Chapter Seven

The alarm went off, and for the first time in a long time, Shay didn’t silence it right away. The bluesy voice on the radio sang about feeling good, and so did she. She usually woke later, but she still jumped out of bed, refreshed and light. Before heading for the shower, she went to the kitchen to start the coffee so it would be ready when she got out.

Checking her messages on the way to the bathroom, she saw one from Joanna.

—How did it go yesterday?—

Tapping a reply one-handed while turning on the shower, she fumbled and almost dropped her phone in the tub.

—I have no time to talk. I’m a woman with a job—

—Squeeee!!! When do you start?—

—Already did—

—WHAT!—

—Will call when I’m out of the shower—

—K—

“Yikes.” Shay yanked her hand out of the cold water and adjusted the temperature. Steam filled the room, and she climbed in, luxuriating in the hot spray. A few minutes later, the smell of coffee tickled her nose and she rinsed off. A quick once-over with a towel to get dry, and then she pulled on her shabby blue robe. With her hair wrapped swami style, she headed back to the kitchen.

Holding her favorite I need 250 ccs of coffee, STAT mug, she peered at the birds fluttering around the feeder in the yard. Blue jays tumbled in like a street gang and chased all the smaller birds away. Bullies. She added seeds to the list hanging on the refrigerator. Those guys were hogs. After adding cream from the fridge, she sat at the table and dialed Joanna, who answered before the first ring completed.

“What do you mean you already started?”

“Good morning, Joanna.” She smiled, not above a little torture of her ever-curious friend. “How are you today?”

“Whatever, good morning, and fine. Spill.”

Smiling over her cup, Shay took a swallow of coffee. With the niceties out of the way, she began to fill Joanna in. “You should’ve seen it. The place was a madhouse.”

After giving a play-by-play rundown, she emptied her cup for the second time, and her ear hurt from being on the phone so long. She wasn’t a phone person but wouldn’t see Joanna until Monday night. “Olivia seems great. I haven’t met the other partner yet. I can’t believe he just left his sister in the lurch.”

“Shay, wait a minute.” Papers rustled, then Joanna came back on the line. “I read about the accident we responded to in the newspaper the other day. The one with the extrication. Remember the guy’s name we thought was Aidan? In the paper, it’s spelled A-d-e-n.”

Rinsing out her mug, Shay listened as Joanna began to read the article. Her mouth dropped open.

“Aden House, chef, restaurateur, and local TV personality was severely injured in an automobile accident Monday night. At the time of this release, it is not known whether House survived the accident. Interviews with people at the scene stated the horrendous crash required Chef House to be cut out of the vehicle…”

Shay stopped listening and began to rub her temples. That’s why Rock House was in such a state. If she had filled out the call sheet with the information, maybe something would have stuck in her mind. Then other calls and getting fired happened…she was such a nit. “Oh my God, Joanna. I need to get to work now. Poor Olivia. I’ll talk to you later.”

Pressing end, Shay scrambled down the hall, towel drying her hair. After yanking on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, she packed her hostess clothes. Black, black, and black. Pencil skirt, silk button-down shirt, and low-heeled pumps went into the bag, along with makeup and hair equipment. Tools of the trade.

There would be a lot to do before opening, and she wanted to get a head start and be there for Olivia. Besides being a people person who always wanted to help, she liked the woman. With damp hair in a ponytail, she slipped into sneakers and grabbed a hoodie off the hook. Checking to make sure she’d turned off the coffee pot, she made it out of the door in fifteen minutes.

****

Aden tried to hide the wince of pain when he shifted on the bed. Movement was painful but duller and burning, rather than sharp like a knife. His brain also was functioning again now that the meds had worn off. Worry about his sister and the business were his top priorities.

Then Liv showed up refreshed and relaxed.

“Who are you? You resemble my sister, but she’s had worry lines and dark circles for days now.”

“Shut up, jerk. I am always flawless.”

He gave her a penetrating stare. Olivia hadn’t bantered with him for a long time. When she smiled, it never reached her eyes. What other people thought of as aloofness was actually sadness and grief. “So, what has you so chipper this morning?”

“Aren’t you taking medicine? You shouldn’t be in pain. Let me call the nurse.”

“No, Liv. No more pain meds unless I can’t stand it. They cloud my mind, and I can’t think.” Aden brushed her hand away from the call button. “And don’t deflect.”

“Aden, thinking is what you have me for. You made me promise to take care of things while you focused on getting better. Trust me to do it. Dr. Errapel explained that this is only the beginning.”

“I know what he said. But I won’t let this accident take everything from me. Enough about that. Fill me in on what’s happening.”

“Kayla’s gone. She bailed the minute I told her I was the new sheriff in town and the TV show would go on hiatus.”

She gave him an I told you so look. Olivia had hated Kayla almost on sight. He now understood why.

Kayla had been different when he met her. For a short time, he thought they might have a future together. Unfortunately, after the TV show aired, she began to show her true colors. He just hadn’t had the time or energy to break it off.

The night of the accident was a culmination of months building toward an epic breakup. He had tried to think of a way to extricate himself from the personal relationship while maintaining a business one, but at the time, it was easier to keep the status quo. How stupid he’d been. Don’t mix business with pleasure was a cliche for a reason.

When she and Barry ganged up on him on the set that night, their time together was done. He’d just been too tired to deal with the drama at the time. The problem self-resolved. Still, it burned to know fame and money topped Kayla’s list. His ego took a hit, realizing he held second—no, make it third place on the list.

“I’m sorry. Did we need to close?” The thought of Rock House shutting its doors cut like a knife in his gut. “I wouldn’t blame you. Front of House is not your thing, and no one else is trained.”

“No. We just closed for the first week. Everyone knows about the accident, and I called all the reservations. We re-opened again last night, but it nearly didn’t happen.”

“Why? What happened?” His stomach began to churn.

“The place was in pandemonium.” Olivia described the scene from the day before.

He might need pain medication after all. “It’s my fault.”

“But then she showed up.” A smile lit up Olivia’s face.

“Who?”

“The answer to my prayer. You’re not the only one who got an angel. A woman by the name of Shay McDowell. She walked in to apply for a job, résumé in hand, took one look at the mess and said, How about an on-the-job interview.”

Shay McDowell. Her name sounded familiar. Oh, Eduardo’s Sala da Pranzo, that’s why. Eli had taken Margaret there for dinner a while back, and tried to convince Aden to hire the woman away. Aden didn’t poach other restaurants’ staff. Plus, Kayla was hostess. “She works for Eduardo. How did she end up at Rock House?”

Olivia filled him in on their newest employee.

“Are you sure about her and the situation? We don’t need any more problems.”

“Margaret vouches for Shay and for her story. Aden, you should have seen her in action. By the way, I need to go soon. We’re meeting at ten before the rest of the front staff arrives.”

They covered a few more things about suppliers and contractors before Olivia left. When she kissed his forehead, he grabbed her head and stared into her eyes before she could stand back up. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She patted his cheek. “I’ll keep you posted.”

She waved and slipped out the door.

He closed his eyes and tried to reposition. Gratitude he’d been blessed with her as a sister made his chest burn. It took courage to force herself from the back office and into the restaurant. He was so proud of her. And Eli and Margaret? What could he say? His friends and family had his back. It was humbling.

Regret tasted bitter. He swallowed hard. Images of the past couple of months overwhelmed him. The three people closest to him had tried to tell him to slow down and re-evaluate the direction he was going in. But he always thought he controlled his own destiny. Not anymore. His life was now in the hands of doctors, nurses, physical therapists. He fisted the sheets.

“Are you in pain?”

Aden opened his eyes.

Dr. Errapel stood at the bedrail. Concern furrowed the man’s brow.

He liked the doctor, who appeared a few years older than him. Probably early forties, given his brown hair silvering at the temples. “Not the kind you can fix with a pill.”

“What do you mean?” The other man lifted a brow.

“I’m fine, Doc. Just a little discomfort.” Aden blew out a long breath. “Really, just taking a painful walk of self-reflection.”

The doctor slumped a bit and nodded at him. “I can understand more than you know.”

“You too, huh?”

“Haven’t we all.” He shrugged a shoulder. “Let’s take a look. I want to see how fine you are.” He pulled back the sheet. After a thorough examination, the doctor covered Aden’s legs and silently perused the electronic chart with a frown.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” The doctor crossed his arms. “I am surprised at how well you seem to be healing. It still will be a long recovery, but I am much more optimistic at this point. A few more days and physical therapy will start.”

Concern that they would have to take his left leg had gnawed in Aden’s gut since he’d woken up. The damage was so severe the medical team had been preparing him for the worst. He released the breath he’d been holding. “Good, that’s good.”

“However, this is a long, painful process. I admire you not wanting to overmedicate. Most times I need to have an opposite conversation with my patients about the overuse of opioids.” He wrote on the pad with his stylus, then pointed it at Aden. “Don’t be stubborn, though. We will use pain management judiciously. I’ll prescribe drugs that won’t fog your mind. But if you need something stronger, and trust me, there’ll be times you will, let us help you.”

“Okay.” Aden nodded. “I’ll let the medical team know when I require something stronger.”

“Good man, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Bye, and thanks again.”

Both legs. He was keeping both his legs. Aden wiped his cheeks.

****

Olivia’s brain worked overtime during the ride to the Grill. After she told Aden she had an angel as well, doubt started to creep in. After thinking it over, she was pretty sure their angels were one and the same. Were her instincts wrong? Was Shay deceiving her?

When she arrived at the Grill, she let herself in, locking the door behind her. The foyer sparkled with cleanliness and the scent of lemon polish. She glanced at the reservation book. Good, they had quite a few bookings already.

“Stop procrastinating, Olivia House. Just go ask her.” She wiped sweaty palms against her slacks. Confrontation was so not her thing. When she pushed through the door into Rock House’s main room, a ladder was in the middle. Must be light bulbs out. Voices from the kitchen prompted her to check on things with Eli. On the way in, she almost had a head-on collision with Shay coming out through the swinging door.

“Oops, sorry, Olivia.” Shay had a smudge on her cheek and her clothes were covered in dust.

“You’re here early.” Olivia held the door open. “What happened to you?”

Wiping a stray hair out of her face with a sleeve, Shay left a bigger smear. “I wanted to get here and familiarize myself with the overall space. I hope it’s all right?”

“It’s fine, but why are you so dirty?”

“The janitorial service hasn’t been cleaning the chandelier.”

Tilting her head up, Olivia saw the problem immediately. Cobwebs dangled from the column to the prisms. Unacceptable. “Why are you doing it? I’ll call the company.”

“It needs to get done before everyone else gets here.” Shay shrugged and climbed the ladder, balancing a bucket of soapy water and rags, and set to work.

“Give me a sec. I’ll be right back.” Olivia trotted up the stairs to get changed. Joining in cleaning would be a good way for them to talk and get to know each other, without it feeling like an inquisition. Once dressed in jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and sneakers, she jogged back downstairs. “I’ll grab one of the black tubs the bussers use.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I want to.” Olivia walked through the doors to the kitchen, where the scent of a mirepoix, containing carrots, onions, and celery, wafted in the air. “Smells good in here.”

Margaret glanced up from sampling some sort of batter. Taking in Olivia’s clothing, she raised a brow. “What are you doing?”

“Getting to know Shay.”

“Okay.” Margaret rolled her eyes, shrugged, and went back to tweaking her batter. Enough said.

Olivia filled half of the split tub with soapy water, and the other with plain, and carried it back to the dining room without any water sloshing over. She set it on a table near the ladder. “How about you hand me the globes? I’ll wash and dry them while you wipe down the fixture.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

In a few minutes, when they had a good rhythm going, Olivia began to feel Shay out. “I went to see my brother this morning.”

Shay froze. “How is he doing?”

“He’s improving.” In for a penny… “Are you one of the EMTs from the accident?”

“I am.” Shay peered down the ladder and into Olivia’s eyes. “I was in the car with him. I promise I didn’t know who he was until this morning. A friend put the pieces together for me.”

They quietly assessed each other. Then, Olivia almost laughed out loud when the music changed. She couldn’t help when the corner of her mouth lifted.

“What’s so funny?” Shay narrowed her eyes like Olivia had lost her mind.

“Listen to the song playing.”

The catchy 70’s pop tune with an upbeat sound filled the air with lyrics about taking a chance on someone.

A grin spread from cheek to cheek on Shay’s face. They both started singing along, and by the time it ended, the chandelier glistened. Shay passed her the bucket then climbed down.

“Let’s clean this up, get some coffee from the kitchen, and we’ll talk.” Olivia grabbed an armful of cleaning supplies, and a few minutes later, they sat at a table with cups of Sumatra steaming in front of them. “Eli says there’s no such thing as coincidence.”

“My Grandma Grace used to say the same thing.” Shay straightened in her chair. “She told me it’s no use flailing around, there is a plan in everything.”

“Do you think it’s true?” Olivia almost whispered, her voice soft with vulnerability.

Shay shrugged, and her eyes went distant. “It’s hard to see it when you’re in the midst of something painful. But then, if I didn’t go through with my divorce and then get fired, I wouldn’t be here. What do you think?”

“I lost someone.” Olivia’s voice cracked. She stared down at her hands clenched in her lap. “It still hurts so much. I can’t see how it was intentional for Manny to die. What kind of plan is that?”

Shay came over and knelt in front of Olivia’s chair, then gently grasped her hands. “I’m sorry. I’ve been around a lot of death and suffering as an EMT. I don’t have the answers to why. But Olivia, I want to be here for you. I’m sorry it appeared as if I manipulated the situation by asking you for a job.”

“I hoped you weren’t deceitful, but I needed to know. Aden means more than anything to me. We’re twins, even though I call him my younger brother. He’s a couple of minutes behind me.” She took a breath but couldn’t hold back the tears. “I like you, Shay. I may not know you, but I have a good feeling about you.”

“I like you, too, Olivia. When my friend Joanna read the newspaper article to me this morning, I realized what happened here.” Shay handed her a napkin.

“Sorry for the meltdown.” Olivia sniffed and pulled herself together. She set the cloth down after dabbing her face dry. “It felt good to get it out.”

“Crying can be very cathartic. I know from experience.” The woman rose and began to pace. “You may want to hang onto the napkin though.”

“Why?”

“I think there are some other things you need to know.”

“Sounds ominous.” Olivia frowned. “It’s okay. Say what’s on your mind.”

“So, I surmised your brother’s absence here based on things I’d heard in the kitchen.” Shay crossed her arms over her chest and didn’t look at Olivia. “Not on the accident. I didn’t recognize his name during the call and so much happened afterward.”

“What’s everyone saying?” She twisted the napkin, preparing for the worst.

“Word is, Aden isn’t serious about the Grill anymore.” Shay peeked over at her.

“Go on.”

“Gossip flies around the restaurant world faster than burgers move at a drive-through,” Shay continued. “Rumor is, the Grill had trouble even before the accident. You have a great staff here, but Aden is their leader. He spread out too thin, too fast. It’s difficult getting a place like this up and running, and even harder to keep it going. Not to mention opening a second restaurant.”

“All true, except for not taking things seriously.” Olivia glanced at the clock. Only a little more time before the waitstaff, bartenders, and bussers got there. She needed to hear this. “What else is being said?”

“Jeez, Olivia, this is not a comfortable conversation for me.” Shay retook her seat, buried her face in her hands for a moment, and then scrubbed them over her face. “If you ask me a question, I will always be honest. So, you have to want the truth. I’m brand new here and don’t want you to resent me.”

“I need the truth.” Olivia sat up straight on full alert. What could be so bad it made Shay so uncomfortable? “It’s especially important if I have to do some type of damage control. Let’s just get everything on the table.”

“Kayla is Aden’s girlfriend, right?”

“On again, off again. Mostly off recently.”

“His choice? Or hers?”

“It’s mutual at this point. Aden said he would end it, but then the car accident happened.” Giving a sigh, Olivia tsked. “You were here when Kayla bolted. Basically, she said she’d moved on.”

“Well, it puts things into a better perspective.” Shay let out a breath and her shoulders, which had nearly touched her ears, relaxed. She sat back in her chair. “The talk in the kitchen since the accident is Aden had gotten full of himself. Word is, he’s become lax in running Rock House, and the construction of Jazz House is putting him under. Kayla started spreading the word he doesn’t care because the two of them are going to California and become celebrities.”

“She’s dead.” If Olivia were a cartoon character, steam would be coming out of her ears. Now it was her turn to pace. “I’m going to kill her.” She pointed at Shay. “And you’re an EMT, you can resuscitate her so I can kill her again.”

Shay snickered and raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know, maybe we should hold off on murder.”

“We’ll revisit.” She pictured Kayla tied to the railroad tracks. “Is there more?”

“Kayla told everyone who would listen that she was the one holding Aden together. She spread rumors, telling people that on the night of the accident, Aden was on the verge of a breakdown.” Shay eyed her for a reaction before continuing.

“Keep going.”

“According to Kayla, she and some guy named Barry were trying to make an intervention. Kayla said Aden went off the deep end. She insinuated he had the accident because he was drinking. Alcohol caused the accident.”

“I think I’m going to throw up.” Buzzing started in Olivia’s ears, and a migraine began to brew.

Shay got up, walked to the bar, reached over, and grabbed a glass. She filled it with seltzer from the hose, came back, and handed it to Olivia.

“Thank you.”

“He wasn’t drunk. I was up close and personal with your brother that night in the car. There were no signs of alcohol. Besides, they would have tested him at the hospital, and he would have been charged with a DUI.”

Sounds of voices came from the kitchen. Greetings and laughter filled the air.

Glancing at the clock, Olivia sighed. Time had ticked away, and workers were arriving through the back door, heading for the locker room. “Shay, thank you for letting me know all this. If, and when, I see Kayla again, I’m…well never mind. Go. Do what you have to for the opening. I’ll see you later.”

When Shay disappeared into the kitchen, Olivia went into the small downstairs office and shut the door. Aden would flip when he learned about Kayla’s betrayal. The other woman topped the loser list, first class. But like the proverbial unsuspecting frog boiling in a pot, the betrayal had come on slow. Kayla revealed her true personality over time to Olivia, Eli, and Margaret, but only right before the accident had Aden begun to see the light.

How am I supposed to get everything back on track? That explained why his friends in the business world weren’t more attentive. Kayla, in her ambition to get ahead, threw Aden under the bus. The witch worked it out so she appeared like the good guy. Time to stop reacting instead of acting and do some damage control.