James stiffens. I don’t dare look at him. If I did, I’d be swayed into staying just so I could be close to him.
“I’ve learned a lot from James and from all of you. But I want to prove myself on my own merit.”
There’s silence, then, Mark’s features soften. “You were sous chef before you married James. You’ve more than proved yourself.”
“Thank you.” I bend my head. “I have to leave for myself. I need tofind out what I’m truly capable of. I want to launch my own restaurant, where I design my own menu, and build my own team. Where I can implement everything I’ve learned. Where I can test myself. Only then will I be truly satisfied.”
“I can totally see you doing that,” Ollie gushes in excitement.
There’s another moment of silence, then Henrik claps. The rest follow. I’m surprised but I bow my head and accept the applause.
But the whole time, James has been quiet; he’s watching me very carefully.
"Can’t say I was surprised by Miller's actions. He spoke ill about you and believed he was the one who actually ran the kitchen. You put him right on that." Ryan nods.
James’ forehead furrows. "Perhaps, he had reason to speak ill of me."
My knees almost give way. Did James, whose motto was, Chef is always right, own up to a mistake?
Once again, there’s silence. The team stares at him with shock.
"Are you…okay, Chef?" Henrik clears his throat.
"I am. Now," James says only half in jest. "I realize my style of management in the kitchen might have been a little over-the-top in the past," he offers.
"A little?" I scoff.
He narrows his gaze on me, with an expression that implies we have much to discuss.
Then he turns back to the team.
"You can credit my wife for having softened me up. A little." He holds up his thumb and forefinger. "Enough for me to say, it’s probably my fault that Miller made that video. I’m not going to let him get away with it. But I could have handled the way I fired him with more finesse."
"James Hamilton, confessing to his sins? Who’d have thought that day would arrive." Tristan’s voice reaches us.
I look up to find him leaning a shoulder against the doorway connecting the kitchen to the hallway leading to the back door. He must have come in that way.
James straightens. "You have news?"
61
James
"There was a breach in my team. The junior associate responsible has been summarily dismissed and struck off. I’m filing a civil suit for damages and a criminal complaint for theft of protected data. I’ll ensure he never holds so much as a fountain pen in this city again."
Tristan taps his knuckles on the desk for emphasis.
I left Henrik in charge of the kitchen while Tristan, my wife, and I adjourned to my office at The Edge.
Dinner prep is yet to be completed, but given the kind of day we’ve had, I figure we all need a shot of something more sustaining than nonalcoholic liquids.
"And Miller?" I pour whiskey into a tumbler and place one in front of him.
I asked Harper if she wanted a glass of wine, but she opted for water.
"The video is down. He’ll sign an NDA to never to talk about this again. He’ll also issue an apology, return any physical proof he has of the arrangement, and delete any virtual copies. He’ll also leave the country.” He looks very pleased with himself.
“And we’re not paying him?”
