“That’s…”I cleared my throat, searching for something polite to say. I didn’t findanything. “Interesting.”
Herhead tipped back, and she laughed harder. “That was supposed to encourage you.”
“Oh,it did,” I deadpanned. “I can’t wait for my life to be so totally differentthan what I actually wanted. That sounds awesome.”
Shegrinned again and accepted new plates getting ready to leave the kitchen. “Ididn’t want to marry a chef,” she confessed. “I was in a terrible relationshipduring school and after. He was a chef. And he abused me.”
Isucked in an audible breath. How did I respond to that? How was a person supposedto react? What was the social code? Who the hell cares about the social code?
“Ohmy God, Vera.” I swallowed down the quick rage against any monster that wouldput his hands on a girl, but especially Vera—who was kind,and so generous, and one of the most kickasschefs I’d ever met.
Shewaved a hand in the air, swatting away the past. “It’s over now.” Her gaze grewdistant and her shoulders jerked with a shiver. “Thank God, it’s over.” Shefaced me again, clear-eyed and somber. “What I’m trying to say is this. AfterDerrek, I was convinced I would never be able to cook in a commercial kitchenever again. I never ever thought I’d date again, but if I did, I knew it wouldn’tbe a chef. Never, ever again.”
“Derrekis a chef?” I asked quietly, unable to quell my curiosity.
Shelifted one shoulder and rubbed her chin on it. “Derrek Hanover.”
Holyshit! He was a decently big deal in North Carolina. He didn’t have the nationalacclaim that Killian did. I’d never been impressed enough to find out more thanhe owned a mildly popular, newly opened restaurant.
“Vera,I’m so sorry,” I told her.
“Hewas the worst,” Vera whispered. “After we, er I, ended things, I gave up on mydream of working in a restaurant completely. But then I opened Foodie, myconsolation prize, and I met Killian. Now here we are, opening a restauranttogether. And I never thought…” She paused, looking down at the counter andhiding the emotion in her eyes from me. “I never had a clue a relationshipcould be this good. Or that a man could be this amazing. Or that it waspossible to have all the things that I wanted so badly, but for them to look sodifferent. I would never relive those years of abuse or giving up on my dreams.But they led me here, to this place, and it’s so beautiful and so fulfillingthat I don’t know that I’d totally give them up either.”
Nowmy eyes were watery with unshed tears. “You have a powerful story, friend.”
Sheonly shrugged. “It didn’t feel powerful while I was going through it.”
Iput my hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “You’re amazing, Vera. You’re thestrongest woman I’ve ever met.”
Shelaughed and held up her scrawny bicep. “I mean, check out these guns, right?”
Ilaughed with her. “That is not at all what I meant, and you know it!”
Shepulled up the next plate and smiled at me. “I know. But I didn’t share that foryou to think I’m amazing. I’m the idiot that got involved with the psycho tobegin with. I’m only trying to say that no matter where you’re at right now,you have the potential and the grit to do what you want to do, Kaya. It’s up toyou. Whatever it is you want, you have to go hard after it and trust in thejourney.”
Herwords hit a chord inside of me, plucking the taut string with deft fingers andsending the reverberation of sound echoing through my body. She was right. Ijust needed to trust in the journey.
Weirdly,I wasn’t even thinking about Sarita in that moment. I was thinking about Wyatt.And the fear and panic that had crippled progress with him.
“Yougot out,” I told Vera, deciding she needed to hear truth too. “That doesn’tmake you an idiot. That makes you amazing.”
Sherolled her eyes. “You have no idea how long it took me though. And I—”
“Stop.”It was an order and a plea. “Vera, seriously, stop. Stop downplaying what you did.You got out. You’re a hero because you got out.”
“Thankyou,” she whispered sincerely. “I need to remember that. Sometimes I feelamazing, like he can’t touch me ever again. And sometimes I feel like a weak,spineless girl that let herself be abused. But I’m neither. I’m somewhere inthe middle. I’m healing. I might always be healing. You’re right though. AndKillian reminds me all the time. He’s the villain, but I’m not the victim. I’mthe hero.”
Smilingat her, I blinked away tears and focused on the plates again. “I love beingright.”
Wewere laughing again when the kitchen door whooshed open in a dramatic, slowmotion sequence. The dramatic, slow motion sequence might have been in my head.
Regardless,Ezra entered this sacred space and nearly all motion ground to a halt for asolid five seconds before jump-starting again with new vigor. The boss was hereand everybody in the kitchen felt the pressure. It wouldn’t have surprised meif the diners suddenly started eating with more gusto and better manners too.
Iswallowed down the gurgling nerves that wouldn’t settle no matter how manyrational whispers of affirmation I told myself.
Thisisn’t the interview. If this doesn’t work out, there will be otheropportunities.
Ezra’snot as scary as you think he is. Molly likes him, and Molly is a totallyrational, normal, chicken just like you! If she can handle him, you can handlehim.
