Neither she nor Cole were into public displays of affection, so after a couple of weeks went by with no changes at all in how the staff responded to her, Fedora relaxed and really began to enjoy being in a relationship with Cole. They’d even gone on a double date with Flynn and his lady, Tracy. At first, Fedora had felt like the lone young person, but that sensation soon wore off. Flynn and Tracy were funny and so down-to-earth that Fedora already felt as if they were old friends. Fedora also began spending a lot of time at Cole’s house, mostly because it was so much nicer than her own place and his kitchen was big and extremely well-appointed. However, even though Cole had invited her to leave some of her essentials at his house, she continued bringing things back and forth in an overnight bag because that was a slippery slope, as far as she was concerned.

She was working on the schedule when the phone rang. The Barracudas had made it to the playoffs, so she had to make staffing adjustments to reflect the expected increase in business. The three amigos had also requested she create a special entree just for the Playoffs. As a result, she was slightly distracted when she answered the phone.

“Hat Trick Brewery and Tasting Room.”

“May I speak to Fedora Echeveria, please?”

The voice was familiar.

“Speaking.”

“Fedora, this is Anson Lau.”

What the…?

“This is quite a surprise,” she said in what she hoped was a normal tone.

“I was wondering if you had time to meet with me later this week to talk about a business proposition.”

This got weirder and weirder. She couldn’t help but feel he’d gotten the wrong number even though he’d asked for her by name. She got up and closed the door.

“A business proposition?”

“I want to expand my horizons and try something different so I’m thinking seriously about opening a fast casual restaurant. I want to develop a concept that can be easily applied to many locations, not just here in San Diego. That’s where I’d start, but the sky’s the limit.”

“And you want to talk to me?”

“I came in to Hat Trick like I said I would, but I didn’t tell you I was there. It was a stealth visit, but let me tell you, the food was astounding. Leaps and bounds above what I had there the last time. What you’ve done with the menu is smart too. You reworked it, didn’t you?”

“I did—both the food and the wording.” The three amigos hadn’t thought the menu needed help, but she had. The descriptions were about halfway there, serviceable, but not particularly enticing.

“I knew it. The service is better too. You have a talent for this business, Ms. Echeveria and I want to work with you.”

“How can you possibly…? You don’t know me.”

“That’s true, but I have a gut feeling. Plus, Roo Roo loves you and that goes a long way with me.”

It took her a moment to remember Roo Roo was Cole’s mom, Ruth Ripley.

Feeling shell-shocked, she agreed to meet with him later that week and then immediately called Kiefer. Her hands were shaking, so it was a good thing she had him on speed dial.

“Dude, guess what.”

“You’re pregnant.”

“Shut up! No.”

“Publisher’s Clearing House knocked on the door with a check made out to me.”

She laughed. “No. Want a hint?”

“Yes.”

“Someone called.”

“Prince William. He wants you to come cook for the Royal Family.”

“Kiefer, come on, be serious.”

“It could happen! Okay, not the prince. Gordon Ramsay?”

“No, but you’re damned close. It was Anson Lau.”

“Anson Lau called you? Shit! I’m trying to figure out what he could have been calling about and the only thing I can think of is that they made a mistake at the Chew and Brew and you actually won, but that can’t be it.”

“No, wait until you hear.”

She recounted the conversation.

“Fedora, this is fantastic. Congratulations. You’ve paid your dues and the universe is finally recognizing you.”

“I know. I should be happy. I should be over the moon, but I…I can’t quit my job at Hat Trick. The Three Amigos will be crushed.”

“Listen to me, Fedora, they’re businessmen and this is business. They’ll understand.”

She sighed. What he was saying was true, but that didn’t make the prospect of resigning any less horrible and Kiefer was acting as if this were a done deal and it wasn’t. She was a long way from shaking hands. Hell, she didn’t even know what the deal was yet.

“Okay, you’re jumping the gun here. I haven’t even heard Anson’s proposal. For all I know, he’s looking for someone to do all the work while he gets all the credit. Or maybe he wants to do something I want no part of, like a turkey-themed restaurant.”

“Hey, people thought Howard Schultz was nuts to suggest Americans would take to lattes and look how that turned out.”

“You forget there’s the tiny little detail that turkey is not addictive like caffeine is. Plus, I have turkey burgers on our menu and they don’t sell worth shit.” She sighed. “Anyway, that’s not my point. It’s just a meeting. Nothing’s been decided.”

“Okay. It’s still amazing news. If you end up being a household name, I want instant front-of-the-line reservations for life.”

“Kief, Anson said fast casual. No reservations.”

“Details, details.”

She laughed. “But I promise if I ever open a restaurant that takes reservations, you’ll always have a table. But…”

“I knew there’d be a catch.”

“You have to keep all of this under your hat. I mean it. No tweeting or anything. Not even ‘my roomie is going to have an important meeting.’ If you violate this directive I’ll be forced to withhold my cooking from you for a month.”

Kiefer gasped. “No pappardelle carbonara? No carne asada burritos?”

“Not even toast.”

“You’re such a hard ass.”

Over the course of the next few days, Fedora had to repeatedly remind herself that she wasn’t doing anything wrong by not telling anyone about her meeting. If she ended up accepting Anson Lau’s business proposal, she would tender her resignation with plenty of notice. She would even help find her replacement. She had every right to advance her career. The part that didn’t sit well with her was keeping it a secret from Cole, but there was no point in getting him involved until she knew more.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how she looked at it, the meeting with Anson went very well. He told her his idea, which was, like he’d said, to develop a fast casual concept with potential for expansion.

“And I’m thinking a melding of Mexican and Asian flavors might be just the thing.”

She instantly thought of the three amigos’ argument whenever she had brought up the idea of adding Mexican dishes to the Hat Trick menu and she thought it was a valid argument, which was why she’d never fought too hard on this issue.

“Anson, San Diego is up to its ears with Mexican restaurants. And we’re so close to the Mexican border that it doesn’t make sense to try it here.”

“It makes more sense than opening in Poughkeepsie. People here know good Mexican food, so if we can make it here, we can make it anywhere.”

He not only had a point, he had more years of experience in the restaurant business than she and the three amigos combined.

As she thought about being able to finally bring in some of her family’s recipes—her abulela’s menudo and her dad’s salsa—her heart leapt.

He then started talking to her about dishes he’d already dreamt up—a banh mi taco, a boneless Korean short rib quesadilla, and fajita, peppers and onion fried rice. That prompted her to suggest fire roasted corn slathered with a ginger, Sriracha and lime butter; a kung pao taco in a crispy wonton shell; a chicken adobo rice bowl.

“I like how you think, Fedora,” he said with that trademark grin.

The more they talked, the more ideas they got. Anson started jotting down notes in a precise all-caps print. They brainstormed what the restaurant might look like, the price points, timelines, even possible locations. When he finally got down to the money, he made her an offer that was more than fair, considering how much prestige his name would bring to the project and the fact that she had no investors or money to bring to the table. They parted on the understanding that she had ten days to think about it, but as she drove away she’d already made up her mind.