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She’d said it was last minute and that there’d been no other chef.
I waited until she’d gone back to her guests before turning toward Preston, and my voice dropped low. “Did you and Colin orchestrate this whole thing . . . for me?”
“Once again, I’m not sure what you’re talking about.” Except his smug smile said otherwise.
I opened my mouth to demand he explain, but instead he turned away from me and strolled back toward the kitchen. Fine. If he wanted to talk there, then we could—
There was a booth on the same wall as the kitchen door, so when I’d come out into the dining room, I hadn’t noticed the couple who was seated there. I’d thought Preston had been leading me to the back, but no. It was toward my parents, who were tucked away in the booth, eating the tiramisu Diego and I had painstakingly plated just a few minutes ago.
I hurried to catch up to him and asked it under my breath. “What are they doing here?”
“Colin invited them.”
He didn’t wait for me to respond. He reached the edge of the table, drawing my parents’ attention up, and their expressions shuttered.
“Hi,” he announced. “Did you enjoy your free dinner?”
My breath caught. Colin and Preston had arranged this too, and paid for it? My parents looked so awkward, so uncomfortable, I almost felt bad for them.
Almost.
“Yes.” My father’s tone was begrudging. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Preston gestured to me. “I shouldn’t have to tell you how amazing your daughter is, but I’m going to anyway, because I think you need the reminder. She’s smart and kind, and just look at her. She’s freaking gorgeous.”
Blood rushed to my face as my parents did as they’d been told. I felt anything but gorgeous right now in my chef attire, but there was so much conviction in his words, I couldn’t help but believe it, just a little.
“And she’s so insanely talented,” Preston continued. “You might not see it, but everyone else in this room does, including Stella. Want to know how I know? She’s looking for a personal chef and she just invited Sydney to audition for the job.”
“What?” Surprise had my mother straightening in her seat and her gaze flew to me for confirmation. I nodded, and pride welled in my chest.
“You should be so proud of her,” he said. “It might not be the dream you had for her, but it’s her dream.” He stood tall, looking confident and sure. “And Sydney’s good at everything she does, so we all know she’s going to get the job.”
The sound of the rest of dining room had faded to nothing. It felt like it was just us; Preston and me as we faced my parents. My heart was in my throat, clogging the words I wanted to say.
But he had it covered. “I know you don’t like me very much, and that’s okay. I can deal. And I’m sure you don’t want it, but my advice is that you don’t get in her way. Just, fuck. Be excited for her, like I am.”
If I’d thought they looked awkward before, the way they were now put it to shame. My dad’s posture was the same as if he were sitting on a cactus. They didn’t like the profanity, and they certainly didn’t like being lectured by him, but . . .
Oh, my god. Rather than disregard what he’d said, it seemed like they were considering it. That they’d heard his words.
But now they weren’t sure what to say.
My mom exchanged a look with my dad that screamed he needed to do something. He cleared his throat as his gaze connected with mine. My folks had seen me in my work clothes lots of times, either before a shift or when I’d come home after, but tonight was so different.
Maybe it was the first time they’d truly seen this side of me.
They’d gotten to witness what I was capable of and tried so hard to excel at. Was it foolish to hope they’d noticed the passion I’d put into the dishes I’d served tonight?
“If this is what you want,” my father’s eyes contained something that looked strangely like pride, “then your mother and I are happy for you.”
“Yes.” My mom pressed her lips together as she struggled to put how she was feeling into words. “This was really good, Sydney.” She found the word she’d been looking for. “It was impressive.”
My heart stumbled and soared. Praise was so rare from them that I didn’t exactly know how to handle it. The ground beneath me was unstable.
“Thank you.” I smoothed a hand down the front of my jacket, unsure of where to go from here. “I’ll, uh, let you finish your desserts. I should get back to the kitchen.”
It was mostly so I could catch my breath. The last few minutes had been a blur, and I worried if I stayed in one place too long it’d suddenly stop being real. I glanced at the man beside me and jerked my head toward the door.
