"Here we go."
Cale glanced around as Bricker returned and dumped a handful of sliced almonds into a fresh pan.
"Just brown them over this flame," he instructed, twisting the knob to get the flame going. "And I'll get the lemon to squeeze over the fish."
"Right," Cale murmured, thinking that sounded easy enough. A moment later, staring down at a pan full of half-burned and half-raw almond slices, he revised his opinion.
"This cooking business isn't as easy as it looks," Bricker commented with disappointment moments later as they peered at the charred trout speckled with parsley and blackened almond slices they had just set on a plate. "Eating is easier."
"Hmm," Cale said, shaking his head with disgust.
"How are we doing?"
Both men jerked upright and shifted to hide their efforts as Alex suddenly appeared beside them.
"Good, good," Bricker assured her quickly. "The first dish is pretty much done."
"Just one?" Alex asked, her eyes widening with alarm. Her gaze shot to the shelf beside them and the alarm grew by leaps and bounds, making Cale turn to peer at it as well. He frowned when he noted that the number of slips on the shelf had more than doubled. He'd been vaguely aware of people moving past them but hadn't realized that more orders had been arriving. He'd been too distracted by trying to cook and listening to Alex and Sue.
"It's all right. Everything is in hand here. You should just go about whatever it is that needs doing," Bricker said firmly.
Cale wasn't surprised to see the concentration on the other immortal's face when he glanced his way. He was controlling Alex again, Cale knew, but this time was grateful for it. The woman had enough problems on her plate without his adding to them. He would never win her that way.
"You obviously have everything in hand here. I should go about what needs doing," Alex agreed woodenly and turned away, only to come to an abrupt halt when Sue suddenly pushed through the kitchen doors.
"Did you find anyone?" the other woman asked hopefully as she hurried over to slip even more orders onto the shelf.
"No," Alex admitted, her shoulders slumping with defeat.
"What are we going to do?" Sue asked with alarm. "We're getting behind on taking orders. Every table is full, Alex. We only have two girls on tonight, including myself."
Alex reached up to run a hand through her hair with an agitation that brought a frown to Cale's face. "We'll just have to-"
"Bricker will wait tables for you," Cale interrupted.
"What?" Bricker squawked.
He turned on the younger immortal, his expression grim. "You will wait the tables."
"The hell I will," Bricker said at once.
"Bricker," Cale growled, and then caught his arm and urged him along the row of shelving and countertops until they were out of earshot. "I can't cook."
"I noticed," he said dryly.
"Well, it's not going to improve," he assured him grimly. "And Alex's customers aren't going to be pleased with my offerings ... unless someone helps them think they are," he added meaningfully.
Bricker raised his eyebrows. "You want me to control the customers? "
"You got me into this," Cale pointed out grimly.
"Oh, hey, no." Bricker held up his hands, palms open. "That wasn't me. Sam is the one who told her you were a chef."
"Sam just said that to get her to meet me; she wasn't the one in Alex's office telling her I was from Paris and had my own restaurant," he countered grimly, andthen frowned when he noted Bev listening wide-eyed. Scowling, he took a moment to quickly wipe her mind of what she'd overheard and to make sure she didn't continue to listen.
"I didn't say it was a restaurant," Bricker defended himself quickly. "She just assumed-"
"Semantics," Cale snapped, cutting him off. "You will do this. I won't see Alex ruined because of your 'help.' "