Page 28 of Get Undressed With Me

“How did your meet-and-greet go?” he asked, casually pulling Min toward him as a few people walked near them on the sidewalk.

Not wanting to ruin the mood, Brittany deflected.

“As expected.”

Min’s eyes narrowed, but she didn’t say anything they entered and Hayden approached the hostess. She immediately led them to a table in the far back, away from the crowds.

“I’m so glad you’re here, Hayden.” The hostess was practically whispering, which was new.

“Why? What’s going on?”

“He’s fighting with Rosa again. It’s been… tense.”

Hayden nodded with a deep sigh, leaning toward Min. “I’m going to go check on him. Be right back.”

He kissed her quickly and left, walking to the kitchen. Brittany threw Min a skeptical look.

“What’s that about?”

Min rolled her eyes. “Theo is going to be opening his second restaurant soon and has been trying to hire a new executive chef for this place. But he keeps firing people for stupid reasons, and Hayden’s about ready to strangle him.”

“Rosa’s a new chef?”

Min nodded. “Yep. She’s been doing really well, and her food is amazing, Brittany, just as good as Theo’s, although don’t tell him that. But they fight. Constantly.”

“About what?”

“Whatever it is chefs fight about. Something about blanching. The best pans. Cook times versus temperature. Japanese knives versus German. From what Hayden’s told me, all chefs are insane, and in order to work together you need to find a mutual insanity.”

“And their insanity doesn’t match?”

“Not even a little bit.”

Just then, there was a crashing noise that came from the kitchen that made the whole restaurant jump. Her eyes wide, she met Min’s eyes. At the same time, they both burst into laughter.

Min said. “Last night Theo sent Hayden a dozen pictures of the walk-in freezer, all annotated to show exactly what Rosa had moved. Theo thinks it’s a conspiracy.”

“Like, she’s using the walk-in to send a code to others?”

“Probably.”

Just then the server came over, giving Min a relieved smile.

“Min, thank god.”

“I heard, I’m sorry. Hayden’s trying to talk him down now.”

With a nod, the server took their drink order and left to the bar just as Hayden dropped into the seat next to her, looking annoyed and amused all at once.

“Everything okay?” Brittany asked.

Hayden nodded, taking a deep drink of his whiskey.

“Theo’s insane, but calmer. I managed to convince Rosa not to quit, but they’ve split the kitchen down the middle in an attempt to finish the night while not talking to each other.”

Brittany blinked. “Being a chef is a lot more intense than I thought.”

Hayden grimaced. “Huge egos mixed with sharp knives and actual fire. It’s a wonder he hasn’t gone to jail yet.”

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