A Taste of You : The Next Course

14. Tainted

*** Alise's POV ***

It was a couple days later and I was giddy with excitement. I was at C'est Fini for the dinner service for the first time in weeks. Things were really taking off with the new restaurant and summertime brought a lot more folks into the cooking school for one-off classes. I was so busy in fact that Ethan started staying for home games when he knew that I'd be working late, his little pad in the city getting a workout.

With me at the restaurant tonight, I decided to stay in the city and take tomorrow off. I had a few errands to run in preparation of Rory and Lucas's housewarming and hopefully Rory's brother's engagement party. But Ethan and I would finally get to catch up after several days of just talking on the phone. I missed my husband, but I knew these sacrifices were short-term and would pay off once the restaurant was operational and staffed.

The plan for tonight was to set the scene for Malik to propose to Ray. Apparently, things had been a little rough upon their arrival with Ray under the impression that Malik had been cheating on him. In reality, Malik was preparing to ask Ray to marry him. Rory had texted as soon as she knew Malik's intentions. Afterall, C'est Fini was know for such events.

Rory connected me with Malik, unbeknownst to Ray, while the two of them had "twinny time." I liked Malik instantly. He was laid back and funny and so damn smitten with Ray. We went through his options for the proposal. It had been a while since I orchestrated one with Ronnie and Aliyah at the helm.

So I went about my business, setting the scene to create the perfect event. I found the flowers Malik requested. I tailored the special menu to Ray's tastes. I chilled a bottle of cheap-ass Prosecco because Malik swore it was Ray's favorite despite my well-stocked selection of alternatives. I teased that he would have to work with Ray on that. He agreed.

Dinner service was just getting into full-swing, which was a cake walk on a Wednesday night.  Malik, Ray, and Rory were set to arrive any minute when Vicki, one of my long-serving waitresses rushed over. "You need to pick up line one. It's Ethan. He said it's urgent."

My stomach immediately clenched with fear. I put one of my sous chefs in place and ran back to the office. I picked up the line without delay. "Ethan? What's going on?"

"Hey I'm sorry to bother you. I wanted you to know.  Julie was rushed to the hospital. Something may be wrong with the baby." He blurted out. He sounded shaken.

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry to hear that." I replied, sympathetically.

"I, uh, I went with her. In the ambulance. John wasn't around." He added.

"Well, I'm sure she appreciates that. You're being a good friend to her, Ethan." I responded. He had told me about her awkward situation and I truly felt bad for the woman. She could use someone in her corner and I was proud of Ethan for stepping up and supporting her, although she was such a nuisance when she arrived. I joked with Ethan that I was comfortable with this as long as she didn't try to claim that he was the father of her child.

He was quiet on the other end. I could tell he was rattled, but I needed to get back to work. "We can talk more tonight. I'm looking forward to seeing you."

"I'm going to stick around here until we know more." He responded.

"Okay. I love you." I said to him.