Page 23 of Cupcake of the Month
He nodded his thanks, inwardly preening.
Wendy and Rob shuttled between the kitchen and the dining room. Josh envied the casual intimacy between them – Rob’s hand low on her back, her stealing a drink from his coffee, the kiss on the forehead when they passed each other in the room.
“Anthon will be here soon,” Ms. Eulalee said. “I think it would be good for you two to meet.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“He’s an acquired taste, but the two of you should get along just fine.”
Great.
“Plus we’d like you to stick around for the staff meeting after breakfast every day, if that’s possible.”
“No problem.” He had nowhere else to be.
Jordan had taken out her laptop and worked at the island, tapping on the keyboard and going through a stack of papers. Having her around meant he could sneak a glance at her instead of resorting to staking out her social media when loneliness panged in his chest.
He and Eulalee spent the next hour keeping up the supply of eggs and French toast as she talked him through an average day. Dinner menus were created that day, using whatever meat they felt like cooking and any produce Mac and Duarte brought. Josh had helped Barb create menus for her clients, but that had been from a premade list. Preparing a spontaneous meal, even using Eulalee’s recipe cards, meant he got to exercise the creative part of him that he’d forced down the past few years. Though he was in charge of the breakfast service, he’d be the one deciding the evening menu based on the supplies, so he could do the prep before leaving for the day.
And adding that bullet point onto his resume wouldn’t hurt, either.
The sun had risen to the top of the window, reflecting on thecheckered walls, when the back door opened. A man strode into the room and put his hands on his hips as if waiting for cries of happiness or swooning from his non-existent fan club. He wore a toque on his short hair and a spotless white chef jacket which contrasted with his dark skin. This must be the infamous Anthon.
Clothes didn’t matter. Anyone could buy that stuff from a uniform shop. But Anthon’s hands told a different story. Clean with short, stubby nails, various cuts and marred skin. Even though his jacket was an unstained marshmallow, his hands gave him the props Josh was looking for.
“I am Anthon,” he announced. He kept his chin high and squinted down his nose at Josh.
“I am Josh,” he said in the same tone. He continued cutting vegetables, doing the work for dinner that didn’t have to be done during dinner service.
“And I am leaving.” Jordan gathered her papers into a neat stack, then caught Josh’s eye and gave him a brief smile before heading out the back door. He watched her until the door clicked closed.
“Nice hat.” Anthon adjusted his tall chef’s hat as if to imply Josh’s choice of head covering made him an imposter.
“Thanks for coming early,” Eulalee said to the new arrival. “You boys don’t know how relieved I am that you can take over while I’m gone. This is how I’m hopin’ things will work while I’m gone.”
She ran through some of Fountenoy Hall’s more difficult dishes with the two of them. Working with her during breakfast today had been fun. Uplifting. Being with Anthon, however, was a different story. The man never let an opportunity pass where he didn’t mention he went to the Culinary Institute of America. Josh had been tempted to brag about the graduate program at Bargain Kitchen University, but instead kept quiet about hisown lack of formal training. But there was no class in the world to prepare either one of them to match the natural ease and efficiency in which Ms. Eulalee commanded her kitchen.
She gestured to the food they had prepared. “Eat up, gentlemen, if you’re hungry. I’m fixin’ to put my feet up for a bit before the staff meeting. Feel free to take home anything you want. And not only today. We want you well-fed and happy.” She patted her thicker middle. “Skinny cooks don’t garner much faith in these parts.”
Both men nodded, and Josh’s stomach gurgled in agreement.
“One more thing. I want harmony in my kitchen.” Eulalee put her hands on her hips and stared at them both. “When I’m here, I’m the boss. When I’m not here, Wendy and Brandi are the bosses. Neither one of you is in charge of the other.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Josh answered. Anthon nodded once.
“Good then.”
Once the older woman left the kitchen, Anthon strode out the back door. And Josh was alone for the first time since he got out of his car almost four hours ago.
He closed his eyes, reveling in the silence. Being alone was a rare commodity.
After a deep breath and another reminder from his belly, he glanced around the kitchen. Leftover food would ease a little of his financial burden. Pride demanded he eat breakfast only and not take anything home for Zach, but he’d learned to tell his pride to fuck off. Working for George had been proof of that.
He got a baggie from the pantry and slid over to a plate of uneaten biscuits.
Chapter 5
Jordan sat in the dining room, checking emails on her phone until Eulalee finished Josh’s orientation. At least, she was attempting to catch up on her correspondence. In reality, she was straining to hear the tenor of Josh’s voice. Once Eulalee walked past her to relax in the parlor, Jordan counted to one hundred and went back into the kitchen.
