Not running drugs, or worse.
“Exactly,” he says, clasping his hands together and resting them overtop his stomach.
“Executive chef of a five-star restaurant,” I roll the words around on my tongue.
Taste the way that feels.
“It could be called,” he uses his hands to wipe the air in front of him, like a sign’s appearing. “Amante.”
Well shit, that got me half hard.
“Salt + Spice,” I say, clearing my throat.
“Huh?” He cups his ear.
“Salt + Spice,” I repeat, a bit louder. “That’s what I always dreamed of calling my own restaurant.”
“I like the sound of that,” he says, grinning.
“So what d’ya say, kid? You in?”
“You need an answer right now?”
He shrugs. “The sooner the better. We’ve been tryin’ to ask ya for months. Construction’s supposed to break ground end of the summer, and we want to start working on the menu plans by then too. Get everything lined up to open next year.”
He looks down at his phone again and chuckles. “Marco says the food’s great. I knew you was the one for this. You got it in ya to make somethin’ a little fancier than diner food?”
Mouth gaping, I have no clue how to respond.
I came here expecting I was leaving town, never coming back.
To find out they aren’t trying to rope me back into the life, it opens up all my options again. But the chance at my own restaurant? Fully funded, free rein to make it all Amante? No one to shoot down my dishes?
“Tell ya what,” he says, standing up off the couch, and I rise with him. “Take the information.”
He gestures at his guard, who hasn’t moved yet, but does so now to hand me an envelope just like all the others I got.
“Take a look at all the details, the salary, all o’ that, and get back to us by the end of summer.”
Nodding, I grip the envelope in my fist and wonder if this is the chance at my dream I’ve always wanted, or the block of cheese to lure me in before my head gets snapped in a trap?
TWENTY-FOUR
LEXI
To: Heights Bites Management
From: Wilder Amante
Is there any update on my trial period? It’s up in less than a month, and I’d love to know if management or the owners have a feel for whether there will be a permanent place for me as Head Chef at Heights Bites.
From my end, things seem to be going great. Guests are happy, we’re hitting our numbers, keeping costs in range, and back of the house is flowing like hot bacon grease.
I got another opportunity that takes place after the summer, and I didn’t want to respond to them without knowing where things stand with the café.
Thanks for your time,
Wilder Amante
