Page 3 of The Sweet Spot (Kodiaks Hockey #3)

Chapter Three

Wolseley

A fter the festivities that afternoon, Tangi invited us over to decompress and dissect the wedding and after-party at her new house just outside Minneapolis. She and Ethan had bought it earlier in the year and had renovations done just in time to return after the season was over. So while we sat outside enjoying the warm evening air, Ethan and some of his teammates were in the basement gaming and hanging out, or whatever hockey players did in their spare time. Ethan was planning a huge barbecue, and I’d brought over all the leftovers from the afternoon. Hopefully, that would be enough food.

“My feet are killing me,” Tangi said, putting them up on another patio chair. I’m going to need a few days of recovery.”

“The whole wedding was flawless. Other than Benoit’s girlfriend wearing off-white. What was that?” Jill said, sipping some chilled Riesling.

“Who is Benoit?” I asked.

“Kodiaks goalie,” Tangi said. “And when I saw her, I was ready to turf her. Who does that at a wedding? ”

As they rambled on about someone I didn’t remember seeing, my ability to remain upbeat was faltering. What I wanted was to go home and hide in bed, but soon, my world would be turned upside down. Why not at least enjoy the last few hours before the ax fell?

“What about Ryan?” Jill said, dropping her voice. “He’s almost unrecognizable. I mentioned it to Jeremy, he said the whole team was talking about it. In fact, I think the guys might be giving Ryan an intervention in your basement as we speak.”

Tangi frowned. “I noticed it, too. Ethan said that Ryan’s always had an issue with weight, but this is a bit extreme. Especially with training camp coming. He needed to have his suit altered a few times. I’m just glad it fits him.”

I bit my lip, trying to keep the weight of what was going on in my life from spilling over. Pardon the pun. I had to tell my friends soon because hours from now it was going to come out. I’d wanted to be a chef and have my own restaurant from the moment my mom put a spoon in my hand and let me help her make a birthday cake for my brother. From there, I was making family dinners by the time I’d turned twelve. With Mom and Dad’s supervision, of course. I’d gone to culinary school, saved up money, borrowed money from my parents, lived out my dream, and then failed spectacularly.

“Hey, are you okay?” Tangi asked.

I was jarred from my thoughts. Tears had welled in my eyes, and this time, I couldn’t fight them back. I quickly swiped them away, but it was too late to hold off any longer.

“No, I’m not,” I said quietly.

They both scooted in closer, concern marring their faces. “What’s going on?” Jill asked.

I rubbed my face with my hands. “Where do I begin?” I took in a deep breath, trying to settle my nerves. “It all starts and ends with Daniel, my sous chef.” I paused for a moment because just his name elicited so much rage inside me. “He and I made a great team, and he was making food that was incredible. I mean, completely out of this world. People were raving about it, and I should have known that something was off, but I was too distracted. Way too damn distracted.”

Jill trained her gaze on me. “I’m not sure I know fully where this is going, but I have an idea.”

“Let her finish,” Tangi said in her scolding voice.

“I don’t know if either of you remember Daniel.”

They shook their heads.

“He’s charming,” I said. “And I fell for it. I fell for the charm, the fact he was so handsome, all the compliments he paid me. He made me feel like the most interesting person in the world, and I don’t get that a lot, not like the two of you. And after a major catering job that went so well, we were featured in a culinary magazine, we celebrated. A little too much, and things got inappropriate.”

“You slept with him?” Tangi asked, covering her mouth with her hand.

“Just the one time. We were both drunk and a little stoned. I barely remember it, probably because he was shitty in bed. But that’s not the issue. Well, it’s not the whole issue. It gets much worse.”

I stood up and began to pace . I had so much pent-up energy that needed an outlet. “Like I said, his food was amazing, and that should have tipped me off. His mushroom risotto was just too perfect to be vegetarian, not to mention his vegan option. You don’t know how many times I’ve tried to perfect risotto with a vegetable broth. It’s not easy.”

At this, Jill gasped. She’d pieced it all together, and I knew Tangi wouldn’t be far behind.

“There were other dishes too. One of my cooks came to me and told me their suspicions. I went to Daniel and asked him to be honest with me. He claimed, up and down, that he wasn’t using any animal-based products. No chicken stock in the risotto, no butter with the portobello steaks, and no cheese in the vegan cheesecakes. And part of me believed him, but part of me didn’t.

“So on a Monday morning when the restaurant was closed, I tore the kitchen apart. And I found it. I found the chicken and beef stock he had hidden, the intentionally mislabeled nondairy ingredients. I called him in early the next day to confront him. He denied it all—and blamed other people. I fired him on the spot. He freaked out and said he’d ruin me. And it looks like he has. Last week, a reporter contacted me about allegations that we were using nonvegetarian and non-vegan products in our food. She said she had videos to prove it, along with a statement from a former employee. I think we know who that is. And the topper? Daniel is claiming that I fired him because he rebuffed my advances. That I was also sexually harassing him.” I sighed. “So that’s it. Everything is going down the drain. I begged the reporter to hold off until tomorrow—for your sake, Tang. I didn’t want to ruin your wedding weekend. I also plan to shut the restaurant: rather, it won’t be reopening tomorrow. My life ruined by a man scorned.”

“Oh, shit,” Jill said.

Tangi leapt up from her seat and gave me a hug. “Why didn’t you tell us? And you didn’t have to keep that all bottled up. We are always here to support you.”

“It was your day, and I didn’t want to overshadow it in any way. I didn’t want it to be about me. Not even a little.”

“This Daniel is an asshole, and I’m an expert on dealing with shitty situations. I had Jeremy’s scandal to handle,” Jill said, rising to give me a hug too. “You need to go on the offensive. You have the other cook; will they come forward and speak on your behalf? What about video surveillance? Do you have it, and can we use it? We can also dig around in his history and see if he’s had issues with previous employers. This is not over for you. Hell, it’s just the beginning. Sue his pants off!”

I stepped back and threw up my hands. “No, it’s over. I thought about doing all that, and if I wanted to fight, Jill, you would have been my first call. I just don’t have it in me. After today, my reputation will be in tatters. My plan is to lie low until it passes, and maybe I can restart again.”

“What about Daniel and his allegations?”

“I figure once the business declares bankruptcy and ceases to exist, he’ll go away. He knows I have nothing. I don’t own my own home, and my car is almost ten years old. I have no assets. My lawyer is pretty certain it will all go away, especially because I made no mention of him to the reporter. I just want to move on.”

Jill bit her lip. I could see the rage building in her. “I don’t understand why you don’t want to fight. Why let this piece of shit get away with this?”

I groaned and slowly shook my head. “Because there is nothing to fight for. When people find out they unknowingly consumed something they thought they weren’t, I’ll be vilified because it happened under my watch. There is nothing to fight for. Don’t you see?”

“We are here to support you,” Tangi said. “We will help with anything you need. And if you do want to fight this legally, Ethan and I can help you out.”

“Jeremy and I can help, too.”

I teared up all over again. “Thank you for the offer, but I don’t want to throw away good money at this.”

“But if you change your mind, know we are here,” Jill said.

“I imagine this is going to be a hard time for you. You need your friends,” Tangi added .

“It’s the worst,” I said, feeling the love from my two best friends despite Jill’s desire to fight. She’d always been the scrappy one, ready to take on the world, while Tangi was more the nurturing one, always ready to lend a hug and a hand. And it was probably because of their backgrounds. Tangi had a great family, stable and loving. Jill had a tyrannical mother and no father. Jill had to be tough to get where she was. Not to say Tangi wasn’t tough. She certainly didn’t put up with crap, and that’s why she dumped Ethan all those years ago when he’d refused to commit. He’d been lucky she’d taken him back for a second time around.

“Right now, I’m going to need to sublet my apartment. I still have six months on the lease. There is no way I can afford it without a job, and after tomorrow, I don’t think even a fast-food joint would hire me. So I’ll be moving in with my parents again.”

“This sucks,” Tangi said, wrapping an arm around my shoulder.

“It doesn’t suck,” Jill said. “No, it’s an opportunity.”

Tangi and I looked at the wide smile on Jill’s face. What opportunity could she possibly see?

“You’ve had too much Riesling,” Tangi said.

“Nope. I have an idea. It’s spectacular, and it’s right downstairs.”