Running Home to You (The Running Series) (9 page)

“The name is Derek, but you can call me anything you want.  You look a little familiar,” he teases as he begins making me a drink.  “You remind me of someone I knew once.  Sad.  She broke my heart into a million tiny little pieces.  Want to see?”  He finishes with my drink and begins to unbutton his shirt. My eyes open wide, and I can’t hide the silly grin splashed across my face.  I’ve missed this playful teasing we had behind the bar when we used to work together. 

He gets as far as the second button when Emmy jumps in and swats him with a bar towel.  “Derek, cut that shit out.  You’re not funny, you know.”

“You sure about that?”  He looks over at me and sees me laughing.  “See?  Jette still thinks I’m funny.”  He hands me a drink in a martini glass complete with a wedge of lemon.

“I always thought you were funny, Derek.”  I take a sip of the drink, and it’s really very good, although I can’t identify the exact ingredients.  “What am I drinking?  It’s really good.”

“This is the Red Zone.  It’s got blood orange vodka, Red Bull, and a splash of seltzer.  Created it myself,” he brags.

Emmy and Derek make me a few more drinks from our specialty menu.  Marcus and I take small sips from each glass.  Each one is better than the one before it.  I’m so happy that they really seem to know what they’re doing and have trained the new bartenders so well, too.  We really have a strong crew behind the bar.  I’m also glad Derek hasn’t lost his sense of humor.

After Emmy prepares the last specialty drink from our bar menu, an Interception, she glances at her watch and teases, “Guess who should be arriving any minute now?”

“Evan and Adam?  Did they change their plans?” I venture a guess.

“Nope.  It’s Auggie and he’s not alone.  He’s bringing his new beau, Lucas.  We’re going to practice on them like they’re real customers.  They’re going to order off the dinner menu, too,” she announces.

“Do you know anything about Lucas, Em?  I haven’t talked to Auggie in a while.”  Emmy eyes me suspiciously, making me feel guilty.  “What?  I’ve been really busy,” I rationalize.

Auggie’s last boyfriend, Brandon, was an interior designer who helped me completely gut, design, and decorate the restaurant.  Brandon was great, but I could tell something was up.  Near the end of the process, he hardly spoke two words to me.  I think he was ready to break up with Auggie, but didn’t want to end it until the job was complete.  I’m sorry it didn’t work out for the two of them.  Now Auggie has a new boyfriend and I don’t know a thing about him or how they met.  I guess Evan’s not the only one who’s been unplugged lately.

“All I know is that he’s a struggling actor.  Auggie seems to really like him a lot.  They met at an after-party for a Broadway play a few weeks ago.  He lives in a huge house in Holmdel his parents bought for him.  Apparently, he comes from money – lots of it.  Personally, I can’t wait to meet him,” Emmy boasts.

We both turn around when the door opens, and in walks my very best friend in the whole entire world.  Walking beside him is a very familiar looking young man, around our age, with striking Asian features.  Auggie is laughing and seems very happy.

I watch as the hostess executes her job perfectly, seating our two guests at a table in the back of the restaurant and giving them menus.  They haven’t noticed me yet, so I wait a moment longer before going over to them.  I wait for their waitress to introduce herself and take their drink orders before interrupting the rhythm of the service.  The main purpose for their visit is to test our staff, and I want to observe for a few more minutes before I join them.

“Jette, come here,” Emmy whispers.  “Doesn’t Lucas look familiar?  I swear I’ve seen him before,” she says with a mysterious tone to her voice.

As quietly as I can, I agree, “Yeah.  He definitely looks familiar.  I know I’ve seen him before.”  I casually glance over my shoulder and try to get a better look at him.  Lucas can’t be more than twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, but he could easily pass for much younger, too.  He could play high school or college roles.  I run through the list of movies I’ve seen with young Asian actors, and then it occurs to me.  “Hey, Emmy, doesn’t he look like the character Jason from Zenith movies?”

“Holy crap, Jette, he does.  Do you know who played Jason in those movies?” she asks.

“No idea.  I only know a few of the names of the actors who played the vampires, werewolves, and witches.  Let’s go over to introduce ourselves and ask,” I tell her.

Emmy agrees and together, we walk over to their table.  Auggie sees me, and immediately jumps up from his seat and sweeps me up into a warm welcoming embrace.  “Look at you, Jepetto.  That boy must be treating you right because you look hot.”  He takes my hand, holds it above my head, and makes me do a spin so he can inspect from all angles.  “I definitely approve.”

Auggie releases me, then repeats the whole process with Emmy, verifying that she, too, is looking radiant.  “So Auggie, are you going to introduce us to your new friend?” Emmy asks, getting right to the point.

“You bet I am.  Juliette Fletcher, Emmalyn Akins, I’d like you to meet Lucas Luu.  Lucas, these two beautiful women are my dearest friends.”  Lucas shakes each of our hands, and then asks us to sit down with them.  Each of the boys pulls out a seat for us, and we gladly join them, hungry for more information.

“So Lucas, rumor has it you’re an actor.  Have you done anything I might have seen?” I probe.

“I’ve had a few small parts in a couple of decent movies.  I haven’t really gotten any top-billed roles yet,” he explains. 

Not satisfied, Emmy pushes for more.  “Lucas, name a movie you’ve been in and I’ll tell you if I’ve seen it.”

Lucas is about to respond when the waitress arrives with their drinks.  It looks like Lucas ordered a Red Zone and Auggie ordered an Interception.  They take an experimental sip of their cocktails, and both seem pleased with their selections.  “Jette my Pet, this is great.  How’s your drink, Lucas?” Auggie asks.

“Wow, really awesome.  I might have a new favorite cocktail.  Please give my compliments to that adorable bartender,” Lucas teases, staring directly at Derek, winking at him and holding up his cocktail.  He’s openly flirting right in front of Auggie.  It makes me more than a little uncomfortable.  I don’t like it.

“So, Lucas, you were about to tell us about your roles.  What’s the biggest movie you’ve appeared in?” I ask.

“The biggest, huh?  I guess I’d have to say the Zenith Saga.  I only had a few lines in each movie, but I was in all of them.  Did you guys ever see them?”  He sits back in his chair, gloating, waiting for us to gush all over him.

Emmy kicks me under the table, but I answer first, “Nope, never did.  Sorry.  I have no interest in those vampire movies everyone’s so crazy about lately.”  Auggie knows I’m lying because he watched all the movies with me, but he doesn’t call me out on it.

Just as there’s a lull in the conversation, the waitress comes over with the boys’ food order.  Emmy and I excuse ourselves and leave the boys to hopefully enjoy their meal.

I leave Emmy at the bar in a slightly soured mood and head back to the kitchen to check in with Reese.  I take a quick look around, and I don’t see her.  I ask the other cooks where she is, and they point to the back door.  “She stepped out to make a call,” I’m told.

I wait a few minutes and chat with the other cooks, including my pastry chef, Natalie, to see how things are going.  I am very pleased with everything I’m seeing.  Natalie has bakery experience, but this is her first job in a restaurant.  Her desserts are outstanding.  I found her a great sous chef from the local community college who did an internship at a few restaurants.  Natalie and I have been working together closely for weeks now, collaborating on recipes and designing the perfectly plated dessert selections.  I have complete confidence in her ability to execute and deliver.

As we talk about tomorrow’s big day, the waitress returns with Auggie’s Brie burger.  She tells us that it’s underdone and he’d like a new one.  I take one look at it, and he’s wrong.  It’s not underdone, it’s damn near raw.  “Who cooked this burger?” I ask. 

A timid, soft-spoken young man raises his hand.  “I did,” he admits.

“Who plated the meal?” is my next question.

Another young man whose name escapes me raises his hand, “That would be me,” he claims.

“Aren’t you the intern from Brookdale?” I question him.

“I am,” he replies.

“Where’s Reese?  Why didn’t she cook this?  Or plate it?” I demand. 

Before anyone has a chance to answer, Reese comes waltzing back into the kitchen, still chatting on her phone.  She sees me and ends her call abruptly.

I hand her the plate of undercooked hamburger, “Here, this is for you.  Enjoy.”

She looks at it, confused.  “I don’t understand.”

“I don’t understand, either.  How did this happen, Reese?  It’s just a burger.  You weren’t here to cook it and apparently you weren’t here to plate it, either.  What’s going on?” I demand.

“No big deal.  We’ll make him a new one.  It’s just Auggie, right?” she dismisses my concerns.  She walks away from me and begins preparing a new burger.  At least it looks like she’s going to cook this one.

I slip out of the kitchen and go find Marcus.  I pull him into my office and close the door.  I have a small office in the back of the bar.  It’s got room enough for the essentials – a desk with a computer, a chair, and a small couch.  I take a seat behind the desk and Marcus makes himself comfortable in the small leather chair.

“Tell me, Marcus, how did the tasting go yesterday?” I question him.

“Well, one thing I know for sure is that Natalie is a rock star.  Everything she put out was top-notch.  Since this is a dessert bar, that’s a pretty big deal.  You really lucked out when you found her.  She’s got a great assistant in there with her.”  Marcus seems genuinely pleased with Natalie and I’m glad.

“What about the food?  How did Reese do?”  That’s what I’m the most concerned about right now.

“To be honest, once everything came out, it was really great.  We wound up having all the desserts first because Reese couldn’t coordinate everything coming out of the kitchen.  I had to go back there to help expedite.  I’ve never worked in a restaurant before, Jette, so I don’t know how helpful I was,” he explains.

“I knew Reese could cook, she was at the top of our class.  Skill and knowledge was never her problem.  I guess having little practical experience on the line is starting to show her weaknesses.  She definitely needs to work on her leadership skills,” I speculate.

“I think you’re right, Jette,” Marcus agrees.  “She needs someone in there with her that can lead and help.  I just don’t think she’s ready yet.  We’re opening with a condensed menu, and she’s only got three items on there right now.  We need to find someone to help her by the time you’re ready to launch your full menu.”

“We open tomorrow on Memorial Day.  After that, we’re only open three days a week throughout the month of June.  By the Fourth of July, I want a full menu and that means we need to find someone that can work in there with her.”  I give Marcus one final instruction, “Keep your eyes and ears open for me, okay?”

“Will do, boss lady.”  Marcus gets up to leave, then turns and adds a final thought.  “How would you feel if I found a military veteran with culinary experience?  I know there are a lot of unemployed vets out there looking for a job.  Mind if I make a few phone calls?”

“Mind?  That sounds beyond awesome, Marcus.”

Marcus gets back to his job, checking up on the front of house staff and I return to check in on our only guests today, Auggie and Lucas, just as they are about to begin on their desserts.  “So gentlemen, tell me the truth.  How was everything today?”

Auggie jumps in without hesitation, “Everything was absolutely delicious, Jette.  The drinks, the desserts, even my hamburger was out of this world.”

I challenge him on the hamburger remark.  “Auggie, I know you sent the burger back.  Can’t you at least be honest with me?”

“It’s true, I did send it back,” he admits.  “But the refire was out of this world.  It was great, really.  It may have been just a burger, but it was elevated to a whole new level of taste.” 

I look at him from the corner of my eyes warning him, “You better not be bullshitting me, Aug.  Was it really worth it?”

“Listen, Reese can cook, that’s for sure.  It really was good.  She’s just got to keep a closer eye on what goes on back there,” he assures me.  “Jette, my Pet, wait and see.  Everyone is going to fall in love with this place.  I sure did.”

“Did you enjoy your visit today, too, Lucas?  How was everything?” I ask.

“Loved it!  The food, the drinks, the scenery,” he looks around the room scanning for the young attractive male employees.  “Can’t wait to come back.”

Shape Up or Ship Out

A
uggie and Lucas drop me off at home.  Evan’s still out with Adam, so I send him a quick text message just to touch base.

Jette: 
hey, sexy – coming home for dinner?

Evan: 
who is this?