“I see the appeal,” Delfi said. “There’s not much to do here. At least in New York there’s stuff to do.”
“LA is a short drive away.”
“Not the same.”
Evie felt herself smiling as the two rolled their eyes at each other.
“It’s definitely different,” she said.
“How long are you in town?” Britnay asked.
She glanced at Zach. “Uh, not sure yet. Just trying to heal up and rest. We’ll see.”
“Don’t you have to get back for the show?” Britnay asked.
“Man, that’s a sweet gig,” Delfi added. “Heal up quick and go back to those checks.”
“Are we not paying you enough?” Zach said. He placed a hand on his chest with exaggerated offense.
“Why is he acting like I wouldn’t take more money?”
Evie laughed, enjoying their back-and-forth.
“I’m gonna run Evie over to the barns so she can meet Steve before she turns in for the night.”
“Cool, cool. I have a ton of crap to finish up here,” Britnay said. “We’re both off Tuesday and Wednesday. Let’s hang.”
“Yeah, okay.”
“I’ll have her people call your people,” Zach replied.
“Don’t bring him,” Delfi said before she stuck out her tongue at Zach.
“I’ll text you,” Britnay added. They said their goodbyes and left Britnay to her work.
“That wasn’t so bad,” Evie whispered when they were back out in the kitchen.
“Shit, you nailed it,” Zach replied.
She’d had a conversation with old friends and it felt good and normal. She had no clue who they were, but maybe she had old texts. Maybe even pictures or things in her old journals that could help fill in holes on the relationship. If she spent more time with them, she’d tell them the truth. Britnay and Delfi seemed cool and she wanted to see them again. Eventually Vega would leave, and she was sure Lilah and Corie wouldn’t want to babysit her forever. Hanging out with her own friends. Now that was another big step. She made a mental note to text Blaire. She had more to tell her.
Evie looked down the length of the large kitchen and suddenly forgot all about friends and whatever renewed social life might lie before her. She felt Zach as he stepped closer.
“You okay?”
“Yeah,” she replied as she looked at his gorgeous face. She glanced back down the open space and saw the last of the kitchen staff turn the corner. “Can I—may I look around just for a sec? I won’t touch anything.”
“I mean, I trust you not to go around spitting on everything. Have a look around.”
Evie let go of his hand and started slowly walking to the far side of the room. It wasn’t anything likeSupreme Chef. Aside from the quiet. It felt, again, overwhelmingly huge and yet somehow tight. There was a faint smell of cleaning products. Every shiny, metal surface was sparkling and clean. She looked at the row of gas burners, the massive deep fryer and the flat grill top. Nothing came to her. Not a sound, a scent, a flicker of a memory, but she somehow felt right at home. It would take time, but she would do it. She’d make her way back to a real kitchen.
She turned and saw Zach leaning against the freezer door. Handsome as all get-out and proud of it too. His mustache lifted at the corner as he smiled at her. She turned and walked right back into his arms. She waited for a wave of sadness to hit her as his hand gently moved up and down her back.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, I just watched a lot ofSupreme Cheftoday. Thinking about what it was like to work in a real kitchen.”
“You made dinner in a real kitchen today and you had dinner guests.”