Page 73 of Until August

“What do I do best?” I asked over my shoulder, playing coy.

“Shine. Like the fucking star you are.”

As I walked into the dining room and stopped in front of Jonathon Kessler’s table, I wore a smile and a warm glow.

That kiss and August’s words had the intended effect. It knocked some sense into me and helped me put things into perspective.

I could handle whatever this man said about my restaurant and the food. Sure, it would hurt if he gave us another bad review. But it wouldn’t destroy me.

“Good evening.” My voice was steady, with no signs of the nerves I’d been feeling earlier.

“Good evening.” He gave me a pleasant smile. Polite but not overly friendly. He wore a white button-down under a navy suit jacket. If I had to guess, he was in his late forties with dark hair and thick brows, horn-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. “I’ve been hearing good things about your restaurant, so I had to come back and check for myself.”

I smiled and relaxed my stance. “Thank you for giving us another chance. I hope you enjoyed your meal.”

“We did. Very much so.” His gaze swung to his dinner companions, who nodded, confirming his words. I let out a breath of relief. Everything was going to be okay. “There have been a lot of changes since the last time I was here. You have a whole new menu.”

“Yes, we do. We thought it was time for a change.”

“Was the menu your idea or your sous chef’s?”

I bristled at his words.

His tone was deceptively casual, but I could tell he was fishing for information.

So, I was right. It sounded as if he came here for August. But then I reminded myself that we were a team, and it shouldn’t matter. “My sous chef and I worked on it together. So, it was a collaboration.”

“If I’m not mistaken, your sous chef is August Harper?”

“That’s right.”

He sat back as Courtney served the table espresso. She raised her brows as she swept past me, probably wondering if he’d mentioned the courteous server with a megawatt smile and dark, glossy hair.

“Send him my best,” Jonathan said, picking up where we’d left off. “The dinner I ate at his restaurant is still one of my fondest memories,” he said wistfully. “I saw some glimmers of his genius shining through in tonight’s dishes.”

“I’m sure you did. August is a very talented chef.”

“Such a pity that he squandered all that talent.” He stirred demerara sugar into his espresso, the small silver spoon clinking against the porcelain. “He could have been one of the greatest chefs of his generation. The last time we spoke, he was young and ambitious and wouldn’t rest until he got his three stars. And now… well, he’s working as a sous chef in Orange County.” He pressed his lips together in disapproval as if to say that my restaurant was inferior, not even worthy of the former greatness of August Harper.

Not to mention that he spoke as if August was all washed-up. Which wasn’t even remotely true. I felt the need to step in and defend him. “He’s only thirty-four. It’s not over yet. He still has plenty of time to do amazing things.”

He sniffed. “I suppose that remains to be seen. But I shall watch with interest to see what he does next.”

Again, he’d just slighted my restaurant.

If I stayed at this table a minute longer, I’d say something I regretted, so I plastered on the fake smile I reserved for pompous assholes and fought to keep my voice steady. Cool but polite. “I’m sure August won’t disappoint.” I backed away a few steps. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to return to my kitchen. I’ll leave you to your espresso. It was nice to meet you.”

It was an effort to tack on those words, but I wasn’t about to sabotage my review by being rude.

“Likewise, Chef Vega.”

I turned on my heel and strode away.

Asshole. Who the hell did he think he was? A flash of anger lit me up, and I was fuming by the time I returned to the kitchen.

“How did it go?” Luca asked, his eyes darting from me to the dining room. “Did he say anything about the—”

I swept right past him, avoided eye contact with August, and strode down the hall. I pushed through the service entrance and took deep breaths when I got outside.