“Hi,” I call out before anyone walks into the kitchen. “I’m Alex, the new chef. Just letting you know I’m in the kitchen making a list before I go to buy supplies, so you’re not surprised when you walk in and see a stranger standing here.”
Chapter 29
Connor - Sketchy Surveillance and Amazing Coincidences
Imeet Devon at my front door when he arrives. He has some contacts from before his security days that might be able to help me track down Alex. I’m not sure if it’s exactly legal, or if I even feel comfortable tracking her down like this, but I would like to consider all my options. First, though, he wants to hear about my morning of checking out her neighbourhood.
“So Mike wasn’t even at the gym when I went this morning. Which is just my luck. This is the first time I’ve been there specifically to ask him something, and also the first time I haven’t seen him there. Seriously, every single time I’ve been there in the last 18 years, he has been there. The guy never leaves.” I’m complaining to Devon, because he’ll listen. He’s my friend first and my employee second.
“Shit, man,” He says, “What about the pizza place? What did they say when you called?”
“Even better,” I laugh humourlessly. “He says he knows who she is, even has her phone number, but won’t give it to me. Not for any amount of money. Thinks of her like a favourite niece and isn’t about to give a ‘sketchy fuck’ like me access to her without her permission. So I trusted him with my number to give to her next time he sees her.”
Devon bursts out laughing. “Well, it’s nice to know someone is looking out for her. I mean, you are a sketchy fuck, but how could he tell that over the phone?”
“Apparently, he saw me wandering up and down the street this morning. Just because he’s not open doesn’t mean he’s not there.” At least now I know why their pizza is so good. “Did you know he starts his day at 4:00? He makes the dough fresh every day and buys and preps fresh ingredients every morning. He’s a bit of an ass, but I will for sure order from him again.”
Just then we hear a feminine voice come from the kitchen. “Hi, I’m Alex, the new chef. Just letting you know I’m in the kitchen making a list before I go to buy supplies, so you’re not surprised when you walk in and see a stranger standing here.”
I stop dead and look at Devon. “What are the odds my new chef is a totally different woman who is also named Alex, and sounds exactly like her?”
“That would be a fucking crazy coincidence, man, but you’d have to be the luckiest asshole alive for it to actually be her,” he says as he starts walking again. “I’ll check it out first.”
He gets a little further down the hall to where he can see into the kitchen. And he laughs. “Time to buy some fucking lottery tickets, dude.” He yells at me.
“Devon?” she sounds so confused. “What are you doing here?”
Holy shit! Itisher.
I follow Devon as he walks further into the kitchen and watch him pick up Alex in an enormous bear hug, spin her around, and set her down with her back facing me. He’s giving me a chance to surprise her. That sneaky bastard. He must be a romantic at heart.
“Shit, girl, this is your new job? You’re a chef?”
“Yeah,” she says. “Didn’t I mention that at the pizza place? Guess not, since you’re asking. I officially start on Monday, but I finished moving in early and was bored sitting around the pool house. I need to stock up my kitchen anyway, so I figured I’d come get a head start here too. Both kitchens are pretty much empty. I need everything. I’m going to have to make multiple trips just to get it all in here. I’m not sure my ego will be able to take that.” She laughs at her joke, but I see my chance to get her attention.
“You know, you’re going to have to try a lot harder if you want me to believe that you’re not a stalker. Showing up in my kitchen without me even knowing about it isn’t really helping you prove your case.” She spins around, and I laugh at the look on her face when she finally sees me. “But if you want help, I could always come shopping with you and bring it in when we get back here? I can even help put everything away when I’m done? You just need to tell me where you want it. This might be my kitchen, but I honestly have no idea where anything goes.”
I can see Devon snickering a little behind her back. Alex hasn’t gotten past the surprise of seeing Devon to really think about why he’s here. The band pays him well, but not quite enough to buy this house.
“Wait. WHAT?” she yells.
Yeah, she’s feeling surprised, alright. I mean, so am I, but I’m trying to play it cool because it’s more fun messing with her a little. Alex always was easy to surprise.
“This is your house? I’m working for you?”
“Mostly for me, I guess, but also kind of for the band. We’ll be working at the studio here in the house often, and we all get tired of take out. That Lexi Girl pizza was pretty good, by the way. A little weird at first, but good.”
She seems to be in some kind of shock; her mouth is moving, but she’s not really saying words of any kind. Devon pulls out one of the bar stools and leads her over to sit down, then gets her a bottle of water from the fridge.
“Have a drink, darlin’, it’ll make you feel better.” Devon gives her the bottle after taking the cap off for her.
“Did you know about this?” she asks Devon, after taking a long drink of the water. “Did you guys know yesterday, with the pizza?”
“Not even a little bit,” I say. “I had no idea who the new chef was until we just walked into the kitchen. Denise hired you, but she’s been a little distracted lately and didn’t get around to telling me who you were, or when exactly you would be here.”
“Yeah.” Alex seems to relax a little. I see her shoulders drop and she lets out a breath. “She pretty much just had time to hand me keys and codes before she had to run off and deal with some emergency this morning. She told me I could come in and familiarize myself with the kitchen, though. I didn’t mean to be in the way or anything.”
“Oh shit, no, don’t think that.” I finally move a little further into the kitchen, closer to where she’s sitting. “We were just surprised to findyoustanding here in the kitchen. You are more than allowed to be here, any time you want.”
