that she needed to move faster.â
â How did you say it? Were those your exact words?â
His dark expression was all the answer she needed.
âShe is not one of your orangutan kitchen workers,â Reggie said tautly. âShe is not used to being yelled at or ordered about tactlessly, orâ¦orâ¦â
âI didnât mean toââ
âIt doesnât matter what you meant. You did some damage to morale in my kitchen and now I have to fix it.â She placed her palms on the counter, one on either side of a potpie, and leaned closer to him, so that they were practically nose to nose. âIn six months time, you will be gone, if you havenât left sooner, and Patty, I hope, will still be here. If you make her cry one more time, then our deal is off.â
âItâs not my fault sheâs emotional. She wouldnât last a day in a professional kitchen.â
âThis is a professional kitchen and sheâs doing fine at the job I hired her to do.â
âYeah? Then what happened with the sauce yesterday?â
âWould you stop fixating on sauce?â
âI specialize in Italian food. Tomato sauce is important.â
âI let her make it because you were working so fast I would have run out of things for her to do.â Not the entire truth. Sheâd let Patty make it to mollify her. That had backfired. âThen maybe she could have counted linens,â Tom said through gritted teeth.
âOh. You didnât like counting linens?â
âWhat do you think?â
âI think that for a guy who begged for a chance, youâre pushing me.â Reggie straightened up, shoving her sleeves even higher. Pretty soon theyâd be over her elbows. âWhen Patty comes out of that bathroom, apologize.â
âIââ
âI donât care if you were right or wrong or just trying to help. Apologize. And do not upset her again.â
Tomâs mouth had flattened into a very thin line. For a moment Reggie thought he was going to blow. Or walk out the door. He pulled in a sharp breath, then exhaled, the muscles in his jaw held so tightly that the cords in his neck popped.
âIâm not trying to screw things up, Reggie.â
âThen leave Patty alone.â
âFine. But you shouldnât.â
âWhat?â
âLeave her alone. She needs more training.â
He was probably right. Patty was good at following orders and she was a quick study, but her kitchen experience wasnât as extensive as it could have been.
âIâll try to remember that,â Reggie said stiffly. âNow if Patty ever comes out of the bathroom againââ
âIâll apologize.â He pulled another pastry-lined ramekin toward him and started filling it. Reggie stared at the top of his dark head for a moment, realizing sheâd been dismissed. Then she turned and went into Justinâs pastry room.
Once her adrenaline approached normal levels and her hands stopped shaking, she would put together the puff pastry desserts Justin hadnât had time to finish before going on shift at the lake.
Having Tom around was exhausting.
Â
W HEN P ATTY FINALLY EMERGED from the bathroom, her face flushed, her nose red, she walked straight back to her station, ignoring Tom for all she was worth.
âIâm sorry,â he called.
She didnât even look at him.
He shrugged and went back to work. A few minutes later, Reggie came out of the pastry room with a phone to her ear.
âCan you make a piecrust?â she asked Tom.
âI think I can handle it,â he said drily.
âI need five ten-inch double crusts for apple pies. Pronto.â
âAye, aye, Chef,â he said as she walked back to the office without looking at him.
Piecrusts. Right. That was a task he passed off to his sous-chef. He stood for a minute, debating which flour to use, pastry or cake, and which