“Freddie and I studied at the NYC Institute,” Peter says. “We were in the same class. Wound up landing our jobs at La Rouge at the exact same time.”
“And you?” Eden asks, looking at Rina.
“I studied at Hayson Polytechnic with my sister, Penny. She used to work at La Rouge, too.”
“Where’s she at now?”
Rina beams. “In Paris. She’s opening up her own restaurant come springtime.”
Eden’s eyes widen. “That’s amazing!”
“Working at La Rouge does that for you,” Freddie mentions, finishing off his first can of beer. “Like it or not, having La Rouge on your resumé can open a lot of doors.”
“It’s the only reason I’m still here,” Peter admits, scoffing. “Just have to put up with Alexander’s shit for a few years and then I’m packing up and working with someone who actually appreciates me.”
“Don’t forget to take me with you,” Freddie reminds.
Peter kisses his cheek. “Don’t worry. I wouldn’t leave you behind to rot there.”
“What about you?” Rina asks Eden. “Want to open your own place one day? I can’t imagine you want to be a sous chef forever. Not for him, at least.”
Eden shrugs. “I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it much.”
It’s the truth. Right now, she only has a singular priority, one that involves an intense amount of savings before she can take the next step. Working at La Rougeis only a means to an end. She can’t see that far into the future, so Eden doesn’t bother thinking about it.
The game show comes back on to the screen. The host speaks clearly, reading off of his prompt card. “This private investigator saw the safe return of actor Michael Blaine in 2019.”
Before the contestants even get the chance to press their buzzers, Eden whispers, “Maxine Kendo.”
“Who is Maxine Kendo?” the Patty lookalike asks.
“That’s correct.”
Freddie whistles. “Wow. How’d you know that?”
“I don’t even know who that is,” Peter admits.
“That’s because you’re dumb,” Rina teases.
Eden shrugs her shoulders, sinking into the cushions behind her. “I’m just good at trivia,” she lies.
“If that’s the case, you should join us for trivia night at the pub next weekend,” Freddie says. “You could help us break our losing streak.”
Eden smiles. “Sure. Why not?”
They return to their food, eating and chatting and yelling at one of the contestants when they get an obvious answer wrong. For a moment, Eden forgets about everything else. Tonight, she allows herself to forget all about the private investigator’s fees she’s slowly been collecting.
* * *
Eden’s flustered.
She’s at work, frantically searching through her assigned locker in the staff room. She’s taken everything out and put everything back in twice, but she can’t find her knife roll anywhere. This isn’t an ideal start to her day. Eden won’t be able to rest until she finds them.
“Fucking goddamn,” she grumbles under her breath. “Shit! Asshat! Son of a bitch! I know it’s in here somewhere. Sweet baby Jesus, why are you doing this to me?”
“Maybe you were an ax murderer in a previous life.”
Eden whips around and finds Alexander leaning against the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. He once again looks stupidly well-rested. Eden doesn’t understand how it’s possible. After her friends left last night, she got a solid eight hours, and she still needs at least two more naps at some point to feel even remotely okay.
