Love and Food (12 page)

Chapter 9

Haillee is studying the wine selection when she is interrupted by movement at the front door of the restaurant.  She watches Ethan come into the restaurant, followed by two women and man carrying a camera.  When Ethan is close enough, she grabs him by the arm and pulls him aside.  “What’s this?” she whispers.

“Those people over there are news reporters from the paper and the local news.  They are here to interview you.  This is our big announcement for the reopening of the restaurant.”

“Are you serious?”

“I’m deadly serious.  We need people to know what is happening here.  I’m hoping that these interviews will get people talking and get people through the door buying your amazing dishes.”

“How were you able to pull this off?”

“Let’s just say I know people in high places.”

“Ethan, look at me.  I can’t be on camera looking like this.  I don’t have on any makeup,” she says, trying to wipe a spot of dirt off her shirt.

“You look beautiful.  You look perfect.  You’re going to absolutely fine,” he says, pushing her towards the news reporters.  She looks back at him.  He’s smiling the biggest smile she’s ever seen.  She knows that what’s he’s arranged is awesome, but that doesn’t stop her shy side from rearing its head.

She spends hours answering the reporter’s questions.  They ask things about the concept for the restaurant, the menu, what’s going to be different this time around.  She tries to answer all of their questions honestly, but with a lot of trepidation.  The only thing that she skirts around is her upbringing.  She doesn’t want people to know that she had a wealthy upbringing.  She tries think about every question carefully before answering.  She doesn’t want to screw up.  The wrong word and a person that would have stopped by the restaurant for a try, changes their mind.  It’s a lot of pressure, but she manages to get through it.

As she watches the news reporters gather up their things to leave, she wonders in what light they are going to portray her.  She’s not naïve.  She knows that news reporters will take things out of context, if it means they have a great story.  She tries to calm her worries.  She doesn’t really have any major skeletons in her closet that might get aired out, so she doubts there will be too much spinning of her story.  She is simply just an owner of a restaurant who decided that she needed a reopening.  It’s not exactly a juicy gossip story. 

When they are gone, she turns to Ethan.  “How did I do?”

“Awesome.  You were absolutely great.  You seemed really calm.  Where you nervous at all?”

“Are you kidding?  I was shaking in my boots.  I thought that it was so obvious in my voice.  You really couldn’t tell?”

“Not at all.  You were a natural in front of those reporters.  I think that you said all the right things and you answered their questions brilliantly.”  She raises a questioning eyebrow towards him.  “I’m serious, Haillee.  You were great.”

“Thanks, Ethan.  I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about all of this,” she says, looking down at her hands that she keeps wringing.

“Haillee, being nervous is completely normal.  You’ve just took a major risk.  If you weren’t worried, I would be worried.  Overconfidence can lead to great disappointment and I wouldn’t want that for you.  I, actually, am of the opinion that nervousness can be healthy.  It keeps you on your toes,” he says and pats her on the shoulder.

“What if this doesn’t work out?  I will be completely embarrassed.”

“Then it doesn’t work out.  I hate to be blunt, but it is what it is.  If the restaurant doesn’t pull through, is it the end of the world?  Will you drop dead on the spot?  The answer is no.  You will be hurt, of course, but it doesn’t mean that you are a failure or your life is a failure.  It just means that you have to pick yourself up again and try again.  Do you know that most of the individuals who have achieved great success in this world had many failures along the way?  The road to the top is never easy.  It’s always filled with bumps, lumps, and potholes in the road.  That’s just the way it is Haillee.  If the restaurant tanks, we will worry about that when it comes.  We will cross that bridge when we come to it, so to speak.  Right now, we’re going to worry about having the best reopening that we can.  Okay?”

“Okay.  Listen Ethan, I’m not sure I’ve properly thanked you for everything you’ve done for me.  So, I just want to say, right now, thank you.  You’ve helped me so much.  Look around – all of this is because of you.  You have no idea how much what you’ve done means to me.  There are no words to properly explain how much of a positive impact you’ve had on my life.  You have saved my life.”

“Haillee, all of this,” he says, motioning with his hands, “is because of you, not me.  Like I’ve said before, I just gave you a little push that I thought that you needed.  You did the rest.  Whatever happens with the reopening is your doing.  Don’t give me more credit than I deserve.  The balance hangs more on your side.  You’re the driver of the ship and I’m just the crew.  Got it?”

“And your modest, too,” she says, smiling at him.  “But seriously, thank you so much,” she says and gives him a hug.

He wraps his arms around her.  There is that feeling again.  It’s the same feeling she had the night that they kissed.  It’s a feeling of being where she belongs.  It’s a feeling of being completely at home.  It’s a feeling of just wanting to stay right where she is and never leave.  When he wraps his arms around her a little tighter and squeezes her, she lays her head on his chest.  They stand in the center of the dining room, holding each other for a few minutes.  It’s definitely longer than two people with a platonic relationship would hug.  She knows it and she doesn’t mind. 

When they finally disconnect, Ethan nervously says, “Well, I better get going.  I have a meeting I have to get to.”

“Yeah, you better get going then,” she says, feeling herself blushing.  “Thanks again for all your hard work,” she says, fidgeting.

“No problem.  I’ll get in touch with you a little later,” he says and walks to the front door of the restaurant.

She follows behind him. “Okay.  I look forward to it,” she says.

He turns and looks at her.  “Bye,” he says.  He searches her face, but he doesn’t say anything. 

She watches him turn and leave.  When he has disappeared out of sight, she says, “What the hell was that?” to the walls of the restaurant.  She is not sure what just happened between her and Ethan.  She should have probably pushed him away, but she didn’t want to.  She’s not sure how she feels about Ethan Saint.  She’s in a vulnerable state from her breakup with Kyle, which could be the reason behind all her strange feelings.  She just needed some comfort – a little pat on the shoulder to say that everything is going to be alright.

The last thing she wants to do to Ethan is lead him on.  She doesn’t want to give him the wrong idea, but she’s not sure that she gave him the wrong idea.  She’s so confused.  Does she like him or not?  She decides not to worry about it right now.  She has too much on her plate.

* * * * *

Marcos sits in his office.  He reads the article on the front page of the newspaper about Haillee’s grand reopening.  He is seething.  The article paints her as a phoenix rising from the ashes.  She was down, but she’s not out.  That is the way that they made her situation seem and he’s furious.

The article blindsided him.  When he picked up the newspaper and saw Haillee’s smiling face, it was a big surprise.  She and her partner Ethan Saint have pulled out all the stops.  He has to give credit where credit is due.  They are doing a good job.  Everything that he’s seen that has been done to save Haillee’s restaurant has been a good step.  There hasn’t been anything that he’s seen or heard that has made him think that a big mistake has been made on her part.  If he were in Haillee’s position, he may himself have hired Ethan Saint and he would be doing exactly what she is doing.  He can’t knock her for putting her all in to save what’s hers.  It’s her god-given right to protect her investment, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t his god-given right to stop her and take her beloved investment.

There will be no happy ending for Haillee.  He is going to shoot the rising phoenix out of the sky with his rifle and she’s going to land right back in the ashes.  Then he is going to cook the dead phoenix up and serve her with barbeque sauce.  He has no doubt that the dead phoenix, who was once so high up in the sky, but now sits on his dinner plate, will be nothing short of delicious.  He will happily eat the phoenix and remember what she once was.  The phoenix – such a sad story, but oh so tasty.

* * * * *

Haillee is sitting on the sofa and watching television.  She has been so engrossed with the restaurant, that’s she’s decided that she needed to take a break.  She’s decided that all she is going to do all day is lie on the sofa, eat junk, and lose herself in television shows.  There are plenty of shows that she needs to catch up on.  There are hours and hours of missed shows just waiting for attention on her DVR.  She has decided that today is the day that she will give them her undivided attention.

When the buzzer sounds, she is surprised.  She’s not expecting anyone.  “This better not be Kyle,” she says out loud, as she makes her way to the intercom.  She groans before she presses the button.  She doesn’t want to deal with Kyle and his bullshit today.  “Hello,” she says, ready to send Kyle away.

“Hi.  It’s Ethan,” he says, his voice filling her apartment.

“Hi, Ethan,” she says, breathing a sigh of relief.  She’s relieved that her day of relaxation isn't going to be ruined by an unexpected visit from Kyle.  “Come up,” she says and presses the button to let him in.  She looks down at the clothes she’s wearing.  She’s wearing jogging pants and a t-shirt.  She contemplates running into the bedroom and changing, but decides not to.  Ethan has seen her looking much worse.

When he knocks on the door, she can’t help but smile.  When she opens the door, he is standing there looking as handsome as ever.  He is holding a bottle of wine in each hand.  “Hi,” she says, shyly.  It’s the first time she’s felt shy in his presence.  She wonders why.

“Hi,” he says, smiling back at her.  “I couldn’t help but notice how worried you were about the grand reopening the other day, so I thought that I would stop by and help you get over it, if that’s possible.  I hope you don’t mind the intrusion,” he says, glancing at her coffee stable covered with drinks and empty containers of ice cream and dishes.

“I don’t mind at all.  I could use the company.  Come in,” she says, motioning for him to come in.  When he brushes by her, the smell of his cologne fills her nose.  He smells really good, as always.

“Having a relaxation day?” he asks, setting the bottles of wine down on the kitchen table.

“Yeah.  I’ve been so busy lately; I just thought I would take a break.  How did you know where I live?” she asks, closing the door behind her and locking it.  She starts to clear off the coffee table, throwing the empty containers in the garbage and putting dirty dishes in the dishwasher.

“Oh, I have my ways,” he says, grinning at her.

“I bet you do,” she says, putting soap in the dishwasher and starting it.

“You don’t have to clean up on my account.  You should see my apartment.  Clutter everywhere.”

She looks him over.  Every hair is in place and there isn’t a visible wrinkle in his clothes anywhere.  The man is impeccably dressed and his appearance is very neat.  “For some reason, I highly doubt it.  You seem like a person who’s very clean.”

“Don’t let my clothes and appearance deceive you.  I’m a slob,” he says, taking a seat.

“Shall I open one of these?” she asks, grabbing a bottle of wine off the table.

“You shall,” he says, rubbing his hands over the legs of his jeans.

He’s nervous,
she thinks as she opens the bottle of wine.  She’s known him for long enough to recognize the signs.  It’s the first time she’s seen him act nervous around her.  She was shy for the first time at the door and now he’s nervous.  She wonders where this visit is going.

“So, the reopening is very soon and you’re right, I’m so nervous.  I wasn’t this nervous the first time I opened the restaurant.  It’s a strange feeling,” she says, handing him his glass of wine and taking a seat with her hers on the sofa.

“Like I told you the other day, nervous is good.  You’ve got a lot at stake, but I honestly believe that everything is going to turn out well.”

“I have all this nervousness and stress, but deep down, I think so too,” she says, taking a sip of wine.

“Can I ask you something personal, Haillee?” Ethan says, taking a sip of wine and placing his glass on the coffee table.

“Sure,” she says, looking at him and admiring his good looks.