He nodded. “Looks like it from what I saw. Though that was just a quick assessment.”
“It makes sense. Aunt Regina was always ‘special.’” He rolled his eyes. “I think she’s a few bulbs short of a string myself. But what does it matter. Gramma knew her daughter and made sure to tie things up nice and tight. Aunt Regina even told me once that if anything happened to me, the house would go to her. Like she was making a threat. So, I had a will made, and when I pass away, it will be sold and the proceeds will go to the Mendocino Historical Society. Gramma was a huge supporter of theirs. She used to volunteer there every week, and it was her passion. She loved this place, and it would be great to help them out.”
Chet went into the kitchen and began unpacking the groceries. “It would also piss off your aunt big-time.”
“Yup, so bonus points.” Darren followed him in. “What are you going to make?” He pulled the steaks out of the refrigerator. “Besides these beauties.”
“I got fresh beans and a few ears of corn, so I thought I’d make those. I also have some cheeses and a few meats we can munch on, as well as some crackers.” He pulled out a bottle of wine. “And the store had a potato salad, so I got that too.”
Darren grinned. “I love their salads. One of the ladies makes them for us. We don’t buy any of that supermarket stuff. So, the macaroni salad has lots of mustard, and the potato salads…. Did you get the one with the bacon?”
Chet rolled his eyes. “Of course. Everything is better with bacon.” He set it all out, and Darren got some bowls and a board for the cheese and meats. While he put them together, Chet seasoned the steaks, and then Darren showed him out to the small backyard, pulling the cover off the gas grill.
They went back inside, and Chet got the beans cooking, along with water for the corn. “So, how was work?”
“I don’t know. There’s something wrong with Henry. He’s been super snappy and grouchy. Even his sister, Margie, who runs the front of the store, told him to snap out of it and to stop being a grump-bucket today. All he did was humph at her and go back to work.” He set the board on the table and sat down.
Chet checked the water and joined him for a few minutes. “So, you think something’s wrong?”
“Yeah, but I don’t know what it is. I thought he might be sick, but I swear no disease would dare have anything to do with him. Maybe his wife is leaving him or something. Not that I’d blame her. Henry isn’t exactly a warm and fuzzy kind of guy. Maybe she decided that she didn’t want to live with him anymore, and he’s taking it out on the rest of the world. I don’tknow. But it makes my work harder. The customers come in, but if Henry’s at the counter, they stay away, and then as soon as he goes to the back, I end up taking all their orders. His people skills really suck.”
“But judging from the steaks I got, he really knows what he’s doing.”
“He does. Henry is one of the best in the business.”
Chet nodded slowly. “So, what are you going to do?”
“Learn everything I can from him and then maybe I can get a better job or even open my own shop. I think it would be pretty cool to have a place of my own. I could sell specialty meats and sausages. Gramma taught me to make really good bratwurst. No one here makes good sausage, so she ground her own, and they were amazing. She had her own spice blends that she used, and she taught me what she did. But it costs a lot of money because the equipment is expensive to do on even a small commercial scale. But, somehow, I keep thinking that if I could open a place of my own, then maybe I could get off this roller coaster of working myself to the bone all the time.”
“Then you should do it,” Chet said.
“But how?”
“You know, I wish I had the answer.” He stood and checked the bean pot before putting them on the steam. Darren went out to check the grill and put on the steaks and corn. He got everything set and ready in the kitchen while Darren worked the grill. And by the time the steaks were ready, the rest of the food was as well, and they sat down to eat.
Chet was hungry, but Darren seemed ravenous, and he wondered just how much Darren was eating. Did he skip meals, or was he just existing on whatever he could get to eat at his restaurant jobs? It worried him more than a little bit. “You know… restaurants sometimes lease out or loan out kitchen space, especially on days they’re closed.”
Darren had clearly never thought of that. “The Harbor View in Fort Bragg is closed on Mondays. I might be able to see if I can use the kitchen, but I would need to work up the recipes again. I haven’t made the sausage in quite some time.”
“Then work them up when you have a chance. Make sure the recipes are foolproof. After that, maybe The Pub will buy and serve them. It’s worth a shot.” Chet wanted Darren to succeed. Someone who worked as hard as he did deserved some good luck.
“That’s not a bad idea.”
Chet swallowed and set down his fork. “Spend some time here working out your process. Make sure you can replicate it each time.”
“Consistency. That’s what Henry always talks about. Even though each side of beef or pork is different, he uses the same process and the same techniques to properly cut them into the steaks and chops. He says that no matter what, the end product has to meet quality standards.” He looked excited, and Chet was happy he seemed to have been able to help. He had learned—working for his father, not from him—that successful people were the ones who helped people figure out what they were really good at. If you could develop and nurture talented people, then you could help them help you.
“I don’t know if this will work out, but I can give it a try. Make up a few batches and see if maybe The Pub or Harbor View would put them on the menu.”
Chet picked up his fork and went back to his steak, which was tender and pretty darn amazing. “That’s awesome.”
“So, when do you go back to New York?” Darren asked.
He hadn’t really wanted to think too much about that. “The end of the week.” He shrugged. “I know it’s something that I have to do. I can probably push it into next week a few days, but then my father is going to start getting antsy, and I’ll be neededto handle whatever it is that he thinks is so important at the time.” He wasn’t looking forward to returning to the rat race, to the life and future that his father laid out for him… the one Chet had never chosen but had been thrust on him.
“Maybe we can see each other this weekend.” Chet could almost see Darren trying to rearrange his schedule in his mind. Usually in New York, everything ran at a fast pace. There was always the next meeting, the next project, the thing that had to be done by the end of the day or the week. Whether it was truly important or not, everything seemed like a crisis. Here it was so different. At least for him.
“I’d like that.” He closed his eyes and pushed away thoughts of New York and the treadmill it represented. “Let me know what works for you.”
