Page 22 of Bake You Mine
His words struck her sideways. They were acquaintances, once distant, now friendly. It had to stay that way. She cleared her throat. “Not all of us are hot chef.”
He started to say something, but stopped. “I’m glad for that. It’s not a title I’m particularly fond of, to be honest.”
She peered up at him. “Hmm, I’m beginning to see more depth to you beyond your looks.”
“Amazing what you can find out when you do more than grunt at me from across the parking lot, huh?”
She let out a sputtering laugh. “I’ve never grunted at you.”
“Before this week, I think our deepest conversation was about the price of produce.”
Oh, if only she could tell him the reason for all that—because he was proving her right. Getting to know him was supposed to make her crush fade, not intensify.
She had to reel this back in and fast. “I’m an introvert. What can I say?”
He held her gaze, that dimple deepening. “Okay, if you sayso.” He gazed past her at the clock on the wall. “Anyway, I’m glad we handled it quickly. Can we talk later about the dinner? I should get back.”
“Of course. I’m sorry again, Liam.”
With a smile, he waved off her apology. “I already told you we’re cool. You can buy me a drink at the cocktail party if you want to.”
“Won’t they be free, though?”
He chuckled. “That’s why I said it, you don’t owe me…you know what? Sorry, that was a lame attempt at a joke. I’ll see you later.”
He left her with a crush that, no matter what she did, deepened by the second. Conquering her feelings for him was a losing battle.
seven
“Two new sous? Are you sure?”Damon tossed a medicine ball to Liam.
They tried to meet up at the gym over on Tulip Turn at least a couple of times a week before work.
“You said you liked them both. So, hire them both. We’ll need the help gearing up for the holiday season.” Liam lobbed the ball back. “And besides, we’re overdue for a wave of turnover anyway.”
They had a pretty good crew at both front and back of the house, but turnover was a reality of the hospitality industry.
“Ugh, that kind of thought needs to stay on the inside.” Damon tapped the side of his head. “You know how many candidates we had to sift through to find these two.”
“I know, I’m sorry.” Liam mimed zipping his lips. “But I want to ensure that you have the help you need. Because let’s be real, I may be executive chef, but I’m aware of whose kitchen that really is.”
Liam made sure the plates looked right on their way out the door, planned menus, and glad-handed customers. His title ofexecutive chef meant little without Damon keeping everything running. He’d be nothing without him.
“Well, damn, you do pull your head outta your ass every now and again.”
Damon launched the ball at Liam so hard that it took the air from his lungs.
“I was paying you a compliment, dipshit.”
Damon ignored him. “I’ve got to worry about payroll and this whole contest bullshit. Do you have to go to a cocktail party tonight? Seriously? We have a party of twenty in the private room. I could use your help to keep everyone straight.”
Liam pushed the ball to the side and dropped onto his back. “So, I’m hearing that you’re not happy with the current state of things at Elevation. That makes two of us. I’m tired of not spending enough time in the kitchen. If I wanted to be the face of the place and nothing else, I’d be in front of the house.”
“You know what I mean.”
He exhaled a long breath. “May I remind you that you’re the one who started tagging Elevation’s posts with the hashtag?”
“Look, I don’t want to argue with you, man. I’m just saying, win or lose this contest, we’ve got to make some major decisions about the future of the business.”
