Carly’s gaze flicked to Erin, then back to Jane, and I watched her take that in.
James shifted his weight and leaned farther back against the counter, reclaiming space through posture alone. “Jane makes it look easy. She always did.”
Jane didn't respond. Her shoulders stayed squared, but I recognized the controlled stillness in her posture. It was the same stillness and steady face she wore when one of her family members spiraled or an emergency was happening. A mask that did not crack easily under stress.
I stepped a half step closer to her without realizing I had moved. Not touching. Not interrupting. Just placing myself where she could see I was there if she looked. “What do you need help with?”
“If you don’t mind cutting carrots,” Jane asked, gesturing to the vegetables.
I quickly grabbed a cutting board and knife.
Carly noticed immediately.
“You two work well together,” she said, voice neutral.
Jane glanced up at me briefly. Her eyes were calm, but there was a tightness in her gaze I had seen only a few times. Then she looked back down at her work.
“We do,” she softly said.
Carly nodded. “It shows.”
James made a low sound of agreement, the kind of noise people used when they wanted to claim credit without saying it outright. “She was trained to execute. That is her strength.”
Something in my jaw tightened.
Jane set a spoon down. “It is not execution, it is planning.”
Her tone stayed even. Controlled. The difference was that she had addressed the statement directly this time.
Carly’s lips curved slightly. “Planning is underrated.”
James waved a hand. “At a certain level, planning becomes limiting. You need instinct. Vision.”
He said vision again, as if the word could substitute for competence.
Jane did not argue. She turned to Molly. “Can you check the broccoli? We need them blanched and chilled in the next ten minutes.”
Molly nodded quickly. “Yes. Right away.”
“Thank you,” Jane replied.
Carly watched Jane delegate with quiet attention. Not admiration. Not yet. It looked like curiosity. Assessment.
“How many people are you feeding tonight?” Carly asked.
“A hundred,” Jane replied immediately. “Seventy-eight confirmed, two contingencies. We planned for eighty-five and staff.”
“That is a lot to manage without a full staff,” Carly said.
“It’s manageable,” Jane replied.
Carly’s gaze slid to the wall where the list was taped. She leaned slightly, reading without asking permission.
“Course timings,” she murmured. “Dietary notes. Station assignments.”
Jane kept working. “It keeps us from missing something.”
James laughed lightly. “You can’t plan everything.”
