AllFreeNovel
Share Us
All business, Rosie pulled out her tablet and started opening up programs and looking at her screen.
“Yes, they should all be coming in for orientation and prep by the end of the week. Phil and Tamatha have been getting the kitchen ready to go. I wanted to go over the final candidates for the Senior Chefs and the Pastry Chef. You’re all set for the interviews today for the host position,” Rosie said, mentioning my Executive and Sous Chef.
“Perfect. Can you set up a meeting with Phil and Tamatha tomorrow so that we can go over the menu and finalize the budget? Leave the information about the other chefs and I’ll have a decision for you by the end of the day. Do you have the resumes for the host candidates?” I asked.
Rosie reached into her oversized purse and pulled out a stack of papers.
“They’re right here. I put the most likely candidates at the top and the time of their interviews. I think there are three or four good ones in there, but we won’t know until we meet them. Are you sure you want to do the interviews? I have no problem doing it,” she offered.
“No. I want to interview the top candidates myself. The other positions I have complete faith in you.”
“You just want to check them out and see if you want to date any of them,” she said.
“No. It isn’t that at all. My playboy days are over.”
“Uh huh. Tell that to social media.”
“What now?” I groaned.
While Rosie’s idea of me being a player was no longer justified, it didn’t mean that I hadn’t made a name for myself doing that when I was younger. I had changed my ways when I returned to New York City. I wanted to concentrate on my restaurant, not on seeing how many women I could sleep with in a week. So far, I had been sticking to it even if it was a little lonely. Apparently social media and gossip had other ideas.
“There was speculation that you didn’t go to the reopening of 45 Park because Lizbeth was there,” Rosie said
“I didn’t even know that 45 Park was reopening, and even if it did, I’m too busy opening upBennett’sto go. I have no doubt Lizbeth was there but she wasn’t a factor. She hasn’t been since I broke up with her.”
“You might want to tell her that. She’s dropping not so subtle hints that you two are getting back together or that you never actually broke up, depending on the posts.”
“If I contact her, it will only give her story legs and the attention she wants. I’m not doing that. Any suggestions on how to make this go away?”
“Move back to Italy,” Rosie suggested.
“Not going to happen. Next?”
“Get yourself a girlfriend? It would put Lizbeth in her place and would quiet all the rumors about you.”
“I don’t have time for a girlfriend.”
“Have you ever had one?”
“A girlfriend? Sure,” I said, though as soon as I said it, I wasn’t sure.
“Uh huh,” Rosie said, clearly not believing me.
“I have and as such I know what it takes to treat a woman right. Something I can’t do right now. I’m too busy. Can I just do what I’ve been doing and ignore Lizbeth and hope she goes away?”
“We can try. You’ve been doing that since you got back. It helped for a bit when Mac and Hope started dating to take the attention off of you, but that’s passed. Maybe this time it will stick, but I doubt it.”
“Can we move on? When do the interviews start?” There was enough going on in my life that I didn’t have time to be worried about Lizbeth and her antics.
“The first one should be here soon. I set up the best candidates for you, and I’ll see the others. If they get upset that you aren’t doing the interview, I’ll tell them they will if they pass the first round. It should narrow down the frustration for both of us.”
“There are that many?” I asked.
“That many that are qualified? It’s hard to tell, but you’re opening up one of the hottest and most talked about restaurants in New York City in a decade. There are people who are very interested in working for you. Not only to say they did, but to meet and work with you.”
“Can’t you just tell them that I’m a tyrant of a boss and they would all be wise to run in the other direction?”
“It would defeat the purpose of trying to find a host.”
