She couldn’t wait to be in charge of her own kitchen someday. And she felt confident learning under him, that she would be able to do it too. She wanted to be able to lead, but also foster this kind of work ethic and attention to detail that Louis did. She was lucky to have worked for two amazing chefs already in her short career.
She began to chop her vegetables, julienne style. Her knives were sharpened to her specifications each day. And she made quick work of the carrots, and then set to work on the green beans. She’d begin preparing the meats, while Louis was focusing on his special sauces and measuring out the ingredients he needed when the influx of guests began to settle down for their evening meals, and the controlled chaos would reign. But it was a good chaos, a flurry of activity that kept patrons returning to one of the hotel’s many restaurants time and time again. They cooked for the five star rated Vineyard Restaurant which also boasted great wines. It was situated on the main floor of the casino in the back and looked over the river.
She looked up after only thirty minutes when she heard a quiet hush come across the kitchen. The usual pattern of sounds had stopped and that quiet distracted her. Her eyes grazed across the room until she saw what had interrupted the flow. Stalking towards her was Joseph Sassacus, and his brown eyes, flecked with copper, were directed at her. She hadn’t seen him in nearly a month. He looked good enough to eat as he powered her way purposefully. She felt a sheen of perspiration pop out on her forehead, and used the back of her sleeve to wipe it away. She wondered what he was doing down in the kitchens again. And why he was approaching her.
She cleaned off her knife, swallowed past the sudden dryness in her throat, and sheathed it in the block she used for her knives. It was apparent he was coming directly towards her, and she wondered what he could possibly want. Her heart beat faster, and she was suddenly nervous. She remembered their last meeting all too well. The shock she felt when he touched her was something she couldn’t get out of her mind.
As he strode her way, she realized she had never seen a man so focused. It was disconcerting. Since the incident last month in early March, she hadn’t seen hide nor hair of him. Only Tawny and Eve made occasional pit stops in the kitchen. Once in a while Jonathan passed through, but since his marriage a few weeks ago, she hadn’t seen him either.
Joseph stopped directly in front of her, the massive cutting board that served as her station separating them. Kitchen etiquette said he should always speak to the head chef first, and from the corner of her eye, she saw Louis bristling under the slight. “How have you been?” he asked directly unaware of his breach. His eyes searched her face and he gazed around her before settling those dark eyes on her once more, a slight smile crinkling the corners of his mouth.
She tried to focus on him, and not the stares she was getting from the other staff working in the kitchen that evening. But the intensity of his gaze unnerved her. Those coppery eyes.
“Um, good,” she stated as nonchalantly as she could muster. But casual conversation with one of the management was not something she was used to. A compliment in passing, and a few words with Louis were sometimes exchanged, but the management never really stopped to talk to her.
“Again, the food you prepared for my brother’s engagement party was fabulous. And Louis’ praise of you was glowing. Perhaps when the new restaurant project my mother wants to add on top of Tower Two is complete, you might be ready for that.” Her chest began to hammer. Her own kitchen. That was quite the prize, but something that wasn’t usually offered to someone with her limited experience. She scrutinized the man before her more closely wondering what he was up to.
He was watching her eyes, and she tried to stifle the excitement that the thought of running her own kitchen caused. Her own restaurant to manage. She’d heard the talk of opening up a fine steak house on top of Tower Two, The Oakwood. And, it would be years before she could open her own place. But running her own restaurant would build her reputation, and a clientele that would come to her establishment. She hoped this was real.
“That would be great.” She didn’t want to show too much excitement at the thought. She knew that project was at least a year or more away. But to think that Louis and the Sassacus’s were discussing her as a possibility was astonishing.