Love and Food (16 page)

“So, you want to be with me?”

“I do.  I would like to see where this goes.”

“Well, I’ve been telling you for awhile what I want and that’s you.  I want more than anything to see where this goes, too.”

“So, you forgive me then?”

“Of course I do.  There isn’t anything to forgive.  I wasn’t mad that day.  I was just confused because I thought that we had something going.  I was just a little shocked and taken aback.”

“Okay.  So, we can go back to the way things were before?”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, but I have to ask you, is Kyle going to be a problem?”

“Only if we let him be,” she says, taking Ethan’s hand.

“Well, I don’t plan on letting him,” Ethan says, pushing a strand of hair that’s fallen in her face behind her ear.

“Me either,” she says, leaning her face against his hand.  He strokes her cheek. 

“Then, it’s settled.  It’s you and me.”

“You and me.  I like the sound of that,” she says, smiling at him.

“Me, too,” he says, returning her smile.  “So, what’s been going on at the restaurant?”

“There’s been some minor hiccups?” she says, the tone of her voice changing to concern.

“What kind of hiccups?”

“Well, the meat distributor only delivered half of my order and I haven’t been able to find anyone that can replace what’s missing.  I’ve called everyone that I can get a number for and I’ve come up empty.  I’m not sure what I’m going to do.  If I don’t have food, then I don’t have a grand reopening.”

“Well, you have come to the right place.  You don’t do what I’ve done for so long without making a few contacts.  I know a guy that I think can help us out.  Let me get my phone and I’ll call him.  Cross your fingers,” he says, getting up from the sofa.

“They’re crossed and my toes too,” she says, hopeful.  She watches him disappear and return with his cell phone.  She watches him scroll through his phone and find the number.  He sends the call and puts it on speakerphone, so she can hear.  The person on the other end of the phone answers after the third ring.

“Garth,” Ethan says, grinning at her, holding up crossed fingers.

“Ethan, is that you?  Long time, no speak, Brother.  Where you been?”

“Hey, Buddy.  Just working.  You know me.  The reason I’m calling is I have a favor to ask.”

“What’s that?”

“My girlfriend,” he says, looking at her, “is having a grand reopening for her restaurant and she needs some meat.  Can you help her out?”  It feels nice to hear him call her his girlfriend. 

“Of course.  I’ve got meat coming out of the kazoo.  I’ve got so much meat that I don’t have room for the new stuff.  I need to get some of the current stock out the door.  I can help you out with whatever you need and I’ll give it to you for an amazing deal.”

“Garth, you’re the best.  We appreciate it,” Ethan says, uncrossing his fingers.

“No problem.  You know I’d do anything for you.  This girlfriend you mentioned, I hope you bring her by to meet me.”

“Of course.  I’ll bring her with me to pick up the meat.”

“Good.  I want to meet the woman that has captured your heart.”

“You’re going to love her.”

“I’m sure I will.  I’m sure she is a very special lady.”

“She is.  We’ll be by tomorrow to pick up the meat.”

“Alright.  I’ll be here.”

“Alright, see you then and thanks again.”

Ethan hangs up.  She can’t help but jump up and do a little dance.  Ethan grabs her hands and they dance around his living room.  Once again, Ethan has saved the day.  Maybe Monica was right.  He is her knight in shining armor. 

“You’re amazing, you that?” she says, wrapping her arms tightly around him.

“You squeeze me any tighter, you’re going to break bones,” he says, returning her embrace.

“You’ve made me so happy,” she says, breathing in his cologne.

“That’s my job from now on.  Every day I’m going to do my best to make you as happy as I can.”

“You promise?” she says, looking up at him.

“I promise,” he says, kissing her on the forehead.  “You hungry?”

“I am.”

“Let me cook dinner for you to celebrate.  You’ve cooked for me so many times.  Let me show you that I’m not completely hopeless in the kitchen.”

“I would love that,” she says, following him into the kitchen.

* * * * *

It’s the morning of the grand reopening.  Mack watches Haillee move around the restaurant.  It’s obvious to him how stressed she is.  She’s barking out orders left and right and has lost her composure a few times.  He can’t help but take great pleasure in watching her frantic movements and her stress level rise by the minute.

His observations are interrupted by the sound of commotion in the kitchen.  He watches the back door to the kitchen get propped open and is surprised when Ethan starts wheeling in meat.  His watches Ethan replace the missing half of the meat order and then some. 

He is a little dismayed by the appearance of the meat, but not defeated.  Haillee was able to overcome that obstacle, but he has much more planned for her.  What he has planned for her, she will not be able to survive.  What he has planned is definite destruction.  There will be no worming her way out of it.  There will be no coming back and no survival.  It will be her ultimate downfall.  It will be death to her beloved restaurant and her dream.

What he has planned for his grand finale will be her ultimate defeat.  She will have to close down for good and forfeit her space because when he’s done, there won’t be a person alive who will want to eat in her restaurant.  There will be no customers and therefore no money.  What he has planned for her is going to be catastrophic.  He is going to drop a bomb on the restaurant.  There will be no survivors.  It will be death and despair for Haillee and she deserves it.

As he’s hatched his plan and thought out every step, the sweeter his revenge has started to taste.  The taste of sweet revenge is better than the payout he will receive from Marcos.  There is no amount of money than can measure up to the feeling he will get when he’s sees Haillee’s face as she watches her dream crumble right before her eyes.  There is no amount of money that can get deposited in his bank account that will measure up to watching all of Haillee’s hopes and dreams slip right though her fingers like sand in an hour glass. 

He is counting down the minutes until it all transpires.  He can’t wait to stick the knife into her back the way that she stuck one into his.  He hopes that as it slips in between her shoulder blades that it’s just as painful for her as it was for him.  He wants her to feel every bit of pain that he felt and even more.  As her dream dissipates and the blood runs down her back, he hopes she thinks of him and thinks about her betrayal.  He hopes that the pain is severe and torturous.  She deserves every single bit of it.  He will enjoy watching her be completely destroyed.

* * * * *

              Haillee stands at the back of the dining room and watches the restaurant fill up.  She watches the customer’s faces.  Smiles abound.  Everyone seems to be in good spirits.  Anticipation and excitement fills the air.  She can feel it in every fiber of her being.  She feels supercharged.  The time has finally come for her resurrection.  She is coming back from the dead.  She is reborn.

              She recognizes Marilyn Stance immediately when she enters the restaurant.  Her heart skips a beat when she sees the impeccably dressed woman.  Mack was right.  Marilyn is present and will be reviewing the restaurant.  She hoped that the information that Mack had found out was correct, but she didn’t fully believe it.  Now that Marilyn is standing in front of her, she has no choice, but to believe it, accept it, and embrace it. 

              She watches her head waitress, Melissa, seat Marilyn.  Despite how nervous she is, she’s glad that Marilyn has shown on up on the night she has.  Tonight the restaurant will be performing at the top of its game.  Tonight will have all the bells and whistles and she will be pulling out all the stops.  The wait staff know how important the night is and they will be providing the best service they can.  All of these things should help towards getting a good review from Marilyn.  When Melissa has Marilyn seated and comfortable, she waves the waitress over and pulls her into the back and out of view.

              “Melissa, do you know who that it is?” she whispers to the waitress.

              “No.  Is she someone famous?” Melissa whispers back.

              “That’s Marilyn Stance.  She’s one of the top restaurant reviewers in the city.  I need you to treat her as a V.I.P.  Whatever she asks, you do it for her.  Okay?”

              “Wow.  This really is a big night for you,” Melissa says, glancing back in the direction of the dining room.

              “It’s the biggest.  Do your best to make her happy, okay?”

              “Absolutely.  I will do my best,” Melissa says and nods her head.

              “I know you will.  I just wanted to give you a heads up.  You can get back to work now,” she says and pats Melissa on the back.  Melissa is by far her best waitress.  She knows that she will not let her down.  Melissa smiles at her and returns to the dining room. 

              She takes a deep breath.  It’s in her best interests to approach Marilyn and introduce herself.  She is the face of the restaurant and she has to make herself known to the reviewer.  She has to make a good impression.  Her steps towards Marilyn are slow.  As she gets closer to the table, the butterflies in her stomach take flight.  When she reaches Marilyn’s table, Marilyn raises her eyes from the menu and looks at her.  She reaches out her hand.

              “Hello, I’m Haillee Simpson.  I am the owner of the restaurant.  I just wanted to come over and introduce myself and say that it is a pleasure to have you here tonight.”

              Marilyn shakes her hand.  “I know who you are, dear.  I saw you on the news and in the newspapers.  I have very high hopes for you.  I hope that you won’t disappoint.”

              “I will try my best not to disappoint you,” she says to Marilyn. 

As she is speaking, her attention is draw to the front door of the restaurant.  Melissa is seating Marcos from across the street. 
What the hell is he doing here?
  She can’t believe that the man has the audacity to show his face in her restaurant tonight.  If she had known that he was on the guest list, she would have cancelled his reservation or if she had seen him earlier, she would have denied him entry.  Now, that he is inside the restaurant, there is nothing that she can do.  She can feel herself getting hot, but Marilyn interrupts her thoughts.

“Are you alright, dear?” Marilyn asks, looking concerned.

“No, I’m fine.  I just recognized an old friend, that’s all.  Anyway, I hope that you enjoy your evening and if you have any problems, just flag me down,” she says and smiles at the reviewer.

“Oh, I will,” Marilyn says and returns to her perusal of the menu.

When she walks by Marcos’ table, he gives her his usual smirk.  She glares at him as she walks by, but she bites her tongue.  Now is not the time for a public confrontation.  Giving him a piece of her mind isn’t worth it, especially with Marilyn sitting just a few feet away.  Causing a scene would tarnish the entire evening and end up in Marilyn’s review for the whole entire city or world to gossip about.  She will have to save the few choice words she has for Marcos for another time and place.

She heads to her office.  She needs a break from the hustle and bustle.  She needs to get away for a second, clear her head and calm her nerves.  She sits down in her desk chair and listens to the sound of the restaurant.  It’s like sweet music to her ears.  She missed the sounds of a full to capacity restaurant.  She missed the sound of dishes clanging and sounds of customer’s laughter. 

She pulls the bottom drawer of her desk open and pulls out a bottle of Whiskey and a glass that she has hidden there.  She pours herself a liberal drink and takes a small sip.  She takes several deep breaths in and out.  “Everything is going to be okay – just fine,” she says to herself out loud before downing the entire glass.

Chapter 12