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night. Who knew it was so hard not to dream? She wanted to get straight to work and
talk to no one, but her boss was sitting on the bench in the back parking lot, smoking a
cigar. She grimaced. Nine o clock in the morning was too early for a cigar, even for
Dennis.
 What s up? she asked, trying to stay upwind.
 All my hard work is about to pay off. He beamed at her, looking like the cat that had
swallowed the canary if the cat had a bad case of mange and buckteeth.
She looked down, wondering if he knew the top view of his comb-over gave him away.
Did he ever date tall women? Maybe she should warn him.  Dennis, I haven t had my
coffee yet. She waved the much-needed cup in her hand.  And as far as I can tell, you
make me do all the work.
He looked injured.  It isn t easy being a marketing genius.
 Uh-huh. She made a hurry-up motion with her hand. There were no parties today, but
the rest of the week was packed, and she needed to hire a new server. There was no
way she d be wearing heels on her blistered feet this week, no matter how much Dennis
paid her. Enough was enough.
 I sold the business.
 Oh, shit, Lila sank down on the bench next to him, no longer caring about the smoke.
 You didn t. Please tell me you re kidding. Dread built inside her. There was no telling
what a new owner would do. Would he fire her? Replace her with another chef?  What
about the parties this week?
 You ll have to ask him. I wasn t going to ask too many questions with a deal like that
on the table. He offered three times what the business was worth, as long as I signed the
papers this morning.
 Did you sign yet?
 Nope, waiting for him right now.
Maybe there was still time to talk him out of it. She turned to face him, but she didn t
bother begging or pleading. The cigar and his beatific grin told her his mind was made
up. Well, that and the fact he wasn t even waiting in the office. He was celebrating in the
damn parking lot. If she knew Dennis, he was going to sign his name on the dotted line
and bolt. She swallowed against a bubble of panic in her throat.
She couldn t afford to lose this job, not when she was nearing her credit limit. What
was she going to do when she hit it? Would anyone give her another card? Of course they
would, she told herself, but the thought wasn t soothing. Some helpful credit card
company would give her another card, then another card, until she had fallen so far into
credit card debt she d never get out. She saw her life spiraling into a hole. Did regular Joe
citizens like her declare bankruptcy? Would she have to call one of those debt
consolidation companies advertised on the radio?
Mentally, she crunched the numbers again, trying to figure out where she could shave
off some expenses. She d have to move. It s not like she had enough money to enjoy
living in Manhattan anyway. It had been a pipe dream, one she might have been able to
live if her father had been able to pay for culinary school as they had originally planned.
She tensed as a town car with darkened windows pulled up to the curb. Was there any
hope the new owner would be an improvement? Hope stirred inside her. It wasn t
impossible that he would have class and good taste. Maybe they would try to reach a
new segment of the market, people who didn t want the wait staff to serve up glimpses
of flesh with the food. Maybe she d never have to answer the phone in a way that made
every female caller hang up on her. Maybe she would have the freedom to make great
food and keep her dignity intact. Maybe&
Not.
Jackson Calabrese got out of the car. Her hope turned to fury, causing a roaring buzz in
her ears. Oh, that rat bastard. He couldn t get her to help him by asking, so he thought
he could buy her? She wasn t sure why she was surprised. It was exactly the kind of thing
he would do. Her jaw tightened, and her hand clenched the paper coffee cup until the lid
buckled. Hot coffee scalded her hand.
 Dennis, she said helplessly.  Don t do this.
Dennis snorted.  Are you nuts? Don t worry, Calabrese promised to keep you on staff.
She pressed her lips tightly together to contain the hysterical giggle that rose from
some traitorous corner of her brain. Of course he had, but she d have to quit now.
Resignation made even the fresh burn on her hand feel cold. Jack didn t even glance at [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]