“Yeah, totally sounds awful.I work in my parent's restaurant Josie.My parents are well-respected restaurant owners and you know that I’ve only had three interviews in the last two months.It’s hard to get in the door.We’re not all Cecilia Yen.”
“I thought you were happy working with your parents.”
“It’s okay but I might want to branch out and do something on my own.You know what I mean.”
“I know.But it hurts.”
“I get that there are times that people have overstepped and tried to do things for you because they didn’t think you were capable, but I don’t think this is one of those times.You should give the guy a break and ask him to the holiday party.”Maisy grinned.
“Maisy!”Josie tapped her friend’s knee.“I cannot ask Ares Montague to a kink party.”
Maisy waved her arm at Cecilia's shelf of pretty bottles, most of them unopened.
“Yeah, you could.Want to get drunk and call him?”
“Cecilia would kill us if we touched her collection,” Josie couldn’t help but giggle.
“She’d deem it a worthy cause.A couple of drinks for courage and you send a text, what do you say?”
“No!I’m not going to send Ares a drunk text message.”Her face was so red-hot it felt like it was on fire.“Besides, I have to put the finishing touches on my December calendar.I’m getting Christmas orders in every moment it seems and I need to check with Carter to make sure he doesn’t need that annex kitchen.”
“Wouldn’t he tell you by now if he did?”Maisy asked.
Josie took a piece of prosciutto and shrugged.For the last several months she’d been working out of a bistro restaurant after her home catering business grew to need more space.Carter was the son of one of her mom’s friends and she liked the cool laid back chef.He used to have a food truck and had a small kitchen at the side of his restaurant.It gave Josie her own entrance and her own equipment.
“Yeah, but we don’t have an agreement in writing.He’s been very generous about letting me use the space he insists that it was just sitting there.But Christmas is a busy season.”
“What’s it like to have two smoking-hot guys interested in you?”Maisy popped a grape into her mouth.
“Carter?No.He’s just being friendly.”
“Okay, keep deluding yourself.”
Josie frowned.Two nights ago, Carter had complimented her on her tortellini but that’s just because he liked pasta and had few pasta dishes on his own menu at his casual French bistro restaurant.He stopped by and sometimes helped her pack up her orders if he had a lull.
“He asked me to the food truck festival, but that’s only as colleagues.”
“Sure.I get asked out by my colleagues all the time.”Maisy rolled her eyes.
“No, I think you’re wrong, Carter isn’t interested in me.”
“Whatever you think, babe.”Maisy patted her leg.
Josie shook her head.“Enough about me.What about you?”
“The last date I went on was with some douchebag who wanted a bunch of kids and for me to give up the long hours of the restaurant business.We were not compatible.”Maisy flicked her straight brown hair off her shoulder.
“How did you meet him?”
“On a dating app, where else?Unlike you, I don’t have billionaires lusting after me or hunky chefs wanting my attention.”
“I think you’re wrong, at least about Carter.”Josie stuck her tongue out.Carter was a nice guy, but she wasn’t attracted to him.
Maisy raised an eyebrow.“You don’t give yourself enough credit, Josie.You’re talented, you have a sunny personality, and you’re pretty.”
Josie shook her head, tapping her cane next to her.“Right, but I’m a real catch with all the accessories I come with.”
“Stop it.”Maisy threw a pillow at her.Josie caught it and threw it back, and the two women broke into giggles.
