Page 21 of The Chef

“So, you’re actually thinking of hiring this girl who publicly humiliated me. I’m your boss.”

“Yes, I think I will,” Dominika replies. “I like her, Cliff. She’s good, she has lots of restaurant experience, and she’ll work for cheap. We need that right now, and you know it. We’ve practically lost every member of staff except for me, and I don’t know if you’ve read any of our recent financial records, but we’re in the shit. We’re gonna close very soon unless we get help.”

“Help?”

“You can always turn to your family.”

“No. Never.”

“Fine, then. Fair enough. That just means we need to hire staff. Staff who will work for cheap. Staff like Bay here.”

I may come from a family of billionaires, but I am not going to use my family’s money to prop up this business. I want to prove to them I can do this on my own, without my family’s wealth. Throwing my family’s money at this problem would be like playing a video game on easy mode.

I don’t want that reputation within my own family.

“And you think this Bay Dover is the help we need?”

“Yes.”

“No way. I’m stopping this now. You can’t hire her.”

Dominika sighs like she’s dealing with a toddler’s temper tantrum. She raises her eyebrows at me. “When you hired me, we agreed I had power over hiring and firing decisions, and this clearly falls within my jurisdiction. I have power here as you promised me. I’m hiring her, Cliff, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“And what if I fire you?”

Dominika laughs again. She leans up on her toes and gives me a peck on the cheek. “You’ll never dare fire me, sweetie. I’m the one keeping this place together and you know it,” she whispers. Despite my hollow threats I know she’s right. And she knows I know. Dominika turns and sashays back into the manager’s office, calling out behind her. “The girl’s hired. She starts tomorrow.”

Fucking hell.

That European woman’s gonna be the death of me.

And now she’s gonna hire Bay Dover. At my restaurant.

This is unbelievable. An outrage.

Do I have no say in this?

Bay Dover working at my business?

That girl, she’s got a whole lot coming to her.

8

BAY

“Okay, what’s five minus one?”

Pearl’s little face scrunches up as she thinks really hard for an answer to my question. I try to remain silent and not laugh, I try to not betray how cute I think she is knowing that it’ll only annoy her and will probably mean the end of this good flow we’ve gotten into her homework. We’re so close to finishing for the day and I don’t want it to end in tears.

She pokes her tongue out and opens her eyes, excited to come up with an answer. “Four!”

Her happy little face is so kissable, I want to peck it all over, but I hold back.

“Great work. So, if that’s five minus one, then what is five minus two?”

This one stumps her. She bites her lip and frowns. I lean forward from behind her and write out a series of numbers.

1 2 3 4 5.