“You’re having some back trouble too, right?” John’s beady eyes seemed to stare into his soul.
“Right.” Jax held John’s gaze, wondering if this might be the end of his time at The Pointe, but John reached into his jacket again, pulling out his wallet and removing a business card.
“One of my girlfriends has back trouble. Call this doc. Tell them John said to fit you in.”
“U-Um, thank you.” Walking to the desk, Jax took the card, stunned. Yeah, this man was definitely a softie inside.
“You the new maître d’?” John asked, turning his attention to Tristan. “Marci said you’re fucking amazing. Keep it up.”
“I appreciate that, thank you,” Tristan said smoothly, but Jax could tell that he was rattled on the inside.
“Anyway, I’ve been here almost an hour, that’s enough work for today. I have a tee time this afternoon!” John circled around the desk, grabbing his cowboy hat from the desk and plopping it on top of a head of hair far too full to be natural. “Figure out the menu shit and give me a call. Okay, Angelo?”
“Sure thing,” Angelo replied as John gave the room a nod and left. Not for the first time, Jax thought that it must be nice to be rich.
Remembering the card, Jax took a good look at it, and his eyebrows rose. He’d wanted to see this particular specialist because she had excellent reviews, but when Tristan had called, he’d found out that she wasn’t taking new patients.
“Whoa,” Tristan commented, reading over Jax’s shoulder. “John is very…unique.”
Owen chuckled, relief in his eyes. “I’m just glad he left before he interfered with everything.”
“I was sure I’d be running around fixing all of his chaos,” Marci let out a breath. “And since we actuallydon’thave a lot more time before the first bride arrives, let’s talk to Jax.”
Everyone turned to Jax, and he started sweating again. Walking in, he hadn’t really known what to say, but he’d heard something earlier, something that had called out to him.
“Can I?” Jax pointed at the papers on Owen’s desk.
“Be my guest,” Owen looked on as Jax picked them up, studying them. The Evergreen was their biggest competitor, but once Jax looked over the samples, he frowned. The selections were amateurish at best, as if they’d been chosen for photogenic appeal rather than taste. Sure, the courses had to look good in pictures, but they needed to be delicious above all else, something that enriched and enhanced the day.
Now, Jax knew exactly what he wanted to say. Stepping back, he faced the rest of the room.
“Angelo? Thank you for the time off. I needed it. And I know that we solved the issue with the walk-in, but the fact is that I’m disabled.” He took a breath to steady himself. “My mind can handle being sous-chef, but my body can’t.”
“We’re willing to work with you,” Angelo insisted, sincerity in his eyes, making this entire process both easier and harder.
“I’d like that.” A swell of emotion rose in Jax’s chest, making him want to fight even more, and he flicked his gaze to Tristan, who nodded at him with encouragement, always knowing just what Jax was thinking. “Because I have a proposition.”
“I’m listening.” Interest lined Angelo’s features, but Jax wouldn’t let himself hope, not yet.
“Creating menus is my strength, and my passion.” Taking the leap, Jax hoped that he landed on success. “While I like running the kitchen, I like using my creativity more. These menus from Evergreen?” He tossed them back onto the desk. “They’re disjointed and basic. It’s clear that their goal is to go viral, but the flavors are going to come together like mud. You know what goes viral? Pretty food that also slaps. I can do that. I can do seasonal, gorgeous,anddelicious.”
“Hmm,” consideration lined Angelo’s face. “While I’m supposed to head this up, I feel like you have more of a lock on trends…”
Jax stood rooted to the floor, holding his breath.
“Draft me up some menus and a budget,” Angelo said after a few long seconds. “And I’ll get them okayed with John.”
“R-Really?” That hope Jax had been holding at bay started to leak out, and he opened and closed his fists in excitement.
“Yes, really. And you can do most of that from home. Just log the hours you work.”
“I don’t know what to say.” Jax tried not to break down in tears; this was what he’d struggled and studied and worked for. What he’d always wanted to do.
“Say yes,” Tristan prompted, and Jax smiled widely.
“Yes!” He reached out, shaking Angelo’s hand, his head already whirring with ideas. “Listen, I’m sorry that I couldn’t make it work in the kitchen.”
“I mean it, you don’t have to apologize.” Angelo’s gaze was warm. “And I know you can’t predict how you’ll be feeling, but I’ll contact you when we’re short-staffed, and you can come in if you’re up to it.”
