaches me and Abby, he leans forward and kisses me. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
“Yeah,” I attempt a small smile, again ignoring the nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach. “I hope that’s okay?”
“Of course, it’s okay, Len.” He slides the Tic Tac to the other side. “I was just showing Natalie the prep for dinner. She’s still learning the menu.”
I nod, swallowing the uneasiness threatening to rise. Get a grip, Lena.
A woman emerges from the kitchen, crossing the dining room in the same direction where the three of us are standing. She’s dressed in a chef jacket similar to Logan’s but instead of silver trim, hers is accented in white. The name ‘Natalie’ stitched on the corner of her chest. Her black hair is tied into a high bun, accentuating her narrow face. She appears young, not a single wrinkle or crease etched into her smooth skin. She’s beautiful, I’ll give her that.
A knot forms in my chest as she grows closer. She stands beside Logan, nudging him with her elbow. “The onions and carrots are all sliced, ready to be put in the stock.” Her cheeks blush and I hate the way it makes me feel. The way she stares at my husband. There’s a gleam in her too young eyes and I suppress the urge to call her out on it.
Her still gleaming eyes shift to me. “Hi, I’m Natalie. The sous chef here at the restaurant.”
I nod, tilting my head forward. “Hi Natalie, I’m Logan’s wife, Lena.”
Her smile falters slightly and her body shifts. I hold my arm out, placing it on Abby’s back. “This is my friend, Abby.”
Abby and Natalie stare at one another for a few seconds of silence. Finally, Abby reaches her hand out. “Nice to meet you, Natalie.”
Natalie smiles back, returning her handshake. “You too.”
I ignore Natalie’s narrowed eyes studying me and turn my attention back to Logan. “Abby bought an office space just a few blocks over so I figured it would be a great time to stop over for some lunch.”
“Congratulations.” Logan shifts his gaze to Abby. His eyebrows dip before settling back into their natural place. “So close to the restaurant.”
“Yeah, well this area has some prime real estate. Thought I’d jump on the opportunity before I let it pass,” Abby says.
“That’s smart.” Logan looks back to me. The air between us is lingering with awkwardness and I’m not sure why. Abby and Logan had never been too close back in Providence. Considering I was still in a relationship with Julian, my time with both Abby and Logan were limited. When I wanted to spend time with Abby, Logan never complained. He said I deserved to have time with Abby all to myself.
Natalie standing inches from my husband isn’t helping matters either. The knot in my chest has only tightened, pulling on its own strings.
Logan trades glances between me and Natalie. He finally turns to Natalie. “Do you mind getting started on the stock? I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Sure.” Natalie smiles at Logan then says goodbye to me and Abby before she spins on her heel, disappearing back into the kitchen.
“I’ll show you both to a table.” Logan tips his head back toward the dining room and we both follow him. The knot slowly starts to unravel the farther Logan takes us away from where we had met Natalie. Uneasiness settled there, not understanding what her intentions were with my husband. She didn’t act like a normal employee. She was too close and too cozy standing next to him.
Logan takes us to the far wall of the restaurant, the one lined with large floor to ceiling windows. We have a perfect view of the water.
Boats line the piers, several of them floating out in the distance.
Emily passes our table. Logan grabs her attention before she makes it back to her host
