Page 1 of Provoke You

1

Dad’s Going to Kill Me

Ela

“Just need a minute to plate it.” I glanced over my shoulder to where Cece, my executive chef and boss, crowded the threshold. Behind her, the bustle and hustle of dinnertime was in full swing. The euphony of pots and pans clinking on stainless steel workbenches and servers calling out their orders was music to my ears.

Smiling, I reached overhead and grabbed a bag of tiny glass bowls and arranged them on a tray I had already set up on my station.

“I made something special to celebrate.” I crumbled a mini scone into a bowl when Cece joined me. “Can you smell that? These scones are pure perfection. Look at this.” I pinched another pastry, and it fell apart into pieces.

“What are we celebrating?” Cece grinned at the mini desserts, taking a big whiff.

My cheeks felt hot. I was being childish to want praise for getting my life back on track, but after being to rock bottom and back, I couldn’t help but feel proud of myself.

“I’ve been sober for a year, and Dad’s here at the restaurant. I thought maybe we could talk. His favorite scones might help.”

I missed Dad. I missed our Wednesday night dinners. I missed having a family. Dad would be proud of me and all the progress I’d made in the past few weeks. Maybe he’d even talk Mom into coming back to New Orleans. We could still be a family. It wasn’t too late for us. Even if Grans was gone.

“Ela, stop.” Cece covered my gloved hand with hers and held it in place.

“What’s going on?”

“He’s gone, sweetie.” The pity in her eyes was something I was familiar with.

Dad had left again without saying goodbye. So much for surprising him with his favorite dessert. I pursed my lips, blinking a few times to clear my vision, while I wiped down my station. White flour puffed around me before it flittered down on my shoes and the cement floor.

“I thought he’d stay to sample these.” I met Cece’s gaze.

“He was surprised to see you were still working here.”

“Why?” I cringed at the whine in my tone. I took a deep breath and tried again. “This is my restaurant. My hotel. Why wouldn’t I be here?”

“The last time he was here, you almost—”

“I know.”

Yeah, I almost died of alcohol poisoning after a morning of day drinking to celebrate my graduation from Le Cordon Bleu school. I’d been so out of it I almost burned down the kitchen. Or so Dad had said. I honestly didn’t remember a thing—only that Dad had been furious.

“At least when you’re a drunk, we know where we stand with you. Your kicks of sobriety are giving me whiplash.” Those had been his last words to me. I’d hoped he was back to patch things up.

“I swear this time is different. I promised Grans I would turn it around, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.” Admittedly, I got worse after Grans died, drifting from day to day, but I was ready to make good on my promise and get my life back on track.

“I know. I can tell. Give him time. He’ll come around. You’ll see.” She wrapped her arm around me the way she’d done so many times throughout the years. Cece was more than my executive chef, she was like a second mom to me. “He says maybe you can use this time to spend some time with your mom in Paris. Just for a few weeks.”

I snorted a laugh. “He wants me out of his way. I wish I could say that was something new. But this is what he does, isn’t it? He just can’t be bothered with me. I did everything he said. I haven’t had a drop of booze in a year. I’m good now.” I am good. I am good. Maybe if I said it enough times, he’d believe me.

“He knows that. I know that.” She tucked a wisp of hair behind my ear.

“I’m going to talk to him.” I pulled the apron over my head and threw it on the counter. “I need to tell him I’m sorry.”

“Okay.” Cece nodded. “I’ll finish off in here.”

Weaving through the various food stations, I waved at the smiling faces of the staff on my way out of the kitchen. I jumped on the elevator and hit the call button for the top floor where Dad spent most of his time when he was in town. My hopes soared when I reached the end of the corridor and found the door to his room wide open.

“What the hell?” I said to the empty room. He was gone. I fished my phone from the back pocket of my pants and called him.

Jennifer, his chief of staff, answered on the first ring. “Hey, kiddo.”

---