Page 109 of Neap & Spring

“Ooh. That dress would be stunning,” Frannie is saying now, her voice pulling me back to the present with a jolt. “Especially with your hair down like this. You should wear it down more often.”

“You think so?” Vivienne sounds skeptical. “It gets in the way when I’m working.”

“It’s gorgeous, though. Right, Cora?”

“Definitely gorgeous,” Cora agrees enthusiastically. “Super romantic.”

“I’m not trying to be romantic.” Vivienne lifts one of the few chairs that are still down, flipping it up onto the table, the legs settling with a soft thud against the wood. “I’m trying to look professional.”

She’s laughing as she says it, light and easy, moving to the next table, her hands already reaching for another chair.

“You can be both,” Frannie insists.

Through the window, I watch Vivienne shake her head, a small smile on her face.

She reaches up to tuck her hair behind her ear again, and the motion makes her sweater slip further off her shoulder, exposing more skin.

I turn back to the stove before I get caught staring.

This is pathetic. I’m standing here eavesdropping on their conversation like I’m some kind of lovesick teenager instead of a grown man with a restaurant to run and a collaborative dinner to prepare for.

“Has anyone seen Chef?” Roman asks behind me, close enough that I jump slightly, my hand jerking.

Shit.

I turn to find him standing a few feet away, wiping his hands on a towel. His chef’s whites are splattered with the evidence of breakdown.

“Yeah?” I say, trying to sound normal and not like some creep who has been watching the girls for the past ten minutes.

“We’re done with breakdown. Danny already left. You need anything else before I head out?”

“No. I’m good. Thanks, Roman.”

He leans against the counter next to me and looks at the pan on the stove with the critical eye of someone who’s spent years in professional kitchens. “You’re still testing that dish?”

“It’s not right yet.”

“It looks perfect to me.” He tilts his head, studying the plated scallop with its pool of golden sauce and the precise placement of herbs. “What’s wrong with it?”

“It’s missing something.” I stare at the plate like if I look hard enough, the answer will just appear. “Some other element that would make it perfect instead of just good.”

Roman is quiet while he stares at the dish, considering. “You know the food’s going to be incredible, right? You’re going to kill it on Saturday.”

“I need to.” The words come out intensely. “I need to match what Vivienne’s been building.” I gesture vaguely toward the dining room, where I can still hear the three women talking, their voices overlapping with laughter. “She’s been working her ass off on this event. She sold out the entire dining room in four days. Four days, Roman. Then she convinced me to open the patio so we could sell more tickets. Somehow turned fifty seats into eighty-five.”

Roman lets out a low whistle. “Eighty-five covers for a five-course tasting menu. That’s going to help a lot in the debt department.”

“I know.” I run a hand through my hair and feel the tension knotted in my shoulders and the tightness at the base of my skull. “She’s been holed up in my office for weeks. Just marketing and coordination and managing a thousand details I didn’t even know needed managing. Designing the actual physical menus, arranging for a photographer, coordinating with Chef Singh’s team about who’s bringing what equipment, dealing with the food bloggers who keep emailing asking for preview photos. There’s a seating chart. Did you know these things even need a fucking seating chart?” I stop myself, realizing I’m rambling. “The point is, she’s putting everything into this, and the food needs to be worth it.”

“Your food is always worth it, Chef.” Roman’s voice is certain. “You know that.”

“This needs to be better than that.” I look at him, begging him to understand. “This needs to be the best food I’ve ever made. Because if it’s not … if I let her down —”

I don’t finish the sentence.

I don’t need to.

“Then it will be.” Roman shrugs simply. “You’ve got this. And Vivienne’s got the rest. It’s going to be great.”