“Sebastian handled the business side of things. I just wanted to cook. What he did to boost revenue was his business.”
“Well, well,” comes a sultry voice, “look at you admitting to having a cold, black heart.”
Eden turns in her seat, peering up at a gorgeous woman with jet black hair and distinctively thick brows.
“Bea?” Shang asks, sounding very much startled. “What are you doing here?”
Eden tries to ignore the twist of jealousy that fills her chest when Bea casually pulls up a chair and sits next to Shang at the table. She doesn’t know the woman well enough to make judgements, but this doesn’t stop Eden from putting a hand on Shang’s knee. Just in case.
“I was in the area and thought I’d pop in for a drink,” Bea states simply. “Maybe seven. I think I deserve it, now that I’m being laid off at The Lunchbox.”
Shang frowns. “You’re being laid off? Oh, wait. Uh, everyone, this is Bea. Bea, this is Freddie, Peter, Rina, and Eden.”
Bea smiles. “Lovely to meet you all.”
Eden flushes, warmth spreading to her cheeks. She feels kind of bad. Bea doesn’t seem all that terrible. Perhaps her jealousy is misplaced.
“You’re being laid off?” Shang tries again.
“Yeah. It’s nothing as nefarious as what you’ve been talking about, though.”
“You were listening in?”
“Maybe a little.” She takes a sip from the beer bottle in her hand. “No, the restaurant owner’s retiring or something. Wants to spend more time with his family now that he’s in his seventies.”
“That sounds sweet,” Rina comments.
“It is, but it means that he’s selling off the restaurant, which meansI’mout of a job. It’s fine, though. Being a chef wasn’t really my thing. I might take some time off to find some other passion.” Bea takes another sip of her beer. “I doubt it’s going to sell. The location’s a real hole in the wall. Literally. A part of the building caved in in the 60’s, and that’s when they turned it into a bar. And it’s the most decrepit part of town, too. I wouldn’t be surprised if they decide to just demolish—”
Eden stops listening. Her mind is in overdrive. She has an idea.
Shang wants a fresh start. Her friends need new jobs. Eden wants to see everyone happy.
“We should buy it,” she says, quiet at first, like she doesn’t trust her voice to carry her message. She clears her throat and commands everyone’s attention. “We should buy it and start a new restaurant.”
Her suggestion is met with stunned silence.
“Are you serious?” Shang asks softly, like he isn’t sure if he heard correctly.
“Why not? I know that I still want to be a chef. That’s never going to change. But there’s no way in hell I’m going to work for Sebastian ever again. If he’s buying up restaurants left, right, and center, the chances of me finding another job outside of his influence will be next to impossible.” Eden turns to her friends. “There might be an easier solution than murdering Hector in his sleep. Why don’t we just take matters into our own hands?”
Rina is the first to perk up. “That kind of sounds amazing.”
“It’s already set up as a restaurant, so we’d have all the necessary appliances to start us off,” Eden continues. “Nothing a fresh coat of paint and some redecorating won’t fix.”
“What would we cook?” Freddie asks, a curious brow raised. “Hector has destroyed my love for French cuisine.”
Peter nods. “And it’s not like a pricey restaurant in the rough part of town exactly screams accessible, either.”
Everyone looks to Shang, who’s been quiet the entire time. His brows are knit together, and his lips are pressed into a thin line.
A small voice in the back of Eden’s head tells her that this is the time to panic, that he isn’t onboard with this idea at all.
“Comfort food,” he mumbles.
Eden’s eyes widen. “What?”
“We could... We could come up with a menu of our favorite comfort food.” There’s a spark behind his eyes, something alive and electric and hopeful. “Stuff we loved as kids. Cheap but hearty meals that everyone can enjoy. Something filling. Something that families from all walks of life can enjoy. Not just snobby food critics with stupidly small portions.”
