Page 9 of Slow Simmer

Chapter Five

The kitchen staff started arriving at about ten, by which time Carlo had cleaned up the worst of the mess he’d made. Or at least, piled all the dirty bowls and tools he’d used in one of the giant industrial sinks in the washing area. A junior walked in and sighed before making a start on the mountain, shooting Carlo an irritated glance. Well, there was one staff member he’d have to win over, Carlo thought guiltily. No doubt the kid was used to it, though, assuming Suzannah still went on her occasional all-night cooking benders trialling new recipes.

A slight, almost delicate-looking girl came to stand in the doorway between the two kitchens, smiling as she caught his eye.

“Hi, I’m Julie,” she said cheerfully, her accent telling him she was Australian.

“Carlo,” he said affably.

“I know who you are. I love your show.”

She was trying not to gush, he thought. He offered a warm smile. “Well, perhaps you can appear on future episodes.”

“Really?” Her eyes went very wide. Charming girl, Carlo thought privately, though he had no intention of encouraging her hero-worship of him.

“Indeed, as long as you are good at your job, and since you are employed in Suzannah’s kitchen I have no doubt of that. Tell me, what’s your position here?”

“Senior assistant to Ms. Monteil,” Julie looked proud of that, as well she should. Carlo knew all too well that Suzannah was exceedingly picky about who she worked with, and Julie certainly wouldn’t be her trusted right hand if she wasn’t more than just competent.

“I’m preparing a dégustation dessert menu for this afternoon,” Carlo said, nodding at the crust he was just pressing into a row of miniature springform pans.

“So I hear. What’s that for?” Julie sounded like she was dying to ask questions, but also worried about prying. Carlo took pity on her.

“It’s a macadamia and pistachio crust for a coffee cheesecake. I’ll be serving it with a black cherry drizzle.”

“Wow.” She looked at the processor behind him, currently beating the cream cheese and sugar together, and the two ice cream machines churning beyond that, before a smile crossed her clever, narrow face. “Well… no doubt we’ll have plenty of opportunity to work together. I’d better get cracking. Laters!” Waggling her fingers at him, she withdrew, and as though her exit was a sign of approval, the other staff all began to chatter at once, asking him questions, telling him how much they enjoyed his show and how excited they were to work with him.

Carlo answered their questions as best he could, though he steered deftly clear of any which touched on Suzannah. Laughingly, he declined offers of help, saying the dégustation needed to be all his own work.

“Stick with your own jobs,” he advised. “I don’t want Chef Monteil angry with me on my first day, if your work doesn’t get done!”

They were certainly well trained, he observed, as the mere mention of Suzannah’s name had them scurrying to their work stations. Clearly, they respected their boss, and he would never for a moment undermine that.

He heard Suzannah come into the other kitchen; the tempo of work picked up and spread to the pastry kitchen, the young chef next to him suddenly paying much closer attention to the meringue swirls he was piping onto a baking sheet.

“Good morning once again, Chef Monteil,” he said, keeping his tone respectful, though he didn’t turn around from the sauce he was stirring. The hairs on his arms prickled as she came to stand behind him, glancing over his shoulder.

“Now, now,” Carlo said teasingly. “You must wait for your surprises, Chef.”

Suzannah sniffed audibly. “I don’t like waiting.”

“So I recall,” he said softly, and she stepped back hastily.

“There will be six for the dégustation,” she said quite loudly. “Please be ready to begin by two-thirty.”

“As you wish, Chef,” Carlo said deferentially, but he grinned to himself as she moved away. She’d asked for that… and he remembered all too well that she was an eager lover, always impatient to tear his clothes off and fall into bed. No, patience wasn’t really Suzannah’s strong point… except when it came to her cooking, of course.

He wanted to watch her, but forced himself to concentrate on his own work. He had to be faultless today, everything so perfect even Suzannah couldn’t find a single flaw.

Knowing that Luke and Jace would be at the dégustation, and recalling Luke had said something about the marketing manager attending, Carlo had to wonder who the other two would be. Who had Suzannah invited to sample his desserts? Someone who would back her judgement, he guessed, and therefore he wasn’t surprised in the least when he went out to to restaurant at two-thirty and Suzannah introduced him to the sommelier, Edouard, who was sitting at the table beside her.

“A pleasure to meet you,” Carlo said affably, offering his hand to shake. “And I’m so glad Suzannah asked you to sit in; tasting my desserts will of course be invaluable when you select dessert wines to pair with them.”

“Indeed.” Edouard offered a limp handshake, not bothering to stand, and then completely ignoring Carlo, turning back to Suzannah. “As I was saying, the Montrachet is a perfect partner for that waygu beef…”

Carlo blinked, surprised, but didn’t really have time to remark before they were joined by Luke and Jace, accompanied by two young women.

“Hi again, Carlo,” Jace shook his hand with a warm smile. “Good to see you here. How are you settling in?”

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