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“That’s nice,” Tracy said. She wondered if she shouldn’t have said that.
“Once she graduates, she’ll be in the kitchen with you,” she said.
“Oh,” Tracy said. “She didn’t say that.”
“She probably assumed you knew. And you’re doing a great job. I’ll be here tomorrow and I’d like to put you on one of the stations in the morning to prepare some of the orders.”
“Really?” Tracy asked, lifting her head, a bit of hope for a change in her eyes.
“Yes. You’re doing a great job in the few weeks you’ve been here.”
She’d been told Tracy was faster than most of those in the kitchen, eager to learn and to work hard.
“Thank you,” Tracy said.
Grace walked away after nodding her head and went to check on the preparations for the wedding. She’d be working in the kitchen soon enough, but most of her time would be spent on the wedding rather than for the restaurant.
“How are we doing?” she asked Matt. He was one of her executive chefs and he’d be working with her all night. She trusted him more than she did most.
“It’s all in line so far,” Matt said. “Other than some snootiness.”
She let out a sigh. Matt could be worse than a woman at times. “Who?”
“It’s nothing,” Matt said.
“If it was nothing you wouldn’t have brought it up,” she said firmly. Matt could cause drama and she was going to nip it fast. She wished he’d just get to the point rather than play this game. But this way he could go back and say he was asked rather than him being the one who brought it up.
“Beth is annoyed that she’s not working the wedding today. She’s made more than one comment about it.”
Matt’s voice was low even though the two of them were off to the side. Matt was butchering the steaks for the dinner tonight. There was chicken marinating and fish that would be fileted next.
Everything was fresh in her kitchen even if that meant it came over on the ferry this morning. Which most of it did.
“Then she can take it up with me,” she said.
Beth wasn’t working right now. She’d come in later and work the restaurant when the rest of them were dealing with the wedding.
Though Beth was a good chef, she couldn’t keep up the speed needed for some events. She might even get behind in the kitchen for the dinner service tonight, but Grace would be there to keep them on pace while working the wedding also.
That was when the drill sergeant part of her personality came out that many didn’t like.
It wasn’t that she yelled at people, but she had to raise her voice in general to be heard over the noise and keep people on track.
She liked to think of herself more as a coach with a whistle getting them to hustle. She used encouragement too, but many didn’t see or remember that part.
In the end, she just told herself she had to get the job done.
“You know she won’t,” Matt said.
“Then that is her problem and not mine or yours,” she said. “I’ll be back soon to help. I’ve got a few things to take care of.”
She needed to go back over the menu for the wedding, the staffing she had on, then meet with the servers when they came in for their shifts to make sure everything was done according to plan and the bride’s specifications.
When she walked back through where Tracy was returning from doing a room service delivery, she heard Vivian scolding.
“Get over here and finish this, Tracy. Just because Grace has taken you on like a pet doesn’t give you a license to take forever to deliver something. I don’t want it cold.”
“Sorry,” Tracy said, her head down and quickly plating the breakfast, then looking at the ticket before she left. Grace stayed off to the side to see if Tracy did anything before she intervened if needed. She didn’t want to make it worse for Tracy but wouldn’t tolerate that treatment either. “There should be home fries with the pancakes.”
