God. She wants to be anywhere else in the world but here. But if she suddenly calls in sick again, she knows Alexander will see right through her ruse. That’ll only make it more unbearable to show up to work.
A fine mess, indeed.
“Fuck me,” she grumbles to herself as she steps through the back doors of La Rouge.
The first person to greet her—thankfully—is Peter.
“Heads up,” he warns. “Chef’s in areallybad mood.”
Eden chews on the inside of her cheek. “Do you know why?”
Her chef de partie shrugs. “The man’s a mystery. I was hoping you were the one with answers. He hasn’t even told us what the night’s specials are, but he’s so grumpy that I’m too afraid to ask.”
“I’ll talk to him,” she offers.
Peter pats her on the shoulders. “Thanks for taking the bullet. I’ll get a head start on funeral arrangements.”
Eden rolls her eyes. “Drama queen.”
She finds him in the kitchen’s corner office, Alexander’s massive frame haunched over the cramped desk in front of the restaurant’s work laptop. They use it to submit produce orders, send off payroll, organize the month’s shifts, deal with customer reviews, and—in this particular instance—reply to a particularly angry email from one Hector Trisko. Eden’s only able to catch a glimpse of the first few lines over Alexander’s shoulder, but it’s more than enough.
I’m going to make sure you pay for what you did. Did you really have to destroy my career? Nobody’s willing to take me after the lies you’ve spread. I hope you rot in hell you chi—
“How long are you going to stand there?” Alexander asks, not looking away from the screen. His tone is flat, tinged with bitterness.
“What is that?” she asks.
“Hector’s threatening to sue me for defamation.”
“Seriously?”
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
Eden puts her hands on her hips. “He can’t sue you for giving a poor reference. It’s not your fault he’s a shit employee.”
“I’ll deal with it, Monroe. It’s none of your concern.”
She bristles. “The hell is your problem?”
“I don’t appreciate you riding my ass!”
“And I don’t appreciate you pushing me away!”
“Would you give it a break already? Everyone’s pissing me off, and I’ve got too much shit to deal with today.”
“And what about me?”
“What?”
“If I piss you off, will you do the same to me what you did to Hector?”
Alexander balks. He looks like he’s been stabbed. “Do you really think so little of me?” He sounds impossibly small. “If this is about this morning…”
“Of course this is about this morning.”
“Eden, look—”
A knock at the door interrupts them both. It swings open, revealing Sebastian on the other side.
