Page 5 of Talk Turkey To Me
“Ouch.” Jay pretended to be wounded, “You’re really upset, huh?”
“I’m fine.”
“No man, you’re not.” Jay lowered his voice, “You look like someone just ran over your puppy and I got to say, you need to get a grip.”
“Thanks.” Myles deadpanned but Jay put a hand on his shoulder.
“Whatever sort of reunion you had planned in that pretty little head of yours, you have to let it go now. It’s done. You saw her. She saw you. She knows you took her dream job and she’s pissed and probably a little bit hurt but you know what? You didn’t steal this job from her, man. She left and you worked your ass off for it. Now remember who the hell you are and tell everybody to get back to work, Chef.”
Myles felt his lips twitch a little when his friend finished his little speech with his title. Jay only ever called him Chef as a playful insult or when given a chance to belittle him. He was good at lightening the mood during a stressful shift but what he said was also true. Myles had worked hard to earn his position as head chef. He hadn’t been handed the job and he certainly hadn’t stolen it. This washiskitchen and right now he felt likea fool for going out front and causing a scene but they still had time on the clock and a lot to do before they could call it a night.
He needed to get his head back on straight and focus.
Jay raised an eyebrow, “You good?”
“I’m good.” He nodded. “Thanks.”
“Always here when you need a kick in the ass.” Jay shoved him a little and headed back towards his station.
“Okay everyone, we’ve all had a good laugh at my expense. Now stop lolly-gagging and get back to work.” He raised his voice, “Diego’s cleaning up the mess. Jay, take a second tray of the tarts out to Table One. Nikki, Table Nine is still waiting on their pie. Get it going team.”
The hustle and clatter he was accustomed to began to grow in pitch and Myles forced himself to take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Jay was right. Things with Lily hadn’t gone well but he’d known they wouldn’t. All he could do now was his job and, if he was lucky, he might get the chance to see her again before she left town so he could try explaining himself to her.
“Myles.” A pretty brunette in all black called his name from the back hallway and he frowned when he saw she was holding the old rotary phone that still hung on the wall. Lisa did the books for them and she must have heard it ringing and came out of the office to grab it. “You got a call.”
It was rare for anyone to call the landline in the back. Customer calls went to the front of the house and the employees all had cell phones and one another's numbers. Vendors knew better than to call during the dinner shift when they were at their busiest. He headed towards the back to take the phone with a knot of dread already forming in his stomach.
As if he needed anything else to go wrong and cap off this night…
He took the handset from Lisa who only shrugged before going back into her office as he lifted it and put it to his ear.
“This is Myles Calhoun.”
“Good evening Mr. Calhoun.” A sweet voice came down the line. “This is Amanda with Mercy Hospital in Oklahoma City. I’m calling because there’s been an accident and I have a couple of patients here who need to speak with you.”
Myles held his breath as he listened and then, as the story was relayed to him, he slowly leaned his forehead against the exposed brick wall and banged it softly but repeatedly. Because the feeling in the pit of his stomach had been right. It was bad news and since he was the one in charge, he’d have to figure it out… on the busiest night of the entire year.
Chapter Three
Lily stared at her father in disbelief, still trying to process the story he’d just told her about how Myles had come to work at the restaurant and then proven himself time and again, so much so that after Dave left he’d been the top choice to take the reins of the kitchen. It was incomprehensible to her. Still. That the boy she’d loved, the boy who had broken her heart, had somehow wormed his way into her parents' good graces, so much so that they practically beamed when they spoke about him. Her mind reeled in a dozen different directions and all she could come up with was that she’d somehow driven into the upside down.
Because, this… this couldn’t actually be happening.
“He doesn’t even know how to cook.” She argued for what felt like the millionth time since the discussion began.
“I assure you, he does.” Her father sighed. “Do you really think I’d give my kitchen over to someone I didn’t trust to keep The Mont’s legacy intact?”
“I don’t know, Dad.” She threw up her hands “Considering until a little while ago I always assumed that legacy was going to be mine to inherit, I’m not really sure about anything right now.”
“Honey… please.” Her mother tried again. “We told you. We thought you were happy in New Orleans.”
“Even if I was,which I’m not, this is a family business. You always said this place would be mine someday.”
“It still can be.”
“You should have told me you were thinking of stepping down from the day to day duties as head chef. You should have let me decide if I was ready to come home and take over the family business. You could have at least talked to me about it but instead you decided without including me and then you hid it from me.” She bit the inside of her cheek when tears threatened to well behind her eyes. “The only reason I can come up with that you did all of that is that you didn’t think I was good enough to take over your precious restaurant.”
“You know that’s not true.”
