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Ken looks at me. “What did you do to scare her?”
“You’re the one who scared her,” I allege.
“Did I?” Ken asks Cathy.
She shakes her head. “It’s just that while I was driving here, I realized that it’s a bit far from where I live, farther than I expected.”
“We did want to put the restaurant somewhere away from the city,” I say. “I thought the diners would enjoy their meal better listening to the symphony of the waves rather than the discord of traffic.”
“Where do you live?” Ken asks.
“More than an hour away,” Cathy answers. “Besides, I don’t really know what I’m supposed to do here.”
“That’s why I’m going to explain things to you,” Ken says. “And mind you, I’ve been called a good mentor.”
“Ken will teach you everything you need to know as you help her with her tasks,” I tell Cathy. “If you have any questions or concerns, you can talk to her or me.”
Ken narrows her gaze at me. “Since when have you taken an interest in interns?”
“Why not? They technically work for me,” I answer.
“I thought you were busy.”
“Not always.”
Ken snorts.
I look at Cathy. “If you decide to do the internship, you’ll get an hourly wage, free meals and allowances for clothing and transportation.”
“Allowances?” Ken raises an eyebrow.
I ignore her. “And although the internship is only for four months, you can get a job here after.”
“If you last,” Ken adds.
That seems to catch Cathy’s interest.
“You mean you’ll hire me? For a real job?” she asks.
“If we think you’re good enough,” Ken says.
She means if she thinks Cathy’s good enough. As for me, I think my mind is already made up. If Cathy is as smart and responsible as she used to be, she’ll do just fine.
“You’ll never know unless you try,” Ken goes on. “Besides, you need a job, don’t you? Isn’t that why you drove all the way here in the first place?”
Cathy doesn’t answer.
I place a hand on her shoulder. “Listen, Cathy, if you don’t want to work here, I won’t force you. But if you’re just hesitating because you doubt your abilities, don’t. I know you can do this.”
She looks away. I can almost see the wheels inside her head turning as she wrestles with her thoughts.
Why is she hesitating? Didn’t she come here for the internship? Is it because of me? Because she can’t stand to be around me? Because I remind her of who she lost?
I squeeze her shoulder. “Cathy…”
“Daddy!” The high-pitched squeal of a little girl draws my attention.
I go down on my knees and spread my arms wide to welcome my daughter. “Hey, sweetheart.”
She crashes right into me, nearly toppling me over.
“Whoa!”
“Daddy, let’s go,” Maisie tells me as she wraps her little hands around my neck.
I glance at my watch. Right. It’s almost time for her tumbling class.
“Okay, okay.” I carry her in my arms as I get on my feet.
As soon as I’m standing, I see the stove. Shit. I forgot about what I was cooking.
“Five minutes,” I say as I put her down.
Maisie frowns. As I walk over to my pot, I hear Ken talking to her.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. Your Daddy won’t take long.”
I smile. Sure, she can be tough, but she’s a softie at heart.
“Who is she?” I hear Maisie ask.
I glance over my shoulder to find her pointing to Cathy.
“Hi.” Cathy gives the first genuine smile I’ve seen since she arrived. “I’m Cathy.”
“Cathy is still thinking about whether she wants to work here or not,” Ken says.
I suppress a grin as I turn my attention to my pot and stir the chowder. It still seems okay. Ken sounds like she’s trying to get Maisie’s help in convincing Cathy to take the internship. Clever.
“You’re a chef, too?” Maisie asks.
“No,” Cathy answers.
“Oh, she won’t be working in the kitchen,” Ken says. “She’ll be in management, like me.”
I hear a pause. “But she doesn’t look like you.”
Cathy chuckles. I grin as well.
“You’re pretty,” Maisie adds.
I glance again to catch the look of admiration lighting up her face.
“What? Are you saying I’m not pretty?” I hear Ken complain.
Maisie laughs.
“Why, thank you, sweetheart,” Cathy tells her. “You’re quite stunning yourself.”
“What’s stunning?” Maisie asks.
“It means you look like a princess from a fairy tale,” Cathy answers.
“What’s a fairy tale?”
Cathy gasps. “You don’t know about fairy tales?”
I pause in the act of bringing a spoon to my lips and frown. I’ve bought Maisie a ton of books, but somehow I haven’t found the time to read her a single story. Pathetic.
I taste the dish. It needs just another pinch of Szechuan pepper. As I reach for the bottle, I hear Cathy speak.
“Well, who knows? Maybe I can tell you one or read one to you sometime.”
Maisie giggles.
My eyes grow wide. Cathy will do that?
“Only if you’re around,” Ken says. “So does this mean you’re our new intern?”
