Elena mastered the details of her job quickly. She’d been born to organize and design systems that hummed with efficiency even in the midst of chaos, which had served her well when she worked restaurant jobs, because nothing was more chaotic than a kitchen when the dishwasher didn’t show and the line cook was too hungover and nauseous to grill onions without running for the bathroom, and the chef was on about how they’d never get out of the weeds and the patrons filled the dining room all at once. Elena walked into that kitchen like the Goddess of Calm and Tranquility gliding untouched through the fires of hell. She thrived on kitchen chaos, calming down the chef by sending him out to swan among the adoring patrons and buying them time, calling in a dependable backup dishwasher, and jumping onto the line to grill onions while the line cook chugged her homemade hangover remedy.
But those days were a long time ago and she missed them. To Elena, food meant comfort and safety and a way to show others she loved them.
Elena finished up sending out a batch of emails and realized it was almost time for lunch. She usually brought her own but decided to treat herself by going out as a way of learning both the literal landscape of her new home and the food landscape as well. Her thoughts wandered back to when Camden took her and Tina out for vampiros. Her mind went immediately to that moment on the beach when she impulsively told Camden they weren’t on a date.
Even now, she cringed at the memory. She hadn’t meant to be so harsh, but the skank who’d hit on Camden right in front of her rattled Elena. She’d felt so many things—embarrassment and anger mostly, even a touch of sadness related to a sense of loss. But the hot surge of jealousy took her by surprise. Jealousy was such a foreign sensation that she almost didn’t recognize it, but no question, she hated it. Hated the way it made her heart race and her blood pound in her ears and her mouth dry out. Worst of all, she’d wanted to grab Camden and screamMine!
Since she couldn’t do that without looking like some insane cavewoman, to make the jealousy go away, Elena took the opposite tact and told herself it didn’t matter, they weren’t together. She’d had her chance at love and lost it too soon when Antonio died. Who was she to expect she could find that spark again, and that it would be returned in equal measure?
No. Even if it hurt him in the short run, it was better to push Camden away now than to develop feelings for a man who was the polar opposite of her quiet, stoic husband. Camden laughed with his head thrown back, he joked and flirted and had been in the military and seen and done God-knew-what in Afghanistan. Antonio had been a pacifist. He couldn’t even kill the spiders that made Elena shriek whenever she saw them. He’d give her a sweet smile before cupping them gently and carrying them outside. Camden would probably tease her and then smash them as hard as he could. They’d never make it in the long run, could they?
Elena didn’t dare think about what the two men had in common. How they would both protect her and Tina even if it meant risking their lives. Camden had already proven that.
Stop it right now, Elena thought as her chest filled with a gooey warmth like hot caramel.
She opened her bottom desk drawer and took out her purse—she never, ever let her purse touch the floor out of superstition that the money would ‘drain’ into the ground, a superstition her mother had taught her, and one of the only things Elena retained of the woman who abandoned her. She turned her phone on to see if she’d missed any calls or texts—she wasn’t allowed to have her phone on during working hours, which bothered her since she wouldn’t know right away if anything was wrong with Tina. It buzzed with incoming messages.
The first was a text from Rachael reminding her that she’d stop by the apartment before Bette’s Bash the weekend after next:
And bring a dish to pass!
So weird how normal that sounded, considering Jake’s parents lived in Beverly Hills and Bette was a household name.I wonder who all will be there and how many I’ll know from movies or the top forty music charts?She remembered Rachael and Jake’s wedding, how tongue-tied she’d been among the glitterati.
How did I end up in this crowd? And worse, how will I ever fit in? Then she shrugged. She’d fit in the way she always did—by making irresistible food. And if worse came to worst, she’d hide out in the kitchen while the stars all lounged by the pool.
The second text was from Camden:
Hope to see you at the party. If you’re uncomfortable about what to expect at a Bette’s Backyard Bash (that’s trademarked BTW) don’t be. She’s the best and she already thinks of you and the little mermaid as family. That’s a good thing.
Elena smiled at Camden’s thoughtfulness. He must have remembered how awkward she’d felt at the celebrity-studded wedding. He’d admitted while they danced that he still got star-struck at times, too.
His second text read:
If you need a breather I can hang out w/ you in the kitchen. As a friend. Ok, and selfishly hoping you might spontaneously cook something while we’re there… ;-)
And damn if that melty, caramel feeling didn’t flood her chest again.
“Knock, knock,” a quiet voice said and Elena looked up quickly.
“Sorry! I was trying not to startle you.” A tiny woman with sun-streaked hair tied up in a messy bun held her hands up as she stood by Elena’s desk. “I’m a big fan of your work.” Her smile revealed deep dimples on either side of her mouth.
Elena frowned and looked around her desk. “My…work?”
The woman laughed. “Not your receptionist skills, though you do kick serious butt in that department. I’m talking about the cookies and blondies. They totally rocked. They’ve kept me going this week. I think I’m on like hour eighty-five.”
“You work here?” Sitting at the front, Elena thought she knew everyone by sight, but this woman was completely unfamiliar.
“Yeah. I’m back in IT. I’ve been getting in before everybody else and leaving late all damn week. We had a breach and it’s all hands on deck. I’m Elissa. Lissa for short.” She stuck her hand out.
Elena shook it. Lissa looked too tan to be stuck in IT all day. Then she noticed the dark circles under her eyes that contrasted with the woman’s peppy energy.
“I’m Elena, but you probably knew that. Wait, are you the one who left me the notes?”
“Yup, that’s me.” Lissa beamed. “I didn’t have time to give you a proper thank you until today. So thank you officially. Are you getting ready to go to lunch? Do you want to come with me? I’m starving and this is the first break I’ve had all week.” She leaned in close and lowered her voice. “Julia’s out today. Maybe you and me can go a little longer than usual.”
Elena felt a guilty pleasure at being a co-conspirator. “Let’s do it.”
Lissa’s dimples reappeared. “I bet you’re a foodie like me. I know just where to go.”
