Page 46 of Priest (Confessions 3)

“I’m his lawyer,” Priest said in a tone so frigid it just about added ice to the cool street they were standing on.

“That’s right,” Julien said, and removed his hand to turn back to the reporter. He offered a confident smile, seemingly more at ease now that Priest was by his side. “And to answer your question, I’m sharing the night with people like Mr. Priestley who have been with me through this entire journey. My manager, Lise, is also running around here somewhere. She moved out here from L.A. to help me get this location up and running, and that means the world to me, especially since I’m dedicating tonight, and this restaurant, to my beautiful twin sister, Jacquelyn, who I lost in a terrible tragedy many years ago.”

Priest couldn’t believe what had just come out of Julien’s mouth. But as the reporter floundered for a few seconds, Julien aimed those beautiful eyes at Priest, along with a reassuring smile. When he mouthed, I’m okay, promis, Priest’s lips curved at the side, and he wanted to hug and kiss Julien so badly that he ached with it.

He knew how much this acknowledgement of Jacquelyn meant, and how much of a struggle Julien had gone through to get to a point where he could look at her loss in a different light. This was a giant step in the direction of healing, one Priest knew was brought on because of the young man waiting behind them in the shimmering blue suit.

“I’m so sorry for your loss,” the reporter said. “I wasn’t aware you had a sister.”

Priest braced himself, wondering if Julien would elaborate, if he would be okay.

“Up until now I haven’t discussed her in public. But tonight is special, and I want to celebrate her.”

Priest’s heart filled with pride, and he marveled over the courageous man in front of him. He took a step back to stand by Robbie’s side, knowing that Julien had this, knowing he would be all right.

* * *

AS PRIEST MELTED back into the crowd, a newfound confidence took over Julien. Now that he’d publicly acknowledged Jacquelyn and hadn’t been struck by lightning, it got increasingly easier to talk about her as he went along the step-and-repeats. He spoke about their love of food as children, their move from France to America, and how cooking had eventually brought her back to him, allowed him to help celebrate her instead of mourn her loss.

It was an incredible feeling of freedom to finally be able to speak of her in a positive light instead of one that would bring him pain and suffering, and he had Robbie and Priest to thank for that, the two men who had helped him realize that it was time to work through his demons. It was time for Julien to forgive himself for something he had no control over, and hopefully, someday soon, he’d be able to get a handle on the anxiety that still crept up on him when he was least expecting it.

As he neared the front entrance of the restaurant under the beautifully restored awning, Julien saw a crowd of people waiting near the revolving door for signatures. Those fans of his who had come out tonight for a glimpse not only of the new restaurant and him, but also the celebrities and VIP guests invited.

He walked up to the first group of people. A young lady held out an old copy of one of the gossip magazines he’d been featured in during his run on Chef Master. He’d been decked out in his chef whites with his arms crossed and his sleeves rolled up, and the caption read, Hot in the kitchen and even hotter out of it!

“Bonsoir, mademoiselle,” Julien said as he smiled and reached for the magazine and Sharpie she held out to him.

The woman gazed up at him and grinned. “Hello.” She looked over her shoulder at the woman behind her, and then turned back to Julien. “I’m sorry, but…” Julien uncapped the pen and began to sign. “I just loved you on Chef Master. I’ve been to all the openings of your restaurants, and I just…I can’t believe I finally got your signature. I’m in culinary school right now and I think you’re just amazing.”

Julien chuckled as he handed the magazine and Sharpie back to her. “Merci. I assume you aren’t from Chicago, then.”

“No,” she said, and shook her head. “We flew in from Denver. Me and my sister.”

Julien looked over the woman’s shoulder at the lady standing behind her, and made a spur-of-the-moment decision. “Denver? Wow. That’s a long way. You must be hungry.” When the woman frowned, Julien flashed her a smile and leaned forward. “How would you both like to come and have dinner with me and my friends tonight?”

“Wh…what?”

“Dinner? Would you like to come and have a meal at JULIEN?”

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