"Post on the culinary school job boards. Reach out to your Paris connections. Someone will know someone."
Lucy spent the next week doing exactly that. She posted job listings, reached out to Chef Laurent (who actually responded with three recommendations), and interviewed what felt like a hundred people.
Finally, in mid-January, she found her sous chef.
Daniel was thirty-two, trained at CIA (Culinary Institute of America, not the spy agency, as he clarified immediately), hadworked in Boston restaurants for ten years, and was looking to get out of the city.
"Why Timber Falls?" Lucy asked during his interview.
"Burnout. I've been working sixteen-hour days in high-pressure kitchens for a decade. I want something smaller, more personal. Your concept—French technique with local ingredients and Asian influence—that speaks to me. It's innovative without being pretentious."
"The pay isn't Boston money."
"I don't need Boston money. I need to love cooking again. Your passion for this project—that's what I need to be around."
Lucy hired him on the spot.
With Daniel on board, they built the rest of the team. Two line cooks—both young, eager, willing to learn. A bartender named Chris who'd moved to Vermont for the skiing and needed work. Mae ran front of house hiring, bringing on three servers who she promised were "reliable and good with people."
By early February, Lucy had a full staff and a finalized menu. Margaret's was happening. Really happening.
"March fifteenth," Lucy told Jake one evening at his apartment. "That's our soft opening. Friends and family, iron out the kinks. Then official opening March twenty-second."
"That's six weeks away."
"I know. Six weeks to finalize everything, train staff, do a million practice runs—" Lucy felt panic rising.
"Hey." Jake pulled her close. "You've got this. You've been working toward this for months. The restaurant is beautiful,your team is solid, your menu is incredible. It's going to be perfect."
"What if it's not? What if I fail spectacularly and embarrass myself in front of the entire town?"
"Then you'll adjust and try again. But Lucy—you're not going to fail. You're too good at this."
"How do you know?"
"Because I've tasted everything you've made. Because I've watched you build this from nothing. Because you're Lucy Chen, and when you commit to something, you make it happen."
Lucy kissed him, grateful for his certainty when hers was wavering.
"Tell me about playoffs," she said, changing the subject. "That's coming up soon too, right?"
"First round starts early March. If we keep winning, we could make it to finals."
"Which would be when?"
"Late March, early April. Right around your opening."
"So we're both going to be insanely busy at the exact same time."
"Looks like it."
"That's—that's not great for us, is it?"
Jake was quiet for a moment. "It's going to be hard. But Lucy—we knew this wouldn't be easy. We're both building careers, chasing dreams. Sometimes that means less time together."
"I don't want to lose us in the chaos."
"We won't. As long as we're intentional about making time, as long as we keep communicating—we'll be fine."
