After Hannah put the finishing touches on a slowly cooking pot of chili, she leaned back against the counter with a groan. A glance at the clock told her that the dinner reservations would begin soon; right now, they were in a lull between the lunch and dinner hours, and she knew that this would likely be her only chance at a break for the rest of the night. She wouldn’t have long, but then she didn’t need long. Just a few minutes to freshen up, take a walk around the dining area, and have a glass of water before she got back to it.
Stepping into the hall that led from the kitchen to the small office was, literally, a breath of fresh air. The kitchen was boiling hot with the ovens and burners so active, and the cooler air in the hall felt like paradise after the hours spent sweltering over the stove. From the hall’s other entrance, she could hear the swells of conversation coming from the dining area, but she turned the other way, toward the office. It was a tiny room, with a single desk, two chairs, a small end table next to one of them, and a full-length mirror on the wall. She stood in front of the mirror as she brushed her hair, returned it to its ponytail, and tucked the hair net back around it. The office was quiet, and she took a moment to simply enjoy the peace before she left the room again, this time heading for the door to the dining area.
The volume swelled around her as she opened the door and stepped through the threshold. It wasn’t very busy yet, but everyone was in high spirits and a few people were sipping drinks and laughing by the small bar, which had recently been opened for the evening. Hannah spotted Vanessa standing impatiently by the bar, near the door that led directly into the kitchen, and changed direction to go say hello to her before starting her rounds.
“I didn’t expect to see you in here today,” Hannah said as she approached the other woman.
Vanessa, who had been staring impatiently at the kitchen door, looked up. “I thought you and Rory had big plans.”
“We do,” Vanessa said, annoyance already seeping into her voice. “But my coworker, who was supposed to take my normal shift today, called in at the last minute. I’m going to have to work today after all.”
“I’m sorry,” Hannah said, grimacing. “Will you have time to go out afterward?”
The door to the kitchen opened and Shayne came through, carrying a to-go bag. He handed it over to Vanessa, who thanked him as she opened the bag and peeked inside. Seemingly satisfied that it was the correct order, she rolled the bag back up and pushed away from the wall.
“I asked Rory to just pick up some food and stop by my apartment this evening. Another of my coworkers said he’d be able to take the last half of my shift tonight. If he ends up changing his mind too, I’ll have to cancel completely.”
“I hope it all works out,” Hannah said, stepping back so Vanessa could get by her. “Let me know how it goes.”
“I will,” she promised, giving an absent wave goodbye as she strode toward the door. “Sorry, I’m in a hurry – Helena gave me almost no time to get ready for work and –” She broke off, coming to a stop in the middle of the walkway between the bar area and the main dining area. Hannah, who had been about to turn and follow Shayne back into the kitchen, intending to get back to work herself, paused and took a step toward Vanessa in concern.
“I’m going to kill her,” Vanessa said flatly, her hand tightening its grip on the to-go bag.
Becoming truly worried now, Hannah hurried over to her friend. “What’s wrong?”
“That…” She ground her teeth. “Woman. She told me she was sick. Food poisoning or the flu or something. But does it look like she’s emptying her guts into a toilet right now? It doesn’t to me. And what on earth is she doing with him?”
Hannah followed Vanessa’s gaze to a tall, smartly dressed blonde with her hair falling in waves past her shoulders. The woman was arm in arm with a handsome man, all her attention focused on him. She didn’t see Vanessa until it was too late.
The couple was almost even with Vanessa and Hannah when the woman, Helena, glanced over at them. Her eyes widened as she spotted Vanessa. The man she was with spotted her at the same time and quickly disengaged his arm from Helena’s. She shot him an affronted look, but the effect was somewhat wrecked by the anxious glance she gave Vanessa afterward.
“Vanessa… I thought you’d be at work.”
“I thought you’d be huddled in bed with a thermometer in your mouth,” Vanessa snapped back. “I guess we were both wrong.”
“I was feeling sick,” Helena started. “But then… well, I started feeling better and you had already agreed to take the shift…”
“You called me half an hour ago,” Vanessa said, her voice low and dangerous. “I find it hard to believe that you recovered from your mysterious illness so quickly.”
“I… I…”
The man Helena was with touched her elbow and jerked his head toward the tables. “Are we going to sit down or not?” Even though his words were directed at Helena, his gaze seemed to be caught on Vanessa. Vanessa looked back at him coldly.
“We shouldn’t have come here,” Helena said. “Vanessa,
