Chapter Four
888 Words
Chapter Four
“Kiara, I'm glad you're here early,” Paul says as he approaches my usual morning table.
“I take my coffee here in the morning,” I explain. “What's up?”
Paul takes a seat at the table and pours coffee into the mug he had carried over with him. “Enrique called about ten minutes ago. His wife went into labor this morning, so he's going to be out for a week or so.”
Enrique is in charge of the daily prep work. Paul already told Robbs, Jenny, and I that we will be covering for him after his baby is born, so I know where the conversation is heading.
“Kiara,” Paul continues. “I know your dish is the special this weekend, but Cole and Harrison will be executing the majority of it. Since Enrique's leave is starting on our busiest day of the week, I'm hoping you won't mind handling today's prep. You possess the best knife skills, and you work the fastest,” he says with that charming smile that makes me want to melt into my chair.
“Whatever you need, Paul,” I answer quickly. “I'm flexible.”
“Thanks, Kiara. I knew I could count on you. You know, flexibility is an important quality for an apprentice. That will serve you well in this competition.”
“Thank you. I enjoy working here, and I'll do anything to earn a permanent place in the kitchen.”
“Anything?” he asks with a sly smile.
“Anything, within reason,” I answer with a blush.
“I'll keep that in mind.” Paul stares at me intently, and I think that he wants to say something else. Before he can speak, I am startled by the sound of a voice clearing behind me. I turn and see Jenny standing with her arms crossed.
“Good morning,” she says coldly.
“Good morning,” I reply. “Are you all right?” Something is obviously bothering her.
“I'm great... just ready to get to work.” She turns to Paul. “What is my assignment for today?” she asks impatiently.
“Well, as you came in second in yesterday's challenge, you get to pick the chef you will assist this weekend. I was just telling Kiara that Enrique's baby is on its way this morning. She'll be handling the prep work, so you're welcome to assist Cole or Harrison, if you'd like to practice your grilling or your sauce skills. Everyone else is available too, of course.”
I can see on Jenny's face that she's insulted by the suggestion that she help with my dish. “I'd like to assist you this weekend, Paul,” she answers quickly. “You're the best, and I'm here to learn from the best.”
“That will be fine, Jenny,” he says. “I need to take care of some administrative stuff before I put on my jacket. Why don't you sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee with Kiara? You should be well caffeinated if you're going to keep up with me.”
“I can hold my own,” Jenny says boldly, “but a cup of coffee sounds good.”
“I'll bring you a mug,” Paul offers as he stands. Jenny takes Paul's abandoned seat across from me, while he walks over to the bar and fetches a mug for her. He brings it over to the table. “We'll get started in about half an hour,” he tells her before heading off to his office.
Jenny stares at me for a minute before speaking. “So, you two were pretty cozy when I got here,” she says with an air of accusation.
“We were just talking about covering the prep work. He's getting us to all take turns with it,” I explain.
“I thought you felt uncomfortable around him after what you heard in the bathroom last week. But you certainly didn't seem uncomfortable just now.”
Her hostility confuses me, and I'm not quite sure how to handle it. “He's our boss, Jenny. I'll talk to him. And I'm starting to think that Amy and Charlotte were exaggerating about him being a ladies' man. Like you said, gossip has a way of taking on a life of its own. I think Paul is just a good guy. And he obviously cares about other chefs, or he'd have never started this competition in the first place,” I observe.
“Well, I guess I'll see how much he cares first hand over the weekend,” Jenny answers shortly.
“Jenny, I'm sorry I ever said anything to you about what I overheard. Talking about it puts us on the same level as Amy and Charlotte, and we have more important things to do than gossip.”
“Uh huh,” Jenny replies. “Kiara, I'm sorry for being cranky this morning. I didn't sleep well at all last night. I wasn't happy with my dish yesterday, and I'm still shocked that he awarded me second place. It got me wondering about Paul, and whether or not he's showing us favoritism because we're women.”
I laugh. “If he's showing us favoritism over Robbs, it's because we're not pompous pricks.”
“You may be right about that,” Jenny says. We sit and drink our coffee in silence for a while, and then she speaks again. “I'm going to head into the kitchen. Call me a brownnoser if you like, but I want to get Paul's station set up for him.”
“I wouldn't call that brown nosing,” I assure her. “I'd call that being proactive. I still need to look over today's prep list. I'd better get in there too.”
We clear away our table and then set off for the kitchen.
- Writer
