Page 31 of The Charming Checklist
“For real?” Brian said.
“He burned off my last nerve. I have a few part-timers that have asked for more hours. We’ll do that until our new head cook arrives. Adam Cruz. You guys are going to love him. He’s always on time and if he’s not on time he’s early.”
“Can he cook?” Sam said.
Adam could do anything required of him, including single-handedly drag five men out of enemy territory. Unfortunately, Max happened to know that for the past several years he’d been shiftless, moving from one place to another. Cook had been just one of his many temporary jobs.
A few hours later, Max had been well schooled in the art of the fry cook. This definitely wasn’t as easy as it looked. He’d mix drinks any day before he’d slave over a hot, greasy stove. But he was stuck now. His own damn fault. Should have asked Adam sooner. Max began to wonder if he was more of a hindrance than a help back here. He was trying. Flipping burgers and burning steaks.
And working his ass off. They still worked with an old-fashioned system from the previous owner, and that would be the next thing Max would change in the kitchen. As soon as he got a chance, he would install a monitor, and they’d go to a digital order system. They might be a historical landmark but that didn’t mean they had to do everything the old-fashioned way. The archaic way of reading the slips of paper put on a carousel might be quaint but it wasn’t efficient.
Valerie hung a slip of paper on the carousel and spun it. “What did Nick do now?”
“Oh, crap.” Debbie, their oldest waitress, came up beside Valerie. “Sheryl’s husband again?”
“No,” Max said, “But we won’t have to deal with him anymore.”
He didn’t encourage further talk and they both got the message. Never put Max in a hot kitchen and expect him to chat. And all of a sudden, as if something in the universe snapped, insanity broke loose. Valerie and the other waitresses were putting up orders it seemed every second. The carousel was filled.
“What the hell is going on?” Max said. “Is there a convention in town?”
Brian stared at him as if he was a simpleton. “Lunch rush.”
“Right.”
For the first time in his life, Max felt like a slug. No matter how fast he ran from one side of the kitchen to the other, from the fridge to the microwave to the stove Brian and Sam ran circles around him. They flipped burgers and plated dishes. These guys were all getting a raise as soon as he went over the books.
“Max,” Valerie called out over the loud din of sizzling burgers and clanging pans. “Ava’s here and she said that yesterday Nick offered her a birthday lunch special. Want me to tell her?”
Damn! Ava’s lunch special. “Never mind, I’ll take care of it. What does she usually have?”
“A turkey burger on whole wheat, hold the mayo. No special sauce. Lettuce, no onion, no pickle, sliced tomato. And sweet potato fries, just make sure they’re crispy.”
Max blinked. “Why don’t you write that down for me.”
“I’ve got it, boss.” Brian had already pulled a turkey burger from the freezer and slapped it on the grill. “She’s a picky one. Gotta get it right, too, because she won’t send it back.”
Score one more thing he’d discovered about Ava. Last night, he’d learned a lot about this woman who constantly surprised him. She’d been raised by her nanny, who seemed to have exerted the biggest influence on her life. Spent a gap year in Colombia, had an affair with a coffee farmer. Despite the fact that she was almost constantly cheerful, she had a morose side to her. A quiet and introspective side when someone had hurt her. Surprisingly, he kind of hated it.
And she was gorgeous. So beautiful, wearing a tiara on her head and pulling it off without looking the slightest bit ridiculous. A blond Audrey Hepburn, playing inSabrina, of course. And the 800-pound gorilla. Safe to say he hadn’t smiled that much in a year or more.
Brian shoulder checked Max as he plated the burger and fries. “Order up.”
He must be getting old. These guys made him feel like he was standing still.
Like no matter how fast he moved, he couldn’t keep up.
Valerie set Ava’s turkey burger down. “Gossip!”
“What happened?” Ava leaned forward.
“Nick? He was fired this morning.”
“Max said he was doing that, but I had no idea it would betoday.”
“I’m not even sure Max did, because we’re short a cook now. And guess who’s in the kitchen all sweaty, gorgeous, and rockin’ an apron?”
Ava scrunched up her nose. The bar section was closed but they sometimes didn’t open for lunch on weekdays. “Cole?”
