at her. Was she suggesting he actually cook? Of course she was. It was what he was supposed to be here for, he reminded himself, and glanced over the foreign objects surrounding him. He didn’t even know where to start.
“Perhaps he should take off his suit jacket. You have an apron he can use, right?” Bricker asked, stepping into the void.
“Oh, yes of course.” Alex shook her head. “I’m sorry. Everything’s so topsy-turvy right now I wasn’t thinking. Here give me your suit jacket. I’ll hang it in my office and get you an apron and hat.”
Cale muttered a thank-you, helping when she began to tug his jacket off, then watched silently as she hurried across the kitchen to her office. The moment she disappeared inside, he turned sharply on Bricker and grabbed him by the front of his T-shirt. “What have you done? I can’t do this. I don’t know the first thing about cooking.”
“Hey, whoa, buddy, I didn’t do this. Sam is the one who told her you were a cook,” he reminded him.
“Well, I’m not,” he said sharply, turning back to his station. “Look at this. What is all this? These knobs"—he twisted one of them, bringing on a quiet hiss, then grabbed up a shiny silver rod with one flat end—"and this … thing.”
“Christ, what are you trying to do, blow us up?”
Bricker muttered, reaching past him to return the knob he’d twisted to its resting place. Cale noted that the hissing immediately stopped. Bricker then snatched the silver thing from his hand. “This is a spatula. You use it to … well, sauté I suppose,” he muttered, then glanced at Cale’s expression and sighed. “Look, these are the controls for the grills. These knobs turn the gas on, but you have to turn them all the way to ignite them.” He twisted the knob, and the hissing Cale had noted earlier started again. It was followed by a click click click, and then a whoosh as a ring of flames suddenly exploded to life.
Bricker turned the knob back a bit and the flames lessened, then he grabbed up one of several pans on a shelf beside the grill and set it on the stove. “See, you sauté things in the pan over the fire and spread them around or turn them with the spatula.”
Bricker moved the spatula to emulate what he was describing. “This isn’t as difficult as you seem to think it is. Just read the recipes and follow them. You’ll do great. Trust me.”
Cale scowled with displeasure but quickly pasted on a smile as Alex returned with a white apron and hat in hand.
“Here we are.” She handed him a ridiculous, large white hat and then quickly tossed the top of the apron over his head. Alex then grabbed the strings and reached around him, intending to tie them up for him, but then flushed and stepped back when she realized the position she’d put herself in. Avoiding his eyes, she muttered something under her breath and hurriedaround him to tie the strings from the back. Cale had liked it better when she was doing it from the front.
“There. All set. I guess you’d best get to it. The orders are waiting.”
When Cale stared at her blankly, Bricker snatched up one of the orders and shoved it in front of his face. “This is the first one. Trout Amandine. Mmmm.”
Cale snatched the slip of paper from him irritably and peered at the writing.
“Ms. Willan?”
They all paused and glanced toward the girl who suddenly hurried into the kitchens. Dressed in black dress pants and a wine-colored shirt, the woman obviously wasn’t kitchen staff. She was also upset about something, a frown marring her plain face.
“What is it, Sue?” Alex asked, moving a little away to speak to her.
“What do I do?” Cale asked Bricker sharply the moment she was out of hearing.
“Make the trout,” Bricker said dryly.
“How?” Cale growled. “And what trout?”
Bricker glanced around. “Oh. Right. Hang on, I’ll find it.”
Cale shook his head with disgust as the man hurried off, and then turned to glance toward Alex, catching some of the conversation going on. It seemed one of the waitresses hadn’t shown up for work and they were short-staffed in the dining room. Alex looked stressed at this news.
“Here, I already coated both sides with flour,” Bricker announced, appearing at his side again to distract him,and Cale turned to find him holding out a plate with two slices of floured fish on it.
“What