“We’ve got the invitation cards for the opening,” he announced, as he walked into the kitchen one day.
She was talking to the chef. They had hired someone with tons of experience and attitude. Kathy was fifty-two. She had just been released from jail where she was housed for ten years because she was convicted of her husband’s murder. It shook Chance when Riley wanted her after the interview, but he understood where she was coming from. Kathy wanted to make a new life and to start over, and by giving her that chance, Riley was making up for the mistakes that her brother made. Wesley could have made this decision, but he didn’t do so. Chance was a little shaken by Riley’s insistence, but now he was glad that he gave in. Kathy was definitely an asset.
As he talked to Riley, Kathy took the card from his hand and inspected it. “Looks nice, but I think you should've gone with the cream border as I suggested.”
Riley grinned. They had spent an hour arguing about it when they ordered it. Despite knowing that it was none of her business, Kathy put forward her point as if it was the most important thing in the world. “This one matches the theme of the bar.”
Kathy turned and began to set the plates in the shelves. “I hope you don’t expect me to prepare the food according to that color scheme, too.”
“All red and gold,” Riley teased as she surveyed the card. “I might just do that.”
Kathy snorted, but she also smiled. The women had bonded, and he was pleased to see that Riley was happy with Kathy. Maybe by helping her, she would be able to relieve some of the guilt she felt over her brother’s death. It hadn’t been their fault, but still she would always regret what happened.
“So what is next?”
“We have to decide on the menu for the opening night, and I suggest we keep it simple. A lot of people are going to show up, and it’s important to show them that we have good quality stuff. And we can deliver if we have an easy menu,” said Riley.
“I can serve two hundred people in my sleep,” said Kathy. “Cooked every day in the jail. I bet the prisoners are still weeping that I left. You guys got me for a salary that is joke. If I hadn’t killed that damn man who abused me for seven years every single day, I would have been one of those celebrity cooks.”
“I am sure you can still achieve that aim,” said Riley with a smile. “And soon we will have to beat back the owners of the great restaurants who will want you to join them.”
Kathy sniffed. “We will see about that.”
Chance and Riley exchanged a smile as they walked out of the kitchen. “The woman is nuts,” he whispered.
“You have eaten her food, and I doubt you can lie and say that it wasn’t the best you have ever tasted.”
He had to admit that she was right. Kathy was a fantastic cook, and soon they would literally have to keep her hidden or else someone would steal her from right under their noses. But for now, he was happy that she was getting a new start along with them. If they all worked hard, this could turn their lives around. “We need to go over each detail and make sure we have not forgotten anything.”
“Let's go in the office and start with the invitation list. I want to be sure that we have not forgotten anyone important. The opening is important. If we make it through the first few weeks, we will have a great time ahead of us.”
They walked into the office, and Riley pulled out the list. Since she barely knew anyone, most of the people whom Chance invited were those whom he knew. He’d also invited the police officers who were so instrumental in helping them. More than that, he had invited his family, but he wasn’t sure if they would come. Whatever happened next, it was important that they gave it their all. He didn’t want to have any more regrets.
This was a fresh start, a clean beginning, and he just wanted to make sure that it ended the right way.
Chapter Nine
How far they had come!
As Riley took the orders from a bunch of rowdy construction workers, she kept that calm look on her face that was her trademark. No matter what happened, she was always the one whom the other waitresses could count on to solve their problems. It was an art but also took some science, and she was damn good at it.
“Six more beers coming up.” She wrote down their order and added a free plate of nachos to ensure some sobriety. The night was still young, and they were going to be here for some time. She didn’t want trouble. When she went to deliver the order, Ryan was up at the counter. He’d joined them a day before the opening.
“How is it going?” he asked.
“Busy and hectic,” she said. Riley added her share of the tips she’d collected so far to the pool. As a rule, she didn’t take any tips for herself. It went towards the pool that was divided among the rest of the staff each week. “Could you please also give them a free plate of nachos? Actually, make that two.”
“Hey, why are we giving away free food?”
Chance appeared behind the counter. She rolled her eyes. “Because if we don’t, those guys are going to get too drunk, and then we will have trouble on our hand.”
He looked at them. “Ok. Let me know if they get too disorderly, and I will go and deal with them.”
“Sure thing, boss.” She sauntered towards the other tables. Riley took a look around the main hall and was pleased to notice that things were in control. It took her two weeks to train the waitresses, but once she got them settled, her work load had considerably reduced. Still, she spent two hours each day on the floor at various times so that she could get a real feel of the place.
Once she was sure that everything was in control, she made her way to the back office. Chance was talking to someone on the phone. “Charlie, we haven’t got a lot of time. If you can’t deliver on time, I may have to look for someone who can.” He heard the other guy and grimaced. “Yes, Charlie, I do know the trouble you have to go through. I did this job for five years and am quite familiar with the problems one can have. Ok. Yeah right. Take care.” He put the phone down.
“Trouble in paradise?”
“I shouldn’t have chosen a new guy. Thought he was eager and willing to put in the effort, but he is just plain lazy,” he grumbled.
She took a seat and pulled out a file for next day’s menu. “And you were greedy. He offered you a better rate than the established suppliers and you wanted to save a pretty penny.”
“Can you blame me for trying to do that? It was tempting, but it wasn’t worth it, so you were right.” He sighed. “Guess I should start looking for someone else.”
“Hmmm…” she said, not really paying attention. This was his domain, and she generally didn’t interfere in his work. Earlier on, they decided to keep their areas of responsibilities separate to avoid any fights and so far that worked like a charm. Sure, there would be some hurdles ahead, but now that the hard work was behind them, she felt more confident. “Is your brother coming back tomorrow?” she asked.
The best news that they got after they opened the bar was that Chance’s brother wanted reconciliation. Apparently, now that Chance was doing legitimate business, he wanted to get in touch again. It made Chance happy, and she was glad. His brother came for the opening and then promised to come over another day with some friends.
“He texted he would drop by,” Chance confirmed. “Did you talk to Kathy about expanding the menu?”
It was her turn to grimace. “I will go and talk to her now.”
As she stood, he laughed. “Come on, you’ve to admit that you’re a little scared of her.”
“Not scared,” she denied. “Intimidated. She makes me nervous.”
“Is that because she killed her husband or because she wields a knife as if she was born with one?”
“None of those reasons. Despite her constant threats, I don’t think she would hurt a fly. She has learned her lesson. I am scared because if she leaves, we’re going to collapse. The stellar reputation that we enjoy is mainly due to the stupendous food that we serve.”
He came out from behind the table
. “True enough.”
When he tugged her hand and drew her forward, she didn’t resist. Seeing him, she felt that punch in her gut. Would there ever come a time when she wouldn’t be excited to be with him? She hoped she was dead before that moment came. He was a handsome guy, but more than that, whenever she gazed at him, Riley saw the love that blossomed in his eyes. It was meant only for her, and it was enough to keep her steady.
He ran a hand over her cheek, and her desire burst into flames. She felt the lick of it on her skin. She raised her head, and he kissed her. His lips, soft and demanding, roamed over hers and sensations careened through her. She wanted to rip off his shirt and make wild love to him right on the table. They had done that once, before the bar opened, but now it was all but impossible. Still, she enjoyed running her hands over his muscled, hard chest. Her arms locked around his neck, as his lips remained fused with hers. Need and heat mingled inside and sizzled through her veins.
The door banged open. They jumped apart. “Get a room if you want to do that,” barked Kathy.
“We’ll do just that as soon as the bar closes.” Chance ran a hand over her hair before he stepped away. “Problem?”
“Ryan says that a bunch of customers are banging the tables. Someone needs to talk to them, and I have run out of anchovies. Why is that?”
“The supplier was supposed to come today, but he didn’t make it.”
“Fire him then, and get someone who can get stuff to us on time.”
“I was planning to do that,” he said with an even smile, as Riley hid a smile. “Didn’t you have something to discuss with Kathy?”
She glared at the fast way he turned the conversation and dumped the problem on her. “Yes, I do, Kathy. Could I have a moment of your time, please?”
“Ok, but make it quick. We’ve got two orders pending.”
Riley directed a fulminating glare at him before he departed. He grinned and blew her a kiss. “Isn’t your line chef helping you out?”
“He is good, but I still need to watch him.”
It was Kathy’s kitchen, and she didn’t let anyone forget that. Riley wasn’t quite sure how she would react to the idea of an expanded menu. “We’ve been toying with the idea of expanding the menu.”
“Show me what you had in mind.”
Riley handed over the list. She was expecting fireworks. Much to her surprise, Kathy appeared calm as she inspected the paper. “We can do this all, but if you want me to serve steaks, make sure the meat is of good quality. I don’t want one of those terrible chunks that you can’t cook.”
“I will make sure Chance selects a good supplier.”
“That boy has a good idea of quality, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.” She clucked her tongue as she read the rest of it. “Leave out the fancy risotto and all. We’re not Italians, and people don’t come here to get a dose of culture.”
“But I thought…”
“Instead of that, let’s do different kinds of sandwiches. It would make it easier to supply and give people options. People come here to drink and to eat when they are too drunk, and if you make this menu too fancy, you’re going for a restaurant and not a bar. Is that what you had in mind?”
“No…”
“Good then. I will make a new list and also give you an idea of the ingredients we would need. Let’s aim to get this out by next week, but this means you will need to print new menus.”
Feeling a little weak at the knees, Riley nodded. Kathy sure knew her stuff, but sometimes she made Riley feel as if she was a little child. “Chance will do that.” She might have argued about the risotto, but Kathy did have a point. They didn’t want to become too fancy with the food because their clientele was really not that type. Maybe one day they could open a Michelin starred restaurant, but right now, they were not up to the task.
“Thanks, Kathy.” She went out again and was pleased to notice that Chance had managed to nudge the workers out without any damage to property.
“He is good,” said Ryan. “The men didn’t even protest too much when he told them that it was time to go home.”
It was his air of authority and confidence. People reacted to it. As she cast her gaze about, Riley was startled to see two familiar faces. “Don’t we know those men?”
“Yeah, they are from Comanche Sons.”
She felt the lick of panic. Her stomach muscles knotted. She’d thought they put the past behind, but here were these men, and they reminded her of the fate she suffered at the hands of their leader. “What are they doing here?”
“Said they came here to see what we were up to. Met Chance, and he seemed ok with their presence.”
“How is the club doing now that Mathew and a lot of their people are behind bars?”
“I heard the founder retired, and a bunch of older guys have appointed someone new. They have begun to close their illegal activities and are focusing on the bars.”
“So maybe these guys are here to check if we’re giving them competition?”
“I doubt they would care that much. Our locations are way too different, and we’re not eating into each other’s business,” he assured her.
Riley heard his words, but she wasn’t a hundred percent convinced. Something told her that these men were here for a purpose. Maybe it was her sixth sense. After all, she had spent so much time running away from Wesley, and that period really enhanced her instinct to sense danger. On the other hand, it could be pure paranoia. She decided to talk to Chance about it later in the evening. Once she was sure that all was well on the floor, she went back into the office and began to work on the paperwork that Chance dumped on her.
Her phone rang. It was the art gallery owner, Fred. “Hi, how is it going?”
“I’ve lined up all your sketches for the next exhibition which is slated for a week from now. You’ll get the official invite later, but make sure you come on time. It’s important for people to meet the artist.”
Sometimes it was hard to believe how far her life had come. Fred was crazy about her work and assured her over and over again that when he did the exhibition her sketches would sell like hot cakes. She wasn’t quite ready to believe it. If it worked, she would be happy, but she didn’t want to get her hopes up too much. If she lost, she didn’t want to be crippled with depression. “We’ll be there.”
“The good news is that I have presold four of them.”
She sat straighter. “You never told me that you were planning to pre-sell them?”
“I didn’t want to inform you until I had a buyer, but I called some of my regulars, and they came around to take a look. Some of these guys are willing to pay a higher price to get first look, and it’s always nice to open an exhibition with some sold pieces. It raises your value.”
She didn’t know what he was talking about. All she understood was that someone actually bought four of her sketches. “So that’s good.”
He laughed. “Don’t you want to know how much they paid for each sketch?”
She crossed her fingers. If it was thousand dollars, she would be more than happy, but if it was less, it was at least a good start. She didn’t mind anything really. The important thing was that people liked her work and wanted to invest in it. What more could she ask for? “How much?”
“Two of them sold for fifteen hundred dollars each, and another two for eight hundred dollars.” Alarmed and confused, she could only gape. “Hey, are you there?”
“I…what?”
He repeated the figures. “The more elaborate ones go for a higher price, of course. Now that I have made these sales, the minimum price I have selected is a thousand dollars. It’s a good value, and I think most people would be willing to pay that much.”
Riley didn’t know what to say or think. She was ecstatic, and yet at the same time, totally bewildered. This kind of a success she never expected. “Wow! That’s great, Fred. Thanks.”
“I cut my commission, and you will get the rest once the exhibition is over and we settle t
he accounts.”
“Yeah, that would be nice.”
“See you, Riley.”
After he put the phone down, she jumped and laughed. Chance opened the door. “What the hell is going on? Here I thought you were hard at work and you’re clowning about.”
“Fred called.” She gave him the news. “Four thousand six hundred dollars for four sketches? Can you believe it?”
“I fucking can’t.” He came and embraced her in a hug. “This is great news.”
“It’s better than great. It’s downright delicious, amazing, and mind-blowing.” She kissed him hard on the mouth. “Can you imagine all we can do with that kind of money?”
“You’re saving it, remember.”
Burned Rebel (Comanche Sons Motorcycle Club Book 3) Page 7