Page 32 of The Chef's Kiss
“Are you still in law school part time? Last I heard, you were done with your undergrad and attending Boston College for your law degree.”
“I am. I take classes three nights a week and work here on my off days and weekends. Your father has been so good to me, working around my schedule.”
“Everyone thinks he’s a cold-hearted businessman, but he’s kind when he wants to be.” I climbed onto my bed to sit and patted the mattress next to me.
“What can I do for you?” Ruby sat beside me. We’d always been friends when her mother worked here, and we’d played together as kids. Then, just a year before I left for college, Ruby took up her mother’s old position to work her way through school. I was so proud of her. Just looking at how far she’d come on her own gave me courage.
“If I give you some dresses and shoes I’ve never worn, can you take them with you into Boston later this week and see if you can sell them for me at one of the vintage shops?”
“They’ll think I stole them.” Ruby laughed. “I don’t look like I can afford Gucci and Prada. You’ve always just donated your old clothes before. Are you in some kind of trouble?”
“No, I just need a little mad money, and I’d rather not ask my father for it. Just enough to tide me over until I find a job.”
Ruby nodded. “Still want to make your own way?” She smiled.
“Not that selling designer dresses my father’s personal shopper bought for me is making my own way, but I can’t ask him for what I need. Will you help me?”
“Of course, but it’s going to raise questions if your maid shows up trying to sell dresses that clearly don’t belong to her.”
“Tell you what, I’ll call ahead and make an appointment for you so they know you’re doing this for me.” I took a deep breath. “Just don’t mention it to my father or grandfather.”
Ruby nodded. “Okay, I’ll do it on Friday after class.” She went back to her tasks, and I felt better about what I was about to do, knowing I would have a little cash on hand for when my father flipped out on me.
12
HUDSON
“You know what would be so good with this roasted chicken?” Selena pointed at her plate with her fork before she shoveled another bite into her mouth.
I just loved it when people told me how to make my food better. “I bet it’s something apple-related.” I stood in my chef whites, waiting for my boss to finish tasting the potential menu items I’d prepared for her. She wanted to be involved in creating the menu, and since she signed my paycheck, I had to be cooperative.
“It is, actually. Mallory Ellison makes this divine apple-cherry chutney we could incorporate into the roasted chicken, and I think it would be perfect.”
“I’d be happy to make a chutney of my own.”
“Oh, but the people here just love the Cheddar Chariot. It would be such a great way for us to support another local business if we sourced the chutney from Mallory.”
“Did you say you want to source an ingredient from the Cheddar Chariot?” I tried to keep my famous temper in check. Selena Contreras hired me to make her restaurant something special, and I was determined to make it so.
“I know it’s a food truck, but you have to admit, the food we had there the other day was amazing.”
“Okay. I’ll, uh, go have a chat with her then.” Or talk Selena out of it. Any restaurant with my name and reputation on the line would not be serving anything sourced from a food truck.
“You should definitely get with Mallory, and her husband Hunter too. They source a lot of local ingredients, and she’d be a huge help to you with that. How are we doing with setting up our local vendor accounts?”
“Does this Mallory happen to be an Ashford? If so, I can pretty much guarantee she won’t talk to me.”
“She’s not, but I’m not surprised if you’ve run into some trouble with the locals. They don’t always accept new people so easily. That’s why I think it’s so important for you to get out there and pound the pavement and show them you mean to embrace this town and all it has to offer this restaurant. I know I could make this easier for you by setting up accounts for you, but I want you to love it here. And part of what makes Orchard Hill Farm so great is the people here in Superiore Bay. I know you see this opportunity as a way to get your career moving again, and I’ll be lucky to have you here for a year or two.”
One year tops. I needed to be out of this place as soon as it was a success. Even if my next stop was Boston or even Vegas, it would be better than this insane town with their weird clannish rules.
Selena reached across the counter and took my hand. I barely managed to hide my flinch at her touch. “Try to be happy here, Hudson. Superiore Bay is a wonderful place. A place where you can do the thing you love and have a life and a home you can be proud of.”
“I need a manager.” I folded my arms across my chest. “Someone who can help me establish connections. Someone local with experience running a business. I run the back of the house, but I need to work with someone I trust to run the front of the house.”
“We haven’t had any decent candidates.” Selena moved on from the roast chicken entrée back to the appetizer of fresh herb and goat cheese mousse on a seared crostini with a salad of fresh greens with braised pears—because I couldn’t tolerate another apple—finished in a lavender honey vinaigrette. It was delicious, and she couldn’t stop eating it.
“Let me find the right person.” I moved to serve the next sampling. Applewood smoked duck with roasted vegetables in a wildflower honey mead reduction sauce and carrot purée.
