"Inefficient and unreliable to who, though, Kirsty?" Gina's finger prodded her friend in the side. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Antoine's trying to discredit you without allowing any of the blame to stick to his name. If yesterday's function ended up as a disaster, the customers wouldn't have cared less about the name of the sous-chef. They'd have wanted to know why the head chef hadn't done their catering, and any blame would have stuck to his name.
"I think he wanted to come in as a last-minute hero and save the day. To do this, he must've made arrangements to cover the catering so it could be delivered with only the slightest delay. Then everyone would have said what a wonder he is and how they couldn't do without him."
"Do you know, you might have something there, Gina," Kirsty said thoughtfully. "It's exactly the way his mind works. There's something else as well. He's not just trying to get me in trouble—he's trying to get me sacked, and I need to find out why."
"Maybe he's got a friend or relation who needs a job," Gina suggested with a shrug. "He can't get rid of you without a reason, so he has to make Reeve Stuart believe he's got one. Didn't you say Mr. Stuart promised Chef Saturday's reception would be your responsibility, and his reputation wouldn't suffer. I don't suppose it's occurred to you the function was a success? This means the credit goes against your name, not Antoine's. I'd love to see his face when he realizes it. Oh, no, look at the time. If anyone's noticed I've been gone this long, I'll be the one getting fired, not you!"
Gina hurried off, and Kirsty walked slowly back into the kitchen. She felt better after talking to her friend. Their discussion made her think. Could the receptionist could be right about Antoine ordering supplies for the wedding? How could she get proof of this?
Kirsty mulled over the problem when she got home on Sunday night, but couldn't reach any conclusion about how to investigate the matter. Now she felt glad she'd taken Gina's earlier advice and sent off the application for the theatre restaurant.
Kirsty had just signed for a vegetable delivery late on Monday morning when a solution for the supplies mystery struck her! If Antoine had prepared an alternate menu for the reception, then either he would have to foot the bill from his own pocket, or some of the regular suppliers would be sending their invoices to the hotel. One other thing bothered her about Chef placing a separate order—what on earth had he done with all the food?
During the rest period after lunch, Kirsty sat at Antoine's desk and looked up the list of regular suppliers. Would he have used the normal companies, or would he have gone to new outlets? She decided he would have gone to places where they knew him so he could be invoiced instead of paying cash. Apart from the fact only a few firms supplied specialty items for things like weddings and special dinners, if Chef Antoine did intend to pass the bills through the hotel accounts, it would be easier if they were from suppliers who knew him. Kirsty wondered which firm she should try first.
Slowly, a grin pulled up the corners of her mouth. Of course! The caviar! The Millers had specifically requested Russian caviar, so she'd start there.
Her first few calls brought her no joy. Nobody knew anything about an order for caviar for the Hibiscus Hotel. The next call also failed when the woman on the phone at first denied any knowledge of an order.
"Wait a minute! Did you say the Hibiscus Hotel? Does Chef Antoine work there?"
"Yes, he does. Chef's sick at the moment, and we need to trace his suppliers for caviar." Kirsty held her breath, waiting for the woman to continue.
"Well, we didn't have an order for the hotel, but Chef Antoine put in a private order a few weeks ago. He picked it up on Friday afternoon."
"Thank you so much." Kirsty nearly blew a kiss down the phone. "I'll put your company's name in the book of specialty suppliers. "
As she put the phone down, Kirsty's lips widened into a smile. This was what she'd been looking for. If Chef Antoine had picked up the order on Friday afternoon, why hadn't he called to remind the hotel about the reception? He couldn't tell Reeve Stuart he'd only remembered the wedding at the last minute if he'd picked up a delivery for the reception the day before. Kirsty began to giggle. Antoine had literally been left holding a bucket of fish eggs.
A few more phone calls provided information Antoine had placed orders for supplies for the wedding at the beginning of the month, all with specific instructions to be delivered early on the Saturday afternoon and not before. Without exception, the firms stated he had phoned just before delivery time with profuse apologies and asked for the orders to be cancelled. He'd given the excuse there had been an accident and the wedding had been called off at the last minute. All orders had been placed in Antoine's name, not the hotel, and Kirsty thought he had been very lucky the suppliers had been so understanding.
When she tried to make an appointment to discuss her findings with Reeve, she was frustrated. Apparently he had left the hotel at lunchtime, and they didn't expect him back until the following day.
Monday evening's dinner period went exceptionally well. Kirsty, with Reeve's approval, had introduced several new dishes to the menu. Antoine's choices were one main course, with variety provided by different vegetables, pasta, salad, soup and entrées. For the third course, the patrons had to make do with the dessert trolley. If necessary, Chef would personally prepare an omelet or some other quick dish for a valued customer.
Kirsty had added another main course of contrasting content. For Monday night's main course, she'd prepared beef stroganoff and, as an alternative, diners could order a mixed fish platter. The dessert trolley was available as usual, but she'd added an alternative choice of hot apple pie with cream. The customers were pleased with the new option, and on one occasion Kirsty had been called into the restaurant to receive compliments from a party of diners.
On Tuesday morning Kirsty arrived at the hotel early, before Chef Antoine or Reeve put in an appearance. She wanted to be ready for any accusations Antoine threw at her. No way would he walk all over her and shout her down as he'd done on Saturday. Kirsty Lawrence meant to have her say and put up a good fight even if it meant the termination of her contract.
Antoine arrived and passed her written instructions for her work, then ignored her. The internal phone rang soon after the breakfast orders were finished and, still without speaking directly to her, Chef beckoned Kirsty to follow him as he led the way to Reeve's office.
Reeve waved them to the chairs they'd used at the last meeting in this room. Chef Antoine opened his mouth to speak, but Reeve started talking before Antoine had a chance to utter a word.
"I'd like to say at the start of this meeting we're not here to apportion blame, at least not until all the facts have been aired. We're here to find out the truth." He looked at Antoine. "Chef, would you begin by telling us what you know regarding the Millers' reception. Start at the initial booking if you please."
"Several weeks ago Mrs. Miller rang to ask if we could cater their daughter's wedding reception. Their original venue had double booked, hence the reason for the lateness of the inquiry." Chef paused and looked at Kirsty, his eyes full of malice.
Kirsty knew Reeve would be unable to see Chef's expression from his position, and therefore wouldn't realize the enjoyment Antoine got from his explanation.
"I told Lawrence immediately and asked her to let the head waiter know the date so he could make other arrangements regarding the guests and regular clientele. As you know, we've been extremely busy since then and it didn't occur to me Lawrence hadn't relayed the details to Henri. On Saturday I lay reading the paper in my sickbed when the day's date sounded familiar and suddenly it came to me! It was the date of the Miller wedding." Antoine paused and shrugged his shoulders dramatically.
"The rest you know. Lawrence has been remiss in her duties in recent weeks, so I hurried to the hotel, only to find she hadn't remembered to alert Henri until two days before the function, plus the standard format for wedding receptions had been totally ignored, leaving the restaurant looking like a pigsty."
Antoine leaned back in his chair, his arms folded and a hurt expression on his face.
"It's not true!" Kirsty burst out. "Besides—"
"Please, Miss Lawrence," Reeve interrupted. "You'll have your turn to speak later. So, Antoine, you maintain you left the details to Miss Lawrence and didn't check to see if your orders had been carried out?"
"I did indeed. This is an oversight I now bitterly regret."
"The ordering of the supplies? Who is usually in charge of this aspect?" Reeve's eyes narrowed as he waited for Antoine's answer.
"I regret to say I had an error of judgment in this regard also." Chef Antoine looked sorrowfully at Kirsty, but, in their depths, his eyes glinted with spite. "I thought Lawrence should be given the chance to do the ordering. Of course, I intended to check everything, but, as you know, the deadly flu bug struck me down. Alas, Lawrence proved herself not as capable as I originally thought her to be."
Kirsty found it difficult to keep herself from laughing at Chef's dramatics. Like a cold shower, the thought rose in her mind this was no laughing matter. Her career in the catering world depended on the outcome of this meeting. If only Reeve would listen to her before he made any decision.
"Miss Lawrence, do you have anything to say regarding these allegations?" Reeve's eyes were like chips of ice, and Kirsty's heart sank. He'd already made up his mind, and nothing she said would make any difference. She was determined to have her moment of glory.
"I most certainly do..."
"Please remember to stick to the facts, Miss Lawrence," Reeve cautioned her.
"Very well, Mr. Stuart. The facts are when Chef Antoine became ill, I checked the kitchen engagement diary to see if any functions were booked. To my dismay, I found a wedding reception booked for Saturday—a wedding I knew nothing about. I therefore checked the special order book, which is kept for such functions. There were no orders relating to Saturday.
"Consequently, I went over the menu for the wedding and contacted the necessary suppliers." Kirsty paused for breath. Here goes, she thought. Reeve wants facts... well, he's going to get them. "As you know, Mr. Stuart, I had difficulty obtaining any Russian caviar and you kindly arranged for some to be flown up from further south. I have since found out—"
"Flown up!" Chef exploded. "Mr. Stuart, I do hope this will not be put against the kitchen budget. Although my staff made the mistake, I'm sure if I'd been here I could have obtained it locally. Besides which, Lawrence has already exceeded the daily budget by placing an extra course on the menu. "
"You did obtain some caviar locally," Kirsty burst out angrily. "I checked, and you picked up an order on Friday afternoon from Gunsey's."
"Nonsense, Lawrence. I was sick in bed all day on Friday."
"They said..."
"Miss Lawrence, may I remind you I want facts, not hearsay." Reeve turned to Antoine. "I can assure you, Chef Antoine, the cost for the transportation of the caviar will be taken from the hotel's special emergency account, which I may use at my discretion. Miss Lawrence, have you anything else to say?"
"Yes, I have, but I don't see the point in continuing if you've already made up your mind I'm at fault. You accept what Chef Antoine says as fact, but anything I say is put down to hearsay. Despite your biased opinion, I feel I must state I was never, at any time, informed a wedding reception had been booked for last Saturday. Nor were any orders given to me regarding the function. Added to this I am not a liar!"
"My dear Miss Lawrence, nobody has suggested you're lying." Reeve's eyes pleaded for understanding, but Kirsty refused to pay attention to him.
"Yes, they did! Chef Antoine accused me of lying on Saturday. He said it in front of the kitchen staff, if you want to check. Then, when he talked to Henri, he implied I had been untruthful. I can tell you one thing—I won't go quietly. I know I'm in the right and if you want to get rid of me, you'll have to sack me. Then you'll have to come up with a better excuse than this, or I'll get the union onto you."
At this point, Kirsty ran out of breath, but she gasped in a great lungful of air and rose to her feet, intending to storm from the room.
"Miss Lawrence." Reeve sounded firm but not unkind. "Please sit down. This will not lead to a termination of your contract. However..."
"Mr. Stuart, one moment, please." Antoine had risen to his feet. "You may not feel it is a sacking matter, but I do. I cannot and will not have such a disobedient, lying, unreliable person on my staff. If Lawrence does not go, then I will!"
He drew himself up to his full height and looked at Reeve, daring him to call his bluff. Reeve sighed, frustration showing in every line of his body as he turned to face Kirsty.
"I think until tempers cool it might be better if you take the time off owing to you, Miss Lawrence. To my knowledge, we owe you at least two days, plus your day off this week. May I suggest at the hotel's expense, you remain at home until next Monday? By then I may have been able to sort something out regarding this matter."
"I insist Lawrence is sacked," Chef Antoine said haughtily. "I will not have such a devious, lying person anywhere near my kitchen. Don't think you can sneak her in to take my place next Monday. I warn you now, I will not be taking my day off next week. I will not give her the opportunity to take control when I'm not there."
"Please, Chef, bear with me on this," Reeve requested calmly. "Tempers have risen this morning, and I believe we should all have a cooling-off period. We'll sort this out next week when everyone is calmer. Until then, Miss Lawrence, you're on paid leave."
Chef Antoine stuck his nose in the air and left the room. When Kirsty tried to follow him, Reeve called her back. "Shut the door, please. Now, what were you saying about the caviar?"
"Why do you want to know?" Kirsty allowed her anger to resurface. "It's not facts, merely something the lady at Gunsey's told me over the phone."
"Then it won't hurt to tell me, will it?" Reeve's dark head tilted to one side.
"Oh, all right! The woman said Chef Antoine had picked up some caviar on Friday afternoon. Exactly the amount needed for the reception. Apparently he didn't charge it to the hotel, but put it on his own personal account. Several of our other suppliers also said he placed orders, then cancelled them early Saturday afternoon. He gave the excuse an accident had happened and the reception had to be cancelled." Kirsty paused, then decided she might as well say everything on her mind. "There's also the point if Chef Antoine lay ill in bed on Friday, why did I see him twice at the shopping center when I went to get those vases? The first time I could've been mistaken, but the second time, I know I saw him, even though he took great pains to walk quickly away."
"Perhaps Chef has a double. They say everybody has one somewhere in the world." Reeve casually dismissed her comment. "You do know this proves nothing, don't you, Kirsty? It's your word against his. I'm afraid there's not a lot I can do about it at the moment."
"No, there's not, is there? As you say, it's my word against his, and we all know who you're going to believe, don't we? You didn't even tell him you authorized the alterations to the wedding reception layout and agreed to the extra main course. You let me take the blame instead."
Kirsty strode angrily toward the door, but Reeve caught her arm before she had taken more than a few steps. He spun her round and, before she knew what was happening, his arms wrapped tightly around her and his lips found hers. Once more the heat flowed through her body, turning her limbs to jelly, and the anger turned to yearning as her body responded to his caress. Slowly the kiss ended, and Reeve gently pulled back.
"Give me time, Kirsty? Please."
"Time for what?" Desire made Kirsty's voice husky, before the memory returned of how he had betrayed her. Hands on his chest she pushed him away and dragged her hand back and forth across her lips. Despite the savageness of her action she couldn't wipe the embrace from her thoughts. "Time for you to cook up something else against me. Why did you kiss me? To lull me into a false sense of security? Make me think you're on my side? You should be careful
, Mr. Stuart, because the mood I'm in, I'm likely to have you up on charges of sexual harassment."
"I suppose this means our day at the hot pools is off?"
Kirsty stared at him in disbelief, but Reeve looked completely serious. Her hand grabbed the handle and flung the door open, then she turned, determined to have the last word.
"You really are the limit, you know. Do you think I'd even consider going out with you after the way you've shafted me? The next time you'll see me, Mr. Stuart, will be on Monday morning." Kirsty left the room and took great satisfaction in slamming the door behind her. Kirsty had to retrieve her bag from the staff room before leaving the hotel. She stalked through the kitchen with her head held high and into the small room where the staff kept their outdoor clothes and personal items. Antoine wasn't anywhere to be seen and, in her haste to be gone before he returned, Kirsty ripped her uniform jacket from her body, nearly tearing it in the process. She took a deep breath, and with bag in hand, marched out of the room, heading for the outer door. The kitchen maids watched in amazement. They didn't know what was going on, and Kirsty wondered if they believed she'd been fired.
Her heart dropped once she reached the area outside the kitchen. Antoine leaned against the wall, arms folded across his chest. He had been waiting for her. As soon as he caught sight of her, he levered himself upright and barred her way.
"Lawrence, listen to me. You're not going to win this battle. If you admit you're wrong, I'll write you a good reference so you can get a decent job elsewhere. All you have to do is tell Mr. Stuart I'd given you orders regarding the reception, then you forgot and told lies about it."
"Why should I lie? You know as well as I do you were the one at fault." Kirsty glared at him, daring him to refute her words.
"Have it your way, Lawrence, but don't say I didn't warn you. You'll only have yourself to blame when you're left without a job and no references." His malevolent smile sent a shiver down Kirsty's spine. "I hope you know you're looking at the end of your career in catering."
Recipe for Romance Page 11