Page 50 of Dessert Flirt Repeat
She blinks a few times, like she’s soaking in what I’ve said. “I guess that’s fair.”
“And come on, it’s not like you ran the guy over with your car. Nowthatwould be overreacting.”
A soft chuckle falls from her lips. “That’s a good point. Can I get some sort of credit for that? Maybe put that on my resume? Or etch it onto a plaque? ‘Didn’t run over my cheating ex.’”
I laugh. “Absolutely. And besides, he stole your money on top of cheating on you. He’s a piece of shit and deserved at the very least to have his clothes thrown in the street.”
She sighs. “Maybe you’re right.”
I can tell she’s still bothered by what she’s done, even though she has no reason to be. That cheating prick got off easy. He betrayed Becca’s trustandstole her savings out from under her. If anyone had done that to me, I’d lose it. But that’s just how truly good Becca is. She doesn’t crave revenge like other people. And she feels bad about getting upset. That’s how kind-hearted she is.
The urge to comfort her digs at me.
“I’ve done some pretty out of character things too. Hurtful things,” I say after a second. “Worse than what you did, Becca.”
Her eyebrows crash together, concern radiating in her expression. “What do you mean?”
I take a second. “For a long time, my dream was to be a chef like my dad. He’s pretty famous in the culinary world. He owns a couple of high-end French restaurants here in Denver, and a bunch of others in California and New York. He’s been on TV too.”
Becca’s crystal blue eyes practically bulge out of her head. “Oh my gosh, your dad is chef Andre Thomas Grant?”
I huff out a breath and nod. “The one and only.”
“I had no idea. I mean, I’ve seen him on TV when he’s been a guest judge on cooking shows, but I would have never guessed the connection. You two don’t look anything alike.”
“I look like my mom. My brother and sister do too. We took after her features. The only thing we inherited from our dad was our height.”
I notice I’m tapping my foot against the leg of the bench, I’m so anxious talking about my dad. But I want to get this out. I want to open up about this to Becca.
“He was always so focused on building his gourmet empire, ever since I was a kid. He wasn’t around a lot. My mom raised my siblings and me, while my dad was busy traveling to promote his restaurants. And even when he was around, it felt off. When he’d play with me as a little kid or try and talk to me, it always felt so forced. I could tell he was uncomfortable being a dad. From the get-go I felt disconnected from him because of that. He and my mom split up when I was in elementary school, and I saw him even less. But I loved him. I wanted his approval, just like every kid does.”
I swallow hard as I work up the nerve to tell Becca the rest. “That’s why I got into gourmet cooking. I always loved cooking, but when I was a teenager, I started focusing on gourmet meals specifically. It was the one thing my dad and I could connect over—the one thing that made me feel close to him. I didn’t get to see him much growing up after my parents split. He was traveling constantly and would only be in town one weekend every month or two months. But the weekends that he was around, I’d spend with him at his restaurants here in Denver, learning the ropes of cooking. It felt so good to be around him when he was in his element and acting natural. It was never awkward or stilted like it was when I was little. Gourmet food was our common bond.
“And honestly? I wanted to impress him, show him that I was building my skill set as a cook. That I wasn’t expecting him to pull strings for me or hire me to his restaurant. I wanted to show him that I could make a name for myself. That’s why I started my TikTok a couple years ago, to practice my cooking skills and build a fanbase for my food. I started out like so many other people on that app, posting videos and getting a small amount of attention and likes. But I was persistent and eventually built a decent following. I realized that the sexier the content was, the more attention the videos would get. Like you said before, sex sells.”
When I glance up at her, she’s smiling softly. “It’s true.”
I let out a soft laugh. “I gained followers pretty quickly. I was able to make money too. Tons of kitchenware companies, online grocers, and meal prep delivery companies started reaching out to me and offered to pay me to use their products and ingredients. I couldn’t believe it, but I was pumped. I could make a living with TikTok. Yeah, it’s not the conventional way to get started in the culinary world, but who cares? The world is changing, and social media can be a powerful tool if you use it strategically. So that’s what I did.”
Becca’s expression is a mix of rapt and sympathetic as she gazes at me. I can feel the muscles in my neck and shoulders tense. “My dad approached me last year and asked if I’d be interested in taking over a sous chef position at his restaurant. I was thrilled and said yes, of course. I was working there a month when he took me into his office and…”
Becca looks at me, concern etched in her frown. I swallow back a bitter taste in my mouth.
“He found my TikTok. He was pissed. And embarrassed. He said he was disgusted that I would post such degrading videos of myself. And then he fired me.”
The hot sting of tears burns my eyes. I blink them back quickly. “He said I was no better than a porn star. That I was trash, that I was tarnishing his name in the food and restaurant industry, that I was ruining everything he had spent decades building.”
Becca grips my hand in hers. “Gage, that’s awful. I’m so sorry.”
I shake my head. “It’s classic Andre Thomas Grant. Obsessed with appearances. Thinks that there’s only one way to do something: his way. Any other way is wrong. Always freaking out about what people think of him and his impeccably curated image. Terrified that me, his son, would ruin his reputation as a top-tier chef because I’m a trashy, sex symbol thirst trap.”
Becca squeezes my hand. “Don’t say that. You’re not any of those things. You’re brilliant. There’s nothing wrong with what you do, Gage.”
The conviction in Becca’s tone makes my chest squeeze. I can tell she means every word she says.
“That’s what I said to my dad, that I wasn’t ashamed of my TikTok, that it made me the cook I am today, and that because of my success, I can support myself doing what I love. And then I told him that if he was ashamed of me, then I no longer wanted him in my life. I told him I never wanted to see or speak to him ever again. I was so angry I couldn’t even think straight.”
Becca’s eyes shine with unshed tears.
