Page 50 of Win Some Love Some
“What?” I asked. “You don’t know what I want.”
“Of course I do,” she said. Rebecca stepped to the side of the table with plates in her hands. “And here it is,” Nora cried. “Thank you, Rebecca.”
Nora reached across the table to help with the plates and Rebecca shot her a poisonous look. I smothered a laugh, because I could see how that might go. Food all over the table. Plates on the floor. Nora ran back to grab a few more dishes and a basket of bread.
“Who ordered the bouillabaisse?” Rebecca asked.
“Oh, that would probably be me,” Mal said, putting his napkin in his lap. “I adore Jolie’s bouillabaisse.”
“And the steak au poivre?” Rebecca asked, and I had to admit, that was what I would have ordered.
“I also ordered you the mushroom duxelles and the lyonaise potatoes,” Nora said.
“I like frites,” I said.
“You’ll like these better,” she said. Rebecca laughed like she couldn’t help it and left. “Of course here is a baguette with Jolie’s fresh made butter.”
She stepped back to admire her handiwork and collided with another server who just managed to save the wineglasses on his tray. There was another scowl directed towards Nora. She wiped her forehead with her hand, but shot us her best smile.
“I didn’t think Petite was a place you would come to a lot, Nick,” Nora said with a fake smile. “But Jolie says you like to bring your fancy out of town dates here.”
“Jolie’s got a big mouth,” I muttered and took a bite from one of the plates Nora recommended. It was a mushroom soaked in butter and garlic that was amazing.
“My wife’s mouth is sufficiently sized. Thank you,” Mal glared at me as I snatched another mushroom. He turned his attention to Nora. “My compliments to the chef.”
“Of course, Bon Appetit,” she said and whirled around and immediately smacked into another waitress, who, thankfully, had a good grip on the tray she was carrying.
“Sorry!” Nora exclaimed to her co-worker, who was clearly not happy. “It won’t happen again.”
“Oh, it will happen again,” Mal said as he took a bite from the plate closest to him.
“What does that mean?”
“According to Jolie, Nora is an absolute delight, but a bit clumsy.”
“It’s because she’s always rushing to the next thing. She’ll settle down. You’ll see. Nora can do anything she sets her mind to.”
“Yes. Very interesting.”
“What’s interesting?”
“This dish,” Mal said. “What else?”
9
Nora
The words didn’t register at first. I had to repeat them to make sure I understood what was happening.
“I’m fired?”
Jolie winced and twisted her hands in a kitchen towel. Her salt and pepper hair was pulled back in a tight bun. “I really hate doing this. I meanhate it,hate it. But you’ve left me no choice.”
We stood in the quiet kitchen, every surface clean. All the pots and pans stacked on the shelf over the cooking stations. I’d never been here when it was so quiet. It was eerie. The kitchen and waitstaff hadn’t arrived to set up for the first seating at five, but Jolie had texted me asking if I could come in early so that we could talk.
So she could fire me.
“I was trying…” I said in my defense.
