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When he noticed Finn walk in, he shot him a warning glare. It was a back-off-pal stare that Finn planned on respecting. He’d given the kid enough to be traumatized about over the last couple of weeks.
He toured the kitchen, peeking over the shoulder of his sous chef. The shrimp and sausage gumbo smelled divine. The line chefs had already prepped the main ingredients for the evening’s menu. Vegetables were chopped and peeled. He could tell by the consistency of the rice that the lobster risotto had been cooked to perfection.
A loud bang filled the kitchen, and he turned to Cal, who rattled a large stainless steel pot across the counter. Instead of placing it down nicely, he dropped it from five inches above. The dishwasher door closed with a slam, the sound of cutlery and glass rattling inside. The kid was angry. Understandable. The kid was jealous. Understandable. The kid was purposely causing a scene in his restaurant. Unacceptable.
Finn stalked across the space between them, stopping only a few feet away. It took Cal a minute to notice him hovering behind. He turned slightly, but didn’t acknowledge his presence. Instead he headed to the sink and turned on the faucet. The heavy pressure of the spray pinged off the stainless steel, rivulets of water spurted over the sink, droplets catching him in the face.
He narrowed his eyes. “Cal?”
The boy didn’t answer. He continued to rinse off a few dishes, the water pressure so heavy they moved around in the sink.
“Cal?” he said, a little louder this time.
When he still didn’t respond, Finn glanced at the rest of his employees. None of them were watching, at least not directly, but he knew they were monitoring the situation, waiting to see how he would handle the kid.
Finn stepped up and grabbed the faucet out of Cal’s hand. The kitchen went dead silent except for the gentle hum of the dishwasher.
“I think you’re done for the day.”
“What?” he said, his voice cracking. “I’ve done nothing wrong. I’m washing, putting away. I even helped Scott with the marinara sauce.”
He glanced over his shoulder to Scott, one of Finn’s most seasoned line cooks. He was slouching against the wall, making himself small, as if Finn wouldn’t be able to see him. It wasn’t up to Scott to teach Cal. He knew the rules. But Finn nevertheless admired his initiative to help the kid progress, to fit in. But he wouldn’t say that in front of anyone. Finn had to maintain authority.
Cal cursed under his breath, realizing his mistake. “I know I’m technically not supposed to be cooking anything, but I wanted to learn. It’s not Scott’s fault. I made him show me how to do it. I—”
“You should go home. You’re still on the schedule for tomorrow. But go home and…regroup. Come back with a better attitude.”
“But I—”
Finn held up his hand to stop him from talking. “Go on.”
On his way out, Cal pushed a pot against the white-tiled backsplash. He was lucky it didn’t crack.
Finn followed him out. The boy needed to get his rage under control and lose the chip on his shoulder. He was never going to make it in this world if he couldn’t handle authority.
“Cal.”
The kid stopped with only one call, but didn’t turn.
“Do you understand why I’m sending you home?”
Cal crossed his arms over his chest and stuck one leg out for balance. “’Cause you’re an asshole who likes the power trip.”
Finn recoiled at his words. Luckily, Cal hadn’t turned to face him. The hurt reaction would have totally ruined his bad cop routine.
“Is that what you really think?”
For a second, Cal’s gaze lowered to the floor. It had to be exhausting trying to keep up the tough-guy act. Finn knew from experience. Still, being an asshole was easier than admitting you were scared.
Finn sighed. “Look, what your sister and I do is none of your business.”
Cal twirled around. “It is so my business. She’s way too good to be with you. She has too many important things to do than spend all her time with you.”
Too many important things. Such as spend time with Cal.
Finn was a master at reading between the lines.
He sighed. “Your sister loves you like crazy, and would do anything in the world for you, but she needs to have a life, too. You need to give her that courtesy.”
