Page 36 of In a Pinch

He smirks and pulls out a chair to sit. “You did well. Now, can you tell me three things you learned here that would be applicable to your next step? Take your time and think about your answers as you finish packing up.”

Not wanting to mess this up, I take my time to think over the last several weeks. It’s hard not to focus on one little red head in particular, but that’s not what he’s here for.

Once everything is packed up, I make my way to the table and sit in front of Chef.

“Three things I learned.” Still trying to put my thoughts together, I manage to say, “I learned patience. Not everyone will be at the same level in the kitchen, and as head chef, it’ll be my job to help them catch up to the rest without losing my cool.”

He nods his head in approval. “That’s a good one, especially for you. Okay, next one.”

Thinking about Addie’s stubbornness today, I say, “Not everyone will want your help. You might have to be creative to make them more perceptive.”

He chuckles in surprise. “Now that’s not one I wasn’t expecting. Did someone here give you a run for your money?” He tilts his head, waiting for my answer.

“Only one?” I joke. Chef’s laughs grow louder and melts with mine. “Okay, the third. Let me think.” I tap my finger on my chin until I can think of a good one. Surprisingly, I learned a lot from this class as both a person and as a professional. Which leads me to my next answer.

“I learned that, sometimes, I’m wrong. I thought I would hate teaching this class, but I really enjoyed it. It wouldn’t hurt for me to be more open-minded.”

He stands and pats me on the shoulder. Keeping an arm gripped on my bicep, he says, “Good work, son. I will help you walk this out to the car. I’m proud of you for sticking with it.” He drops his hand back down to his side. “It isn’t always easy admitting where your weaknesses are.” His index finger finds my chest. “You’ve grown a lot since I first met you.”

His praise makes me feel uncomfortable. I didn’t grow up in a house where people were proud of me. I pushed my dad’sbuttons every day, and I was the least outgoing of my siblings. My mom had a hard time with that one.

Hearing Chef say he is proud feels good. I would sell my left kidney to hear those words fall from my dad’s lips. To this day, he has never stopped by Flambé. Never come by my apartment. Everyone thinks I’m the grumpy asshole, but my dad has everyone I know beat by a mile.

“Thanks, Chef. That means a lot coming from you.” I avoid eye contact; the sudden rush of emotions isn’t something I am good at.

“Next, we will work on you accepting compliments and realizing you deserve them. How about that?” He gives me a wink and smiles.

Hell might freeze over before that happens.

Chapter Seventeen

Addie

It’s 4:45 p.m. on a Friday, and it’s taking everything in me to not dart out the door fifteen minutes early. The boss left at noon and almost everyone else followed suit. The weather is gorgeous today and spring fever is in the air.

Lucky for me, Regina, stayed behind. She, too, needs every single hour on her paycheck. She dragged her laptop to my desk after lunch, and we caught up on all our tasks. That was until four o’clock rolled around. Now, we are just absentmindedly scrolling through our phones, waiting for five o’clock to strike.

“You know what we should do tonight?” Regina sets her phone down, suddenly filled with excitement that I know she didn’t get from work.

“No, but I am open to suggestions. If I stay home in my sweats another Friday night, I will simply pass away,” I say.

“We should go down to the bar. They are having ladies’ night. You can see if Liv and Isla want to come?”

Oh, a girls’ night? Hell yes.

Perking up in my seat, my palms hit the desk with an excited slap. “That sounds like a great idea. I could use some drinks and dancing with my girls. This will surprise you, but I used to be the life of the party.”

“Not a single bit of me is surprised. After watching you put Mr. Becker in his place, I knew you had a fiery side. Your energy matches your hair.”

I laugh at that because she is far from the first person to tell me that. The setting sun catches my attention as it’s orangey hues stream in through our open windows.

“Okay, how about we meet at Isla’s, get ready, and Uber over to the bar? I can text you our address.” It will be fun to get us all together. Regina will fit perfectly into our little girl gang, and I’m pretty sure all of us could use a night on the town.

“Yes.” She nods enthusiastically, then pinches her face. “How committed are you to staying another ten minutes? We can turn on the answering machine early and dip out.”

I can afford ten minutes without pay.

“Twist my arm,” I joke. I’ve been ready to blow this popsicle stand all day. This week was chaotic at best. None of the apartments I’ve looked at were great. Actually, they’ve all been dingy and dark and way out of budget. On top of that, Mr. Becker has thrown me more and more tasks every day. How I managed to stay on top of the workload is nothing short of a miracle. So, I would say I earned this night out.

---