She thought about the man and his perfectly symmetrical face, his bright blue eyes, and his close-cut hair. He was handsome and tall, and Nikki regretted complaining about the food all over again. Just her luck that he’d probably enjoyed the cassoulet…if that was even possible.
She glanced up, realizing that Jerrod had taken her glass and left the bar. In fact, she was the only one remaining in the restaurant. I should go, she thought, her stomach quivering the tiniest bit. Not gonna meet Holly tonight.
She’d twisted to reach for her coat when she heard someone say, “We can just talk in here.”
Nikki turned, everything inside her freezing when she saw the tall, beautiful, and glamorous Holly Hanson walking along the opposite wall and entering the dining room. A wall hid Nikki, still sitting at the bar, but the dining room wasn’t soundproof.
A man came with Holly, well dressed with dark hair and a somewhat disgusted look on his face. “If you’re afraid that I’m gonna see what your office looks like, it’s a little late, Holly. I’ve already seen it.” He definitely didn’t sound happy, and Nikki wished she could make herself invisible and get out of the restaurant.
“Oh, I just have to catch up on some of that paperwork.” Holly tacked on a laugh that sounded a bit on the nervous side.
“There’s a pile of paperwork in your office that looks like Mount Everest. What happened to your assistant?” The voices came from directly behind Nikki, so she couldn’t see them, but the annoyance in the man’s voice wasn’t hard to hear, even around the divider.
“She quit.”
He sighed heavily. “So did the last three. Holly, listen, you need to hire someone to organize all of this. Now, I’ve been asking for the financials for months, and as your investor, I’m entitled to see them on a regular basis.”
“I just don’t think you understand. I’m not just running this restaurant. I am overseeing my entire brand.” Holly sounded on the prouder side of herself, and Nikki wondered if Angela could be right about her. Still, it seemed like she was being reprimanded, and Nikki didn’t want to hear all of this. But how could she get up now?
“Exactly. And that’s the problem. You need to focus and pay attention to the restaurant.”
“I completely revamped the menu six months ago—at your request.”
“No, what you did was, you pulled out some of your older signature dishes instead of creating new ones. And I have to be honest with you, I don’t think this place is going to survive with just the status quo.”
Holly Hanson’s was going to go out of business? How was that even possible? Nikki really wanted to go see if this guy was like that uppity manager at Finique—though he seemed to have plenty to say as he continued with, “Look, please just get me the paperwork soon so I can dig through all this and see how bad things really are. I’ll see myself out.”
Footsteps sounded as he made his way to the front door. Nikki caught a glimpse of his back as he turned the handle. The distinct sound of heel steps on tile came toward her.
She froze. Dread and horror choked her, and that invisibility would’ve been great about now.
“Oh, uh.” An anxiety-ridden giggle escaped her throat.
Holly glanced up and stopped as Nikki turned and came face-to-face with her idol chef.
“Hi. I’m so sorry.” She held up one hand in a placating gesture. “I didn’t mean to be a fly on the wall.” She gestured toward the dividing wall between her and the room where Holly had just been chewed out. And why couldn’t she stop smiling?
Holly stared at her, her gaze sharp. Nikki wondered how she’d achieved so many genius recipes so quickly. Trying to focus, she said, “But I—I guess you two didn’t see me sitting here when you came in, so I just—I didn’t know what to do exactly. So…”
Holly squinted at her. “A cough would have been the polite thing to do.”
“You’re absolutely right,” Nikki agreed instantly, an idea occurring to her. All she needed was a few more seconds of bravery—and maybe some of her ability to babble.
“Listen, I—I couldn’t help overhearing your conversation, and the fact that you need a new assistant.” She stood and faced Holly fully, her hope rising like a helium balloon.
Holly shook her head as if annoyed and blinked a couple of times. “I’m sorry. You are?”
Nikki lunged one step forward and then reminded herself to not appear so enthusiastic. Still, when she said, “Nikki,” and grabbed onto Holly’s hand to shake it, she was definitely the most eager beaver in town. Even when Holly pulled her hand back and grimaced, Nikki continued. “Um, I’m Angela’s friend.”
When Holly stared at her, Nikki clarified. “Um, Angela, your server?”
“Oh, yes. Yes, the new girl.”
Nikki wondered how Holly didn’t know all of her employees, new or not. “Mm-hm. Anyhow, I don’t mean to be intrusive, but I just happen to be looking for a job.” When Holly didn’t roll her eyes or walk away, Nikki’s confidence grew.
Keep babbling, baby.
“And I’m very experienced in the restaurant industry, and it would be a privilege to work for you. That is, if you’re hiring, of course.”
Holly seemed to be wearing a mask, and it wasn’t a smiling one. “Do you know who I am?”
“Oh! Yes, of course, I do! Actually, it’s kind of embarrassing to admit, but I think I own every single cookbook that you’ve ever published.”
Holly’s eyebrows went up. Finally! A reaction.
“Which is why it would mean so much to me to work for you.” Nikki closed her mouth, hoping her babbling about the cookbooks and the privilege-to-work-for-you tactic had worked.
“What did you say your name is, sweetheart?”
“Nikki. Nikki Turner.” She wondered how long it would take for Holly to remember her name.
“And you’ve done office work?”
Nikki’s smile faded, and her eyes darted away. “Office work?” Her head started bobbing of its own free will. “Yeah, uh, yeah of course. Did I mention I’m available to start right away?” She inhaled, smiled, and nodded again.
You’re not a bobble-head. Stop nodding!
Holly raised one eyebrow and circled Nikki, sizing her up. She paused at Nikki’s side. “Criminal record?”
“No.” Holly took another step, and Nikki twisted with her. “Although, I did get a parking ticket once.”
Holly spun back to her, a sharp look on her face.
“But I—I paid it immediately. Mm-hm.” Nikki nodded, silently begging a paid parking ticket to be satisfactory to Holly.
She pointed at Nikki before moving around the bar to get a drink. “And Angela will vouch for you? Right?”
“Yes! Definitely! Mm-hm. Hundred percent.”
Holly lifted a tumbler and a container of Scotch. “Well, I am desperate…”
Nikki’s insides did a little dance. “Uh, does that mean that I’m hired?”
Putting the bottle down, Holly met Nikki’s eyes, her unmoving mask back in place. “Meet me tomorrow at noon.”
Nikki nodded, her breath coming so shallowly she couldn’t quite form a single word.
“And that conversation you just eavesdropped on…”
Nikki