Page 33 of Why Not Both?

“It’s fine. Go start washing dishes, I’ll finish up here.”

I move off to the dessert station to check on the progress and find one person making a perfect caramel, while the second is burning it.

“Turn the temperature down,” I say. “And stir it constantly. Get rid of that and start again.”

He does as instructed, and I go back to the pass.

“Are a couple of these people new?” I ask Tina as we set out plates for the dessert.

“Yeah. A few of the regular cooks left when Mark did. Adalie had to bring in some new staff. They came with good resumes. But I think we should talk to her about a few of them.”

I nod. I don’t want them fired. But probably not scheduled for a wedding in the near future.

Finally, the dessert is plated and served. I tell everyone to shut down and clean up. I help where I can, but each person is in charge of their station. When they’re done, I inspect it and then tell them they can go until I’m the last one in the kitchen. Tina hugs me before she leaves.

“You did great today.”

“Thanks. I’ll look at a few things for tomorrow and hopefully we don’t have quite as many mishaps.”

She smiles. “Even if we do, you’ll handle them. Good night, Lis.”

I consider going to my office and then go to the staff lounge instead so I can lay on the couch. Kicking off my shoes and pulling the clip from my hair, I flop down, stretching my legs on the cushions. I’m dozing for a few minutes when I hear someone come into the room.

Through barely cracked eyelids, I see Spencer, who sits on the other end of the couch. I bend my knees to allow him space, but he just pulls my feet into his lap and starts massaging one. I try to sit up and he shoots me a look.

“Just relax. You’ve had a long night. Mine wasn’t nearly as stressful as yours.”

I do as he says, but I don’t close my eyes again, watching him as he rubs my tired feet.

“Are all weddings like this?” I ask.

“No. Just the ones with bridezillas.”

“And how many of those do we have this summer?”

He thinks for a moment. “About four.”

“I’ll need to know which weddings those are so I can prepare.”

He laughs. “I’ll get the names on Sunday and let you know. We’ll go over the details so you can figure out what you want to do about them. Also, I looked through my notes. The bride never mentioned any vegetarians.”

I snort and roll my eyes. “I’m not really surprised. That wasn’t the first time I’ve had to come up with a sudden vegetarian dish that wasn’t requested before the event. I’m just glad they weren’t vegan or I wouldn’t have been able to use the sauce.”

Derek comes into the room and I try to tug my feet back, but Spencer continues massaging as though it’s not strange at all that he’s doing it. My heart races as I wait to hear what Derek will say.

“You giving out free foot massages?” Derek says. “Because I’m next.”

“You’re not pretty enough,” Spencer replies.

Derek flips him off before pouring a cup of coffee and sitting at the table.

“Adalie went home?” Spencer asks and Derek nods, stirring sugar into his cup.

“About an hour ago. I offered her a ride if she waited, but she wanted to do some painting before bed.” He turns to face us, leaning against the counter. “Not bad today, Lis. There were a few pretty major snafus and you handled them like a pro.”

“Thanks,” I say with a warm smile. “I’m going to go over the menu for tomorrow. If I want to add a few ingredients, when do you need the list so we can have them on time?”

He considers. “The earlier, the better. But I can get everything you need within a couple hours. So, whenever you want the stuff by, two hours before that.”

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