Page 3 of Things We Need to Say (Second Chance Love Stories #2)

Instinctively Liz put her arms around her friend and hugged her.

‘Tell me what’s the matter.’ She reached for the tissue box on the ornate coffee table and handed it to Emma.

‘It’s my line manager. She’s making my life hell.

Nothing I ever do is right and she’s constantly pulling me up in front of everyone.

Yesterday she asked me to go and see Chef about an amendment to a function tomorrow, but when I got to the kitchen he’d nipped out.

One of the other chefs told me he’d only be a minute so I decided to wait.

We were chatting away when Heather barged into the kitchen.

She gave me a dressing-down in front of all the other staff, shouting that I was useless and incompetent.

She literally snatched the paperwork out of my hands and stomped off to find Chef herself. I was so embarrassed!’

‘I can imagine.’ Liz sympathised. She was familiar with workplace bullying. Both she and Jay had been bullied by the same chef, Louis Garcia, when they’d worked at the Michelin-starred restaurant La Emporium. ‘And what do the other staff say about it?’

‘I don’t really know the other staff. Certainly not enough to talk to them about this.’

Liz remembered all too vividly how Louis had made her feel. How anxious she’d become, questioning everything she did so that her confidence had quickly diminished and she’d started making real mistakes he could pick on. It had frightened her so much she had feared she’d relapse into anorexia.

‘I do understand how you feel, but you can’t let it go on. You’ll make yourself ill. You either have to go over her head and make a complaint, or get to the root cause of the bullying.’

Emma frowned. ‘I daren’t go over her head. You know what the industry is like. It’d probably make things even worse.’

‘You might be right there. I do think things are slowly changing and management have a responsibility to take any allegations seriously, but you still have to work with the woman. She has to be held accountable for what’s she’s doing, though, and, if you don’t feel that you can make a complaint, the only other way is to find out why she’s picking on you. ’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘Bullies are often people who feel insecure about something, that’s why they lash out.

If you can get to the root of her problem, maybe you can make her to face up to it.

’ When Emma still looked confused, Liz continued.

‘Look, I realise that the onus shouldn’t be on you to find out what’s wrong with her, but if you can’t call her out, this might be the only way to make it stop.

Kill her with kindness and get her to confide in you.

Then she’ll see you as her ally and not her enemy. ’

Emma nodded slowly. ‘I have no idea how I’d do that. She’s about as friendly as a rattlesnake. But it’s worth a try, I suppose. Things can’t get any worse than they already are.’ She scrubbed at her eyes. ‘I must look a state and we’ve been gone for ages. We should get back.’

Liz looked at her watch and gasped. It was nearly time to get everyone sitting down. ‘Yes, we should. There’s a cloakroom just down the hall if you want to wash your face. I’ll go and see Jay.’

‘Thanks, Liz. Not an ideal time for me to have a meltdown, I know.’

‘There’s never a good time, but I’m always here to listen.’

‘You’re a good friend. But how are you? Working here must bring back memories.’

Liz thought back to the engagement party, which had ended with a phone call from her sister telling her that their father had been in a terrible car crash in Cheshire. Sadly, after weeks in a coma, he had died.

Liz nodded and fought back her own tears. ‘It has brought back memories, but I’m trying not to dwell on them. I have so much in my life to be grateful for, even though I still miss him and think about him every day.’

‘I’m sure you do.’ Emma gave her friend a big hug before going to repair her face.

* * *

Jay wondered where Liz had got to. He was conscious that time was slipping by and they needed to get the starters out.

The last of the canapés were being taken out of the kitchen when Lord Weatherton ambled in.

Jay groaned inwardly. As much as he liked the man, he didn’t have the time to talk to him right now.

But Lord Weatherton was the client, so Jay pinned a smile on his face.

‘Lord Weatherton, how nice to see you. I hope everything is to your satisfaction so far?’

Lord Weatherton beamed and his chubby face lit up. ‘Indeed it is — the food is excellent as usual. I was just coming to see how things were going.’

‘All good,’ Jay replied. ‘The last of the canapés are just going out and then we’ll be ready for everyone to take their seats.’

Lord Weatherton looked around the kitchen. ‘That’s good, that’s good.’

Jay suspected he’d come in here looking for any titbits.

Liz had warned him that Henry liked to sample the food personally.

He quickly called one of the servers back.

‘While you’re here, Lord Weatherton, would you like to sample some of these aigrettes?

They haven’t been out before, so you won’t have tasted them. ’

‘Oh, yes, delightful. And, please, call me Henry. Lord Weatherton is such a mouthful.’ His eyes roved over the silver platter as it was put down in front of him. ‘They look a bit like profiteroles.’

‘They do. They’re made from a savoury choux pastry with cheese, which is deep-fried, and inside they are filled with a variety of fillings. We have hummus, tzatziki and taramasalata.’

‘Oh, delicious,’ Lord Weatherton said between mouthfuls. ‘What a clever idea. Liz’s dishes are always so creative — and of course she employs the perfect chefs to execute her ideas.’

Jay cleared his throat. This was what he was met with all the time — just being seen as one of Liz’s members of staff.

‘Actually, Lord Weatherton, Henry, I’m not her chef. I’m her business partner.’

Lord Weatherton’s eyes widened. ‘Oh, really, I didn’t know. I thought Liz always flew solo.’

‘She did.’ Jay smiled. ‘Until your daughter’s engagement party, which really put her on the map. So much so that she asked me to come into partnership with her. We’d been friends for years before that and we work really well together. In fact, the aigrettes were my idea.’

‘Excellent choice,’ Lord Weatherton said. ‘And I’m very pleased for you both. This little business seems to be going from strength to strength. I always feel at ease when I attend any event that Liz is involved with — it’s guaranteed that the food will be out of this world.’

‘Well, thank you,’ Jay replied. ‘That’s good to hear.’

The door to the kitchen swung open and Liz came bustling in, much to Jay’s relief. If they didn’t get a move on soon, the main course would be spoiled.

‘Henry, this is where I find you. Skulking in the kitchen again!’ Liz said as she approached them.

Lord Weatherton chuckled. ‘Ah, my dear Liz, yes, guilty as charged. I just can’t help myself.’

Liz smiled. ‘Oh, Henry, you really are a delight, but we need to get everyone settled down in the ballroom. Then you’ll get to taste some more.’

‘Excellent,’ Lord Weatherton replied. ‘Let’s get this show on the road then.’

As Liz ushered Lord Weatherton out of the kitchen, she turned to look at Jay. He mouthed, ‘Five minutes’. She nodded and he went to get the trays of smoked-salmon terrine and sea-trout mousse from the fridge, relieved to be able to get back on track.

* * *

Jay was just cleaning down after sending the dessert out — a trio of chocolate tartlets, panna cotta and cheesecake, which was a staple on their function menu — when the door to the kitchen was pushed open.

Expecting to see either Liz, Emma or one of the servers, he gasped in surprise as Susie, his ex-girlfriend, walked into the kitchen.

For a moment he was speechless. What on earth was she doing here?

Whenever he’d seen her in the past he had often felt a jolt of electricity as she’d walked into a room, but today he was pleasantly surprised to feel nothing except wariness as she came towards him.

‘What’s up, Jay? Cat got your tongue?’ Susie said, with a sultry smile that had always won him round in the past.

‘Just surprised, that’s all,’ he said, finding his voice. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘I’m one of Lucinda’s friends. Of course I’d be invited to the christening of her first child.’

‘No, I mean, what are you doing in my kitchen?’

‘I think you’ll find it’s Lord Weatherton’s kitchen.’

‘You know what I mean.’

‘Of course I do.’ She came closer, close enough that he could smell her perfume.

Something heavy and pungent that he took an instant dislike to.

Emma’s perfume was light and floral, and, he realised, was much more appealing.

‘I heard you were working today, so I thought I’d come to say hello.

’ She put a hand on his arm, her long red fingernails in sharp contrast to his white chef’s jacket.

He fought the urge to tear his arm away.

That would look like she was having an effect on him. That he was still emotionally engaged.

‘Well, it’s nice to see you, but I am rather busy and I don’t really think we have anything to say to each other, do you?’

‘Oh, Jay, don’t be like that.’ She leaned in closer. ‘I’ve been thinking a lot about us recently. About how good we used to be together.’

‘We were a disaster, Susie, or at least that’s the way I remember it.’

‘Oh, you’re being too harsh. But, yes, I admit, we did get things wrong then. But we’ve both moved on and I was wondering if things might be better second time around?’

He laughed. ‘I don’t think so, Susie. But you are right about one thing. We have moved on. Or at least I have. I’m with Emma now and nothing would tempt me to come back to you.’

‘What, your plain little waitress? You’re telling me you prefer her over me?’