Page 45 of Whiskey Neat

He tosses the salad and puts a small portion on everyone’s plate.

“This is an entrée salad with a simple vinaigrette aimed at health-conscious eaters, or for those hot summer days when you want something light to eat. I’m calling it Captain Ahab’s Salad and it can include seared tuna or not.”

Before handing out the plates, he scoops some of the pasta onto our plates. It’s in a white sauce with rotini pasta and something green in it.

“This is Call Me Ishmael.” Wren smiles. “It’s a creamy pasta dish made with a bechamel, sautéed spinach and shallots, and rotini. For an upcharge, customers can add a grilled or breaded chicken breast.”

From the final tray, he spoons some of the meat and veg on our plates.

“This is simply grilled meat skewers served with grilled vegetables and couscous. I’m playing around with calling it The Crew since it has a variety of ingredients.”

Wren passes out the plates, standing back with a simple smile.

“I also have a burger planned called the Moby, but it’s best served hot off the grill,” Wren explains. “It’s going to have a burger patty, bacon, ham, two cheeses, avocado, and an onion relish. Customers can make it a Moby Dick and add seared tuna. It’s over-the-top, but the college students will dig it.”

Ridley is shoveling the food into his mouth and gazing at the quietly confident chef the whole time. I have to admit, he went the extra mile with his menu concept and thinking about our potential clientele.

“With a nod to the queer undertones, I was thinking of bacon wrapped dates on the appetizer menu called Pequod, the boat’s name.”

Kit chuckles, scraping his fork against the plate to get the last of the pasta sauce. “Clever. Do you call this menu style anything?”

“Eclectic American,” Wren says. “It’s bar food meets casual dining meets contemporary American.”

For me, this is a no brainer. The food is better, the menu is thought out, he knows Salem, who seems to like him—which honestly bothers me a little—and his vibe is a little more approachable. We still need to do our due diligence though.

“We have a few questions for each of you. Separately.” I set my plate down. “Teddy, we can start with you.” I approach Salem, immediately aware of the heat between us. “Is the office suitable for an interview?”

“All tidied up, boss.”

“Any red flags I should know about with Wren?”

He shakes his head. “He’s quiet at first, but once he’s comfortable, he’s pretty funny.”

“Thanks.” Before I walk off, I have to know. “Did you guys fuck?”

Salem laughs, rolling his eyes. “Gah, Indy. For being the hottest man on the planet, the jealous streak is a little ridiculous, but I’ll humor you. No. We’ve never even flirted. Last I heard, he was locked down, and he’s not my type anyway.” He pokes my chest. “See exhibit A.”

I nod, humbled. He’s right. I’m acting ridiculous, but no way am I hiring a guy who had his hands on Salem. I’m not gonna even try to unpack why.

That’s a challenge for another day.

FOURTEEN

SALEM

“Your food is incredible. I guess culinary school worked out?”

Wren nods, leaning back in his chair and resting his foot on his opposite knee. “It’s been a wild ride the last six years. This is a pretty exciting opportunity. I could make my mark here.”

“Totally.”

“How’d you end up here?”

“Fucking layoff. I finally hit the wall too. No more corporate climbing. I came back here to collect myself and this place showed up. They hired me as their inventory specialist. So far I order shit to get the place up and running.”

“Are they cool guys?”

“The best. Really chill, even though they all have different personalities. It was Indy’s brain child, so he’s kind of the leader, but they equally own it.”

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