Page 141 of That First Flight

Then I pick her up and put her on top of the island to let her really have the stage.

We both laugh uncontrollably when I move to the light switch and start flashing them like concert lights. Mackenzie can’t even sing the words through our hysterics but a throat clearing loudly makes us both stop abruptly.

Macey stands just outside the kitchen staring at us in shock.

But she’s smiling.

“Mom!” Mackenzie leaps off the counter into her mom’s arms.

“What’s going on here?” she asks.

“We made you dinner,” Mackenzie tells her.

Her gaze locks on mine and her brows furrow. “Did you now?”

Macey knows damn well I can’t cook for shit.

I fight the urge not to reach for her and pull her into my arms and kiss her out in the open.

Instead, we sit around the kitchen table and eat the best spaghetti and meatballs we’ve ever had despite the use of jarred sauce—Macey’s words, not mine.

And I believe her because they were made with so much love.

“What is happening tonight?” I ask Kevin and Jan as we work tirelessly in the kitchen.

“This is April for ya.” Jan laughs.

“It’s wild,” Kevin adds. “The second the calendar turns over to April, everyone starts coming from all over the place to the city. I think a lot of kids have spring break the first week of April too. This is the kick-off to our busy season basically.”

“Jesus,” I mutter under my breath.

I pull the ticket from the printer to get started on the next order. It’s two orders of surf and turf, our most expensive dish on the menu.

We make this dish a little different than other fine dining restaurants. We drizzle a garlic cream sauce on top and I must say, it’s the most delicious sauce I’ve ever tasted. It’s the perfect pairing with the filet too.

“Heard a rumor.” Kevin smirks.

“About me?”

He nods. “I don’t know if you know, but Frank is opening that other restaurant in a few weeks.”

“I briefly overheard him say something before I started but not much.”

“I heard you're up for the head chef position there.”

The plate I was just holding falls to the counter while I stare at him. He’s got to be playing a joke on me. Kevin is kind of known for that.

“This isn’t one of my pranks.” He laughs as if he can read my mind.

“W-what? Me?”

“Yes,you.” Kevin rolls his eyes. “I was the one who suggested it to him.”

“Are you trying to get rid of me?” I joke.

“Absolutely not.” He shakes his head. “But you are head chef potential. I see how hard you’ve worked here for the last month. You always pick up shifts when we’re short. Most days you know more than me. Most days I let you do more than you actually think.”

My stomach feels queasy at the thought of becoming the head chef in a restaurant. It’s something I’ve always wanted. But for it to potentially happen has me scared shitless.

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