Chapter Sixteen: Part Three
After the tables were cleared, Carrie asked Alberto to bring Luka and Melissa out. She announced their chefs for the evening to cheers of their highly impressed party. The looks on Dee's and Kate’s faces showed their agreement the moment they caught on. Dee smiled and Katie nodded subtly before Carrie said, ‘They are also working with us from now on.’
After the cheers and introductions, Alberto brought bottles of grappa out and poured an overly generous number of marginally dangerous measures into everyone’s glasses, offering many toasts and gushing happily. Recognising the skills that the pair had demonstrated, their staff readily accepted Luka and Melissa. Carrie sent Melissa back into the kitchen a few times to make different sauces requiring experienced timing and a deft touch to get right. Carrie smiled to herself when she saw Melissa’s delight every time she threw a new challenge to her.
While Melissa was tidying up in the kitchen, Carrie joined her. ‘I would like to continue your apprenticeship and training. That means you’re with me and not Luka for the next while, especially early on. Are you okay with that?’
The tears in the girl’s relieved face were all Carrie needed in response. ‘Don’t worry about your reputation. By the time you’ve cooked for our client list, that idiot’s lies will be an irrelevant and distant memory. You just focus on producing great food and the rest will sort itself out.’
Carrie still had tears of happiness in her eyes as she rejoined her friends. The three amigas shared a moment, raising their glasses in a private toast. Their enterprise and family had just expanded again.
~~~~~
Later that evening, Carrie filled them in on Luka’s and Melissa’s circumstances. She had already decided to take on Melissa’s apprenticeship, despite the paperwork. They all agreed that anyone who was that capable and passionate about food was welcome. Kate was too excited to sleep and before going to bed that evening, she had completed a new spreadsheet, balancing rosters, training and roles with their bookings.
~~~~~
Rick called late on Tuesday evening over a very poor connection. Calling her back after the third dropout, he said the moment she answered, ‘Kate, I miss you more than I ever thought I could miss anyone and…’
‘Me too, Rick. I… hello?.. Rick?’ Her phone was silent again. Just as her face started to prickle, a text message appeared.
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“I am suffering a wonderful and enthralling new addiction… You! Hope you remember me 😉 Back for Dom’s next gathering at the latest. Missing everything about you. Xox Rick”
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Kate laughed and stabbed at her phone to type out and send her reply.
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“Who is this? Do I know you?”
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She waited for fifteen seconds before typing out and sending,
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“Rick, everything you said x 2”
~
~~~~~
The rest of the week passed quickly, and Rick had managed to get text messages and a few patchy calls through. Kate simply melted each time she read his words, his voice replaying in her memory.
Their staff were taking to their new roles with enthusiasm. Each function offered some form of training opportunity and Kate made sure that everyone cross-trained in every role. There were few secrets in their tight crew and they all celebrated Kate’s newfound happiness. Dominique’s gig that Saturday was another beautifully smooth event, catering to nearly eighty VIP guests and fifty or so plus-ones.
Their staff handled their duties with calm efficiency, each person working with the next in line to teach their roles whilst learning the roles of those above them. The cross-training had added another dimension to their work and made it even more interesting for them all.
When one of Dominique’s guests had a minor mishap, Corey smoothly managed the situation. He was already cross-training with Suzette and managing the food service. Watching her staff performing exactly as she’d trained them to, Dee smiled. Edison nodded approvingly to her when he caught her eye.
The Sundays following Dom’s gigs were now a full day-off for everyone, and a Spa Day finishing with dinner at Alberto’s for the amigas. Alberto closed his restaurant to the public for his Sunday evening session, only offering seats to those he considered family. He’d known Dee and Kate for much of his life and had taken over the restaurant from his father when the girls were in their first year of college. His Sunday evenings had no menus and were essentially a Southern Italian Sunday meal for his extended family. The dining tables were all lined up to form three long communal benches instead of the normal layout of his restaurant.
In bed, and a little tipsy from Alberto’s irresistible hospitality, Kate started receiving a series of long text messages just as she was about to go to sleep. Each message was an instruction, and after nearly an hour, she felt as if he had once again ravished her mind and body. Frustration at the poor communications competed with happiness as she re-read his words. He and his parents were due to return on the Saturday of Dom’s next gig. Kate wrote five long messages, deleting each one in turn to start again. Finally, she simply wrote from her heart.
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“Missing you like crazy. Wanting you even more. I really want you to do that to me, and I am so going to do that to you! Until Saturday. Kisses all over. Kate xoxo”
~
His text in reply made her smile broadly.
~~~~~
The next few weeks flew by in a distracting blur of events. When their company’s bank balance crossed a significant goal that they had set when Kate had first joined them, the amigas opened a bottle of sparkling wine and celebrated. They were now debt free, had a solid three-month running reserve, and a rainy-day fund to cover most contingencies. Their bookings were solid for nearly fifteen months in advance and many of their clients were already booking the following year’s holidays to avoid disappointment. Their seven full-time and new part-time staff had become a solid and effective team, all working very well together.
~~~~~