Page 26 of Change My Mind
“Right. Kids.” I laughed, looking at the group of thirty-somethings in a heated discussion.
“I mean, they areourkids,” Darren said with a smile. The love that he had for all the people sat at that table, even the ones that weren’t related to him, was clear. A wave of emotions crashed over me again.
I knew what it was this time, though.
Jealousy.
It had been a while since anyone had loved me that casually anddeeply.
“No, no, I get it,” I said in a way that masked my inner turmoil. “I will see what they have to say.”
I took a deep breath and turned towards Addie’s table.
“I haveit on good authority that if I want honest feedback, then this is the table to get it from,” I said as I approached. Addie’s eyes flicked to me quickly, and then she looked back at her sister.
“Our dads are out here making it sound like we’re Anton Ego or some shit,” Lucy said with a laugh. It forced a snort out of me. This table scared me more than a fictional, albeit scary, food critic ever could. They could end my race before I even left the start line.
“So, were they wrong?” I asked.
“No, they weren’t. But now, when we tell you that it was amazing, you’re going to think that we’re lying because they made us sound like the Big Bad,” Becky answered. She sounded almost identical to her twin sister. Actually, a lot about them was similar. Their voices, their mannerisms, even their outfits were coordinated. The only obvious difference was the way that they wore their hair. I was so thrown by their similarities that it took me a moment to register what she had said.
“Do you actually think that?” I asked. I cringed at how needy I sounded. I was a good chef. I knew that. Ipridedmyself on that.
And yet. I needed them to like this menu.
“See! This is what I mean. Yes, we did really think that. And yes, I can speak for the whole table because we were justtalking about it,” Becky answered, gesturing around to everyone who responded with various nods.
“I thought the pasta was wonderful. What was the sauce you used?” The sole man at the table said. Judging by the fact that Clara was the one leaning into him, I guessed he was Jesse. I thought Becky’s husband was supposed to be here as well, but he was nowhere to be seen.
“It was lemon, mascarpone, some cayenne pepper and then some of the oil that the chorizo was fried in,” I said.
Jesse turned to Clara and said, “I told you there was something to do with chorizo in the sauce itself.”
“You cook?” I asked, and immediately, I hoped he didn’t take my mildly surprised tone to be patronising. I did not need to burn bridges this early.
“Yeah. Everything but lasagne. That is all Clo here.”
They were in love. It was obvious in the way they co-existed.
I hated witnessing it. Iwantedit. And I was resigning myself to the fact that I was never going to get it. Which was fine. It was.
I needed to shift my focus away from them.
“That’s cool. What about you, Addie, thoughts?”
Saying her name made her look at me. Sharp green eyes locked in with laser focus, and I felt a heat rise inside me.
“Honestly? The chicken was delicious. I think it would be a hit. Can’t really go wrong with it. The veggie Wellington needs something else, maybe a different herb or spice, but it’s a great dish. I’d eat the pastry for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.”
The pastry had nothing to do with me. “I’ll let Kayla know. Anything else?”
“Pasta was the standout dish. Again, I think that would be popular. I can’t eat white fish, but the chips were really good.”
I shouldn’t have been surprised that the feedback wasfocusing on the positives. This was the least toxic space I had ever worked in. But there was something about the praise that was making me uncomfortable. Why were they being so nice about the fact that I was clearly missing an ingredient in the Wellington that was throwing off the balance of the flavour in the dish enough for it to be noticeable? Why wasn’t I being told off for serving white fish when one of the people in charge of approving the menu didn’t even eat it? How unaccommodating was that?
I had been distantly aware that this industry had broken me, but I had no idea how badly until I started working here. How could I be unnerved by positive feedback and the lack of elevated voices telling me to do better?
“It’s a good menu, Eli,” Addie’s voice cut through my spiralling thoughts. She was still looking at me, her eyes soft.
