“Did you know Summer is a chef?”
Noah’s eyes narrow for only a moment before he says, “Yes, I did. It’s why I was so surprised to see her working here. She has to have better places to be than slinging cider for us. There’s no way we’re the only place that would hire her.”
“I don’t think we are.”
Not by a long shot, actually. But she claims she’s here for her father, and while I do believe that, I think there’s another reason for her coming back to Port Harbor.
“So what’s she doing here then? I mean, besides Sheriff Turner forcing you to hire her?”
“No clue, but it doesn’t mean we can’t take advantage of it, no?”
Noah looks at me skeptically. “What exactly are you proposing, Ez?”
I sit forward, resting my hands on the desk. “I think we should overhaul the kitchen.”
“Ha. Very funny. Clever joke, Ez.”
When I say nothing, he takes it as a sign that I most definitely amnotjoking.
“Holy shit, you’re not joking.” He runs a hand through his hair, blowing out a puff of air. “You mean after the wedding, right?Mywedding that we’re holding here in ten weeks?”
When I say nothing, Noah barks out a laugh.
“You mean now, don’t you?”
“Yes, but only because I think it’s the best time. It could be a trial run.” He opens his mouth to say something, but I point at him and keep going. “You and I both know that Odette has everything planned to the very last detail, including several backup options just in case.” Noah agrees with a nod, then motions for me to continue. “If something went wrong, we’d be set. But it won’t go wrong. I bet we could have this place turned around in a month, which leaves us plenty of time to work out the kinks for the big day.”
He looks apprehensive, and I get it. It’s a big undertaking. I keep swearing I’m not taking on new projects, but this just seems like too good an opportunity to pass up. Besides, the arcade is nearly finished, so that’s a major task off my list. I can shift my focus to the kitchen.
“Not having a proper kitchen has been our number one issue with the wedding venue side of things since the beginning,” Noah remarks, and I know I’ve got him on board. “Most people either cater their own food or have food trucks. We could bring that back in-house. Charge more. It would be a win-win.”
“Exactly my thinking. And I’ve already run the numbers. We’d break even within six months, maybe less, especially if we have a killer menu. And we have someone right under our noses that could make it.”
“Which is why you brought up Summer being a chef.” He laughs, shaking his head. “Fuck, man. You’re good. I’ll give you that.”
He contemplates the proposition for a moment, turning it over in his mind.
Finally, after a few quiet minutes, he says, “Honestly, it’s a good idea. Probably something we should have done sooner, consideringIdon’t even grab food off our menu. That’s likely a sign we should be doing something else. While the timeline scares the shit out of me, if we could get it done, then I think it’d take a lot of stress off Odette’s shoulders. We’d just need Summer on board.”
“That’ll be easy. She, uh, she made some food the other night when I was working late, and fuck, dude. It was good. Like some of the best I’ve ever had. I don’t think we’ll have any issue convincing her to get on board.”
His brows lift. “She cooked for you?”
Images of Summer sitting up on that counter with me between her legs run through my mind on fast-forward.
I blink them away. “Yeah. So? She’s a chef. That’s what she does.”
“Hmm.”
“Hmm? What does that mean?”
“Nothing,” he says, but it doesn’tfeellike nothing. It feels like a whole lot of something, and I want to ask him just what he means, but he speaks before I can. “Look, do you need me to stick around tonight?”
“Nah, man. It’s Friday. I’m sure you have something better to be doing than worrying about the cidery. Go home to your girl.”
He sags back in relief, then grins. “Thanks, Ez. You’re a nice guy, you know that?”
“Don’t mention it. Seriously.”
