“I couldn’t tell him. He sounded so happy, and Jonah…he’s got a chance to meet some important people. I couldn’t screw it up for him. If I told Gid about the fire, he’d freak out and leave, and Jonah would want to come too. It’s a fucking nightmare. Without your plan and this kitchen to cook the dinner in, I’d be in deep shit. I owe you more than I can ever repay you.” He stepped aside and turned to face Adam.
“I don’t need you to owe me anything. I didn’t do it for that reason. No matter what, we’re friends, right?” At Rico’s hesitant nod, Adam continued, nonchalant on the outside while inside his heart ached. “So friends help friends. And I’m sure whenever Gideon gets back, he’ll understand and thank you for taking charge.”
At that, Rico cracked a smile. “Man, you do not know Gideon. But thanks for talking me off the ledge. You’ve always been good at that.” Rico slanted a look up at him from beneath his thick, dark lashes.
“Like I said. Friends.” He gave Rico’s shoulder a pat, then stepped away, his palms itching to smooth over the firm planes of Rico’s back and feel the flex and dips of his muscles. He recalled holding on to Rico’s shoulders as Rico pounded inside him, shattering him until he could barely breathe.
“Barton?”
He blinked out of his fantasy to see Dixon escorting an older, distinguished-looking man with a dark, trimmed beard. This must be Rabbi Fine, Gideon’s future father-in-law. He carried a bag with him and was accompanied by a very religious-looking man dressed all in black.
“Yes, Lieutenant.” But Rico had already hurried over to the two men, a genuine smile of happiness and relief lighting his face. He shook Rabbi Fine’s hand.
“Rabbi. I’m so glad to see you.”
“Rico, I’m so sorry. I went past the store, and it hurt my heart to see the damage. I can appreciate the terrific work the fire department did, making sure it didn’t spread. I’m sure the damage would have been even more extensive had they not been so quick on the scene.”
“Yeah. The FDNY is the best of the best. I want to personally thank you, Lt. Dixon, for allowing us to use the firehouse.” He shook Dixon’s hand and gave him another, even bigger grin. “And I’ll make sure the guys don’t go hungry. I stocked up on a few of their favorites.”
Adam joined the men. “We’re all in for a treat, then. Rico’s an amazing chef. I try and get lunch from his store every day and have gotten very spoiled. I don’t think I can go back to neighborhood bodega heroes.”
“Rabbi, this is Adam Barton. He’s the one who’s responsible for making this happen. It was all his idea to have me use the kitchen, and I can’t say thank you enough to the fire department.”
Adam gripped the rabbi’s hand. “Hello, Rabbi. Nice to see you again although I wish we could do it under better circumstances.”
“Ahh. I thought you looked familiar. You were at the fire at the synagogue a few months ago. And once again you’ve come to save us. Rico is like a member of my family, so I consider this a personal benefit.”
To his surprise, Rico nudged his shoulder. “Don’t let him kid you. He’s used to his nightly dinners.”
Rabbi Fine’s eyes twinkled. “I’m no fool.”
They all laughed, and even the man in all-black gave a slight smile.
“Well, if you bring us to the stove, we’ll get this show on the road.”
Rabbi Fine spoke in some unfamiliar language to the other man, and they followed Rico to the kitchen area. The religious man finally addressed them, in heavily accented English. They learned his name was Rabbi Grossman.
“You will turn the oven to self-clean for a minimum of three hours. I will blow-torch the grates on the top to remove all traces of old food. After cleaning the microwave, we’ll put a glass dish of water and let it turn to steam.”
As he spoke he unpacked his small bag, which had several bottles of cleaning solution and a small blowtorch. The whole process fascinated Adam, and he couldn’t help asking Rico about it.
“I don’t know anything about it, but when we first started, Gideon had told me this was the type of place he wanted and I was all for it. It’s like family-style food—who doesn’t like that, right? Besides, we service the synagogue, so we make sure to follow all the dietary rules. Between Jonah and his father, I always have someone to ask, to make sure I’m buying the right stuff.”
Rabbi Grossman set a pot on top of the stove to boil water. When it started to bubble, he poured the steaming water over the sink and mumbled a few prayers. He then set another pot filled with water to boil. Once that started, he took all Rico’s metal cutlery and metal cooking utensils and put them into the boiling water. When they were all covered and the water boiled again, they were removed, then rinsed in cold water. The pot was dumped out and set aside, and then Rabbi Grossman took out the blowtorch and turned it on. They all stepped back.
“This is certainly an education.”
The grills and grates glowed red, and Rabbi Grossman nodded in approval, then shut off the torch.
Rabbi Fine explained. “Most people don’t go to this length, and we appreciate Rico’s concern for our dietary laws and taking it so seriously. We aren’t a very religious synagogue, but the dietary laws are something we adhere to.”
Rabbi Grossman stood waiting by the stove. “You should turn on the self-clean now. Once it goes off, you will be done.”
Then he moved on to the more minor jobs of cleaning the microwave and the countertops, and Rico turned the oven on to self-clean.
“While that’s doing its job, I can start the prep work. We have vegetables to chop and sauces and salad dressings to make…I forgot. We’re also responsible for the tables, tablecloths, and dishes. I can’t have them delivered to the store now.”
A bit wild-eyed, he pulled out his phone. “Frank? Yeah, it’s Rico. Look, man, there was a fire at our store. We’re out of commission. I’m cooking at the firehouse for the party Saturday night. Can you deliver everything to my place? I’ll use the van to bring it over.”
