Page 83 of Brooke
Chef Marcel nudged Rico. “We will try it too! I have a supplier I can recommend as can Rico. We will see who supplies the best pork in Paris.”
“I will handle the preparation, Chef Madison,” her sous chef said, stepping forward white-faced. “If that is agreeable.”
“Thank you, Jacques.” She picked up her mezcal and tooka healthy sip as the arguing continued like a beautiful melody in the background. “Would anyone else like to try the pork?” she asked the rest of the mostly speechless guests.
Not that she blamed them. The chefs hadn’t made space for anyone else to talk.
Dean’s hand went up, making Jacqueline elbow him. “Hey! I’ll never turn down food. Come on, I can’t be the only one who wants more to eat.”
“I personally am stuffed in the best way,” Sawyer said, sending her a lopsided smile. “Bravo, Madison!”
“Yes, three cheers all around!” Brooke looked especially happy sitting beside a smiling Axel, whom she would press for his impressions later. “I’ve been to soft openings for restaurants in Manhattan, Madison. All I can say is there was nothing soft about tonight. Dean, do not make a lewd joke.”
“Hey! I have a filter,” he protested, making her friends laugh.
God, she was glad they were here. She’d thought about whether to do a run-through only with them before going with the professionals, but she’d wanted them to witness the big show. They’d come together as friends and business partners to help Nanine reopen the restaurant. This was the place where they’d all first met and worked. They’d come full circle, to her mind, and she usually wasn’t a nostalgic person.
“Dean has a filter?” she poked. “But I’m glad you still have room to eat, although I think it’s more from a desire for more flavors than to fill your belly.”
“Totally!” Dean playfully stood and unbuttoned his jacket dramatically. “It’s like Thanksgiving belly in here, which is fitting since it’s about a week away.”
“That brings to mind a Voltaire quote,” Sawyer said, getting that philosophical look in his eyes as they all groaned.
“I wondered if we would get through the evening without one of your great philosophers, Sawyer.” She gave her roommates an eye roll for fun. “Lay it on us, Doc.”
“Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity.Only I would add that eating and drinking with friends, especially when said friends have created a masterpiece for the senses… Nothing is a greater pleasure.”
“Well said!” Jean Luc added, putting his arm around Thea. “Let us raise our glasses again to our hosts tonight, and to my beautiful and talented Thea. The light from your star is already on its way, I believe.”
Thea buried her head in her fiancé’s shoulder while Madison took another sip of mezcal to soothe her knotted throat. “Anyone else have a critique?”
“I have notes for you, Madison,” Axel interjected with a broad smile. “But only a couple. You have outdone yourself. I believe you have the recipe for success here.”
“Thank you, Axel,” she said, catching Brooke’s eye. “I’m eager to see the notes.”
“I would say that a few of the waitstaff need to practice pouring,” Jacqueline broke in as she flipped her dark blond hair over her shoulder. “It’s not surprising since it’s like physical exercise. I myself used to pour water into wineglasses for ten to twenty minutes per day when I first graduated so I would be ready for the rapid pace of the restaurant.”
“She’s brilliant!” Dean kissed her on the cheek.
“That’s a great idea, Jacqueline,” Madison commented, making sure to look over at their staff. “Consider it added to your prep.”
“A few people were nervous, of course,” Jacqueline added, her voice punctuated with authority. “I would also recommend running through some mock orders so people can seem more at ease explaining the menu. Otherwise, I thought the food was out of this world from start to finish. Ever since I first tried your lobster salad, I’ve seen stars in your future.”
“Thanks, Jacqueline.” Madison gripped her knees underthe table before rising. “Excuse me. I need to check on things in the kitchen.”
Her staff was diligently working on the plates of pork. She could see the intention and excellence in their every move. Her chest swelled with more messy feelings. Since they hadn’t seen her, she headed to the one place she could be alone with the side benefit of cooling off: the cooler.
Inside the walk-in, she closed her eyes and tipped back her head, savoring the silence and the cold air on her heated skin. Something stirred at the other end of the room, and suddenly she knew she wasn’t alone anymore. She opened her eyes to see Kyle staring at her as he closed the door.
“I came to see…” His blue eyes were hot and glittery. “God, Mad, you…I’m so…”
Then he was crossing the small space and wrapping his arms around her. She jerked at the initial contact, which brought a heat so potent it could forge them together. She wanted to lean in. God, so bad.
She fought it for a second.
And lost.
Tonight was too special. Too much emotion. Too little fight left.
