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Ok, so I’m a huge fan of the man’s work and have followed his career, but nothing weird. I just so happen to live in the building next to the coffee shop he frequents and glance at his handsome face occasionally, but I’m definitely not a stalker.
“You’re up, buttercup. I officially own a location in Bourbon, Texas, and I’m sending you there to run the show. It’s all yours. You earned it.”
I gasp in pure excitement. “My own kitchen?”
“Yep. My name. Mostly my menu, but you got stuff on there, too.”
His words make me laugh; I can practically hear him winking as he says them.
“Thank you. I mean, more than thank you, but what can I possibly say but thank you.”
“You’re not welcome, Ronnie. This isn’t a gift. You fucking earned it, and I’m honored to be the man that helped you meet this goal. You're a great baker, and I’m damn proud of you.”
The early emotions tied with the excitement plus words of praise from a man who’s been a mentor to me have me bawling like a baby. I don’t try to be quiet or ladylike. I blubber all over the phone. My incoherent words make Dominic laugh, and I hear Sophie saying something in the background.
“Before you think too highly of me just yet, you might want to sit down.”
“I’m sitting,” I whisper, almost too afraid to hear what he’s going to say.
“I need this property up and running in three months.”
“That’s half the time we had to open the Vegas location.”
“Honestly, I can’t afford to keep the lights on the past three months. If we can’t get it up and running by fall, we’ll have to close it and try to sell out. But that’s not going to happen. It’s prime real estate in a high-traffic City Square, and you’ll serve the most impressive treats Texas has ever seen. Ouch.”
I hear Sophie in the back again but can’t hear what she’s saying, but I hear Dominic let out a heavy sigh.
“And Dane will be joining you to train the kitchen staff.”
“Dane Carmichael?” I whisper, my awestruck tone giving too much away.
“Yes, the one and only,” he says with a bitter bite.
“Wow. Um, wait, no. I will train my staff. You just said this was my kitchen.”
“It is, and I mean no disrespect here, Ronnie, but being assertive is not your strong suit. I know you’ll make this new location the absolute best, and with Dane’s help, you’ll have the best-trained staff.”
My mentor, the chef I look up to the most, was handing me my dream, but at the same time telling me I couldn’t handle it.
“Don’t worry. I won’t let you down.” Is all I can bear to say. Leave it to me, ever the people pleaser, even when I should stand up for myself and demand to be the only chef in the Texas kitchen.
This day can’t possibly get any worse…
