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Chapter Eighteen

ROTTING FOOD

~~Junie~~

Two days later I’ve barely gotten any sleep thanks to Levi. I’m running on empty, but I wouldn’t trade our nights together for more snooze time. Levi’s been stuck to me like Velcro other than practice, working out, and community outreach. We’ve been spending every spare second together. I know it’s only been a couple days, yet something is different in his attitude. He’s not as guarded and is more willing to just hang out and talk. We’ve played some pool at the Place, which is walking distance from his condo. Of course, I kicked ass. I might let him win next time just so his ego isn’t crushed.

With the second round of playoffs officially started, I’m feeling the weight of trying to up my game in the cooking department. The pressure is self-induced, but it’s still pressure. I can’t change up the menu much except for the postgame meal. I learned my lesson there, but I’m exploring some creative presentations with a Sockeye theme. I have some ideas and will send Milo to purchase decorations from the party store five minutes away. I think the guys will get a kick out of it.

I’m the first one to arrive this morning, and I’m eager to get a head start on the prep work. When I enter the kitchen, I’m propelled backward by a horrendous odor, like the smell of rotting food. Milo must’ve forgotten to take out the garbage when he left last night. I’ll have him take care of that chore as soon as he arrives. I walk to one of the large commercial refrigerators and open it. I pull out some produce and halt in my tracks. It’s wilted and warm. Puzzled, I check the milk. It’s also warm. The smell is coming from this refrigerator.

I tamp down my panic. I have another refrigerator and two freezers. I’ll call a repairman immediately as soon as I check a few things. I notice a puddle in front of the freezer. That’s odd. I reach for the door handle and notice it’s ajar. What the fuck?

I open it and a small cry escapes me before I can corral my emotions. Everything in this freezer is thawed and ruined. Pounds of beef, chicken, salmon, all ruined. I open the other freezer. Same thing. Also the second refrigerator.

They couldn’t possibly have died all at once.

I hurry into the back room and check the breaker box. All the breakers to the refrigerators and freezers are turned off. I don’t know how long they’ve been like this. The last meal I cooked was yesterday’s lunch. Now that I think of it, the milk didn’t seem as cold as usual.

With a frustrated sigh, I get to work disposing of the ruined food, which is pretty much everything stored in all those appliances. After several trips to the dumpster, I slump onto a stool and put my head in my hands. Distress rolls through me and destroys all the good feelings from when I walked into the kitchen today.

I have breakfast to prepare, and the only undamaged food items are what’s in the pantry. Wearily I stand and go to the pantry to figure out what to prepare in the next few hours. I’ll send Milo or Maddie for eggs, cheese, bacon, something we can quickly prepare.

I glance at my watch. They’re both almost a half hour late, which isn’t like Milo, and Maddie has never been more than ten to fifteen minutes late.

Sighing, I open the pantry door and grip the doorframe as my knees buckle. I manage to keep my feet, but my shock is so palpable, it tastes like a hangover after a long night of shots.

The entire pantry has been ransacked. Flour covers every square inch, even some on the ceiling. Boxes of dry goods have been opened and the contents spread everywhere. Cans have been opened and emptied on the floor. Written on the wall in red are the words You’re going to lose.

I sink down onto the floor and lose my shit. I start crying, and I can’t stop. Tears flow like water from a faucet. I’m sobbing and hiccupping and a hotter-than-hot mess.

“What the f—?” Milo stands in the doorway surveying the wreckage. Behind him Maddie is wide-eyed and speechless.

“We’ve—we’ve—been—been vandalized.” I choke out the words between sobs.

“Oh my god, is that blood?” Maddie’s hand covers her mouth.

“It’s tomato sauce.”

“Who would do something like this?” Maddie steps forward, clearly horrified. If I had any previous suspicions she might be involved, they fade somewhat based on her utter and absolute alarm. I get a hold of myself and stand. I will the tears and sobbing to stop. I’m relatively successful except for a random hiccup here and there.

“It’s worse. They destroyed all the refrigerated and frozen goods too.” I narrow my gaze and study them, as my suspicions come roaring back. “Why are you two an hour late for work?”

Maddie’s immediately defensive, which is her go-to reaction for any perceived criticism. “Because you texted us last night and told us to come in late. Remember?” Her tone drips with condescension.

“I never texted you.”

“Yes, you did. Look.” She holds up her phone, and there’s the text message.

“I didn’t send that. Someone was spoofing me.”

“It looked legit,” says Milo with an apologetic shrug.

“I guess they wanted to make sure you found this mess first.” Maddie recovers from her shock and is strangely subdued. “What are you going to lose?”

“Who says it’s Junie? Maybe they’re targeting one of us or maybe the whole team. This might have nothing to do with kitchen staff.” I’m grateful for Milo’s defense, and the cryptic message is disturbing.

“What’re we going to do for breakfast? We have about an hour before the guys start showing up.”

I turn to Maddie and hand her the company credit card. “Go to the nearest store and purchase eggs, yogurt, milk, bacon. You know all the usual breakfast stuff we serve. Milo and I will salvage what we can from the pantry.”

“What about lunch?” Milo asks.

“Let’s get breakfast over with first, then we’ll deal with lunch. I’ll call our restaurant supplier and see if he can make an emergency delivery.”

“Rose should see this before you clean it up. She might want to call the police, as someone has clearly vandalized our kitchen.” Maddie isn’t moving toward the door.

“We don’t have time for that. And you need to get to the store now. I’ll talk to her later. In the meantime, we’ll get pictures before we clean.”

She casts a rebellious glare in my direction before stomping out of the room. I sigh heavily.

“She’s difficult.” Milo shakes his head before dragging a large garbage can into the pantry and throwing stuff in it.

“That’s an understatement.” I join him. We’re soon covered in flour as we work our way through this mess. Some items are salvageable, but not many.

Maddie returns in record time, and we start breakfast prep even though there’s more cleaning to do. The pantry will have to wait. Hungry hockey players will soon be tearing down the door. And the last thing I want is to keep them waiting for breakfast.

We do the best we can, but a lot of food won’t be available to them. The selections are limited out of necessity. I don’t know how we did it, but we’re ready to serve our players on time. Levi is my first customer. He steps up to the counter and studies me in a strange way.

“Is something wrong?” I ask with forced cheerfulness.

“You have flour in your hair, and you look, uh, uh—” He’s struggling to find the words.

“Disheveled?” I supply for him. I haven’t looked in a mirror, but I know I’m not my usual put-together self.

“Well, uh, yeah. What’s going on?”

I shake my head and fight off the sobs threatening to unleash themselves once again. His sympathy is almost my undoing.

I lower my voice and lean close to him. On any other day, I’d be relishing the scent of him, admiring his biceps clearly visible through his tight workout shirt, and pulling him into a back room for a quick make-out session. But this isn’t a normal time.

“We were vandalized last night. All the refrigerated and frozen food is ruined, and they ransacked the pantry. We scrambled to put together a limited menu, but we did it.”

“Vandalized? Did you report it?”

“No, but I will. I haven’t had time.”

He nods, but his gaze is troubled. “I’ll help clean up when I’m done with practice. I bet a few of the guys will pitch in too.”

“That would be wonderful. You have no idea how much that means.”

The old, teasing Levi returns. “I’m sure you’ll find a suitable way to pay me back.”

“I’m sure I will. There’s more.”

“More?”

“They left a note on the wall in tomato sauce.”

“What’d it say?” He’s clearly alarmed.

“You’re going to lose.”

“Lose? Lose what? And who is you? They mean you or the team or what?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.” More guys start filing into the players’ lounge. “Do me a favor. Don’t mention the vandalism. I don’t want this getting out before I have a chance to talk to management.”

“You got it.” He gives me a quick peck on the cheek before picking up his tray and taking a seat at a table.

I apologize to each guy, telling them that the kitchen had a power outage and all the food was destroyed. No one questions my excuse. I’m not sure why I didn’t tell them the kitchen had been vandalized, but I didn’t. I warn them that we’ll have a very limited lunch menu also.

So much for creative presentations.

We never cooked lunch. Somehow the word got out regarding the vandalism. Levi didn’t spill the beans, but I’m not so sure about Maddie. I’m guessing the first chance she got, she called Celeste.

I spent the entire afternoon with the police. Rose wanted a complete inventory of the damage for insurance. Ethan and Lauren Parker stopped by to assess the situation and meet with the police, along with the GM Garrett Calhoun. The Place served lunch to the players. I heard grumbling about routines being thrown off when we have a playoff game tomorrow. No one blames me, but they’re angry because the team has been targeted.

I don’t express my opinion, but my gut says this isn’t an attack on the team. It’s an attack on me.

Several of the guys pitched in on the cleanup, and we had a lot of it done before the private cleaning service Ethan hired showed up. I left them to finish and return the kitchen to its usual spic-and-span appearance.

Our supplier is delivering a large special order this evening, and I’m waiting around for them. I sent Maddie and Milo home but warned them they’ll have to be an hour early tomorrow to get everything organized.

Levi has a charity event tonight, so I’m here alone, which is probably for the best. Levi and I get into trouble when we’re together.

Sitting in my tiny, cramped office this evening, I stare at the wall and wonder why someone would do such a thing. If it is a personal attack, why mess with the entire team? Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe it really is part of a larger plot to sabotage our playoff chances, which is what the detective suspected, especially based on the message.

Still, I’m skeptical. The one person who hasn’t stopped in is Celeste. I wouldn’t put this kind of crap past her at all. If she’s aware Levi and I are feeling our way through an actual relationship, she might be angry. But would she really do something that might tip the scales to Edmonton’s advantage? These two teams are so evenly matched, it’s possible a disruption in routine might be enough to screw up our chances.

I’m so confused.

The camera footage should offer a clue once the authorities have had time to view it. There’re no cameras in the immediate area but there are in the hall.

I look up when I hear a rap on my door. My face breaks into a welcoming grin as I expect Levi to be my guest. Only he’s not.

Caro stands in the doorway, and she’s not happy.

I’ve avoided her for too long, forcing her to hunt me down. She’s already cranky because of carrying a huge weight around, and she doesn’t mince words.

“Why didn’t you tell me about the kitchen ransacking?”

“I’ve been a little busy. Everything’s under control now.”

“Do they know who did it?”

I explain what I know, hoping that’ll appease her, but she’s still angry.

“You didn’t come here for that, did you?” I ask.

“No, I didn’t.” She perches her hands on her hips and spits out, “What the hell are you doing with him again?”

“Him?” I play dumb, but I know what him she’s referring to.

“Levi. What are you doing with him again?” She’s in a mood, and I’m a distraction from how miserable she currently feels. I remember clearly what a bear she was to be around when she was pregnant with the twins, and I don’t envy Easton.

“Nothing.”

“Don’t give me that bullshit, Juniper Diaz. Your behavior with this guy reminds me of your ex, Chris. You couldn’t seem to cut ties with him. I don’t want you to be hurt the way he hurt you.”

“Levi isn’t abusive. This is just sex.” I’m lying, and she’s not buying.

“Just sex? If that’s the case, Zane is hotter than hot and not as immature as Levi, yet you turned him down flat.” Caro pins me with her gaze. I look away so she won’t see the truth in my eyes. She has a point, but I won’t give her the satisfaction of admitting it.

“Zane didn’t seem to be bothered. When I left the bar, he was surrounded by women.”

“That’s not the point. Levi isn’t good for you.”

“I think that’s my decision to make.” I rein in my temper. She’s not really in her right mind, and I don’t want to piss her off more by becoming angry myself.

“Junie.” Caro sighs and sinks into the small plastic chair by my desk. It creaks under her weight. “I’m worried about you. Levi hurt you this last time. I don’t want to see it happen again.”

“I appreciate your concern, Caro. You’re the best friend a girl could ever have, but it’s okay. I’m taking it slow. One day at a time. We’ll see where this goes.”

“Is he still dating others?” She’s somewhat mollified—for now.

“No, neither of us is.”

“Junie, your happiness is of the utmost importance to me. If he hurts you, let him know he’ll answer to me. In my current state, he should be very afraid.” She laughs and holds her tummy to keep it from jiggling. I join in because I can only imagine what she’s promising.

I stand up and go around the desk to hug her or at least try. It’s really hard to get my arms around her.

“I’ll be so glad when this baby is born.”

“I know you will. How’s Easton holding up?”

“You know he’s a bigger hot mess than I am. I have to hold it together for the two of us. The worst-case scenario may well come true. This baby could be born when he’s playing game seven of the finals.”

“While I don’t want that to happen, I also want us to be playing in game seven of the finals.”

“It’s a tough choice.” She groans and looks down at her phone. “I need to get going.”

“Thanks for caring.”

“You’re welcome. You’ve always been there for me, and I’ve always been there for you.”

“We have.”

She smiles and slowly waddles off.

I watch her go with a grin on my face. After the day I’ve had, I need to smile.

As if this day hasn’t been shitty enough, a few minutes later Celeste strides into my office as if she owns it.

“You’re working late?” I ask incredulously before she has a chance to open her mouth.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

I shrug innocently, when I’m nothing but guilty of prodding her.

“Are you dating Levi or just fucking him?”

“None of your business.”

She narrows her gaze and taps one lethal red fingernail on my desk. “Leave him alone. He’s out of your league.”

“And he’s not out of yours?”

Something like pain flashes in her eyes, but the mean girl returns a second later. “He’s toying with you, trying to make me jealous.”

“You keep believing that if it makes you feel better.”

Her eyes flash with malice, and I remind myself that my smart mouth often gets me in trouble. I have to work with this woman. Like it or not, she’s actually good at her job when she’s not trying to ruin mine.

“He’s using you.”

“Good, then he and I are on the same page.” I refuse to give her an inch because I know someone like her will take that proverbial mile.

“What would Levi possibly want with an old, dried-up hag like you?” One corner of Celeste’s mouth turns up in a sneer. I visualize slapping her, but I don’t do physical harm to anyone, even her.

I feel my control slipping away, and I grit my teeth to stop the words I’m currently thinking from spilling out of my mouth. Not that she doesn’t deserve to have her ass chewed out, but she’ll enjoy my lapse of self-restraint more than I will.

“I guess Levi prefers old hags because we know how to please a man.” I wait and let my last comment sink in. Instead, I’m rewarded with a sinister smile. Despite my best intentions, she’s getting to me, and she’s fully aware of this fact.

“You keep telling yourself that.” She lifts her chin in a defiant smirk.

She’s not ready for my next salvo. “Did you sabotage my kitchen or pay someone to do it?”

Celeste blinks several times, as if attempting to get her bearings after I pulled the rug out from under her. She’d been perfectly comfortable with our previous conversation, probably thought she had the upper hand. She’s unprepared for this new accusation.

“What? Are you fucking crazy? Do you think I’d do something that’d punish the team more than it would you? Or endanger my job?”

“I don’t know. Would you?”

“Fuck you.” Her eyes narrow to cold, hard, gleaming slits, like the possessed person I’d see in a horror movie.

“Now is that a professional way to talk to your coworker?”

“Usually I’d say no, but with you, all bets are off.” Celeste lifts her lips in a sneer.

“I’m going to ask you again—did you have anything to do with the ransacking of my kitchen?”

She stands up straight as a board and glowers. “Of course I didn’t. I prefer my revenge to be more personal.”

On those ominous words, she literally struts from the room. I watch her go before sinking back down into my chair. Even though I tried my best not to show it, Celeste’s words disturb me. How far will this woman go to extract her pound of flesh, and how far has she already gone?

I pick up my cell to share what just happened with Levi, but my supplier arrives at that very moment. I put down my cell and hurry to the loading dock to greet him. Sharing my issues with Celeste will have to wait.

I wish Levi were here, and I realize with a start that I’m already leaning on his strong presence. The last time I counted on a man to save me, I was catapulted into a living nightmare. In the end, the only person who could save me was myself.

Now I’m getting in deep with Levi. If this goes sideways, I may not be able to save myself this time.