Page 62 of The Chef's Kiss
“You’re lost because you’re an absolute idiot.”Kissing your boss. I groaned at the memory of my perfect stupidity. I was having a baby. I shouldn’t be kissing anyone.
I dropped a hand over my stomach and took a deep breath. Part of me wanted to sit down and cry until someone found me, and the other half of me wanted to laugh. Two seconds after I kissed Hudson, and then realized I’d actually kissed Hudson, I ran out of the bistro like my hair was on fire.
“Where am I?” I couldn’t help but laugh at my situation. I had no idea when I’d left the main square in town and ended up on the side streets lined with trees and some of the oldest houses in Superiore Bay. Old but beautiful and restored by their loving owners.
“Carter!” I caught a glimpse of a corner lot with an unmistakable house I’d seen dozens of pictures of since my return. The beast of a house he and Harper had bought together. The one they were slowly restoring and renovating into a home they could actually live in.
I rushed down the street in the growing twilight, hoping it was the right house—and that someone was home to give me a ride back to the estate. Because there was no way I was showing my face at the bistro again tonight. Tomorrow would be soon enough. Maybe by then, I could think of a plausible explanation for my brazen actions. Or I could just pretend like it never happened.
“Carter?” I rang the doorbell and knocked on the huge oak door. He’d refinished it himself. He was so proud of it; he couldn’t stop talking about it and showing off his Instagram pictures. My brother, the budding handyman. I wondered how much Harper had to help him.
“Jorgie? Is that you?”
“Well, it’s not Peter Pan,” I muttered as he opened the door. “Don’t ask. Just take me home.”
* * *
To my delight, Hudson was too busy training the new wait staff on the finer points of the menu and which wines paired well with which dishes to mention the disaster of the kiss.
And I had to teach them how to set each table, what utensils to use for each dish and how to serve the carefully selected wines and desserts.
“Will we be ready?” Stefanie asked, smoothing a hand over the rich navy blue of her apron, embroidered with the restaurant’s emblem.
“We’ve got this.” I squeezed her shoulder and moved on to check on the busboys. Hudson was currently lecturing them on the importance of remaining invisible. Quick and quiet turnover from table to table was ideal.
I rolled my eyes and went to help the waitresses and waiters set each table with chargers, and water glasses in preparation for the soft launch tomorrow evening.
We had the staff, training was going smoothly. The line cooks and sous chefs knew the menu inside and out. We had all the best wines Superiore Bay had to offer. And … “Hudson!” I shouted across the restaurant. “Desserts?” I threw up my hands in a panic. Jake still hadn’t delivered the desserts we’d serve tomorrow.
Hudson checked the time on his phone, and all the color drained from his face. “He was supposed to be here by now.”
I ran to the booth I’d set up as my desk during training and snatched up my phone. I’d missed four calls and seven texts from Jake.
“Oh no!” I scrolled through my texts to find his.
Jake:I’m slammed this afternoon. Can you send someone to pick up your desserts?
Jake:Jorgie, I’m serious. I have a last-minute catering thing I have to do today. I’m closing up shop soon, and I won’t be back.
Jorgina:Wait! Someone’s coming over now!
Jake:Hurry! I can’t eat the cost of this expensive fussy crap.
Jorgina:Give me five minutes, max.
“What’s wrong?” Hudson came up behind me. “Do I need to throw something together for tomorrow? I don’t do desserts, but I can in a pinch if I have to. Maybe one of my sous chefs has some pastry experience.”
“It’s okay.” I reached out to grasp his arm to stop his babbling, forgetting for the first time today about that stupid kiss. “He just can’t deliver the desserts today. We need someone to go pick them up now. He’s about to leave for a catering job.”
“Can you go?” Hudson asked.
“I don’t have a car yet.” I really needed to figure that out soon. I shot off a quick text to Ruby about the dresses she was going to sell for me. I really hoped it would be enough to buy a basic reliable car. I didn’t want to have to ask Dad for help.
He reached into his pocket to retrieve his car keys. “Take mine. And make sure Jake loads everything in the car for you. I don’t want you lifting anything heavy.”
Awe, that was almost sweet.
“We need those desserts tomorrow. Can’t have you dropping them or tripping and landing in the cheesecake.”
