Personal Chef

Chapter 49

By the end of my first week as a restaurant owner, I was exhausted but satisfied.

Opening day had been a Sunday, so only a handful of people trickled in. Most of the customers were those out getting an early jump on Christmas shopping at the cute stores in the neighborhood. These clients predominantly came in for coffee and pastries, but not the hot menu items. My pastry selection consisted of several types of muffins, plus scones and cinnamon rolls, and they sold well.

Monday was a whole different story.

One of the reasons I'd chosen the location of my bistro was that it was across the street from a Toronto subway station. Sure we felt the periodic rumble of the trains below us, but that could be overlooked if Chelsea's Bistro got commuter business.

And it did.

On weekdays I opened early because I'd hoped to attract people going to work. By 7:30 AM, there was a line for coffee that was ten people deep. I called one of my cooks from the kitchen to help Paige behind the coffee bar. The bulk of the morning rush customers wanted coffee and a baked good. We ran out of muffins by 9 o'clock, so my other cooked rushed to make more.

Once the commuter period slowed down, we had a fairly steady stream of older people and young parents who wanted to get out of the house. I'd only bought two high chairs, but I knew I'd need more. I also decided I needed crayons and coloring pages for the kids.

The bistro was never packed. In fact, more tables were empty than full, but those who came by seemed happy with the place. I was counting on them to tell their friends about it and come back for return visits. Once I was open for all three meals, I'd probably develop a larger clientele.

By the time the second week ended, there was a definite routine to the day. We closed at 11:30 and I'd be home by 3:00, after baking for the next morning. I realized I probably could have started with both breakfast and lunch, but hindsight is 20/20. Easing into this business was definitely less stressful.

Since I had free time in my afternoons, I tried to spend as much of it as possible with my parents. Sometimes they'd come hang out at the bistro after it closed to help me bake; other times I'd go to their apartment and we'd cook or watch movies like we used to, back before Shawn had consumed my life.

I wished I could say that I was completely happy now that my career dreams were coming true. Of course I was thrilled with that part of my life and thankful that it was going so well. It was my personal life that brought me down.

For the most part, people stopped talking about me on social media and in the gossip news sites. I was old news after only a couple weeks. I was grateful for this, though it still stung that Shawn had never made an effort to set the record straight. He wasn't saying anything anywhere, honestly. He'd stopped posting on social media except for an occasional shot of some lovely California scenery. His fans were concerned, but they chalked it up to him being consumed with having a baby.

Perhaps they were right.

I suspected, however, that the attention was too much for him. Every time he and Kat went out, it seemed that a hoard of photographers were there. Shawn always looked uncomfortable, though in each photo he had one protective arm around Kat while his other arm shielded her face. It was so typical of him to take care of her in this manner. He truly was a good man.

We hadn't texted or spoken for weeks, since there really wasn't anything to say. I'd been frosty to him before he'd left when we'd last seen each other, and he was apparently giving me space after I stopped texting him cold turkey. I missed him constantly and sometimes fantasized that I'd been the one to get pregnant. Things would be so different. These were not healthy thoughts to have, though. I needed to accept the dice that fate had rolled for me and try to move on. What other option did I have? I couldn't wallow in my lost love forever.

                              ~~~~~~

"So they really don't know if Shawn is coming?" Paige asked as we awaited the cake delivery the day of Ben and Karyn's wedding.

"Ben told me they invited him and he'd replied saying it would all depend on Kat. he is pretty sure that means he's not coming," I said.

Just then, the baker arrived and we helped him place the beautiful three-tiered cake on the designated table. Karyn and her mom had been in earlier to string fairy lights everywhere, and a florist had delivered and arranged the flowers right after we'd closed for the morning. The wedding was at 7:00 PM and we were pretty much ready. The food had been prepped and the bar was stocked. They'd hired a separate company to handle all the alcoholic beverages since my bar was not fully operational yet.

I was in a rather odd position of being the venue owner, caterer, and a guest. I'd done tons of prep work and my staff, with the exception of Paige who was the maid of honor, were getting paid time and a half to work the event. I hoped this meant that I could spend at least half of the reception celebrating my friends' nuptials.

Paige left to join Karyn at her apartment to get ready. I locked up and ran home to get dressed, too. Since it was an evening wedding, I decided a black dress was suitable. I'd gone shopping and bought one of my own, instead of raiding my mother's closet for the hundredth time. It was simple, elegant, and most importantly, comfortable. I liked that it was sexy because it hugged my curves, but not too revealing. My make-up took some time since I wanted it to be more dramatic than usual. I put my hair up in a bun with some loose curled tendrils framing my face. As I surveyed myself in the mirror, I was pleased with my reflection.

I got back to the bistro and waited for people to arrive. My staff walked in soon after me and got to work on the last minute tasks. The wedding party and their families showed up next. Ben's uncle was officiating and I showed him where the bride and groom wanted to have the short ceremony.

Soon other guests filed in. Ben pulled me aside and said he was pretty sure everyone who was coming had arrived and that they'd start the ceremony in ten minutes. I went back to the kitchen and told my cooks the timeline. They needed to start baking the hot hors d'oeuvres and taking out the cold ones. Garnishes needed to be added to the platters, and all serving utensils needed to be put out so that they were accessible to the waitstaff. There would be several food stations set up in the room, and additionally, my waitstaff would be walking around with platters. The tables had been pushed towards the perimeter so that the center of the dining area was open for mingling.

When I left the kitchen, I saw that Ben and Karyn were standing with his uncle and that the guests were turned towards them. I moved towards the back of the crowd, near the door to the kitchen so that I was close by if my cooks needed me.

"Friends and family, thank you for joining Ben and Karyn on this joyous day. We're going to start the ceremony and then the real fun will start. Please put your cell phones away while they say their vows since they are only a distraction. I promise you'll get to take tons of photos after," Ben's uncle said.

I watched with amusement as all people who had their phones out ready to take pics, slipped them into their pockets or purses.

"I'm not too late, am I?" a voice whispered in my ear, scaring the hell out of me.

I turned and saw Shawn standing next to me.