“Isn’t that wonderful?” Stella put an arm around Lisa and pulled her in.
“Sure is.” Marcy clinked her bottle against Lisa’s. “Congratulations, I’m very happy for you both.” Sometimes she envied Lisa and Stella’s relationship. They were so sweet together that it almost choked her up. Love seemed to have passed her by over the years—Marcy knew she wasn’t relationship material—but that didn’t mean she didn’t appreciate seeing other people happy. Lisa had met Stella while staying at Paradise Hotel where Stella worked, and their romance had quickly turned into something so deep that she’d left her old life in London behind and had found work in Spain so that she could stay with her girlfriend.
“Don’t you ever feel like settling down with someone?” Lisa asked her.
“Me?” Marcy chuckled. “No, that’s not my thing.”
“It wasn’t my thing either,” Stella said with a casual shrug. “Just wait until you meet the right person.”
“Speaking about meeting the right person…” Lisa leaned in, resting her elbows on the table. “I was meaning to ask you if you wanted to join me at the women’s only weekend taking place at Paradise?”
“I’d love to,” Marcy said. “They’ve been advertising all over town and you know I’d be first in line, but when I checked they were sold out.”
“Well, I happen to have two tickets for the Saturday.” Lisa shot her a wink. “Stella is helping with the organisation, so they gave her two all-inclusive tickets. How does free drinks and plenty of single women sound?”
“Seriously?” Marcy rubbed her hands together, the thought of it already making her head spin with anticipation. “Count me in!”
“Great. I didn’t want to go alone and it’s not like I’m drowning in female friends in Spain; especially not of the queer kind.”
“Well, you have me.” Marcy stood up and gave her a hug from behind, squeezing her tightly. “Thank you, Lisa.” She looked up at Stella and grinned. “And thank you for letting me borrow your girlfriend for the day.”
“No problem.” Stella got up to check on the second pizza. “By the way, how is it going with that chef you fell out with?” she asked, glancing at Marcy over her shoulder.
“It’s not going. We’re just ignoring each other, and I have no problem with that.”
12
Everything she’d done had led to this moment. The long days in the kitchen, the endless experimenting in her own time, being away from her parents for long periods and the constant stress of having to prove herself had paid off. Zoe observed her team that worked like a well-oiled machine while classical music played in the background. Some of the chefs who had initially laughed about her classical playlist were humming along now, even moving differently to the music. There was something about Erik Satie that worked well for everyone; she’d learned that from working under her last executive chef. Classical music wasn’t distracting. It didn’t tempt people to sing along or dance, but it did make them move more fluidly, avoiding accidents, and it also seemed to improve their concentration.
They’d practiced and perfected every detail of the menu over and over until Zoe felt confident that they could prepare the dishes blindfolded. She’d never invested so much time and energy in her people before, but this was important. Her reputation was at stake and if tonight didn’t go well, she’d be devastated.It’s only twenty-five guests, she told herself. Soon they could have close to a hundred diners every day, so this was nothing, yet she was feeling restless and nervous.
Taking a deep breath, Zoe squared her shoulders and walked to the middle island where they had their daily meetings. It was time to crack on with the starters. “Are you guys ready?” she asked her team. When the chefs mumbled and nodded, she raised her voice. “I can’t hear you. Are you ready?”
“Yes, chef!” everyone yelled in unison.
“That’s better. Can you spare me a moment?” Zoe spread her arms and beckoned them to gather around her. Wedged in between two of the men who were not only twice her height, but also twice her age, she smiled to herself and felt a little smug. She waited for everyone to stop their prep before she continued. “I won’t keep you long, but I just wanted to say that you guys have been fantastic over the past few weeks. Putting a new team together isn’t easy, and it takes time for everyone to get used to each other. I sincerely appreciate the camaraderie and support you’ve shown each other since we’ve started this journey and I have no doubt we’ll impress tonight. Just remember to stay calm. If you think you’re in trouble for time or something hasn’t gone to plan, talk to me. Don’t wait until it’s too late.”
“Will do, chef,” someone mumbled, and the rest nodded their agreement.
“Great.” Zoe clapped her hands together. “Okay, you know what to do. Let’s get the starters ready.” She picked up the tray with the amuse-bouches she’d prepared for Lisa and Marcy, who were having a drink outside while they waited for the party to arrive. “I’m just going to bring this out. Be right back.”
Great, she thought to herself as she walked out with the tasters.Now I have to wait on her.But she wasn’t going to let Marcy distract her from her big night. Not again, not ever again.
Zoe was a little shocked to see her in actual clothing, rather than the stained overalls and fluorescent safety vests she normally wore to work. Her rugged look was often completed with a safety helmet, her tool belt and a pair of gloves and at the end of the day, usually with a beer in her hand. Yet here she was, sipping champagne in squeaky clean attire and running her hands through her freshly styled hair. Not a stain in sight. Marcy’s usually messy short, blonde hair was combed back now, and she wore jeans and a light-blue casual linen shirt that emphasised her striking blue eyes.She looks so grown up.That was a silly thought. Marcywasgrown-up. She was hardly the girl who had hit on Zoe when she was seventeen anymore. Only two years older than Zoe back then, Marcy had been the heartthrob of every lesbian in the wide vicinity, and she knew it. Now, she was a woman with lots of character in her handsome face and curves in all the right places. As far as Zoe was concerned, the mature version of her was even better looking but one thing hadn’t changed one bit; her cocky and overconfident attitude with women. Zoe had seen Marcy talk to the blonde woman at the bar, and even from a distance it had been clear she hadn’t changed her flirty ways. None of it really mattered, though. Not her anger, not her hurt, and not this weird physical attraction to someone she really didn’t like. Soon, she would never see Marcy again and life could go back to normal. After tonight, she had two weeks to apply minor tweaks to the menu, and Marcy’s team had another couple of weeks to finish work in the laundry room and staff quarters as those wouldn’t affect the guests staying at the hotel. What was the worst thing that could happen in that time?
She heard them talk about her as she approached and placing the amuse-bouches in front of them, she made a point of smiling at both. This wasn’t just her big day, but it was Lisa’s too, and she didn’t want her to worry there would be tension between her and Marcy. “Did I hear my name?”
“We were just saying that it’s unusual to have classical music in a kitchen,” Lisa said, looking at the spoons filled with a sauce and topped with octopus and a sprinkle of paprika powder. “Wow. Is this for us?”
“Just a little amuse-bouche while you wait for the party to arrive. It’s octopus stew. Traditional for the region.”
“I love this, I’ve had it before.” Lisa ate the spoonful and moaned. “Mmm… That’s really good.”
“Yes. It’s delicious,” Marcy begrudgingly admitted, avoiding her gaze.
“Excellent. Let’s hope the others like it too.” Zoe hesitated for a moment and turned to Marcy. “Well, don’t you scrub up nicely?” Then she took the empty spoons, turned, and headed back to the kitchen.
13
