Chapter Three
1075 Words
Chapter Three
“It doesn't surprise me at all that Paul is a player,” Jenny insists. It is Saturday, and the two of us are taking a break between the lunch and dinner rushes at the restaurant. As Paul warned, I've already had a long weekend and it's only half over. This is the first chance to tell Jenny about the conversation I overheard in the restroom.
We sit at a small bistro table in the café down the street from Fission. We'd both agreed we needed a break from Robbs, Paul, and Fission in general.
“It's absolutely disgusting,” I tell her. “I feel so awkward working with Claire after hearing how she got her job.”
“Does it appear like she knows what she's doing? I can't imagine Paul would put a bad chef in his kitchen, even if she's good in bed.”
“She seems perfectly capable,” I reply. “And her food is delicious.”
“Maybe the gossip is only half right,” Jenny suggests. “Maybe she slept with him, but that may not be the reason she was hired. You know how gossip works. It's like a margarita... it should be taken with several grains of salt.”
“I don't like salt with mine,” I say with an upturned nose.
“Come to think of it, neither do I...” she says, “but the saying still applies. We just need to keep our heads down and focus on our jobs. No good ever comes from sleeping with coworkers anyway. That's not a lesson I need to learn twice.”
I can tell Jenny is trying hard to be my friend, but I'm still not quite ready to let my guard down. I've had too many 'friends' who were decent enough at first, but bailed as soon as I let myself be vulnerable with them. When people hear about my past, they become closed off and treat me as if I'm damaged. And as friendly as Jenny seems, at the end of the day she's still my competition. The last thing I want to do is let her know where my weaknesses are.
“You're right,” I tell her. “It shouldn't matter if Paul is a player or a saint. He's our boss, and becoming involved with him isn't an option.”
Jenny shakes her head. “Chauvinists always assume successful women slept their way to the top. The last thing either of us should do is prove them right. To be honest, I don't care if you beat me or I beat you... as long as Robbs doesn't get the apprenticeship, I'll consider it a win.”
“Agreed,” I reply. We lift our coffee mugs and toast our mutual dislike of our male competitor. I take a long drink of my coffee and check the time. “The dinner rush will be starting soon. We'd better get back.”
As we exit the café, Jenny loops her arm through mine and we walk back to Fission together.
>>
“I can't f*****g believe they picked Kiara,” Robbs hisses harshly. The three competitors had just finished the second cooking challenge, and the winner was just announced.
“You're just pissed that you lost again,” Jenny insists. “Really, Robbs... you need to lighten up. Quit being such an a*s during the challenges and maybe Paul won't feel the need to shoot your dishes down.”
“You tasted her sauce, Jenny. It was f*****g broken! Last week my pasta was slightly underdone, and I had to make the bastard a fresh plate so he'd know I'm not incompetent. And today we both watched little Miss Cordon Bleu's sauce separate on our plates, and he made it the goddamn weekend special!”
Jenny furrows her brow. “You do have a point. I know my seafood plate was a flop, but your duck was delicious. And Kiara's sauce did break...”
“He's f*****g her, I know he is,” Robbs insists. “Or he's trying really hard to. The way he fawns over her all of the time is disgusting. 'What a lovely plate, Chef Kiara,' 'I'm so impressed by your work ethic, Chef Kiara,' 'Let me help you carry those plates, Chef Kiara.' They may as well go at it on the prep table. I'm telling you, Jenny, if she hasn't already opened her legs, she's going to. And then we'll be out on our asses.”
“I don't think Kiara would do that,” Jenny insists.
“And you formed that opinion because you know her so well?” Robbs snorts. “Aside from where she goes to school, what do we know about her at all?”
“I know as much about her as I know about you,” Jenny answers defiantly.
“I'm an open book,” Robbs replies. “Ask me anything you want, and I'll give you a straight answer. Then go talk to that brown-haired b***h and see if she does the same. I'm telling you, I'm not going to sit back and lose this job because the boss man wants a hot new piece of tail... and you shouldn't sit back and take this either. You're an amazing chef, Jenny, and you deserve to be recognized for that. Paul's barely spoken to you since you won last week's competition. Not to mention that you're much more attractive than Kiara. I'd think if Paul wanted in anyone's pants, it would be yours.”
Jenny blushes. “Thank you... I think,” she says. “But I'm still not sure you're right about Paul. I mean, if you are, then we should obviously do something about it... maybe report him to our instructors or something... but until I'm as convinced as you are, I'm not going to do or say anything about it.”
“What if I find a way to show you that I'm right?” Robbs asks deviously.
“What are you planning on doing?” Jenny answers with a tone of suspicion.
“Nothing illegal, if that's what you're worried about,” he assures her. “But I could create a situation... see how he responds. I don't have an exact plan worked out, but you'll know it when you see it.”
“You're going to do something to make her look bad, aren't you?” Jenny asks. “You're bitching about the competition being unfair, and now you're talking about sabotage. What's fair about that?”
“I won't do anything to get her kicked out of the competition. But I'm going to prove that he's showing her favoritism. If I can do that, will you help me do something about it?”
Jenny considers his question for several moments before answering. “IF I see something that makes me believe that Paul is showing Kiara favoritism because of anything other than her food, then yes, I will help you put a stop to it,” she says.
- Writer
