Chapter 7

MADDIE

Walking into the restaurant, I don’t feel very well put together. A sleepless night was not in my itinerary, nor was thinking about Rocco the entire night. I know I told him I wasn’t interested, but it wasn’t true whatsoever. I am so very interested in Rocco.

I walk through the dining area, the lights still off. The only light illuminating the place is coming from Joanne’s office. It is usually a toss-up on who gets in first. It surprised me that she had given me a key after the first few times I had to wait for her to arrive to let me in. When I get into the kitchen, the smell of my lemon meringue pies fill the air and I smile at how good the aroma is.

That is, until I turn on the lights. I want to gasp or scream or throw something but I don’t. I just stand there looking at the large mound of desserts piled onto the floor. My pies and crème brûlée are thrown together onto the floor, the display cases and refrigerator door still wide open.

“What the hell?” I murmur. I walk to Joanne’s office. I stand in her doorway and watch her fingers fly over the keys on her keyboard.

“Joanne,” I say quietly.

“Good morning, Maddie. What can I do for you?” She looks up at me and her smile fades. “What’s wrong?”

“There’s been a, um, an incident.”

“What is it?”

“My desserts and everything in the refrigerator has gone bad.”

“Oh, my… do not tell me that refrigerator is on the fritz. I just replaced the damned thing.” She gets up and quickly walks past me.

“I don’t think that is the problem.”

I follow her out, not saying another word until she sees the mess herself.

“What happened?”

“I would like to know that as well.”

“Everything is destroyed?”

I nod. “Everything in the refrigerator and what you see here on the floor, yes.”

She turns and looks at the cooler.

“Judging by the temperature of the food, Joanne, this happening sometime ago. Maybe last night? I haven’t been in the back cooler or supply room yet.”

Joanne quickly runs and after a few moments she returns looking at the mess on the floor in front of me. “It’s just this,” she says. “Who would do something like this?”

“I don’t know.”

“If I run to the store, can you remake these?”

It would take a miracle. It would take three people to do what I have done in time for the dinner menu, and that is only if each dessert comes out right the first time.

“Yes, I can.” I’m a glutton for punishment.

“Okay. Make a list of what you will need and I’ll do the running.” She pulls out her phone and hits a couple of buttons, holding it to her ear. “How long before you come in? Okay, well we have a bit of a mess here that needs your assistance… Bring backup if you can… Okay… See you in ten.” She puts her phone back in her pocket and looks at me. “Don’t worry about this. Get me the list and I’ll be ready to go.”

“Okay.”

“Do you want me to get you some help?”

“No. I think I can do this.”

She nods and disappears from the kitchen, leaving me in the aftermath of the destruction. I want to start cleaning the mess but I know I need to stay on task and get the list for Joanne in order to even come close to putting any desserts in the display cases in time for dinner.

I hear the front door open and close, and wonder if it is my clean-up crew, expecting a couple of the waitresses. Rocco walks in and immediately looks over the counter at the floor, an all-knowing look on his face.

“She wasn’t lying about the mess, was she?” He glances at me. I want to tell him I didn’t make the mess, but when I open my mouth, Nancy walks in behind him shutting me up before I even say a word. Of course, I conjure the worst scenario possible and it causes a heat to slam into me, jealousy rearing its ugly head. Nancy apparently catches on as her mouth forms a sassy little smirk.

“What happened?” Her play of innocence is disgusting.

“Someone must have broken in and destroyed the kitchen,” Rocco says, glancing at me again.

“If you think this is bad, you should see the supply room,” I add while watching Nancy’s face. She furrows her eyebrows and immediately looks at the supply closet. When she looks back at me, I am the one smirking. Busted.

She looks at me and cocks her head. “Let me help with this,” she says, bending over in front of Rocco and leaning into him. There are so many things I want to do to her, but I turn away from them both and walk away with a notebook and pen in my hands. At least the idea she has to clean up her own mess gives me some satisfaction.

“How is it coming along?” Rocco walks into the kitchen a few hours into my shift and sees me hard at work. Apparently, I look a mess with the grin he has when he looks at me.

“Is there something funny?”

“Not at all.”

“This wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t decide to hire Nancy.”

“You can’t blame this on her.”

“I can, and I do. Are you defending her?”

He doesn’t offer an answer. “I know you don’t like her, Maddie, and I’m pretty sure I know why.”

Okay, my turn to stay quiet.

“Want some help?” he asks, pulling an apron from a cupboard. He moves close to me and watches for a minute, then he falls into place as if he has done this a million times before.

“I have to admit, I was a little surprised that you offered to do all of this,” he says as he pulls at the dough on the counter, stretching it and kneading it into a ball.

“Do all of what?”

“All these desserts. They are some of the hardest to accomplish.”

“I didn’t offer.”

“Ah,” he says matter-of-factly. “Another one of Joanne’s tests. She likes to push those she believes in.”

I smile a little. It makes what I’m doing seem a little more tolerable and doable, knowing the woman I work for believes in me.

“If it makes a difference, Maddie, I believe in you too.”

“Thank you,” I say humbly.

I can feel the heat between us as we talk about how long he has been in the business and why I chose the culinary arts. The tension is thick but neither of us crosses the line, even though I flirt on the border of it. Every time he reaches over me to get a couple eggs, I can feel the heat of his body.

Just as we finish the last of the desserts, Joanne pops in and smiles at the countertop covered with my newly created accomplishments. She sweeps the kitchen area with her eyes. There are several desserts lining the counter as I put the finishing touches on the last of the baklava.

“I do believe we are finished. I have another batch of pies coming out of the oven. After I top them, that should be all.”

“Maddie, I am impressed. I honestly didn’t think you could do it when I initially asked you. When the incident happened, I was sure we would be without dessert this evening. Between the specialty desserts and our signature cakes, you did it. You got everything done.”

The cakes! I feel the blood drain from my face. I didn’t make the cakes! Bistro Italiano is known for their signature cakes and every week they sell out of them. I look at the clock and it’s almost four-thirty. There is no way to make them in time, even with help. I screwed up. It’s time to admit defeat.

“Joanne?”

“Give me just a moment, Maddie. I hear my office phone. I will be right back.”

She disappears from the kitchen and I scramble around in hopes that some miracle helps me put four different cakes together and get them ready in the next half hour. I run into the supply room and pull as much as I can carry off the shelves.

“Maddie?” Rocco’s voice stops me for a moment. I can’t give him the time of day right now. “Stop what you are doing and come out here please.”

“I’m busy at the moment, Rocco. It will have to wait.”

“No, it can’t. Come here, now.”

His forcefulness causes my breath to catch and I slowly walk into the kitchen with my arms full of ingredients.

“You won’t be needing those.”

I look at the counter as he sets the last of four cake display stands with covers next to my pies.

“What is this?”

“I knew that you would be too busy to prepare everything, especially after what had happened, so I took the liberty of preparing these.”

“You are kidding.” I put the boxes down and dash over to the displays, pulling the tops off two of them. Each one holds a signature cake, perfectly decorated and ready to be served. “I can’t believe you did this.”

“Stepping up and stepping in is what a boss does. I hope this helps.”

“What is it you needed, Maddie?” Joanne walks back in and looks at the food. “Everything smells delicious.” She stands and looks at me, waiting for me to speak.

“I, um,” I glance at Rocco as he takes a small slice out of one of the cakes.

“Good job on the chocolate mousse cake,” he says, shoving a forkful into his mouth. He winks at me and turns away.

“Rocco took care of it,” I say, smiling.

“Very good. Everything is ready?”

“Yes.”

She smiles and hesitates, looking at the dishes and then back at me. “Duly noted.”

All through dinner, my mind is on Rocco. Maybe I am wrong about him. I know it’s been tough fighting the feelings I have for him. Everything tells me I need to talk to him about it. Open communication is the key to any good relationship, even a business relationship, right? If I tell him everything, maybe I’ll get a better idea on how to move forward. After the dinner crowd thins out, I find Rocco in his office going through receipts.

“Can I talk to you?” I ask, standing in his doorway.

“Absolutely, come in.”

I walk in and quietly close the door. “I want to thank you for what you did for me today. If it weren’t for you, I would have…”

“It’s okay, Maddie. You were struggling. It’s the least I can do.”

I sit down in a chair against the wall and fidget with my bracelet. “Can I be honest with you about something?”

“Of course.” He sets down his pile of receipts and turns to me giving me his full attention.

I swallow a lump in my throat and take a breath. “From the day I met you, I feel like…”

His door opens without warning and Nancy walks in, past me and stands directly in front of me.

“I need to talk to you, Rocco,” she demands.

“What is it?”

“I’ll wait until Joanne joins us. This is something you both will want to hear.”