“I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors about Chef Adrian leaving Café Belle to open his own restaurant…”
Lauren nodded slowly. “I have…”
“Would you be interested in interviewing for the position?”
“Of executive chef?”
“Yes,”Whitmore replied, his tone amused.
“Of course,” Lauren answered automatically, her pulse racing with excitement.
“Excellent. Would you be available to interview tomorrow morning?”
“I…yes. Of course. What time?”
“How does eleven o’clock sound?”
“That sounds great.”
“Perfect. Then I shall see you tomorrow morning, Chef Murphy.”
Lauren stared at the wall in front of her for a moment as she processed what had just happened. She had an interview to become the Executive chef at Café Belle. She danced giddily in place, and then froze as her eyes landed on the wallpaper on her phone. It was a selfie-shot she and Grey had taken while in Hawksnest, just the two of them cuddled up together on the trampolines at the front of the boat. Grey’s smile was radiant, and Lauren’s heart sank as she looked at it.
“Shit.” Her legs threatened to give out beneath her, and she leaned against the wall for support. “What am I going to do?”
Her phone beeped again with her ‘you better move your ass or you’re going to be late’ alarm, and she shook her head as she dropped the phone into her purse and finished getting ready toleave. That same question played on an infinite loop as she made her way to work on auto-pilot, weaving her way through the crowd that filled the sidewalk between her apartment and the restaurant.
What am I going to do?
Cross the street. Dodge a creepy looking guy who was not going to alter his course.
What am I going to do?
Wait at a red light. Slow down, duck around the tourists taking a picture of a building.
What am I going to do?
She had yet to find any kind of an answer by the time she walked into Clarke’s, and she made a beeline through the empty dining room before shouldering her way through the swinging door to the kitchen. The small locker room area at the back of the kitchen was empty when she walked inside, and she continued to mull over her dilemma as she stored her things. She had just closed her locker when a gentle hand on her shoulder made her jump, and she swore softly under her breath as she turned to find her best friend standing behind her.
“Sorry,” Jen murmured, smiling apologetically. She leaned back against her locker and gave Lauren an appraising look. “Everything okay? I said hello three times and you never heard me.”
“Yeah. No.” Lauren shook her head. “Everything’s fine. I’m just thinking.”
“About Grey?”
“Yes…and no.” Lauren blew out quiet breath and shook her head as she pulled her hair up into a bun. “Jason Whitmore called me right when I was leaving to come here tonight. I have an interview tomorrow morning for the executive chef position at Café Belle.”
Jen’s eyes went wide and she stood up straighter. “Lo, that’s awesome!”
“Yeah, I know,” Lauren murmured, her brow furrowing as she nodded. “I know it is.”
Jen sighed, understanding without having to be told why Lauren looked so conflicted about it all. It was clear to her from listening to Lauren talk that things between her and Grey were growing more and more serious. They existed in a state of flux, neither doing anything that would force the other’s hand, but it could not go on forever. “What are you going to do?”
“I don’t…what do you think I should do?”
“Only you can answer that one, kiddo,” Jen said gently. “I know the whole Grey thing is a mess right now, but you said that she was at least open to the idea of maybe moving up here this summer. I know the idea of another six months of being thousands of miles away from each other isn’t the most fun, but it’s also do-able.”
Lauren nodded. “Yeah. I know.”
