T-Bone - L. Wilder Page 0,71
hug. “Have a great day at work. I’ll make dinner while you’re gone.”
“That would be great.”
“Is there anything else I can do?”
I shook my head. “No, you’ve already done more than enough.”
“Okay. Well, I’m going to spend a little time with Landry and Clay.”
“Sounds good.” As I walked out the door, I told her, “Tell them both I said hello.”
Without giving her a chance to respond with a snarky comment, I closed the door and headed to work. I used the drive over to try and mentally prepare myself for the day ahead. It wasn’t easy. I was still feeling tired and wasn’t really up for another long day, but I pushed those thoughts out of my head and forced myself to think positively. I tried to focus on the fact that things were going really well with my internship and had even gotten lots of positive feedback from Bisset and the owner on how well I’d been doing. Bisset had even gone so far as to say that I showed real potential of becoming a permanent fixture there, and it wouldn’t be long before I was promoted again. That alone was enough to lighten my spirits as I headed into the restaurant. I went to my locker, and I’d just started to put on my apron when Jack walked in. A bright smile crossed his face as he said, “Wow, look at you. You look amazing.”
“You saying I don’t normally ‘look amazing’?” I teased.
“Girl, you know your dazzle has seemed a little on the rough side the past couple of months, but it’s understandable. You’ve been through a lot.”
“Well, starting today, I’m going to try a little harder to put that all behind me and begin—”
Before I could finish, Bisset stepped into the locker room and called out to me. “Hey, Alyssa. You got a minute. I need a word.”
“Sure.” Normally, I would’ve been concerned about Bisset wanting to talk to me, but something about his tone had me feeling a little curious as I made my way over to him. In case I’d read him wrong, I asked, “Is something wrong?”
“No, not at all.” I followed when he stepped away from the doorway and into a private corner. “Antoine and I were talking, and we both feel that you’ve earned the opportunity to move up in the line.”
Antoine Boucher was the lead chef at the restaurant, and the mere fact that he’d even noticed me was mind-blowing. I couldn’t hide my excitement as I said, “Wow, that’s incredible. Thanks so much.”
“Don’t get too excited just yet.” His tone grew serious as he continued, “You’ll have to prove yourself before we’re just going to hand over the promotion.”
“And how do I do that?”
“On Sunday afternoon, you will come to the restaurant and present Antoine and me a dish of your own creation. If it is worthy, then we will consider making the move. Understood?”
“Yes, sir. Understood.”
“Good.” He glanced over the clock and said, “Time to get to work.”
“Yes, sir. I’m on my way.”
When he left to head towards the kitchen, I rushed back into the locker room and started jumping up and down like a lunatic. Even though he had no idea why I was so excited, Jack started jumping around right along with me. After several seconds, he started laughing and asked, “You gonna tell me what we’re celebrating?”
I stopped jumping just long enough to tell him, “It’s finally happening. I’m getting my shot at being a real chef! No more cutting potatoes or plating food. I’m finally going to get a chance to show them what I can really do.”
“That’s awesome, Alyssa.” He reached over and gave me a big hug. “I’m really proud of you.”
“I can’t believe it! I’ve been waiting for this chance for months.”
“I’m sure your dish will knock them off their feet.”
“Oh, god. I have no idea what I’m going to cook for them.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll think of something.” He nodded his head towards the door. “We better get out there before Bisset comes hunting us down.”
I followed him out of the locker room, and I was all smiles as I walked over to my station and started prepping for the day and night ahead. I went over my conversation with Bisset a million times as order after order came in. While I was thrilled about the opportunity, I was a little worried that I didn’t have what it took to impress Boucher. He’d been a chef for longer than I’d been alive,