"Who does he think he is?" Crockery clashed together as the woman packed the dishwasher for the third time. "He might look like he's God's gift to women, but I pity the poor girl who has to put up with such a bossy man at home."
Kirsty ducked her head to hide the smile twitching at her lips. It wouldn't be good to let the woman realize she agreed with her. Several hours later the work surfaces and ranges sparkled and the vegetable orders had been phoned through. Kirsty put on the percolator and made herself a jug of coffee and with the hot cup in her hand she carried it out to the bright sunlight, and sank wearily onto the seat beside the kitchen door.
The Hibiscus Hotel perched on cliffs high above the long stretch of Orewa Beach, north of Auckland. From this height she had a superb view below. The cars rushed along the Hibiscus Coast Highway, which separated the beach from the shops and main residential section. Luckily none of the exhaust fumes and noise reached this high. Kirsty closed her eyes, and her thoughts drifted to her home in a rural area of New Zealand's South Island. Her mother ran a small restaurant alongside the family's boutique vineyard in Marlborough. As a teenager Kirsty had earned money helping with the cooking and enjoyed it so much, training to be a chef was the only way to go when she left school. She had excellent qualifications and worked a few years as a general chef. Her parents had been so proud of her when she beat several more experienced applicants to become sous-chef to Antoine at the Hibiscus Hotel.
"Even I've heard of Chef Antoine, Kirsty," her mother enthused. "His name's famous in the catering world. I don't know why he's working in such a small hotel, but you can learn a lot from him."
Kirsty's thoughts were interrupted by her friend Gina, the receptionist who worked the afternoon shift.
"Hi, Kirsty. I helped myself to some coffee. Hope it's okay. I'm on a ten-minute break."
"No problem." Kirsty smiled as Gina sat beside her. The bubbly receptionist had taken the new employee under her wing six months earlier and introduced her to the big city. The other girl acted as the more experienced of the two even though Gina was a few years younger than Kirsty.
"What a gorgeous day." Gina leaned back in the sunshine. "Even better when you sit and look at this fabulous view."
Kirsty sighed contentedly as she wrapped her hands around the cup and slipped off her shoes. She looked fondly at her friend and took a sip of the hot coffee. Gina was one of those "always on the go" people. Sometimes Kirsty found it difficult to keep up with the younger girl.
"Hey, Kirsty!" Gina voice started low and confidential, but it rose with excitement as her questions bubbled forth. "What do you think of the new man? Have you met him yet? He's a bit of a change from old Mr. Bennett, isn't he?"
"I'm afraid we got off to a bad start." Kirsty smiled ruefully. "I thought he was a salesman, and told him in no uncertain terms what I thought of him."
"You didn't, did you?" Gina stared at her. "Hang on. Someone said he helped you out during the lunchtime rush, so he can't be so bad. "
"I suppose he's okay, and he did thank me for all my hard work," Kirsty admitted. "I just wish he'd told me who he was, then I wouldn't have treated him like something the cat dragged in. What really annoyed me is this should have been my day. With Chef on his day off, I was in charge. Monday is the only chance I get to run the kitchen my own way, and today everything went wrong. Mr. Stuart breezed in, took over, and it was the final straw. I wouldn't be surprised if the mess in the kitchen gave him the impression I'm some sort of incompetent idiot."
"Don't worry about it. It's his first day. By tomorrow he probably won't even remember your name. A great looking guy like him has got to have a nice nature to match. I wouldn't lose any sleep over it."
"I wish I was as sure about it as you are." Kirsty sighed and lifted the cup to her lips.
"Ah, there you are, Miss Lawrence. I've arranged for one of the chambermaids to help out this evening." Reeve's voice made the two women jump, and Kirsty nearly upset her coffee. Why couldn't the man make any noise instead of creeping around like a ghost? Silently she prayed he hadn't overheard any of their conversation.
"This will cover the dishwashing," Reeve continued. "How will you manage if there's a rush?"
"It's usually pretty quiet Monday evenings," Kirsty replied, settling back on the seat. "We have two extra staff when we're busy, and I've arranged for one of them to come in tonight, so I should be okay. By the way, I'd like to thank you for your help this morning."
"Thanks are not necessary." Kirsty heard the distraction in his voice, and his manner made her feel small and insignificant. "I'm in charge of the hotel now, and I couldn't allow the restaurant to be closed on my first day here. Which brings me to this evening's meal. I noticed the main course is steak. It might be best to change this to something easier to prepare. With limited help you won't have time to cook individual meals."
Kirsty stared at him in disbelief. How dare he criticize her ability to run the kitchen? He strode away before she could say a word, then turned at the kitchen doorway.
"By the way, Miss Lawrence, I believe you usually have a few hours off in the afternoon. Under the circumstances I'm sure you won't mind canceling them today. I'll see you get time off in lieu at some future date."
Kirsty's voice deserted her. She stared at him, anger darkening her eyes. Reeve turned and walked through the kitchen door, seemingly unaware of the turmoil boiling up within her. During the conversation Gina had looked on with dumb amazement, but now she turned to face her friend.
"Well, you weren't wrong when you said you two hadn't hit it off, were you? If you could have seen the look on your face when he mentioned your afternoon break..."
Kirsty's concentration focused on keeping a lid on her temper, but she fought a losing battle.
"How dare he!" Her voice returned in a rush. "The pompous, insufferable, arrogant... Who does he think he is?"
"He's the new boss, Kirsty." Amusement twinkled in Gina's dark eyes. "Calm down, girl. You're overreacting. Hey, do you think he's actually the owner or just their representative?"
"I don't care who he is! He's not my boss! Chef Antoine is my boss!" Kirsty's temper boiled over. "I'd no intention of taking any time off this afternoon, but he shouldn't have just assumed I'd stay. He's got no right to tell me what to do. As for time off in lieu—wait until Chef hears his suggestion!"
CHEF ANTOINE BREEZED into the kitchen the following morning and frowned as he ordered one of the temporary staff to make him a coffee. He settled behind his desk with the cup in his hand and called Kirsty over to report on the previous day.
"First, Lawrence, you can explain why I find strangers in my kitchen this morning. What has happened to my usual staff?" Antoine scowled at one of the temps near enough to hear their conversation, and the young man quickly ducked his head and hustled away.
"Both the kitchen maids are sick, Chef," Kirsty explained, "with the flu. I've engaged the temps for the rest of the week. I hope this is all right?"
"Quite all right, Lawrence." Chef always called his staff by their surnames. "Now tell me what other disaster has befallen the hotel during my all-too-brief day off."
"Not exactly a disaster, Chef." Kirsty's lips twitched as she suppressed a smile. "Mr. Bennett also has flu, has taken early retirement, and his replacement's taken over the hotel. His name's Reeve Stuart."
"And?" Chef prompted. "By the tone of your voice, Lawrence, you don't appear to approve of our Mr. Stuart."
"He rubbed me up the wrong way, Chef." Kirsty grimaced. "I couldn't get any temps yesterday, and, with the others off sick, I had to manage on my own. Mr. Stuart arrived in the kitchen and didn't tell me he was the new boss. I assumed he was a salesman, and I'm afraid I might have been a bit rude to him. He did help me get the lunch menu ready, but then he changed the menus for the evening meal. I felt he didn't trust me to run the kitchen when you're not here. He also told me to cancel my hours off yesterday afternoon, then had the cheek to tell me I could have time off in lieu."
Chef frowned as Kirsty paused for breath. Finally he spoke, "I think, Lawrence, you should provide me with all the details of what happened. "
Kirsty described the previous day's events in detail, and Chef Antoine's expression darkened as she elaborated on her dealings with Reeve Stuart. Kirsty was secretly delighted to see the famous Antoine temper rising, and watched it grow even more when she mentioned Reeve had altered the menu for the previous evening. Her tale finished with a repetition of the suggestion of time off in lieu, and Chef gave an angry snort. His chair flew back against the wall with a crash as he rose and stood, breathing heavily. Kirsty half expected steam to gush from his mouth and ears at any moment. However, he hesitated before storming off in his usual way.
"Did you say this man is the new owner, Lawrence?"
"He said his group had bought the hotel, Chef," Kirsty explained.
"Keep an eye on the kitchen, Lawrence." Antoine's expression turned thoughtful. "I shall return when I've spoken with this Mr. Stuart!"
The restaurant doors swung wildly behind the chef as he left the room.
"Go Chef! He'll teach Mr. High-and-Mighty Stuart!" A satisfied grin spread over Kirsty's face. "He'll soon learn the only boss in this kitchen is Chef Antoine."
Kirsty quickly glanced around the kitchen to make sure the stealthy Reeve Stuart hadn't snuck into the room when she wasn't looking.
REEVE SUPPRESSED HIS surprise when the head chef knocked on his door and entered before being invited. He decided to treat Antoine with caution as he'd heard of the man's reputation as a fiery individual who did not like to be crossed, either by management or junior staff.
"Mr. Stuart? My name is Antoine, I am the head chef of the Hibiscus Hotel."
"Ah, Chef Antoine. Thank you for coming to introduce yourself to me. I appreciate your thoughtfulness. I would have visited you in the kitchen, but I know how busy the early mornings can be."
Reeve did his best to sound friendly. Antoine had a wary look upon his face, as if he didn't know how to handle the new management. Reeve wondered what Kirsty Lawrence had told him about yesterday's events. A highly biased version no doubt, making Reeve sound like the antagonist. Maybe he should have taken more effort to placate her, but he hadn't been able to resist provoking her. When she got angry her whole body responded in a tantalizing way.
"My sous-chef told me about the unpleasantness in the kitchen yesterday." Antoine sat down without being invited.
"Not really unpleasant," Reeve reassured him. "more a misunderstanding. Once I realized the difficult circumstances facing Miss Lawrence, I understood why she reacted so strongly to a stranger in her kitchen."
"My kitchen, Mr. Stuart. Lawrence is a member of my staff. A not very efficient member I might add."
"My apologies, Chef. With regard to yesterday, I admit things were a bit hectic when I first entered the kitchen. Once I organized assistance for her, Miss Lawrence handled things quite well." Reeve wondered where this conversation was heading. Heads of departments usually dealt with their own staff problems. They didn't come bleating to management.
"Perhaps I should explain Lawrence is only on trial as my sous-chef." Antoine smiled apologetically. "She isn't really qualified for the position, but I felt in such a small hotel it would be good experience for her future career."
"I see." Reeve still felt confused. Why so many excuses from this man? "If this is the case, do you think it wise to allow her full control when you're not here?"
"Until now there have been no problems, but when the other experienced staff are not here, she's obviously unable to cope. I shall have to think again about her position, although I would like to give her another chance. I've put a lot of work into her training these last six months."
Antoine sat back, and Reeve realized the man wanted him to make a decision regarding Kirsty Lawrence's future. The head chef would have to wait. Reeve had no intention of being drawn into a staffing situation so early on in his management.
"Chef, I suggest we leave things as they are for the present. The staff sickness should be over by your next day off, and we'll see how Miss Lawrence copes then. If such a situation arises again, I'll arrange for help either from the chambermaids, or from one of our other hotels. I really don't want to make any hasty judgments when I've only been here one day."
"There is also a bit of misunderstanding as to whether you are the new owner or manager of the Hibiscus Hotel. "
"I don't see it makes any difference," Reeve replied, careful to keep his expression pleasant. "I'm the one in charge and responsible for the well-being of the business, regardless of whether I own it or represent the owners. Now if there's nothing else, Chef, I have an appointment."
He rose and walked over to open the door, leaving Antoine with no alternative other than to leave. Reeve walked with him across the reception area and through the dining room.
"As long as Lawrence doesn't adversely affect the restaurant's reputation, I have no objections to giving her another chance," Antoine said as they approached the swinging doors leading to the kitchen.
"Thank you for your co-operation and understanding, Chef." Reeve followed him into the kitchen. "I'm sure we won't have a repeat of the chaos I found here yesterday."
Reeve shook hands with the man and left the kitchen. As the doors closed behind him, he heard Antoine say, "Lawrence, could you spare me a moment?"
Reeve returned to his office after his meeting with the head receptionist. He frowned as he tried to fathom the nature of the two senior kitchen staff. He leaned back in his chair, long legs stretched out before him and hands folded behind his head. His perusal of the ledgers showed him the restaurant had lost quite a sum of money over the last six months. Discreet enquiries indicated the restaurant's reputation had also been damaged, despite having the highly respected Chef Antoine in charge of the kitchen. Hence, his reason for wanting to see the head chef yesterday. No specific complaints had been lodged regarding the quality of the food, but the public had lost interest in dining at the hotel, and the books reflected the loss of income.
His initial reaction on meeting Kirsty had been to blame her for the decline, but after working with her the day before, he knew he'd been wrong. Reeve considered himself a pretty good judge of character. Antoine had an air of "looking after number one" about him. Kirsty, on the other hand, appeared to be a fairly straightforward person. Once she'd been given assistance, her work had been efficient, and the kitchen had run without a hitch. Reeve checked through the previous manager's records and found no complaints from Antoine about his sous-chef. He decided to reserve judgment for the time being on Chef Antoine's motives.
A glance at the clock showed he should start his rounds. He stood, mentally deciding to stay away from the kitchen. No doubt Kirsty Lawrence would be less than amused by the head chef's attitude. He grinned, remembering her feistiness in the restaurant yesterday. He'd gone too far the other way, unfortunately, in order to smooth things over and remain professional with her. Even to himself he'd sounded stuck up and arrogant.
A sense of déjà vu scratched at his mind. He admitted to himself the reason he'd felt confused and protective around Kirsty must be Samantha, the woman who'd played him for a fool in an attempt to get what she wanted. Reeve made up his mind to keep things strictly professional between himself and Kirsty, even if it meant sounding arrogant. No woman would trick him again. He left the office with a sigh. A small inner voice hoped Chef Antoine wasn't being too hard on his assistant.
KIRSTY BUSTLED ABOUT making pastry and preparing the fish for the entrées rather than look like she'd been hanging around to see the outcome of the meeting. Frequent glances at the clock changed her anticipation to concern as the minutes ticked by. Half an hour passed before she heard Chef's voice in the restaurant. She had overhead Reeve's parting remark to Chef as the new boss came through to the kitchen.
The doors closed behind the new manager, and Kirsty feverishly tried to work out what had happened. Chef An
toine's loud voice startled her. She wiped her hands on a cloth and obediently crossed the kitchen to Antoine's desk.
"I've had a long talk with Mr. Stuart, and we've worked out an emergency plan of action. One of the chambermaids will help out if ever the kitchen is short-handed and temporary staff is not available again. They will take it in turn to be on emergency standby. I've told Mr. Stuart this will be quite satisfactory."
Kirsty stared at him, so stunned by his explanation she couldn't utter a sound. How totally unlike Chef Antoine to react so calmly, especially when the new management threatened his supremacy over the kitchen. She'd expected the two men to be at each others' throats considering Antoine's artistic temperament and Reeve Stuart's arrogance. Instead it looked like they'd been getting friendly with each other!
"One other thing, Lawrence," Antoine continued. "Mr. Stuart was too polite to complain. I'm of the opinion you were extremely rude to him yesterday."
"Not rude exactly. More annoyed with the interruption. He came in here—" Kirsty stopped as Chef cut her short.
"Don't let it happen again, Lawrence. In such a small establishment we all have to work together, and this means being polite to one another. Especially—" he frowned at Kirsty as she opened her mouth to protest "—when someone takes time out to help you in an emergency. I'm very disappointed in you, Lawrence, and I shall expect you to do better in future."
"Am I supposed to take orders from him as well, Chef?" Kirsty asked, her anger rising. Antoine had no right to talk to her as he would to a kitchen junior.
"Please control your temper, Lawrence. You'll take your orders from me as usual. However, Mr. Stuart will be treated with the respect his position demands. Is this understood?" Chef Antoine stared hard at Kirsty, and she reluctantly nodded her head. "Very well, we shall say no more on the matter. That will be all, Lawrence."
Recipe for Romance Page 2