Page 246 of How to Kiss a Hawthorne Brother
“So what is the problem then?” Brody says.
“It’s workflow,” I say. “Training. My kitchen isn’t running efficiently. I know enough to see the problems, but I’m having a hard time figuring out how to solve them. Tatum made a couple of suggestions, and they’ve helped, but it’s not enough.”
“You need a consultant,” Perry says. “The restaurant business has those, I’m sure. People who are trained to come in and maximize your efficiency.”
“But wait, didn’t you just say Tatum made some suggestions?” Brody says. “Can she be your consultant? She’s already here. And we’re already paying her.”
“She’s good at what she does,” I say. “And she said she’s happy to help. I can ask her if she has any other suggestions.”
Brody and Perry exchange a look.
“You’d be good doing that?” Perry asks.
I frown. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“Uh, because just over a month ago, you guys were fighting over who got to carry the heaviest moving box. You hated Tatum Elliott when you were in culinary school. What happened?”
“I didn’thateher.”
“Right, you just wanted to beat her at everything, blah, blah, blah. Either way, it’s still surprising you’d be comfortable askingherfor help,” Brody says.
I shrug as casually as I can manage. “It’s not really like that anymore though. We’re getting along. It’s actually been a lot easier than I thought it was going to be.”
Brody’s expression shifts, like he’s got a million follow-up questions to ask, all of them of the relationship-defining sort, but Perry beats him to it, and his question is all business. “Can we trust her?”
“Why couldn’t we trust her?” Brody asks.
“I’m not saying we can’t,” Perry says. “I’m just saying that on paper, someone like Tatum Elliott shouldn’t be running a catering kitchen in Silver Creek, North Carolina. With her connection to her father and the experience she’s had working with him, she could work anywhere. Why here? Are you sure she doesn’t have an ulterior motive?”
“What, like, she’s spying or something?” Brody asks. “I don’t really get that vibe. And why didn’t that come up when Olivia hired her?”
“Olivia trusts her,” Perry says. “And we probably can. But having her run the catering kitchen as an employee is different than pulling her into Lennox’s circle of trust and giving her access to all of his trade secrets.”
Mylackof trade secrets is more like it.
Also, circle of trust? I’m not sure we need to make this so serious.
I hold up a hand, stopping before Perry can start drafting a nondisclosure agreement. “It’s not like I’m in danger of going bankrupt. I don’t need to tell her any secrets. I just need help sorting out some management stuff.”
Perry nods slowly, as if considering. “Okay. Well, if you think she has the experience, and you’re comfortable asking her, I say go for it.”
“She has the experience,” I say. I swallow the last shreds of my tattered pride. “I’ll talk to her.”
“Has she toldyouwhy she came to Stonebrook?” Brody asks. “Now that you bring it up, it is kind of weird how she wound up way out here. Did she know this was your family’s place when she applied for the job?”
“She hasn’t told me. But—” I hesitate, rubbing a hand across the back of my neck. “Maybe it’ll come up when I make dinner for her next week.”
I guess all I needed was atinycrack in the dam for all my secrets to come tumbling out.
I roll my eyes as my idiot brothers erupt in a chorus of cheers and guffaws, pounding me with good-natured backslaps.
“Stop,” I say, though I can’t hide my grin. “It’s just dinner.”
“When you’re cooking, it’s never just dinner. You could probably propose after the appetizer, and she’d say yes,” Perry says.
The sincerity in Perry’s words gives me pause. Lila hasreallydone a lot to counter his grumpiness. But even though I appreciate his vote of confidence, it doesn’t give me the same boost it usually would.
If only amazing food were the only thing you needed to run a restaurant.
