Page 114 of A Chef's Kiss for Christmas
“It’s good that you’ll both have a break,” their mum said. “Employing a general manager for the hotel was the best thing you ever did.”
“Is he working out okay?” Anna asked.
“He’s perfectly competent,” Lewis said with a shrug. “He’s not particularly charismatic, but he gets the job done.”
“Ivy doesn’t like him,” Carla remarked.
Lewis rolled his eyes. “Ivy’s problem is he’s doing the job she should be doing, but there’s not a lot I can do about that since she refused to take the job.”
“You can see why she’d be reluctant,” their dad said. “She has a lot on her plate.”
“It would have been perfect for her,” Lewis argued. “But she declined, so now she has to put up with the strait-laced general manager. It’s not really an issue.”
“It’s Warren who’s currently causing issues,” Erin muttered.
Lewis narrowed his eyes as he pinned her with a look. “Let’s not talk about work. You’re ruining Christmas dinner for me.”
“Is there an issue with Warren?” their dad asked, ignoring Lewis’s plea.
“Lewis is concerned he’s looking for another job,” Erin said casually.
Their mum sat up straighter. “Surely not?”
“Why would you think that?” Anna asked, unease churning in her stomach.
Lewis sighed heavily, apparently resigning himself to the conversation. “Recently, I had a word with him about the way he runs the kitchen. The atmosphere between us has been tense since then.”
“You’re his boss,” Erin pointed out. “It’s normal that sometimes you have to say things he doesn’t like.”
“But he’s a great chef. I probably shouldn’t have said anything.”
“He’s always run the kitchen in his own aggressive style.” Carla spoke with her mouth full. “Why did you have a word with him now?”
“It seemed as though things got worse.” Lewis flicked his eyes to Anna. “I heard you had to intervene to stop him from firing the entire kitchen staff on the spot.”
“That seems like a slightly exaggerated tale,” Anna said weakly.
“It wasn’t as though I really planned on having a word with him,” Lewis went on. “But it came up, so I told him I thought the kitchen could be run more efficiently.”
Carla reached for her wine. “Sounds a bit harsh.”
“I think it was fair,” Erin said. “The week before that, I’d heard him shouting when I was in the dining room. It doesn’t make it a very comfortable meal when the guests can hear the chef screaming in the kitchen.”
“To be fair, it’s unusual for him to be that loud.” Lewis shrugged. “I think he was probably just stressed about some stuff in his personal life.”
“Do you really think he’s looking for a new job?” their mum asked.
“I know he’s been headhunted by other restaurants, so he wouldn’t have a problem finding another job if he wanted to leave.”
“I can’t imagine he’d be petty enough to leave just because you said something he didn’t like,” Carla said.
Silently, Anna agreed with her, but didn’t want to get too involved in the conversation.
“I don’t think it’s only because of what I said.” Lewis had his eyes on his plate as he loaded his fork with turkey and roast potato. “I suspect it’s also to do with the Michelin review.”
“How so?” Anna asked.
Lewis chewed his food before answering. “I wonder if he thinks the Michelinreviewis as much as he’s going to get if he stays at the hotel. And I guess he’s secretly desperate to get a star.”
