In a 5-quart pot, melt the 4 ounces of butter and add the celery, carrots, onion, and garlic, and sauté until tender. Add chicken stock, salt, and cinnamon, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow the contents to cool slightly, while simultaneously trying to cool your jets for a while.
Remove the squash from the oven and puree in small batches. Combine the puree and chicken stock and stir. If the puree is still too thick, you can add more stock. Add salt and pepper to taste. Before serving, add the heavy cream. May be served hot or cold. Garnish with toasted sunflower seeds. Serves 10–12. Watch everyone smile. Bet you’ll have a hard time keeping a poker face with this dish.
Gabi eyed the calendar and couldn’t believe they’d actually officiated the closing, and she was now the new owner. It appeared the Carters were more anxious than ever to get on with their lives and had pushed their attorney to get the necessary inspections done as quickly as possible. Her mom and dad were just as nervous as she’d been, and she didn’t blame them. After all, they were taking a risk on her, too. Now it was up to her to see that she maintained the restaurant’s good standing in the area. She knew she was capable of doing it, but nevertheless, she hadn’t slept much last night, and the nerves now pulsating in her stomach felt like a crowd of rioting protesters. She inhaled a deep breath and slowly released it to the count of fourteen, hoping it would help. Fingering her necklace, she could hear Nell coming down the steps. Today was the day they were going to tell the staff she was now the head honcho of the inn.
“After we make the announcement, I have a few more things to take care of here and I’ll be on my way. According to John, the last of our things will be moved this afternoon,” Nell said. “Since you’re officially the owner now, John was anxious to get to the new place and kick back, so he hustled our sons to get some giddyup in their get-alongs and move us outta here.
“Terrific! So I guess that means I can move in over the weekend?”
“It does.”
“Terrific.” As they entered the kitchen, anxiety continuing to punch Gabi’s insides. She told herself she had a lot riding on this inn and she’d better pull it off.
“Ladies and gentlemen, it’s official. Gabrielle Johnson is the new owner.” Everyone except Corey applauded. “And I’m pleased to say, Gabi has agreed to keep the name.”
“Thank you,” Gabi said, slightly embarrassed. But that didn’t stop her from taking a bow. “I appreciate your applause.” A feeling of exhilaration surged through her, ready to blast out like a blowtorch. What she really wanted to do was dance around the kitchen, but she forced herself to refrain, curbing her excitement, knowing she had to be sensitive to Corey.
Noticing Nell was no longer by her side, Gabi made her way back out into the dining room and found Nell folding some napkins. Seeing Nell’s expression, she felt a sudden heaviness weigh in her chest. “I’m sorry, Nell. I wasn’t thinking. Here I am getting excited when you’re feeling sad. You’ve been so wonderful during this transition. Saying thank you hardly seems enough.”
“It’s okay. You know, it isn’t every day you buy a business. I understand how you feel. And I remember our first day here too, as though it was yesterday. It’s just hard to walk away after twenty-some years. That’s all.” Nell’s eyes welled. She turned her head away from Gabi, pretending to busy herself with rolling more napkins. “As soon as I finish rolling these napkins, I’ll be on my way. Now don’t you go feeling bad for me. You damn well better be excited, because you just signed your life’s savings away. You’re going to be working your butt off like there’s no tomorrow.” She grinned. “Now scoot on out of here and get to work in that kitchen.”
Gabi hugged Nell and turned. “Come visit anytime you want.”
Back in the kitchen, Gabi was ready to meet with her staff and let them know how she planned to move forward. A sudden attack of nerves left her mind blank. Damn, she thought, she’d practiced this speech a million times. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to relieve the tension, worried that even if she did remember, she’d be tongue-tied. It wasn’t until she noticed Leslie’s bright smile of approval that it somehow restored her thoughts, and her confidence came back. As soon as the lunch-hour rush was over, she’d address the staff. She walked around the kitchen and stopped to watch Steven fire up the grill.
“Morning, Steven!”
“Congratulations! I thought you’d already closed when you first came here,” he said.
“Well, we were almost closed, but not quite.”
Corey was back at his station but never looked her way when she passed by. She simply ignored him and spoke to Joey instead. “Congratulations,” he said with a big grin.
“Thank you, Joey.” Her cheeks hurt from beaming so much. This was so surreal, she felt as though she was floating on air.
“Me too, me too,” Leslie chimed in. “We should make a special dessert to celebrate the occasion and let the customers know.”
“I agree. We’ll eventually have a grand opening, but first I wanted to make sure the closing actually went off without a hitch. We can make a special dessert for tonight’s guests, and then another one for the opening, but I’ll advertise it first so we have a big turnout.”
“Ooh, that sounds like fun.”
“We can talk more after the lunch rush,” she said, addressing the group, “so I can tell you all how I plan to move forward in the future. So if you have questions, please hold them until then.”
“What’s to ask?” Corey said. “You run the joint, and we’re the lowlifes that work for you.”
Gabi and the rest of the staff stopped cold and stared at him. A host of comebacks were on the tip of her tongue, but she refrained from stooping to his level. She had planned to meet with all of them individually and thought she’d meet with him first, but now that he was being such a prick, she was going to let him wait until the end. Let him stew just a little longer. He was either going to adjust his attitude or he was history.
“So what kind of dessert did you want to make for tonight, Leslie?” she said, changing the subject. “We have a ton of cherries in the walk-in refrigerator that we should use up.”
“Okay, I’m going to look through some of the cookbooks and see what I can come up with. How about we call it ‘The Sweet Takeover’?”
“That’s cute.” She turned to Joey. “I’d like you to come up with a new appetizer for tonight. Let me see your creative side… and no cheating. Find two things that go together for tonight’s dinner.”
“You’re on.” Joey cocked his head to the side. “Thanks for the opportunity.”
Gabi grinned and headed toward Steven. “I noticed we have an abundance of scallops. Let’s prepare a creamy sauce like a coquilles St. Jacques. Try something different with the recipe and we’ll decide after a taste test.”
“Super. I’ve been toying with a recipe at home using scallops that I’d like to try on you. Sound okay?”
“Sure, we can try it. Surprise me, and I’ll taste it later.”
Gabi liked the reaction she was receiving so far and hoped it would continue in that manner. She didn’t want her staff to think she was going to let ownership of this new business go to her head. She was convinced if she gave them some responsibility and the chance to exercise their creativity, they’d take a stronger interest in their jobs. And she hoped, in time, Corey would jump on the bandwagon with the rest, because she didn’t need a sour puss ruining her day—or causing her to focus more on catering to his moods than on her job.
Walking out into the dining room, Gabi noticed the waitstaff huddled around one of the tables, busy talking and not working. She’d met them all when she’d first started while waiting for the closing. It was during that time she realized she wasn’t terribly fond of Rosemary, whom she’d viewed as slightly arrogant and marching to her own drummer instead of Nell’s. When Rosemary saw Gabi enter the dining room, her body jerked and she gave a noticeable kick to Brian to alert him. Dan, the senior waiter, winked at
Gabi, a slight grin on his face when Brian and Rosemary stood up abruptly and started working, guilty expressions crowding their faces. Gabi didn’t say anything. She’d just watch for the next time to make sure the staff wasn’t resting on their laurels instead of doing their jobs. She’d previously thought Brian was a hustler, but it appeared he was easily swayed by others. She’d make note of that. In Rosemary’s case, with two women, both having strong personalities, there were bound to be clashes. Gabi blew out a breath of air. The last thing she wanted or needed on her staff was another problem. Corey was more than enough. Judging from Rosemary’s expression, she suspected it wouldn’t be long before the woman gave her notice. And if she didn’t leave on her own, Gabi would fire her. But the most important thing she wanted the staff to know is that she would be fair, but she wasn’t a pushover either. She continued to the reception area to check on the reservations.
It didn’t take Rosemary long before she made her way over to Gabi and announced today was her last day. “I’m sorry if this seems abrupt,” Rosemary said, “but I’ve been wanting to quit for a while, and since you’ll probably want to hire your own people anyway, I figured now would be a good time to make a clean break.” They exchanged cordial conversation, and Gabi wished her luck, thankful that Rosemary had saved her the trouble.
Corey jumped into the shower, allowed the hot water to beat against his back, and tried to erase the crappy day he’d had. He felt a lot of resentment toward Nell for leaving him with the impression she was still thinking about holding his loan. The fact that she’d sprung the announcement about Gabi being the new owner, stuck in his throat like a knife being twisted. The staff all knew he wanted to buy the restaurant and were probably laughing behind his back. Disappointment dug into the well of his stomach. Gabi hadn’t interfered the first month—she probably wanted to see if he was capable. But judging from what he’d seen in Gabi’s demeanor, there was no way she was going to let him run the kitchen the way he wanted. Running the show was going to be her gig, not his. He felt a heavy sadness settle into his chest. He needed this job more than he could say, but this new owner would probably clip his wings, and he’d never get to develop his own ideas. More importantly, with the resentment he was feeling, he wasn’t even sure he could work for Gabi—regardless of how cute she was.
Corey rubbed the stiffness in his neck to relieve the tension and shook his head in dismay. Cripes, he’d already lost sleep over Gabi, and it wasn’t because she was the new boss. It was because he couldn’t stop thinking about her, and that was making him angry too. This was something he hadn’t done since his break up with Victoria. The more he got to know Gabi, the more he liked her, but he’d never let her know.
Admittedly, the worst part of this whole thing was Gabi was the type of woman he’d always wanted in his life. She was confident and had the same type of entrepreneurial spirit he had had before his restaurant was pulled out from under him. His body stiffened thinking back to the worst time in his life, when his business went down the tubes and his world crashed around him. Victoria saw to that, despite his pleas to his investors to hang on, even going so far as to give them assurances he would rebuild the business. But they’d mistrusted him and backed Victoria because of her social standing, and reputation, and that of the newspaper where she worked. It was hard to watch his once-thriving business dwindle down to next to nothing, and that’s when his backers forced him to liquidate. He punched his fist against the wall, but nothing helped to relieve the tension he felt then, and the return of it again today. Having Gabi take over the inn was just one more disappointment. He didn’t want to think of Gabi as the same as Victoria, but Nell screwed him and so did his former girlfriend—chances were, she’d do the same. It seemed like all the women screwed him—royally, and it wasn’t for pleasure.
The fact that Gabi was too young to have enough money to buy the inn meant she either had rich parents or financial backers. He should have realized what was going on when Gabi’s parents came here to see the Carters. He didn’t realize who they were at the time, but thinking back now, he could see a definite resemblance to her mother. Victoria was a spoiled little rich girl who was an only child and used to getting her own way. He wouldn’t allow another woman to set him up for another fall. Victoria had destroyed the one thing that mattered most to him—his restaurant. No sirree.
And then along comes this Gabi woman, petite, cute, jovial, and she never puts on airs. She was the real deal, or so he thought. But he’d started out thinking Victoria was that way too, and look where that got him: in financial ruins. He just couldn’t trust another woman. And to think he had almost let his guard down. He felt like a jerk for even having those thoughts in the first place.
He shook his head. He couldn’t continue to beat himself up over this. What was done was done.
He had to admit Gabi was trying really hard—maybe too hard. But he wasn’t buying that cutesy stuff she was pulling. Seriously, what boss asks employees to develop their own dishes? None that he had ever known. If working at the inn hadn’t been so nice, he’d have left a while ago. He just wished she wasn’t his boss.
Corey splashed on some cologne and headed out the door to meet Rocky, another chef from town. Maybe he knew of someone looking for help.
He pulled into a parking space in front of Peter and Paul’s, a local hamburger joint with nightly live music, locked the car and walked inside. A folk singer was performing a Janis Joplin bluesy rock ballad. Easing through the crowd, he walked to the bar and ordered a beer. Rocky hadn’t arrived yet. He slugged back his beer and enjoyed the music. He wasn’t looking for a woman, although he noticed a few looking in his direction. He ordered another beer and turned to face the vocalist, when he saw Rocky enter. His friend headed in his direction.
“What’s happening, man?” Rocky asked, extending his hand in greeting.
“It’s official. I have a female boss.”
“Sorry about that, dude. So what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. I’m thinking I should just quit and find something else. Problem is, I like working at the place.”
“Is she bossy?”
“Not yet. She’s a little too syrupy if you ask me. She walks around talking to everyone and asks for the other cooks’ input for recipes. Wants them to create stuff.” He snorted. “Like I’m really buying that crap.”
“Are you nuts?” Rocky said, after ordering his beer. “I’ve never had a boss ask for my input. My bosses are ‘It’s my way or the highway.’ At least she asks. So what’s wrong with that?”
“I’m just not buying it. She’s just trying to make everyone like her.”
“And do they?”
“Oh yeah. They like her all right.”
Rocky sipped his beer. “So what’s the problem then?”
“I just don’t like her.”
“Do you think it could be because she bought the place you wanted?”
“That could be part of it, I guess.”
“Is she ugly?”
“No, actually, she’s pretty damn hot.”
“And this is a problem, why?”
“Never mind, I guess you wouldn’t understand the predicament I’m in. I guess you’d have to be there to understand it.”
“Is she looking for any help?”
“She could be. I don’t know. Why don’t you stop by and ask?” He shook his head, puzzled by Rocky’s interest. “That is, if you don’t mind working for a broad.”
“I might just do that. But more importantly, Corey, I met you tonight because I was looking for a way to kick back, laugh a little, and have a good time. Quite honestly, you’re getting to be a pain in my butt. You’re no fun anymore. All you do is whine, and I’m tired of it.” He threw money on the bar, “I’ve had enough for one night.” He slugged back his drink. “We all have problems, we all have baggage, but you don’t hear me complaining. Call me when you have your head back on straight.” He turned on his heel and walked out the door.
/> Was he whining too much? No one understood what he was going through. He had to admit Gabi was very nice, but he just wished he could trust her. Truth was, he was afraid. Was he being too critical? Was it fair for him to judge all women based on Victoria’s actions? Probably not. But something about working for Gabi didn’t seem like the right choice.
Gabi was grateful it was Sunday. That meant she had an entire day to finish unpacking and get settled into the suite at the inn. Almost galloping up the stairs, she unlocked the door, anxious to clean up before the movers arrived and filled it with boxes and furniture from the storage unit she’d rented. If there was one thing she hated, it was living out of a suitcase. She relished the idea that this was now her home and she didn’t have to ever move again. She was thankful Nell had moved out earlier than the scheduled date.
Knowing tonight she’d be sleeping in her own bed was a big deal. It brought a smile to her face. She looked around the expansive room trying to decide where she wanted to place her furniture and released a sigh. Being able to just roll out of bed in the morning and walk downstairs to work was an added bonus. No icy windows to scrape, no warming up her car, and no getting all bundled up to walk outside. As she swept the floor, the broom slipped from her hands and hit the wall. She quickly grabbed it and reminded herself to tell the movers to be quiet since the rooms were rented out for the long Washington’s Birthday weekend. She didn’t want to disturb the guests. Stopping to glance around again, she couldn’t believe she was finally the owner of this glorious building. Things were definitely looking up, and could only get better.
Now that she’d hired Estelle to handle the guest rooms, she felt a lot more comfortable knowing that part of the business would be taken care of, and she would be free to deal with other important issues. Being able to focus on the details is of the utmost importance to running a good operation.
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