“You think whoever killed him might come after me too?” I rolled my eyes as I walked to the counter to grab a banana. Leaning against it, I began to eat my breakfast. It wasn’t much, but I didn’t have a whole lot of time. Not to mention, my stomach was a bit uneasy. We’d gone a little hard on the Mint Juleps the night before.
“Kara, we don’t know if anyone killed him, but yes. I worry about a lot of things,” she confessed. “You being taken away from me like your father is definitely top of the list.”
“What are you afraid of? That I might off myself, like they say dad did?”
“Kara, please…”
“I’m sorry,” I said, feeling the weight of my words. “That was a bit harsh.”
My mother and I disagreed on what likely happened to my father. Not really disagreed - my mom wasn’t entirely sure, but unlike me, she didn’t rule suicide out as an option. The police thought my dad might have just run off and left us, which I don’t think my mother believed, but sometimes it felt like she was leaning that way too. The fact that she doubted my dad’s love for us had caused a rift between us.
“Thank you,” Mom said softly, but the damage had already been done. I’d reminded her of her greatest fears - that she’d not noticed her own husband falling into a pit of despair. The two of them spent almost every possible moment together. They’d been best friends, and I knew she wondered if she’d missed the signs or did something wrong.
I knew, for a fact, she hadn’t. Dad wasn’t suicidal. He was murdered; I was sure of it.
“I better get going,” I said, pushing away from the counter. I couldn’t even look my mother in the eye as I passed the table.
“Please, just be careful, honey,” she called. “I can’t lose you too.”
“You’re not going to lose me, mom,” I muttered. I hesitated, thinking maybe I should say something else, but I couldn’t find the words. “I shouldn’t be home too late tonight.”
“Love you.”
My mother had never lavished me with affection. That was always my father. I always knew she loved me, but she didn’t say it out loud often.
“Love you too, Mom.”
Ooo000ooo
Suzy was the only one at the restaurant when I arrived. She let me in the back door, and without even saying hello, started showing me around. My head was spinning within a few moments of arriving.
“Is Xavier here?” I asked.
“No, he won’t be here until this evening,” she said. “Why? Is there something you need to talk to him about?”
“No, not really, I was just curious.” She opened the walk-in freezer and showed me where to find everything. I was still thinking about the dream and really needed to focus, but I had another question. “He’s not really around here much, is he?”
Suzy shook her head. “No, not really. He’s more of a figurehead, mostly runs things from home and leaves the actual control of the restaurant in the hands of people he trusts.”
“Like you,” I said out loud.
She smiled for the first time since we’d met. “Exactly.”
We left the walk-in just as the pastry chef arrived. She was about my mother’s age, her black and grey hair in braids twisted into a bun on her head. She waved at me.
“Melissa, right?” I asked, feeling bad if I butchered her name.
“Yes, and you’re Kara, if I remember correctly.”
She smiled and got straight to work. Already I was feeling pretty good about this job. I seemed to work with a few really good people so far, even if Suzy was a bit rough around the edges.
Slowly others began to trickle in, and I introduced myself to all of them. The restaurant had a fairly large kitchen staff. In addition to Suzy, who was the head chef, there was a kitchen manager, sous chef, prep cooks, and line cooks. I’d be on the line starting out, working during the day by myself once fully trained.
I worked several hours and was halfway into my shift when Suzy told me to clock out for lunch. My feet and body ached, and I felt much older than my twenty-two years by then.
Being a cook isn’t easy. There’s so much time on your feet, long hours, a lot of running around. I knew it would take its toll on my body, but to me, it was worth it. I clocked out and headed to the bar where I’d be able to select from a lunch menu and only have to pay for the actual cost of the food, a steep discount. Nothing too fancy, not like having the opportunity to truly sit down and order anything I liked, but I wasn’t about to complain about the opportunity to eat some delicious food.
I walked past Julia at the hostess station, and she waved to me. “I’m getting ready to clock out for lunch too. Wait for me?”
“Sure,” I said, moving aside so I wouldn’t be in anyone’s way.
I was still in my work clothes and felt woefully underdressed as guests began arriving for dinner. Women in formal attire and cocktail gowns, men in suits. It all felt so fancy to me, and I dreamed of one day being part of that lifestyle - not just someone who worked for a fine dining restaurant, but someone who could afford to regularly eat at one too. Finding a handsome man to take me out would be even better, but not required.
The big heavy door swung open, and my breath caught in my throat. Xavier, I thought as the tall, dark-haired man entered the restaurant. I only caught a glimpse of him as he turned away from me. I knew I should just leave things be, but I wanted to make a good impression on my new boss. Yeah, good impression, that’s it, I chuckled to myself as I strolled over to where he was waiting by the door.
“Xavier?” I reached out and touched his arm, letting him know I was there.
The man turned, and as soon as I saw his face, I knew he wasn’t Xavier. His hair was deceptively long, held back into a ponytail. Longer than Xavier’s. His bone structure was slightly different too. He could be his doppelgänger, but it certainly wasn’t my boss.
“Oh, sorry, I thought you were—”
“You thought I was my brother? Yes, I get that a lot,” he said, his voice having an even thicker, more exotic accent than Xavier.
“Oh, I didn’t know Xavier had a brother, but to be fair, I don’t know much about him.”
The man reached out his hand and I took it. “Sebastian,” he said. “And you are?”
“Kara Greene. I just started working here.”
“Interesting. Very interesting indeed.” Sebastian’s eyes rolled over my body, taking in every inch of my frame. He nodded approvingly but didn’t elaborate on what he’d meant by calling my employment interesting. Nor did I ask. I didn’t want to hear whatever sexist bullshit might come out of his mouth. “Yes, well, it doesn’t surprise me that Xavier doesn’t talk about me much. It’s been centuries since we were close.”
“Excuse me?” I questioned, confused. “Did you say centuries?”
He waved it off with a deep throated chuckle. “Just a phrase, dear. I didn’t literally mean centuries… Or did I?” He winked at me before continuing. “I just wanted to check out my brother’s new place, and I have to admit, it’s much more charming than the speakeasy he ran during the twenties.”