Delectable • cth

Chapter 14

The two didn't get much done the first night. They spent most of their time going over the current menu and deciding what should stay, and what absolutely needed to go. The couple agreed on most things, but others may have caused a little dispute.

"We should get rid of the bouillabaisse." Aliyah stated without a second thought, then continued reading over the menu.

But the head chef just stared at her in disbelief, shaking his head silent for a moment before finally speaking what was on his mind. "You're joking right? People come here specifically for your bouillabaisse, we can't get rid of it."

"M'sick of making it. I feel like it's all I make anymore and that's not–" The girl sighed, frowning and meeting her boyfriend's eyes. "I didn't get into cooking to make the same dish for the rest of my life."

Calum's face softened, watching her try to find more of an argument. "I'll make you a deal, I'll start making it more often so you can have more of a choice when orders make it to the back. I don't want you feeling held back, but we can't get rid of one of our best sellers."

She thought about it, chewing her cheek and looking between him and the menu multiple times before ultimately nodding. "Fine, I can be okay with that. I can help you make it the way I do."

"What about the coq au vin?" He asked softly, taking his sharpie and marking up the menu as they went.

She tilted her head side to side a few times. "I feel like it's a good one, we don't get it super often like some others but it's always a crowd pleaser."

"Fair enough." He nodded, feeling no need to argue her reasoning. "Then that leaves the pot-au-feu for our most popular dishes, which we obviously can't get rid of because–"

"It's France's national dish and we're a French restaurant." The two finished the sentence at the same time, laughing softly.

"Plus it was one of the first dishes I got one of my great reviews on." Calum admitted, setting the menu down. "Luke and Michael are probably going over appetizer and dessert menus, but we could probably make some suggestions along with what we think would pair well with our portion of the menu."

"That's a good idea." The girl smiled, watching him stand from the stool. "But we should finish our part before we move onto theirs, don't you think?"

Calum chuckled, nodding and sitting back down. "You're right, I'm getting ahead of myself."

-

The second night they had started talking more about specifics they want to see or don't want to see with new items, though Aliyah was a bit more out of it. Her mind was obviously elsewhere, but she seemed so keen on continuing to work. At first Calum let it slide, but after saying her name three times to get her attention while she was staring past him, he tilted his head to the side and frowned.

"What's going on?" He asked softly, closing his laptop in front of him and abandoning the work they were doing to give her his full attention. "You haven't heard a thing I've said the past five minutes."

The girl quickly looked at him, shaking her head and forcing a small smile. "Just zoning out, m'sorry."

"No, you're not just zoning out, I can see it on your face. Something's bothering you." Calum walked around the counter to her side, staring down at her. "What is it?"

"I don't want you to feel bad." She whispered, shaking her head again. The chef instantly started thinking about what he could have done that she thought he'd feel bad. But she was quick to interrupt the thought process. "It's fine, Cal. Really."