Page 20 of A Billionaire for Christmas
Molly raised her eyebrows, and the redhead continued as though she wasn’t delivering a major insult.
‘A word of caution. Angelo is way out of your league. You’ll be nothing but a one-night stand to him.’ She tilted her head to fix Molly a look of warning. ‘Whereas he and I have something longer term. Do you understand me?’
Molly stiffened. The news was like ice freezing her veins. She’d never liked bullies or people who tried to manipulate others. But nor was she used to standing up to them. She lowered her gaze.
‘There’s nothing going on with me and the, erm, guest that you mentioned. And anyway.’ Molly raised her eyes to meet the steely gaze of the woman in front of her, who seemed a lot less imposing with her breasts securely covered and that fire-engine-red hair stowed under her hat. She hoped that she wasn’t about to tell tales to Petra and get her fired. ‘What I do outside of work is really none of your business.’
‘You’re new here, so let me give you some advice?—’
‘Thanks, but I’m good. I’m also incredibly busy,’ Molly interrupted, holding up her bags full of shopping with a forced smile.
‘Don’t say I didn’t warn you.’ The redhead scowled at her. ‘And Iamstill going to complain about you. You work in a kitchen? I should have no problem tracking down your boss.’
Molly scurried away before the conversation could go any further. She might detest conflict but even the mere mention of Levi and wild emotion seemed to rip through her like a tornado. She felt the burning glare of the redhead on her back, unsure of what had just happened. Why should Molly care about what the redhead and Levi did or did not get up to?
Then it came to her. The reason she was doing all of this in the first place. She swivelled round and made her way back to the hotel kitchen. Petra was busy flying around the place yelling instructions to a team of twenty sous-chefs. She glanced up at Molly approaching.
‘Is the chalet chef job at the lodge still going?’
Petra’s face lit up. ‘Yes, but you’ll need to plan out the menus as soon as possible because you’ll be leaving to go there in a few days.’
‘A few days?’
‘They’re flying in from Geneva. Private jets of course.’
‘And the place is remote?’
Petra nodded. ‘It’s a beautiful spot. The views alone are worth the trip. You’d get some time off to ski and relax. They have an excellent state-of-the-art spa up there.’
Molly yearned for some heat to relieve her sore, weary muscles. ‘I’m not even sure I’d knowhowto relax, it’s been so long.’
‘How hard can cooking for one family be? It’s nothing compared to what you’ve been doing. And if you’re a success, it will open doors for you that you could only imagine, especially if they ask you to cater the wedding or future Christmas holiday dinners. They might endorse your restaurant. After all, they do own this place.’ Petra swept her arm around the kitchen towards the window and beyond.
‘Itwouldbe good for business…’ Molly twirled a strand of her hair anxiously. Ava was the one who took all the risks. She had been the driving force behind their shared dream of owning a chain of Michelin-starred restaurants, glittering like fine-dining diamonds across the Alps. ‘And I don’t have any plans for Christmas Day, I suppose.’ This wasn’t true. Molly had planned to clean the restaurant from top to bottom and then spend the evening crying alone into some soup.
‘What? You can always spend Christmas Day here with me, cooking for the four hundred covers we have booked in.’ Petra laughed. ‘Good job I have no children to go home to, isn’t it?’
‘Same. My parents booked a cruise the moment I told them I would be staying here to work.’
Petra shrugged. ‘Then this will be perfect for you. Think of the Christmas tips you’ll get.’
A guaranteed week of not bumping into Levi or Angelo or whatever he was calling himself (she’d done nothing but lie to him anyway) and avoiding both the angry redhead (she could do without the complaints procedure) and Keela (she’d fled without a word of explanation) seemed the perfect solution. The number of people she was dodging was really beginning to add up. Grateful for the escape and who knows, maybe even time to complete her bucket list, she agreed to take the job.
‘Just a word of caution though,’ Petra warned. ‘Their standards are extremely high, so don’t skimp. You have an unlimited budget. Take one of the porters with you and get everything you need from the market. I’ll look forward to approving the menus. Do everything you can to impress them. It’s not just your reputation on the line, it’s mine too.’
8
‘LIFE IS EITHER A DARING ADVENTURE OR NOTHING.’ HELEN KELLER
Molly arrived at the lodge to find it decorated like a Christmas Hallmark movie set and was greeted by the uniformed chalet host who showed her to her accommodation.
‘Wow. It’s huge!’ Molly exclaimed in delight. The contrast to her small attic-style bedroom in the eaves above the restaurant was unbelievable. ‘Are you sure this is my room?’ Molly crossed the bedroom to open the sliding glass doors. She would wake up every day to a spectacular view of the snow-capped mountains. She glanced at the small table and chairs for two on the spacious wooden balcony and spun round. ‘All for me?’
The host laughed. ‘You should see my room. I’m Toby by the way.’
‘You’re American?’
‘From upstate New York.’
