Page 42 of Laying His Claim
No pressure, right?
Jalissa sped from station to station, smelling and tasting. The salmon mousse was flawless, but the mussels needed more white wine. When she discovered that an entire wheel of Roquefort was spoiled, she wanted to cry. Dish after dish went speedily out to the service area, but as fast as she covered the orders, more came in.
She stopped, just for a second, to catch her breath. Was she up to the task, she wondered? Was she able to do this, or had she stepped out of her comfort zone too soon? Maybe-
No. Giving up now would be unthinkable. That wasn’t who she was. She’d fought her way through a coma, dammit. She could ace this!
But then…
“Jalissa!” Melanie’s breathless voice broke into her thoughts.
Jalissa startled guiltily. Did Melanie think she’d been slacking off on the job?
But Melanie was smiling broadly. “You have visitors.” She gestured out through the kitchen doors.
Visitors? I don’t have time for visitors!“But—”
Melanie shooed her outside. “Go on. I’ll cover for you.”
Dusting her hands on the front of her apron, Jalissa hustled outside to be greeted by the cheers of her friends. Justin, Kaiya, Tyler, Finn, and Kalilah, all seated around a large table, clapping as she approached them. “We’re so proud of you!” Kaiya squealed, while Justin stood up and stepped around the table to press a kiss upon her forehead.
“Yes,” he agreed. “We really are. We think you’re amazing.”
Jalissa pressed her hands against her mouth to keep herself from crying. She could say little more than, “Thank you, thank you.” before hurrying back inside. Now, she wasn’t just cooking to prove herself to a restaurant full of strangers, she was cooking to prove to a group of people who cared for her and believed in her that their trust was justified.
That knowledge gave her wings. And that night, her cooking brought the house down atMelanie’s.
* * *
The wine was flowing and the mood around the table was light. Everyone oohed and aahed over Kalilah in her newly acquired maternity wear, since her baby bump was finally beginning to show.
Justin set down his knife and fork, replete from the delicious meal Jalissa had prepared, wondering how he was going to be able to fit in dessert. Knowing that Jalissa had prepared it, he decided he’d eat it all, even if it meant he’d split his sides doing so. She was an amazing cook, and he was grateful to have her in his life. And not just for her cooking.
“Damn, Justin,” his brother said as he, too, finished the last bite and washed it down with one of the finest winesMelanie’shad to offer. “Do you eat like this every night?”
Justin scoffed, “Actually, I do, but you’re acting as if I can’t handle my own in the kitchen. What did you think I did before Jalissa came along? Survived on cornflakes?”
“Okay, I’ll give you that.” Finn grinned at him. “You know as well as I do that being in the restaurant business teaches you a special skill in the kitchen. But sometimes, as they say, the shoemaker’s children have no shoes.”
“Our shoes are just fine,” he joked back, motioning to his fully belly as proof.
Finn patted his lips with a linen napkin and laid it carefully next to his plate. “Speaking of restaurants. Can we have a word?”
Justin stood immediately, worry creasing his face. Was something going on with the family chain of restaurants? He was still rattled by the fire in the kitchen back in Ottawa.
“Ladies, Ty, excuse my brother and me a few moments, will you?”
“Family secrets?” Kalilah teased him.
“Something like that.” Finn blew her a kiss, then led Justin out to the foyer.
“What’s happening?” Justin asked, concerned.
“Don’t worry. Nothing disastrous. I was just talking to Dad, and since they confirmed arson, they’ve deepened the investigation. We were thinking of increasing security at the other restaurants, just in case someone has a vendetta against our family.”
All told, the Tremblay family owned ten fine dining restaurants and five fast service outlets. So, the possibility that they would be targeted for that kind of attack was disconcerting.
But aside from all of that, it stung just a little that their father had reached out to Finn, even though he had no participation in their family restaurant business. Since Justin was the one who’d flown all the way to Ottawa when the fire had happened, why didn’t Dad call him first?
