“This isn’t the same thing, and he’s not your ex who couldn’t keep his hands and eyes off of you,” she told me, always being the voice of reason during times like this.
“I just don’t want to ruin any other opportunities.”
“I know, Kenzie. You’re so uber talented, and if Jonas Courtland was too stupid to see it, then it’s his loss. Don’t close yourself off to everything else because of one ass, even if it was a sexy one.”
I’d let out a small laugh, then sighed. “I’ll interview and see where things go.”
When I hung up the phone, I still wasn’t completely convinced, but I planned to at least try. I was in my sister’s home and I needed to either look toward something that could sustain me, or else decide where to go next. I wasn’t sure I could go back to New York City, even if it had begun to feel like home. I had no place in this world. I never really belonged anywhere I’ve been, and I wondered if that would end up being my lot in life.
I needed to remain optimistic, and when I told my sister I would try, she was pleasantly excited for me. If I did manage to land this job, I would be close to some family, and maybe one day I could even regain forgiveness from my parents and forge a relationship with them as well. If not, I did have Tori, and watching her grow up into a strong, beautiful woman would mean everything to me.
I kept that optimism even when my therapist warned me to not take on too much at once. She wanted me to focus on recovering which was understandable. I’d never been the type to just twiddle my thumbs, so I went against her warning and called the investor. He owned another property in Glendale, so I borrowed my sister’s car and drove the twelve miles from her house to the restaurant where I would have to prepare a four-course meal consisting of an hors d’oeuvre, appetizer, entrée, and dessert. I’d been thinking of options and finally came up with a trio of different types of bruschetta, chili lime prawns, and crab cakes for the first course. Then, the entrée would be a ribeye steak with potatoes and asparagus followed by a dessert sampler. I hoped to showcase enough technique that I would land this job and finally be able to start over. I could then save up and get my own car and a place to live, then I would send for Reece.
New York City was a much larger city than Phoenix, and the culinary scenes were different, but I was determined to put my best foot forward. The new prospect of finally gaining financial security for the first time in my life helped invigorate my spirits and optimism. I arrived at the restaurant with a few minutes to spare, and I used every last one of them to give myself a mental pep talk. This man wasn’t Jonas, and I didn’t feel the same sort of pressure I did at the CHG Seaport competition. In fact, there was no one else there, so I only needed to focus on the things I could control.
“You need to stop buying trouble, Kenzie. You’ll do great,”Madeleine had told me on my way out the door.
She was right, and not only because she sounded wise like our mother. God, how I missed her over the years. I missed my father, too. The very thought of living the rest of my days without some sort of forgiveness ate at me daily, especially since I was there in Phoenix with my sister. The two women were so alike that it was quite eerie, yet comforting at the same time.
“Thanks,”I’d responded, and now I was still mouthing the same thing, but to God who must’ve been looking down at me and not punishing me as badly as I was myself.
“Are you ready, Miss Broderick?”
“Yes,” I replied, smiling at the man who held my immediate future in his hands.
It wasn’t long before he exited the kitchen, leaving me to my own devices. I stared at all of the equipment and couldn’t help but compare it to the small kitchen I had back in New York City. It would be a dream come true to open a restaurant here. I took a deep breath, then set forth prepping everything. It seemed funny to be doing this without Reece, but I had to let her chase her own dreams for once. I could do this, and finishing just in time, I did.
I made sure to plate each course onto the three plates. I didn’t know why judging tended to be done in threes, but I was quite pleased with the first dishes. Two members of the hotel staff carried the tray of plates out to the others while I went to work on plating the next course. This same routine was completed until every item prepared was taken to the dining room. I soon followed and couldn’t help but twist my nervous hands inside the pocket of my apron.
They were now on the dessert sampler, and I was pleased with the expressions on their faces as they sampled the cake, tart, and three different types of cookies. The recipes were ones near and dear to me, but elevated enough to appease the most finicky of palettes. When the last fork had been set down, I winced at the metal clanging, but kept my composure.
“This meal was quite delicious, Miss Broderick. We’ve been sampling different menus for the better part of two weeks and yours was by far the best yet.”
“Thanks,” I told him, unable to hide the smile threatening to break free. I wasn’t sure if this meant I got the job or not, so I managed to keep a teensy bit of joy inside until I knew for sure.
“We want to offer you a chance to open and run your own restaurant. We—”
“Oh my God,” I blurted out, and upon realizing what I had done, I composed myself again. “I would like that very much.”
From there, the opportunity I had prayed for in New York City finally presented itself to me, but in a different place and by a different man. Thank God for unanswered prayers.