Page 92 of Bake You Mine
“Yeah, like that.”
Mrs. Linley waved her hand. “We need to have dinner again soon, Aubrey. I know Liam is going over to dinner at your place soon. Maybe we can get together to celebrate after the winner is announced? Because you’ve both won, truly.”
Whatever happened, happened. She couldn’t keep living in a state of anxious fretting. She exhaled a long breath.
“You all right, love? That was one mother of a sigh.”
She leaned over and squeezed Mrs. Linley’s hand. “I am now.”
Liam dropped his elbows onto the counter and let out a groan. “Is it me, or has time slowed down?”
They were in the lull between lunch and dinner, a rare time when the restaurant didn’t have many covers.
While Enrique led the crew with dinner prep, Damon and Liam were holed up in a booth, considering their options. Lacy was their second new sous chef, working along with him. But with a full kitchen, they bumped into each other roughly every 2.2 seconds.
“I have two kids and a pregnant wife at home,” Damon said. “I have no idea about living life in slow-mo.”
Liam straightened up and inspected the preliminary plans Kevin, the architect, had drawn up for renovations. Brad, the contractor, had given him an estimate of the work. Gary had proposed a tenant improvement allowance that would allow him to cover some of the costs, like building out the space and other improvements. But if Liam were going to go through the trouble, he wanted every upgrade on his dream punch list. And those wouldn’t fall under the agreement. All those bells and whistles totaled over ten thousand dollars over the amount Gary had agreed to.
He didn’t have that kind of cash. As much as he hated to admit it, his plan B was DC. Liam would be the face for Devour’s concept, with them fronting the cash. All he’d lose was a measure of his autonomy.
As if his best friend could read his mind, Damon said, “That reminds me, have you had a chance to review the info Jason Morse sent over?”
“Yeah, I did. All slick and glossy, just like Morse himself. What did you think?”
“I was impressed. Do you have beef with him?” Damon asked.
“Nah, I just…I don’t know. I like what we’ve got going on here, man. I’ll be bummed if we have to move on. Even if part of me misses that big city hustle.”
“Hell, me too. But you know me, I’ve never lived anywhere but Port Fortune.”
“God, this state of limbo sucks,” Liam said.
“Then why don’t you both get back to work?” Enrique called from the kitchen.
“Yeah, we’re tired of sailing the ship, hot chef!” Lacy called.
Liam and Damon exchanged a glance before laughing.
“Alright, alright, enough ball-busting. We’re on our way,” Damon said.
Liam rolled the plans while Damon held out the cardboard tube they’d come in.
“Only a few more days until we know our fate, but that doesn’t mean time stands still,” Liam said. “Our books are full, people love our food, and the rest will be sorted out later.”
“Amen, my friend,” Damon said.
They exchanged a high-five before heading back to the kitchen.
twenty-eight
Liam checkedhis reflection in the mirror. “What do you think, old man? Am I respectable enough for dinner with the girlfriend’s fam?” He patted Teddy’s butt.
A leather jacket, his best jeans, and a button-down shirt. He was about as dressed up as he got unless he had a wedding or a funeral to attend.
Teddy opened one eye and regarded him before closing it again. The cat was fed and curled up on his favorite blanket. Human concerns were not his problem.
Liam gave him another pat, then he reached for his car keys. He was grateful that they were willing to have dinner early, so he didn’t miss out on another shift at Elevation.
