Southern Charm & Second Chances
Autor:in
Nancy Robards Thompson
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Kapitel
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Maybe this time they've found a recipe for success. Should she pack her knives? Or sharpen them? Celebrity chef Liam Wright has come to Savannah to rebrand a local restaurant. And pastry chef Jane Clark couldn't be more appalled! The man who impulsively fired her from her New York City dream job — and turned her life upside down — is now on her turf. And if the restaurant is to succeed, Liam needs Jane's help navigating Savannah's quirky culture…and their feelings for each other.
Chapter One
Jane Clark was having a nightmare.
Why else would Liam Wright be standing in front of her—in Savannah—in the middle of the restaurant that had become her sanctuary, eight hundred miles from the humiliation and bad memories born of the last time they’d spoken?
The restaurant opened at five o’clock, but Charles Weathersby, owner of Wila, had summoned the entire staff—both front-of-the-house and kitchen—for an early morning meeting. Why, then, was Chef Liam Wright here, darkening the Wila dining room with his perpetual scowl?
Jane fisted her hands and felt the bite of nails digging into flesh.
Nope. It wasn’t a nightmare. She was wide awake.
God!
If this wasn’t a bad dream, it had to be a cruel joke. Because that was the only other explanation for his being in Savannah instead of terrorizing his own minions at La Bula, his New York City restaurant.
Jane glanced around the dining room. Its black-and-white marble floors and polished dark wood contrasted with the light airiness of the glass from the windows and mirrors, which reflected the crystal chandeliers and pops of color from the red banquettes lining the back wall. It was so early, the front-house staff hadn’t had a chance to set the tables for that evening’s dinner. Soon they would cover the tables with crisp white cloths and napkins, and adorn the tops with a single red rose in a bud vase. A single red rose had become synonymous with Wila, its image on the cover of the menus and used in all of their advertising.
The familiarity of Wila was comforting to Jane. It was a touchstone that reminded her that she was safe here. She had done well here. She wasn’t defined by past missteps.
Judging from the way her coworkers murmured among themselves as they sat in the empty dining room waiting for the meeting to start, she wasn’t the only one wondering why Liam was there.
Charles clapped his hands. “Boys and girls,” he said, his Southern gentleman’s drawl elongating the words. “May I have your attention, please?”
When everyone quieted down, he continued. “Thank y’all for obliging me and coming in early on such short notice. I’m sure all y’all know Liam Wright. He’s the owner and executive chef of La Bula in New York City, as well as a winner of the prestigious Oscar Hurd Foundation Award and a past champion of the renowned television cooking show, America’s Best Chef.”
Liam seemed to bask in the glory of his résumé as he looked everywhere except at Jane. She couldn’t decide if that was a good thing—maybe he didn’t recognize her. Was it possible he didn’t remember her? Yeah—no. Fat chance. More like he was purposely avoiding eye contact after the way he’d treated her the last time they’d seen each other.
Pinpricks of shame needled Jane. Until now, she had managed to shelve the humiliation as she’d made an earnest attempt to move on with her life. And she had been getting on beautifully. Charles was happy with her work. Just a few nights ago, he’d confirmed that Wila’s revenues from dessert sales had never been higher. She’d even managed to score a feature in the Savannah Morning News. The food editor had interviewed her and sent a photographer who’d made the array of desserts Jane had prepared for the occasion look like works of art. She couldn’t have paid for better PR for herself and for the restaurant.
Things were going so well.
She took a deep breath and filled her lungs with air, pushing past the tentacles of dread that had wrapped themselves around her windpipe, intent on suffocating her. She needed to stop overthinking things.
Look how far you’ve come. Focus on that.
Charles was an old family friend. She’d worked for him at Wila when she’d been in high school. He’d hired her again without question when she’d returned to Savannah. He hadn’t asked for specifics about why she’d left her job in New York and she hadn’t supplied them.
It had been that cut and dried, and everything had been working out fine.
Of course, it was entirely possible that Liam hadn’t showed up to ruin her life—again. Maybe he was in town and he’d popped in to see Charles, one professional to another. Maybe he’d even have dinner at Wila tonight. If he did, it could be a good opportunity. Jane would serve him rum baba. The ironic gesture would fulfill two purposes. One, it would show him that his visit didn’t fluster her one bit. And two, it would prove that she really did know what she was doing. In fact, she’d make sure the cake was so delicious it would knock his socks off. It would break the ice and they would have a good laugh over the rum baba debacle that had made him lose it and send her packing last year.
“Many of you know that I’ve been eyeing retirement,” Charles said, interrupting the reunion scene playing in Jane’s head. “Even though this old body is tired and ready for a long vacation, I’ve decided it’s not time for me to completely bow out. Not just yet. However, I am ready to lighten my load a bit. That’s why I’ve decided to bring on a partner.”
A partner?
A couple of choice words went through Jane’s head as her stomach dropped to somewhere around her ankles.
Oh, dear God, no. Not Liam Wright. Please.
Even though she knew what Charles was going to say before he said it, she still wasn’t ready for the blow.
“I didn’t want to bring just anyone on board. I need someone creative, someone with a keen understanding of fine dining and a flare for approachable luxury. At the same time, I realized it might be a good time to make some changes that will make Wila more competitive and cutting edge without losing the clientele and the timeless feel I’ve worked my entire life to cultivate... Liam Wright is a natural fit. So, effective immediately, Chef Wright and I will be partners and he will help us begin the transition into our new phase.
“He will be here for the next month, working with you to refine the menu and implement the changes we need to make to achieve our new vision. Just so you know, we will be closed for a week, beginning Sunday, so that he can bring you up to speed on the new practices and procedures. But I will let him tell you more about our new and improved vision for Wila. Please join me in welcoming Chef Wright to Savannah.”
Charles started the clapping. Jane joined in because it would’ve been rude not to, and it was the best way to show Liam that she was doing fine. Perfectly fine. But that didn’t stop her extremities from going numb as she watched Liam exchange a few quiet words with Charles before he addressed the staff.
“What the hell?” murmured Joe Donoghue, Wila’s sous chef. “Have you heard anything about this?”
Not wanting to discuss it, Jane answered with a quick shake of her head. Joe cursed under his breath, finally settling on one choice word that he muttered over and over under his breath like a banishing spell.
“Thanks, everyone,” Liam finally said. He was dressed in jeans and a black Henley shirt that hugged his broad shoulders and solid chest. Her favorite body type on a guy—toned, but carrying enough meat that proved he was healthy, that he was not a slave to diets and the gym. He was tall—in the six-two, six-three range, she guessed—with dark hair and dark, dark eyes. No matter how Jane felt about him, there was no denying the sum of the parts added up to one very good-looking guy.
He knew it, too.
He was infamous for dating models. And he carried himself in a smug, too-cool-for-school, I’m sexy and I know it way that had always irked her. It still did.
Charles’s phone rang. He looked at the screen. “I need to take this call. Everyone, make Liam feel welcome.” With the phone pressed to his ear, Charles disappeared into the kitchen.
“It’s good to be here,” Liam said. “Savannah is one of my favorite places in the world. That’s why I was stoked when Charles approached me about joining the team here at Wila. And that’s what we will be—a team.”
He paused, unsmiling, and glanced around the room as if driving home the point. His gaze landed on Jane.
“I already know at least one of you.”
Oh, great. Oh, God.
Her mouth went dry and her heart folded in on itself. The look on Liam’s face wasn’t damning, but it didn’t exactly fill her with the warm fuzzy feeling of opportunity, either. Jane managed to lift the corners of her mouth into what she hoped was a convincing smile, one she would share with an acquaintance.
No need to antagonize the beast.
Especially when he would be her boss.
Again.
She hoped.
Because the alternative would mean more professional upheaval, and she’d just gotten settled.
“If you would,” Liam said, “let’s go around the room and each of you introduce yourself and tell me what you do around here. Let’s start with Jane over there.”
He remembered her name.
The tentacles of dread tightened and Jane suddenly found it hard to catch her breath. Because...well, she hadn’t exactly lied to Charles. No, she hadn’t lied at all. She just hadn’t told him why she’d retuned to Savannah and needed a job after going to culinary school and working in one of the hottest restaurants in New York City.
She hadn’t volunteered the reason behind her homecoming. It had been too humiliating. She had made such a stupid mistake and, in the end, she’d let herself down, which had almost hurt more than being fired by “America’s Best Chef.”
Almost.
After the dust had settled, she’d had a hard time finding another job in New York as an executive pastry chef at the level at which she’d been working. Jobs just weren’t that plentiful. Finally, when Charles had made her the offer, she’d had no choice but to come back to Savannah.
While she’d been grateful for the job, she hadn’t been very excited about coming home. Savannah was a far cry from New York.
In many ways, she’d been just as snobby and too sophisticated as she’d mentally accused Liam of being.
But her case was totally different.
Even so, she’d suffered because of the firing.
She’d just gotten her mojo back. Things were just starting to happen for her. She’d missed Savannah more than she realized. She was feeling at home here. In fact, she’d recently turned down two job offers—one in Hilton Head and one in Atlanta—because this job felt right. Charles gave her the freedom to experiment and try new things. It was amazing the things she could accomplish when she didn’t have to fear making a mistake, which is what she’d lived with every day at La Bula.
Now, she’d come to work this morning only to find the big, bad wolf huffing and puffing and threatening to blow down the life she’d rebuilt. But first, Liam wanted her to reintroduce herself to him. In front of everyone.
The last time she’d seen him, he’d embarrassed her in front of her La Bula coworkers. Every single word he’d said had been true. But what had hurt almost as badly as making the mistake was the way he’d called her out in front of everyone—his temper going from subzero to blazing in a matter of seconds.
Though she’d done nothing wrong, she was at his mercy again.
The best way to deal with Liam Wright was to hold her head high and look him in the eyes.
She swallowed and composed her expression so that her face wouldn’t betray how utterly nauseated she felt.
“Welcome, chef. As you know, I’m Jane Clark. Previously, I worked for you in New York as executive pastry chef.”
Until you fired me.
“Now I’m back in my hometown, working right here in Wila as the executive pastry chef.” She punctuated her introduction with a smile, relieved that her voice hadn’t shook.
Liam nodded, his eyes lingering on hers. She held his gaze in a wordless game of visual chicken, daring him to be the first one to look away.
Or to ask her to leave the same way he had that night.
Finally, he blinked and moved on to the next person, sous chef Joe.
Jane stuffed her hands into the pockets of her white chef’s coat and discovered that she was shaking. She sat like that for the duration of the introductions, which seemed to last an eternity.
When the last person had spoken, Liam said, “It’s great to meet you all,” then turned to Jane. “And it’s nice to see you again, Jane... I’m sure you’re all excellent at what you do, but I’m sure you’ll understand why I need to meet with each of you individually and reinterview you for your jobs. Are there any questions?”
Liam had been blindsided when he’d walked in and seen Jane Clark sitting in the Wila dining room, looking just as surprised to see him as he was to see her.
He regretted the way he’d lost his temper when he’d fired her. Everyone in the kitchen had gone completely still, looking at him like he was a monster who might turn on them next, but her mistake had almost cost him everything he’d worked so hard to build.
Here they were again. Of all the restaurants in all the world, he had to walk into hers—or however that corny movie line went.
Why was he even thinking about corny movie lines at a time like this? He didn’t have time to watch movies, much less quote them.
Jane Clark was a curveball. He’d have to deal with that later. For now, he needed to figure out what to do with the rest of the staff, who were glaring at him like he’d insulted their mothers. Reinterviewing for a job wasn’t fun, and the stony faces staring back at him underscored the chore’s unpopularity. But, really, it was simple. If they were good at what they did, they wouldn’t have a problem. Attitude was everything. The current collective mood didn’t bode well.
“Any questions?” he asked again.
You could’ve heard a pin drop.
“Anyone?”
It wasn’t reverent silence from people who were hanging on his every word. He didn’t want that kind of worship—he had no use for sycophants and hangers-on blowing sunshine at him. But he would’ve preferred a happy medium somewhere in between “you’re our new best friend” and “go to hell.” The vibe in the room was unmistakably closer to go to hell. Actually, it was more like Who the hell are you to come in here and upset the natural order?
He got it. Most people didn’t like change. Especially when it had the ability to affect their livelihood. Still, this was more awkward than he’d expected.
“Look, I can see you’re not thrilled with the idea of coming in and talking to me, but I’m not a bad guy.”
He heard the words falling from his mouth and couldn’t believe he felt compelled to sell himself. His usual tactic was to come in more heavy-handed and lighten up after he’d set the tone of expectation.
“I’m not looking for turnover for turnover’s sake. I’m not looking to clean house here. I just need to know that we can all operate as a team. I’m not hard to get along with, despite what you might have heard.” He paused and smiled, hoping they would see he was making a joke, but no one laughed. “I simply want you to do your job and do it right. Show me where you fit in as part of the team and you’ll have no problem. Got it?”
Was it too much to ask? Of course not.
His gaze tacked back over to Jane Clark. To his surprise, she was one of the few who didn’t look royally pissed.
God, what was he going to do about Jane Clark? He wasn’t in the habit of giving second chances. But when he and Weathersby had been in the negotiating phase of this partnership, at first, Charles had wanted Liam to keep his staff intact. Liam had pushed back. He and Charles had finally met in the middle and agreed that everyone would have a one-month probationary period in which to prove themselves. Liam would not have agreed to that if he’d known Jane was part of the staff he’d inherit.
Now, she seemed to be the face of his challenge here.
Albeit a very pretty face. He looked away and blinked. Looks—pretty or otherwise—had nothing to do with whether he kept her on or not. If he ended up having to let her go, the last thing he needed was to give her reason to believe it had anything to do with anything other than her place on the team. This was strictly about her work performance—past and present—and the deal that he and Weathersby had penned.
Charles was staying on in more of a “front of the house” managerial role. Since his ties to Savannah ran deep, he would be the community contact, the PR department. Charles’s standing in the community was one of the things that had made partnering with him to elevate Wila so attractive.
Liam had wanted to expand his portfolio of restaurants into the Southern region. He’d looked at various markets. Atlanta hadn’t felt like the right fit. Miami was a different vibe altogether. Charleston had seemed closed to an outsider. Then Liam had met Charles at an Oscar Hurd Foundation dinner. As they’d talked, Liam happened to mention his love of Savannah and how he was looking to open a restaurant in the South. The germ of the idea for the partnership had been planted. But they’d had to iron out several wrinkles before they’d reached an agreement. The most stubborn one being retention of the current staff.
“So, you’re saying you’d vouch for the entire staff? There are no problems?” Liam had asked. “Because I usually don’t give second chances. Stupid mistakes are grounds for immediate dismissal. One and done.”
Charles had frowned and for a moment Liam had feared that he would change his mind. “Nobody’s perfect. That ‘one and done’ philosophy of yours seems like a good recipe for losing a lot of decent people—people with solid talent. Take it from someone who has been in this business longer than you’ve been alive—nobody’s perfect, Liam. All I ask is that you treat my staff fairly. Give them a chance to prove themselves.”
Liam would’ve preferred a less restrictive agreement but he could live with it. It stood to reason that those who couldn’t stand the heat of his kitchen would leave of their own volition. If not, then he’d show them the door.
Since Liam was a man of his word, that meant he had no choice but to keep Jane Clark on board.
For now.
It rankled him, but it was his own fault. When he’d looked at the employee roster, he hadn’t put two and two together. If he’d realized this Jane Clark was that Jane Clark—the one who’d once worked for him at La Bula—he would have negotiated differently. Had Charles even known that Jane had worked for him in New York? Seems like he should’ve mentioned it.
Bottom line was that he had not done his homework. He had not looked into the employees before agreeing carte blanche to keep them on. That was Liam’s mistake. He hated mistakes. Because they cost valuable time and money.
He would make damn sure that Jane’s mistakes didn’t put him in the same dangerous position that had given him no choice but to fire her. Even if he had to shadow her every move in his kitchen, he’d make sure she followed protocol. Because now that he was on board, she was baking in his kitchen. Again.
“Okay, if there are no questions,” Liam said, “I’ll post an appointment sign-up sheet in the break room. Please sign up today. I want to get this done before the weekend rush.”
As he turned toward the kitchen, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a hand shoot up.
“Yes?” Liam said.
Those who had begun moving stopped to listen.
“Should we be worried?” the woman asked. “I mean about our jobs?”
The sharp teeth of irritation bit at him. He waited a moment before he spoke, his gaze piercing the young woman who’d asked the question.
“I don’t know, uh...?” He gestured to her. “Tell me your name again.”
“My name is Sally.”
“I don’t know, Sally. You know how well you do your job. You’re the only one who can figure out if you need to be worried or not. I want good people. Do your job well and you shouldn’t have to worry. It’s simple.”
He knew he sounded condescending, but that was exactly the type of inane question for which he had zero patience. Sally needed to understand that if she was going to continue to work at Wila.
“Any other questions?” he asked, mostly to see who else would expose themselves. “Anyone?”
No one raised a hand. Some glared at him.
This was an inauspicious start.
“Okay. I look forward to speaking with each of you individually.”
Then he saw Jane Clark. The lone friendly face in the dining room. Actually, it was a look that registered somewhere between friendliness and pity.
Usually, he didn’t care what anyone thought of him. That had been his survival mode as a teenager living with his dad after his mother died. The loss had affected both of them deeply. Malcom Wright had lost his wife—the only woman he’d ever loved. Liam had lost his mom—an advocate, the person who had been the buffer between him and his father.
After she was gone, if Liam said black, his dad said white. The takeaway from those turbulent three years: Liam had learned to block out the sarcasm, the barbs and bullying that had come from a tough New York cop ashamed of his son because he wanted to cook for a living.
So, yeah. Growing a thick skin had been mandatory and it had served him well. The silent arrows slung by some of the staff would only hurt them in the long run.
So why did Jane Clark’s warm smile feel like a lifeline?
He groaned inwardly and turned toward the kitchen.
“Chef?” Jane said.
He glanced back. “Yes?”
“Welcome to Savannah. Let me know if you need anything.”
Liam blinked. Once. Twice.
The memory of Jane Clark’s devastated face—the way she’d looked the night he’d fired her—flashed through Liam’s mind.
Of all the people who would have reason to take issue with him, it was Jane. Yet she was the only one who’d reached out.
“Thanks.”
While he didn’t need friends, he saw no reason to spit in a friendly face. There was something calming about her serene smile. It reminded him that there would be a learning curve here—on both sides. It would take time for him to get to know everyone, just as it would take time for even the best chefs and workers to adapt to his way of doing things. They’d just better not take too long if they knew what was good for them.
“Jane, let’s talk for a moment,” he said as most of the staff began to disperse. Her smile faded and he knew she was assessing him before closing the distance between them.
“Okay,” she said.
“Come and take a walk with me,” Liam said.
Jane frowned. “This isn’t my interview, is it? Because I’m not ready and I have a thousand things to do before we open tonight. Unless you’re not planning to give me an interview...but I hope you will because it wouldn’t be fair. I’ve been doing a good job. Charles will vouch for me if you ask him. Charles?” she called.
His business partner had returned from his phone call and was deep in conversation with Sally, the hostess who’d asked the inane question and was now visibly upset. Charles seemed to be trying to calm her down. He held up a hand in Jane’s direction, signaling he needed a minute.
“This isn’t your interview,” Liam said.
Jane swallowed so hard Liam saw her throat work. That’s when he noticed something that looked like fear hidden behind the front she was trying like hell to project as she stood there, her chin slightly elevated and her arms crossed in front of her. Where was that smile she’d offered so freely just a minute ago?
“It’s not?” She blinked again. “Oh. Okay. Good. Because I like my job. I just wanted you to know that.” The earlier fear seemed to fade to something that was a little more in her control. “What do you need? I mean, like I said, I’m happy to help you however I can.”
Even though she still looked nervous, he sensed something strong and determined in her. Something he hadn’t noticed when she’d worked at La Bula.
Her long, dark brown hair was pulled back, accentuating her blue-gray eyes, high cheekbones and pretty heart-shaped face.
Why hadn’t he noticed how attractive she was before now? Probably because he’d had his head down and his attention so focused on his work that he hadn’t noticed much going on around him outside of business. And he was going to pretend like he hadn’t noticed her looks now.
“I was wondering if you would be so kind as to show me around the kitchen?”
The request seemed to catch her by surprise.
Something flashed in her eyes that made them look sharp and silvery now.
“You’re a partner. Charles hasn’t shown you around the kitchen?”
Normally, sassiness like that would’ve bothered him, but it didn’t. At least the woman had spunk...something else he hadn’t witnessed in her before. Then again, he hadn’t been around La Bula much. He’d been more focused on the PR part of the business, leaving his chefs to run the kitchen to his specifications while he traveled and made TV appearances.
He would be more hands-on in the month he would be in Savannah helping Charles transition the restaurant into the new vision the two of them had discussed.
“I’ve seen the kitchen,” he said. “Only not while anyone was working. I want to see it through your eyes.”
Suspicion narrowed her gaze. “I’m guessing you wouldn’t ask me to show you around if you were going to fire me right away,” she said. There was that sassy tone again. He wondered if it was a defense mechanism or if she figured she had nothing to lose. He liked this surprisingly stronger, sassier version of the woman who hadn’t fought back when he’d fired her.
“Obviously, you weren’t listening a few minutes ago,” he countered. “I’m not firing anyone right away. Not until I’ve had a chance to talk to everyone. But if you’d rather not show me around, I’m happy to ask someone else to do it. It’s up to you.”
His eyes scanned the dining room. Charles had left. A group of servers was clustered at the hostess station, watching Jane and Liam talk. When they saw him looking, they turned away almost in unison and pretended to act busy. His ears should’ve been burning because he knew they were talking about him, and nice sentiments probably weren’t part of the conversation. That was fine. That was the price of being the boss and the bad guy who came in and changed things.
“I’m happy to give you the grand tour,” Jane said. “But let’s hurry. I don’t have a lot of time. I’m already behind because of the meeting. In pastries, my day starts earlier than the rest of the kitchen. So meetings like that eat into my workday.”
“I understand. Thanks for attending. It was important.”
“Yes, it was. What kind of a team player would I be if I hadn’t shown?”
He read between the lines and heard her unasked question. Did I really have a choice?
She hadn’t. For that matter, he noticed, everyone had showed up. Weathersby had mentioned that several had even come in on their day off. It spoke volumes about the respect the staff had for Charles that no one had blown it off.
“I mixed up some bread dough and left it to rise before the meeting,” she said. “If you don’t mind, I need to punch it down and knead it a bit so it can get started on its second rise.”
“Not a problem. Do you offer fresh bread every day?”
“Yes. Despite the anti-carb war going on in the world, I think our clientele would start a riot if we didn’t offer fresh bread.”
“Good to know. Do you work from an established house recipe?”
She shot him a look as if he’d asked an obvious question.
“No, the recipes are all mine. Originals I’ve come up with. Charles outsourced the restaurant’s bread and most of the desserts before I came on board.”
Liam raised his brows to show due reverence. At La Bula, the staff worked from established recipes—it was the only way to guarantee consistency. He had to hand it to Jane. She’d found a good way to slip in a tidbit about the valuable contribution she made—the creative change she’d implemented.
Noted.
As they entered the kitchen, Jane pointed to a wooden door, a stopper at the foot of the door propping it open.
“Did anyone tell you about the pantry?”
“No. Is there something I should know?”
Her lips quirked up into a smile. “Yes. It’s a walk-in pantry. Always make sure the stopper stays in place when you’re inside or you’ll get locked in. There’s something screwy with the latch. You can open it from out here, but not from the inside. Every once in a while, someone forgets—usually someone new. It’s sort of become an initiation.”
Liam frowned. “How long has it been like that?”
Jane shrugged. “For as long as I’ve been here.”
Liam’s frown deepened. “And no one’s fixed it?”
Jane held up her hands. “Hey, don’t shoot the messenger. I’m just telling you so you know.”
Liam nodded. He hadn’t meant to sound so critical. “Thank you. I appreciate the heads-up. It will be one of the first things I fix.”
The kitchen was already a hive of activity as they prepped for the evening dinner service. Prep cooks were chopping the herbs, vegetables and protein for mise en place. Stocks, which would later be ladled into sauces, were simmering on flaming burners. Everyone seemed to know their job, each keeping their head down to do it.
As Liam followed Jane to her station, he inhaled the unmistakable smells of a commercial kitchen—a mix of diluted bleach, a mélange of spices, the tang of raw meat and the phantom scent of stale alcohol, which never seemed to go away no matter how much bleach.
Her station was a simple, stainless-steel table located in the corner at the far wall. Even though she’d come in early to get started, the area was neat and tidy, as if she’d cleaned up after herself before breaking for the meeting.
He watched her lift a large metal bowl and set it to the side of her station. After washing and drying her hands, she dusted the work area with flour and removed the plastic wrap from the bowl. She stuck her fist into the large dough ball and watched it deflate to half its size. She dumped it onto the floured surface and began the rhythmic work of kneading it into a shiny, elastic orb.
He would’ve understood if she’d left the area messy since she had work in progress. She hadn’t known that he would be there today—unless she’d gotten wind about it from somewhere. He couldn’t imagine who would’ve told her other than Charles. But she’d looked surprised when he’d walked in.
Cleanliness was mandatory. But as far as he was concerned, workday neatness was an unnecessary virtue as long as her baking mess didn’t meander into other stations. His main concern was how the end product tasted.
He racked his brain trying to remember if any of the desserts Jane had made at La Bula had stood out—other than the rum baba, of course, and it had stood out for the wrong reasons.
“What else are you baking today?” he asked. “Flourless chocolate cake. Profiteroles. Blackberry cobbler made with local berries and served with homemade vanilla bean ice cream,” she said. “And rum baba.”
She didn’t crack a smile. He wondered if she’d added it to the menu for his sake. He hoped so. The Wila menu changed every day because Charles said the executive chef always planned what he served around what was fresh. That was a concept Liam respected and planned to keep, possibly putting even more emphasis on the farm-to-table aspect.
The restaurant was closed on Sundays and Mondays, and during the time he and Charles had been trying to decide if they would work as partners, he’d met Charles at Wila on those days.
He’d come in for dinner, of course, and Charles had done his best to ensure the kitchen hadn’t known he was testing the place. Judging from the looks on their faces this morning, the entire staff had had no idea he’d been there before.
It wasn’t a surprise that he had slipped by the front-of-the-house staff unnoticed. While it had served his purpose for due diligence, the oversight made him wonder just how aware the kitchen staff was of what was happening in the dining room on a nightly basis. He made a mental note to figure that out by asking a few pointed questions during the interviews, but first, he wanted to see the kitchen through Jane’s eyes.
