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“I wanted to ask you,” Rachelle began, “if you could talk to Henry or another producer? Maybe we could get Eddie removed from the show?”
Rachelle winced at how pathetic she sounded. But wasn’t she the sous chef? Didn’t she have any power at all?
In another restaurant environment, if a sous chef had trouble with one of the servers, the server would be gone in an instant.
“I know that sounds stupid,” Rachelle hurried to add. “I just don’t know if I can work in this environment. And I feel so used.”
Diana sucked in her cheeks. Her face echoed with compassion. “I can talk to Henry today,” she said. “But I have to tell you, I really don’t think it’s possible. America has fallen in love with Eddie. The producers are going to milk that as long as they can.”
Rachelle heaved a tearful sigh. The air between them was taut with a million emotions. It was difficult to sense what Diana was thinking.
“You’ve gone through so much on television, haven’t you?” Rachelle asked quietly.
Diana nodded. Her eyes were large.
“I’ve lost so much,” she added after a pause.
After that, Rachelle returned to the kitchen, slicing onions and listening to a podcast about self-esteem, which went in one ear and out the other. As she worked, Diana cut out into the dining room to talk to Henry. Rachelle watched the conversation play out from the window between the kitchen and the dining room. It was clear Diana was asking if Eddie could be fired, and Henry said no.
Rachelle felt her soul leave her body.
Diana returned to the kitchen, shaking her head ever so slightly. Rachelle mouthed, “Thank you for trying.”
Paul and Benny were practicing today’s argument. Benny suggested that he drop an entire vat of pasta on the floor in the kitchen during a moment of intense panic. Paul said, “Don’t drive Rachelle up the wall.”
Rachelle took a moment in the walk-in freezer to think. Her head felt clogged.
Just then, a text came in from Darcy.
DARCY: Hey! I haven’t heard from you. How did the date go??
DARCY: Did you sleep on the couch again?
Rachelle winced and dialed Darcy’s number. Darcy answered on the first ring. Her voice was nourishing and warm.
“What happened?” Darcy demanded.
“He was using me, Darcy,” Rachelle whispered, grateful that nobody outside the walk-in freezer could hear her.
Rachelle briefly explained what had happened yesterday—that the camera crew had met them on the docks, that Eddie had pretended to have crushes on Rachelle and Diana, and that Eddie had clearly set the whole thing up.
“Diana talked to the producers about kicking him off the show, but they don’t want to,” Rachelle said. “I’ve thought about quitting all morning.”
“You can’t quit!” Darcy cried. “You can’t let those idiots win.”
Rachelle’s heart thudded.
“Let me think. Let me think.” Darcy’s tone was dark. “How old did you say Eddie was?”
“I think he’s like twenty-seven or twenty-eight.”
“Hm. Old enough to know better,” Darcy said.
Rachelle raised her shoulders, although nobody was around to see.
“How did you end it last night?” Darcy asked.
“Eventually, I left him on the docks and walked home. I was going to call Mom, but I was too embarrassed.”
