Page 59 of R for Rough

Hmpf. Four vegans tonight. My brother’s wife was a vegan, and I adored her—possibly because she was the first to saysomething like, “Um, why would a vegan go to a steakhouse? Meat is in the name!”

We did not serve any fake meat here, but we did have some alternatives. Adam made a good sandwich with grilled eggplant, roasted onion, and a creole aioli that didn’t have eggs in it. That was about all for the entrees, though! Not even our zucchini fries were vegan. Tonight’s vegan party would have to order up on the grilled veggies and regular fries.

I scratched the side of my head. Two gluten-free, one with severe peanut allergy.

Okay, we were good to go!

Just in time for Adam to kick open the door and carry in a crying toddler.

“Hi, Chef!” I walked over to them and kidnapped Nicky, positioning him on my hip. “What’s the matter, little dude? Why’re you crying?”

“We ran out of bread upstairs, so clearly the world is coming to an end,” Adam said. “What the fuck happened to your face? Please tell me you got a cat.”

I laughed and made a funny face at Nicky. “We can pretend I got a cat.”

Daddy returned from the changing room at the same time as Alessia joined us.

“Oh! I didn’t know you were coming in today, Griffin.” She was happy to see him, albeit confused.

“Is Nicky running back of house with me today?” I asked.

I was completely ignored, because Adam spun around to face Daddy, and Alessia rushed forward and asked me what’d happened.

“Stop looking at me like that, man,” Daddy bitched. “I gave him ice cream after I beat him.”

I cracked up, hard, and Alessia was quicker to get it than her hubby.

“Dio—you two don’t mess around,” she laughed softly. “This was the party Jameson and Justin were at too? I talked to Lola this morning.”

“Yeah, it was fun.” I smiled.

Adam shook his head and turned his ball cap around backward. “At least Tracy got some punches in too. Jesus Christ.” He gave us both pointed looks. “If anyone asks, y’all had a fight with the pig that’s currently in the smoker outside.”

Daddy and I exchanged a smirk.

Flawless cover story!

That evening, I got another glimpse into my future with Daddy, and it kept a smile on my face until my jaw was aching. It was ridiculous, wasn’t it? But it couldn’t be helped. We assisted each other in the kitchen while Adam manned the grill out front, and our shared workload gave us some moments to be cheesy together. Like when Daddy came over to me, hugged me from behind, and said he couldn’t wait to wake up with me in his bed.

Or when we took our meal break and talked about maybe looking at boats next spring. Daddy missed having a boat, and it was my dream to have one.

All the while…we loved work too, so we didn’t have to explain ourselves when we got too distracted by our tasks. We cooked because it was our passion, and we tended to live in our heads when we were busy. To me, it was just a relief to know he was the exact same.

“And the salad?” Lee asked.

“The sherry vinaigrette,” I said, grabbing two plates. Then I pushed open the door with my butt and backed out of the kitchen. “The six-ounce sampler for the mac and cheeseand crispy brussels sprouts, and brisket for the fried pickles and mash.” I left the plates next to Adam’s station, and he acknowledged me with a nod, busy flipping steaks.

Griffin had come out to help him, ’cause Adam’s usual weekend helper, a chef I wasn’t particularly fond of, hadn’t felt well. I mean, he was a decent chef, but he didn’t love his job. You could always tell if a chef worked to pay the bills or because he lived to cook—and obviously pay the bills too.

“You know you gotta set up interviews, right?” I pressed.

“I put Alessia on it,” he replied.

“You know who you should call?” Daddy said. “Duane. He just moved to the West Coast after his divorce.”

“Are you fucking serious?” Adam asked incredulously. “Man, he’d be great. And he’d fit in with us.”

I didn’t know who Duane was, but I was all for us finding a more permanent solution. We needed a lunch chef who could think for himself and someone who could help Adam on the weekends. Although…I had a feeling Griffin would pick up extra shifts now.

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