Calla scrambles into the kitchen thirty minutes late with a few bags and donut boxes in hand. Is that a Voodoo Doughnuts box? I bet she went down to see Jax. Trey follows behind her with two boxes of coffee, which he places on the first prep table he comes to. Forest and I take the bags and boxes from her.

“How’s Jax?” Forest asks. “Ella and I haven’t gotten down there to see her since we came back from vacation.”

“She’s good. She did ask about you. Call her, because I may have asked if she’d be interested in making donuts with you one Sunday a month for our brunch menu.” Calla winks at him, and I do a double take. Did she just say she asked Jax to help with a brunch menu?

With hands now free, she pulls her phone out of her back pocket and plugs it into the docking station, pulling up her cooking playlist. Michael Bublé's Spiderman theme song spills out of the speakers, setting the mood in the kitchen. The staff and I gawk at her as shock and excitement fill our faces.

I bet she got some last night.

Before I can ask Trey if my suspicions are right, Calla starts the daily meeting.

“Y’all, I’m sorry. This is our dinner for our meeting. I’ve been working on a new idea, and time got away from me. But… today I finally made a decision. With the help of Trey and Wes, I’ve begun to create a new menu.” Calla grins at everyone.

The staff gather around the prep table, smiling as they grab muffins, donuts, and kolaches.

“It's not ready yet. We’re still working on it. However, we will start to feature some of the new items on the daily specials. Forest, this also means that if you’re up for it, you can start creating new desserts.”

“I’ll work on some ideas, but I can’t promise you anything yet,” Forest responds.

“I have a couple ideas I think you might be interested in, if that helps.” Wes chin-nods to Forest.

“No worries. I know you’re in kiddo brain mode since you found out about Ella. I still can’t believe you have a seven-year-old. Anything we can do to help, let us know. That said, I’d also like to make Sundays our ‘Ella’ days. Maybe brunch can be inspired by her, like our mac ‘n’ cheese contest.” Calla reaches over and takes one of the kolaches. “That’s it! Finish your dinner, and let's get to work!”

Everyone's enthusiasm fills the room as the staff dance to the music back to their stations. Calla, Wes, Trey, Forest, and I are all smiles as excitement fills the room. We take the few remaining treats and coffee into our office. Well, all but Calla. She finishes her kolache and sips her chai as we walk into the office. The rest of us stuff another bite or two of donut in our faces.

“Before the dinner rush starts, is there anything else we should go over for tonight?” Calla asks.

“Nessa was sick this morning, so she’s not going to be here tonight. In fact, I think Piper took Ella over to help take care of her. I may need a little help out on the floor,” I reply.

“Is she okay? Is it good news?” Calla asks. “Wait… Piper’s back in town?” She looks between Forest and me, and we nod.

“We don’t know if it’s good news yet. We’re still seeing the doctor. But with Ella in our lives, we’ve decided to take the pressure off ourselves to have kids and enjoy what we have with our niece.”

“Let us know what you need,” Wes adds.

“Thanks y’all.” I smile. “If you tell me what the specials are, I’ll let the servers know, and I can create a drink for each of them.”

“Before we get into the menu,” Calla begins, “I would like to inform Forest of the standing offer that he hasn’t heard about... the one we talked about last week.” She turns to face Forest. “I’ve offered, or rather asked, Adam, Trey, and Wes to be partners with me in Belladonna. I’d like to offer the same to you. If you hadn’t been on vacation, I would’ve asked you before now. None of them have said yes or no yet, so think about it, and let me know.” She blows out a breath as if she’s worried any of us are going to say no.

Little does she know, we’ve only been waiting on her to tell Forest all of this, and now we’re one step closer to giving her an answer.

“Now that the pressure is off my shoulders, let’s get on with the menu for tonight.” Calla glances around the room like she doesn’t want to be the one to talk first. “Fine! I’ll go first, assholes. I can do the spicy alfredo, but I’m not sure we have all the ingredients since I just showed Wes and Trey what I’ve been working on. I haven’t had time to order supplies, or go to the farmer’s market today.”

“Let’s use what we have, put a new spin on it, and go from there. Put in an order tonight, and we’ll all try to get to the market this week, if we can.” Trey takes his last bite and sips his coffee.

“I can work with that. I need to go get the bar and servers ready to open.” I get out of my chair and start out of the room.

“The only thing we won’t have enough of is the veggies for noodles. Everything else should be here.” Calla bites her bottom lip.

“We should check the pantry, fridge, and freezer to see what we already have, and what we need for the new items. If each of us makes a list, it will go faster,” Wes suggests.

I move through the kitchen and into the dining room. My bartenders are in full swing, setting up for the night. As I make my rounds around the restaurant, I notice that Nessa’s servers and hostesses have also started their prep work for service. I make one last circuit around the front, stopping at the doors to unlock them and open Belladonna for dinner, then head back into the kitchen.

As I enter, I notice the tempo has slowed down and gained focus as the staff are preparing for the dinner crowd. A small conversation picks up, adding to the chaos and commotion.

“Calla, remind me. When did you and Wes date?” Trey asks, loud enough for the whole kitchen to hear.

Calla looks up, seeing a mischievous smile on Trey's face.

“We had one date before I met Torrance.”

All other conversations stop as everyone turns to hear where this is going. Wes's head pops up, staring at Trey and Calla. A cocky grin filling Wes's face, he moves slowly around the room as Trey and Calla continue their conversation. I run a hand through my hair. This isn’t going anywhere good.

Wes walks over, grabs a glass, and scoops up some ice from the drink station. Casually, he strolls over to Calla's station, quickly dumping the glass of ice down her back. She squeals and jumps up and down, trying to dislodge the ice from her shirt. Then she spins around, smacking Wes on the arm. Everyone laughs as she hits him again and rolls her eyes.

“I'll get you for this,” she points a finger at him.

Wes smirks, looks down at her then looks over at Trey. “You're next bud.”

“Bring it.”

“You’ll have orders coming in any time now,” I remind them, “so back to your stations and behave, children!” Raising an eyebrow, I chuckle and head out the kitchen door, back into the bustling dining room.

About halfway through the beginning of dinner service, I finally step behind the bar to check on both of my bartenders, and a few of the regulars sitting there. From the corner of my eye, I spot Caleb, the owner of Nectar, sitting at my bar with a clear drink in his hand.

“Caleb, right?” I sidle up in front of him.

Caleb looks up at me, nodding. “Yes. You’re Max’s friend. You’ve been in Nectar with a woman right?”

“My wife and I come in to have a drink with Max once in awhile. Plus, we met Calla there last night.”

“Ah, right. At the bar. And then you were with her later at the club.”

I nod.

“Excuse me, Adam. Can you hand me the Zin over by you?” one of my bartenders requests.

“What brings you in tonight?” I question Caleb as I hand the wine bottle to the bartender to my left.

“Calla.”

I lock eyes with Caleb, stiffening. “What exactly do you want with her?”

Caleb looks away. “I'd like to tell her first.”

“I need a table for two, close to the kitchen, please,” comes from the hostess stand.

I turn my head toward the front door after hearing that familiar voice. I narrow my eyes when I spot the speaker. Torrance and a fellow food critic stand next to the hostess station. I take in a deep breath and glare at the two as they walk past.

“You weren’t expecting the critics tonight were you?” Caleb observes, eyebrow raised.

“Okay. You,” I point to Caleb, “just be careful with her. And no, we weren’t expecting anyone. Especially not those two.” My voice lowers on that last part.

“Is everything alright?” Caleb asks, taking the last sip of his drink.

“Excuse me. I need to take care of this,” I tell him.

He nods, and I quickly walk away from the bar area. I can sense Caleb watching me as I head to the kitchen. I march up to Wes and Trey, who are standing next to the kitchen door.

“Heads up. Caleb is here to see Calla, so let her know. However, Torrance just walked in with one of his critic buddies too. John, I think it is,” I announce, not giving myself time to think.

“What the fuck?” Wes replies.

“Are you fucking serious?” Trey growls at the same time.

“You heard me. I’m not sure if Caleb is grabbing a table or staying at the bar. And I don’t know where Torrance and his friend were seated. Just wanted to let you know what shit is going on out there.” I turn on my heel and walk back out into the dining room.

“Fuck me!” echoes behind me.

I spot Torrance being shown to a small table within the bar area, not far from where Caleb remains. I move straight for them, trying to ignore Caleb in the process. Torrance and the critic sit down at the small, square table as the hostess places menus in front of them. As she turns to leave, Torrance speaks up.

“Can you ask Calla or Nessa to come over?” Torrance addresses the hostess.

The critic looks up at his friend in surprise. Hearing Torrance's request, I quicken my steps. As the hostess opens her mouth to speak, I touch her shoulder. She takes one look at me and walks off.

“What do you need, Torrance?” I demand in a hardened voice, narrowing my eyes at the man.

Torrance turns, and the other critic glances up at me, as I now stand just feet from the table. The guy shakes his head, sighing. I smile at him in understanding.

“Adam, how….” Torrance starts, but trails off.

I glare down at him as a server walks up to the table with two glasses of water. He hurriedly sets the glasses down, looks between the three of us, and quickly walks away. The entire waitstaff avoid walking toward the table, going around others to get to the bar.

“Have you come to screw Calla over again?”

“No,” Torrance responds, frowning.

His friend and I watch him carefully.

“Torrance, if you’re not going to make trouble then why did you choose to come here, of all places?” the guy wonders.

My opinion of him dials up a notch. “John, right?”

“Yes. It’s nice to meet you, again.” John holds out his right hand for me to shake.

“Adam, I'm here on business, but I also need to ask a favor,” Torrance informs me, picking up his water glass and taking a sip.

“On business? Both of you are here to rate Belladonna’s food?” I stand stiffly with my arms crossing my chest as I wait for Torrance to speak.

“No, it’s not for work. It’s personal... but business too. I'd like to hold my rehearsal dinner here.” Torrance fidgets in his seat.

Eyes widening, I choke out a laugh. John lifts his left hand up to rest his elbow on the table as he pinches the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.

“Are you freaking crazy?” I ask, voice rising.

A few heads turn in my direction, including Caleb’s, and watch the interaction. From the corner of my eye, I notice that he shakes his head and turns to look toward the kitchen as the door swings open for Calla. John furrows his brows, and Torrance turns to see who we are looking at.

“Why do you do this?” I growl, exasperated.

I adjust my stance toward Torrance, trying to block him from Calla's view as she walks straight to the bar where Caleb is sitting.

“This is a surprise,” Calla greets Caleb, smiling. “Why didn’t you call and tell us you were coming?”

“Sorry I came on a bad night.” Caleb nods to Torrence’s table a few feet away.

Calla stares at him with a questioning expression then follows his gaze to me. I still stand rigidly by Torrance’s table, even though I am attempting to calm down by taking deep breaths. She turns her head back to Caleb, holding up her hand asking for a minute, then heads over to me.

“Adam, is everything….” She stops as I step back, exposing Torrance.

“Calla,” he greets her as he stands.

This should be fucking delightful. Why does this shit always happen when Nessa isn’t here? I may need backup.

She glares at Torrance, and I watch in amazement as Calla composes herself quickly before reaching the table. She smiles at John. Just as I turn to block out the bar, I notice the kitchen door is cracked open, both Wes and Trey peeking out. Their jaws drop as Calla stands inches away from the asshat. I motion with a hand for them to get back to work. Smiles light their faces, and the door closes.

Torrance clears his throat. “Would it be okay to have my rehearsal dinner here?” he asks Calla timidly, reaching for his glass of water.

I fully rejoin the conversation as she glares back and forth between me and him, mouth agape. I blink, dumbfounded by the stupidity of this fucker.

“Say that again? I don’t think I heard you right. Or... what you asked has to be a joke,” she half laughs, half chokes.

“I’d like to have my rehearsal dinner here.”

Calla tosses her hands in the air, and I grimace, shrug my shoulders, and start to tug her aside. She won’t budge and contorts her face into an “are you fucking crazy” look at Torrance. Taking in a deep breath, she shakes her head once and turns to walk away. I can’t remember the last time I saw her actually speechless.

“I guess you have your answer,” I say a bit gleefully, and follow Calla to the bar.