Page 75 of The Chef's Kiss
“She has.” I took a sip of my drink. “I couldn’t have done it without her.” No truer words had ever passed my lips. If it weren’t for Jorgina Ashford, I would have fallen flat on my face here without a single thing to serve guests who’d never have shown up anyway.
“And now, you’re leaving.” It wasn’t a question so much as disapproval.
“News travels fast here.” I studied the ice in my glass, hoping he’d get to the point of this visit soon.
“Not much happens in this town without my notice.” He sat back with his hands folded in front of him, his full head of silver hair gleaming under the low lights of the bar. “Especially when it affects my daughter and her happiness. I’m thrilled to have her home again. And that is in large part due to you and this restaurant. It’s not the path I would have chosen for her, but if it keeps her in Superiore Bay, I’m all for it. Just don’t tell her I said that.” He gave a patented smile that probably won him a lot of arguments in the boardroom.
The Ashfordwas a wily one. I could see it in his eyes. He was fine with her managing the restaurant … for now. I had no doubt he had plans to lure her into working for the winery in years to come, once she’d made a life for herself and her child in her hometown. He knew she could only go so far with managing a restaurant before she would be ready for more responsibility.
I knew his type. I was raised by two parents just like him.
“She will do just fine without me.” The words sounded hollow to my own ears. If I were honest with myself, I wasn’t so sure how well I’d do without her.
“I’d rather her not have to deal with a potentially career-ending hurdle so soon in her first job.” Mr. Ashford paused to take a drink before he continued. “Replacing a chef of your caliber would be daunting for any manager at any stage of their career. But she’s new at this. This restaurant is new. It’s barely been open for a week. I’m not sure if she or this business could survive such a hiccup so soon.”
“What are you suggesting, sir?” Though, I knew exactly where this was going. He was about to pull a page right out of my father’s book, and I was ready for it.
“I understand a small coastal town isn’t where you’d like to be. You’re a young man eager to make a name for himself. You don’t want to be stuck here for any length of time. A chef like you needs to be in New York, London, or Paris, maybe even Vegas. You have the talent, and it’s wasted here.”
“Thank you, sir.” I drained the last of my scotch in anticipation of his next move.
“Hudson, I’m willing to make it worth your while to stay here a little longer. Say two years. Help Jorgina get whatever experience she needs from this place and I’ll back your restaurant wherever you want to go from there. Jorgina knows people. She’s a social icon from here all the way to New York. She will bring all the right people here, and it will only increase your reputation. All I ask is that you stay and make the road a little easier for her until she’s ready for the next step.”
“That is very generous of you, Mr. Ashford.” I stood, already shaking my head. “But I’m afraid I must decline your offer. She deserves better than that.” My hands balled into fists at my sides. “While you might not believe in her, I do. And whether I’m here or not, she’s going to make this restaurant a success. And after that, she’ll take on all of Orchard Hill once Ms. Contreras sees what she’s capable of. And she’ll do it all on her own merit if you just give her the chance to make her own way.”
“You mistake me, son.”
“No, I don’t. You know who my parents are. Everyone does. I’ve spent my whole life trying to avoid those easy roads they insist on paving for me. They mean well, I know they do, but more often than not, their help only hinders me. And I know you only do it because you love your daughter. But she’ll get a lot more satisfaction out of life if you let her do things her way. Yes, she might fall from time to time, but one thing you and I both know about Jorgina Ashford is she’ll get right back up and keep moving.”
“If you won’t accept my offer, what do you mean to do?” Mr. Ashford’s piercing eyes stabbed right through me, and I understood why they called himThe Ashfordin hushed whispers of respect.
“I guess you’ll have to read about it in theWeekly Winelike everyone else, sir. Have a good evening.” I turned and walked back into my kitchen, still not sure what I was going to do. I’d be crazy not to take Jordan’s offer. But did I really want it?
27
JORGINA
“I can’t believe this day is finally here!” Cara paced across the lobby of Tercentenary Theater, where we waited for our commencement ceremony to begin.
Nerves churned in my belly as I fiddled with thecum laudebronze medal around my neck. I’d barely qualified for it, graduating within the top thirty percent of my class, but Ihadearned it on my own merit. It took years of hard work, proving to myself and my professors that I deserved to be here, despite my father’s generous donations on my behalf. I never would have gotten into Harvard on my own merit. My high school resume was sorely lacking, but my name and the fact that my father could pay the full tuition without aid gave me an advantage. The donations tipped that advantage in my favor, and I got in by the skin of my teeth.
It hadn’t taken me long to realize I had a lot of work to do to keep up with the brilliant minds who’d actually done the work to get here on their own. And it hadn’t taken me much longer to realize I was capable enough to actually do it. I’d always felt like I’d taken the place of someone who’d dreamed of going to Harvard all their life, and I was determined not to squander the opportunity that had come so easily to me.
“Magna cum laude, girl. I’m jealous.” I admired the silver medal Cara wore with pride.
“In no time, we won’t even remember why we worked so hard to achieve honors because it won’t matter. The real world can’t be harder than Harvard, can it?” She turned pleading eyes on me. “I’m so exhausted.”
“Look at it this way, at least we’ll be getting paid to work our butts off now.”
“Says the girl who’s already landed the perfect job.”
“I wouldn’t say it’s perfect.”
“Come on, Jorge, you can’t tell me you don’t love it.”
“It’s … fine.”
She rolled her eyes. “You mean that boss of yours is fine.”
