The door opened before anyone could comment and Jack stood there. “We need to see you, Staci.”
She got up and followed Jack. She hoped they weren’t going to penalize her for this. But really how could she have known that Jean-Luc would be asked to judge. She had noted on her experiences that she’d worked in Paris before opening her own bakery.
“Am I in trouble?” she asked.
“Not at all,” Jack told her. “Chef Renard was a surprise and you couldn’t have anticipated it. Fair enough. The judges just want to talk to you before the Quick Cook.”
She entered a small office where Fatima, Hamilton, Pete and Lorenz all waited. They gestured for her to have a seat.
“We’ve talked to Jean-Luc and he feels that he will not be biased against you in any way. Do you feel as if you could cook for him?” Lorenz asked.
“Yes. I don’t feel as though having him for a judge will influence me one way or the other. It was a shock to see him,” Staci acknowledged. “I just wanted to make sure you all knew that I’d worked for him.”
“You did the right thing,” Fatima said. “We will reveal the fact that you worked for him in a voice-over during the edited version of the show. How long has it been since you’ve seen him?”
“A little over six years,” she said.
“Good. I think we’re ready to get on with the competition,” announced Hamilton. “Unless you have any further concerns, Chef Rowland?”
“I don’t,” Staci said.
“Good,” Hamilton repeated. “Please go back and wait with your peers.”
She nodded and did what he asked her to. The hallway was empty and Staci paused while she was still alone. Her bravado had seen her through this, but a tiny part of her felt betrayed all over again.
It made her appreciate Remy all the more. She was lucky to have him in her life. She stood a little taller as she walked down the hallway determined to put up a dish that made Chef Renard realize what a good cook she was, and possibly regret forcing her out of his kitchen all those years ago.
Her mind was focused on food as she re-entered the temporary green room. Remy waited just inside the door andtook her hand in his, immediately squeezing it. Instantly she let go of all thoughts of the past instead focused on what was her future. She didn’t need to cook to prove anything to Jean-Luc, she needed to cook for the joy of it. Cook for the new life that was waiting for her when this competition ended.
Chapter Twelve
REMYDIDN’TMUCHCARE for the way that Chef Renard was preoccupied with Staci’s dish. He knew the girl could cook, but Remy was a guy and he saw that the other man was flirting with Staci and perhaps regretting letting her go the way he had. He hoped the other man continued to regret it.
Staci appeared as if nothing was bothering her but Remy had felt her sweaty palms when they’d first entered the stew room after she’d seen her old lover for the first time. Frankly, Remy didn’t admire Chef Renard. He’d been to his restaurant in Paris and his father Alain could cook a lot better than Jean-Luc.
“What have you prepared for us?” Fatima asked.
Remy described his dish and then stood back to let them taste it. He saw the other chef’s eyes widen as the spice he’d used hit his palate. He knew that he had the other man in the palm of his hands. That he, Remy, had created a dish that was surprising the more experienced man. And in that moment, Remy knew that he wanted to best Chef Renard. To prove to Staci that he was the better man in every way.
But he couldn’t do that as Remy Stephens. Remy Cruzel, however, cooked on the same level as Chef Renard.
“Very good. The taste is familiar to me,” Renard said.
Remy just shrugged.
“Chef Stephens is from New Orleans and it is probably those seasonings that you are tasting,” Fatima suggested. “Very nice.”
Chef Renard gave him a quizzical look as they moved on to the next station and Remy wondered if he’d finally found a dish that would give him away. But then he knew he was tired of hiding. He wanted to come clean with Staci and the show so that he wouldn’t feel like a liar and a cheat.
He was ready to claim his legacy now; he knew he could live up to his family’s reputation whether or not he won the competition.
The reasons why he’d come, the need to show that he was ready to take on the role of Chef Patron had been assuaged. The last three weeks he’d cooked dishes in new ways and learned a lot about himself as a chef. He was proud of the cooking he’d done.
Fatima, Chef Renard and the other judges were back in the center of the room and as they looked over the stations, Remy couldn’t help but notice that Renard avoided making eye contact with Staci.
“Okay, cut. Judges, you may go confer over your decision. Chefs, clean your stations.”
They all started working and Remy cleaned his quickly and went to find Staci. He had some questions he wanted answers to. Not the least of which was what exactly had happened to end things between her and the other chef.
