Page 28 of Pistols and Plush Toys

“It’s what I went to school for,” Brooks said, offering up the information without sounding like it was being pulled painfully from him. “But yeah, it was—it was cool to get hired there. It was my first time as sous chef.” His smile grew. “Olive was great. Everyone was really nice and the dishes were seasonally changing, so there was always something challenging. I… miss it.”

The smile faltered, and Nikolai wanted to lean forward, wanted to ask why it was Brooks was no longer working there. Why instead he’d been working at some two-bit diner.

Except Nikolai had a bad feeling they’d be circling back to Vitale that way, and he wasn’t looking to revisit that minefield of a topic.

It was nice to not have Brooks cowering and silent.

“Is good, you should be very proud,” Nikolai said. “Me, I’m know nothing about cooking. What it is that sous chef is doing?”

Life flared in Brooks's eyes, and he sat up straighter in his seat. His voice was still quiet, but the enthusiasm was clear in itas he started talking. “You can specialize in a cuisine, but I did a little of everything in culinary school and hopped around a few different restaurants for experience. My palette is pretty, um, adventurous, so I’ve made everything from Thai cuisine to Slavik to Americana. Olive & Plate is Mediterranean, so there I was making a lot of pasta, lamb, and seafood while I was sous chef.”

“What it is sous chef is doing specifically?” Nikolai asked, because he was on a roll coaxing Brooks to speak now, and he wanted it to continue.

“Oh! Sorry—” but this time the apology wasn’t accompanied by hunched shoulders and a terrified expression. “—it’s like being second in command in a kitchen. I was under the head chef, Sayat. The menu and recipes were all him, but I was in charge when he wasn’t there.”

“So you were doing all the cooking?” Nikolai asked.

“I mean, second to him, yeah,” Brooks said, nodding as if that was no big deal. “Normally he would go out for compliments because Olive & Plate was really all him. He was um, he was off the night with Mattia though, so…”

Brooks trailed off, shifting in his seat.

Nikolai wanted his spark back. “Is very impressive,” he said. “It is sounding like maybe not too common to be sous chef so young?”

“Oh, uh—” Brooks licked his lips, another nervous habit, but at least he wasn’t biting them. “People can be. I just kind of got lucky, really. I was at La Cucina before that, and Sayat was friends with the owner there who was my mentor. Sayat was looking for a new sous, so it was just sort of a right place, right time thing.”

Nikolai’s brow furrowed. “Were you not interviewing?”

“Oh, no, um—I mean yes? I mean yeah, there was an interview. Sayat’s like, so serious about the food. Olive & Plate is his baby.”

Nikolai nodded now. “Then maybe it was not being ‘right place, right time’. You were being recommended, and did good job in interview.”

Brooks looked like he didn’t quite know what to do with that.

“Now I am more sorry I’m feeding you canned spaghetti yesterday,” Nikolai said seriously. “I’m not having a chef right now. We will order better food from now on, yes? So you will not starve.”

“Oh,” Brooks faltered. “No, I mean it’s—it’s really fine. The food has been… fine.”

Nikolai stared at him dubiously. “A chef cares about food, yes? You have places you like, you should say. Then I’m will order better food. Okay?”

Brooks opened his mouth and then shut it again. He looked so caught off guard that he was forgetting to be afraid.

That was a very marked improvement.

“I-I guess I could,” Brooks said hesitantly.

Nikolai nodded again, satisfied. “Yes, I’m thinking that’s best thing. Like I’m say, I’m knowing nothing about cooking. If you are chef, you’re expert in good food. So you should say places that are good.”

Okay, so it was possibly somewhat pushy, but maybe demanding that Brooks be in charge of choosing the food would give him a life raft while he was here. Something he had control of.

Not that Nikolai wouldn’t also benefit from chef-recommended restaurants.

“Oh,” Brooks said again, very softly. “Um. If you’re sure, then I… I guess there’s a couple places I could recommend.”

“I’m sure,” Nikolai said, turning back to his food, but keeping watch of Brooks out of the corner of his eye. “We havefood that is enough for tonight, since I’m order so many thing, but you will choose breakfast.”

“Okay,” Brooks said after a second. “I’ll, um, try to think of some good options.”

“Good,” Nikolai said, looking up to give him a smile before returning to his plate.

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