Page 32 of Why Not Both?

Her smile widens a bit and I know she’s laughing at me. I deserve it.

“I won’t. Thanks, though.”

She turns and heads into her kitchen and I am ashamed to admit, I watch her ass as she walks away. Then I go into my office and sit down, noticing the backpack with my clothes in it that she must have left here before going to the lounge. I drop my head to my desk with a thunk.

“I am a creep and I am pathetic.”

Chapter 13

Lis

The first thing that goes wrong is the bride brings two extra people with her. The second thing that goes wrong is the groom brings three. I have just enough to make their plates until the person cooking the chicken burns two of them. While also under-cooking the middle. I switch the person out, but the damage is done. I send a message to the group chat asking Derek if he can procure some more chicken in the next five minutes and he says he’s on it.

Three dishes break while I’m plating and then Spencer arrives.

“I have good news and bad news,” he says.

“I need some good news,” I say, laying the chicken that’s been cooked properly onto the plates.

“You no longer need the two chicken that were ruined.”

I pause, looking up at him. “Two people left?”

“No. Two people are vegetarians.”

Everything in the kitchen pauses for a half a second before Tina yells, “Don’t stop stirring that sauce.”

I take a deep breath. “Please tell me the two people are two of the extras.”

“No. It’s two of the planned guests. The bride says she told me. I’ll go through the notes later tonight, but I don’t remember her telling me anything about vegetarians for the rehearsal or the wedding.”

I tilt my head back and groan. “Tina, come finish plating.” I rush to the fridge and start pulling things out, eventually landing on a large head of cauliflower. I point to one of the cooks behind me. “Get that oven turned back on to four twenty-five.”

I rush around gathering oil and the same seasonings we used with the chicken. I cut the cauliflower until I have thick slices, season them, and throw them in the oven.

“What do you need me to do?” Spencer asks.

“Stall them. These are going to take at least twenty minutes. I’d prefer thirty. The chicken isn’t going to last that long, though.”

“We can bring these plates up in ten minutes,” Tina says, as she finishes with the sauce and moves on to the vegetables. “They’ll last that long. Then we can have the wait staff set them out slowly.”

“I can let them know the vegetarian dishes will be shortly behind,” Spencer offers.

“No. I don’t want them to notice that they’re coming out separately if they don’t have to. If someone asks, then we can tell them. Otherwise, just say nothing.”

Spencer nods and leaves the kitchen to return upstairs.

My heart is pounding in my chest as I wait for the cauliflower to bake. There’s really nothing else I can do other than stand there, wringing my hands. I’m supposed to be taking a minute between the dinner and dessert, but I’m just watching the time. The wait staff takes the chicken dishes and head upstairs. Two plates are sitting on the pass, ready for me as soon as the cauliflower is done. I resist the urge to open the oven and check on them.

Do not open it, Lis. I tell myself. You’ll just let all the hot air out and slow down cooking. Relax and let the oven do its job.

I check the time, watching as the second hand on my watch ticks around. I always wear the watch when I’m cooking, specifically for the second hand.

Finally, they’re done and I pull them out, plating them quickly. A waiter is already there, ready to bring them upstairs. Just as he leaves with the dishes and I’m about to take a deep breath, a fire breaks out at the meat station—the one that should have shut down twenty minutes ago.

“What?” I turn and grab a pot lid, smothering the fire as quickly as I can and then turning off the heat. “What are you doing?” I ask the cook.

She’s young and pale with fear.

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