"I mentioned that I was engaged when I bought the restaurant, right?" At Everett's nod, I continue. "His name is Jeff. We met in college and dated for a year before becoming engaged. We had been engaged for about five months when I bought the restaurant in January. He had just graduated and was excited for a place to show off his skills.
"Delilah knew his cousin or uncle or someone and owed them a favor. She agreed to come in and taste test our menu."
I pause. "I should probably backtrack a bit. As I have mentioned, I'm not great at coming up with dishes on my own." Everett motions for me to continue. "While Jeff was building his menu, I was experimenting with my own ideas.
"I know I'm not talented, but I enjoy trying out new things and seeing if my ideas pan out. They never do, except once."
"Lacy's Special," he says with an understanding smile. He's been making the soup himself since we opened. I didn't want to share the recipe around too much, so I've tasked Everett with being in charge of that particular dish.
"Right. I accidentally stumbled into something really good. So, of course, I wanted to add it to the menu. Jeff was a little hesitant to put something on the menu that wasn't his own creation, but he went along with me. I mean, I'm financing this venture, so he really didn't have a lot of room to object."
"Naturally," Everett agrees when I pause.
"When Delilah came in for the taste testing, we put all our dishes out for her. She tried them all, of course, and then told us her opinion. She said that Jeff's food was fine- nothing out of the common way, really. But my soup. It was one of the best soups she'd ever had!"
I stop to think about what to say next and Everett speaks again. "I'm pretty sure everyone who tries your soup thinks that. It's our best-selling item."
I smile, grateful for his encouragement. "Well, I was so caught up in how happy I was that my one successful dish was SO successful. I didn't even notice that Jeff was upset about her critique of his food." I sigh. "I was selfish, too busy patting myself on the back to see that he was hurting.
"It totally shocked me when he called and told me that he wanted to break up and quit the restaurant. It shouldn't have, you know. I should have realized that he wasn't happy."
A surge of emotion chokes me and I pause, swiping at my teary eyes. Everett shakes his head.
"It wasn't your fault, Lace. He could've shared his concerns with you. Besides, he should have been happy for you! When you're in a relationship, one partner's success is really both partners' success."
His earnest expression brings a smile to my face, in spite of my tears. I clear my throat, pushing down the pain, and continue.
"Either way, he called and told me that we were breaking up, then came and took the ring back."
Everett snorts, interrupting my story. "Jerk," he says with a frown.
"Maybe." I shrug. "But I can't really blame him for that. Why leave an expensive ring with an ex-fiancée?
"So he came in, got the ring, and left. I tried reaching out to him after that. So many times. I called and texted and emailed. But he never answered."
I have to take another quick break to get my emotions in check. Everett doesn't say anything. He just looks at me with a sympathetic expression that kind of makes me angry. I don't want anyone's pity! I know I was a little pathetic- fine, a lot pathetic- after Jeff left, but I'm doing much better!
My anger at Everett for his sympathy helps clear up my sadness and I pick up again.
"I thought about giving up Lovebird Café and going back to live with my parents, maybe finding a job in Idaho. I came really close to doing it, but I just couldn't. Owning a restaurant has been my dream job since I was a little girl.
"So instead I threw myself into the restaurant. I worked and worked. I basically lived here. I experimented in the kitchen and tried to come up with a menu and advertised and bought dishes and did research and paperwork. I was a mess, honestly.
"Then one day, Delilah called."
"She called you? Just out of the blue?"
I laugh. "Yep. She tracked down my phone number after hearing from Jeff's uncle or whoever that he had quit the restaurant and broken up with me. She wanted to see if I was still going forward with my plans, even without my head chef. When I told her I was, she was so supportive."
Everett nods. "I can see that."
"Yeah, she came in that day, actually, and let me cry on her shoulder for a little while. Then she stood me up, dried my tears and said, 'Lacy Lou, if you're going to make a go of this, you're going to need some help.' She's the one who helped me post the job description for my new head chef. I thought I could just brazen it out on my own. It felt. . . wrong, I guess, to replace Jeff as the head chef when this was his dream too."
"He's not the only one who's dreamt of being a head chef," Everett says a little angrily. "And if he was too stupid to grab the opportunity, that's his own fault." He pauses and takes a few deep breaths. I can tell he's trying to get his temper under control and I appreciate it. I really don't want to face rage monster Everett right now.
Once he's relaxed again, he says, "I'm glad you decided to hire a new head chef, Lace. This is my dream, too. Thank you for giving me a chance to live it."
I smile at him. Even though it was a hard decision to make, I'm also glad I decided to hire a new head chef. I know there's no way I would've been this successful without Everett's help and hard work.
"I don't regret it, but it was a hard decision to make at the time. I felt like I was betraying him. Never mind that he betrayed me first. But Delilah is very convincing."
I grin, remembering her efforts to convince me. She had to pull out all her tricks, and finally had to just be blunt and tell me that if I didn't want my restaurant to fail, I was going to have to sacrifice my personal feelings and hire a dang chef to help.
"Anyway, I put out the notice for a new head chef. Delilah actually helped me go through resumes, showed me what I should be looking for."
"How many people did you interview?"
"You were the fifth," I answer. "And actually, I had a guy I had been preparing to hire, but you just. . . you just fit. So I chose you instead."
Everett shakes his head and frowns. "So was it just a fluke that I got the job, because I happened to come in at a time when you needed help?"
"I would say it was more luck that you had a perfect opportunity to demonstrate your skills. But the fact that you did demonstrate your skills and impressed me and made me feel like I could trust you and work well with you- that was all you."
He looks relieved at that. "So did Delilah do anything else?"
"She's just kind of been checking in and keeping in touch since then. She answers questions, when I have them. And of course, she came to the grand opening and gave us a lot of good publicity."
"I can't believe you're really friends with Delilah Lee Jones."
I shrug. "What can I say? Apparently the damsel in distress persona appeals to a lot of people. I can't believe you accepted the job after seeing what a mess you were getting into."
He laughs at that. "You have a fair point. But it's not just the damsel in distress that appeals, Lace. You're really easy to be around, and I loved the look of this place from the moment I stepped in." He pauses and grins. "Even if it did need a little work to get it whipped into shape."
I join his laughter at that, remembering all the time we spent arranging and decorating the dining room and getting the kitchen ordered how he wanted it. Hard to believe that was over a month ago!
"So yeah, that pretty much sums up my relationship with Delilah. Now you know my full sordid history." I grimace.
Everett just rolls his eyes. "Right, because you didn't have any kind of life before Lovebird Cafe. But now at least I know where it all started, and how you got to where you are. Thanks for sharing. I know it's hard to talk about past relationships, especially when the ending was painful."
I can tell from his tone that he's speaking from experience and I wonder what painful relationships he has in his past. But that's definitely too personal a question for me to ask right now, so I just nod. "Thanks for listening. I should let you get back to the kitchen. I'm going to get Gulliver settled in his new home!"
"Of course." He smiles at me, then comes to the desk and bends down to look into Gulliver's little container again. "Welcome home, little man." With a wave, he heads back out into the kitchen.
It feels good to have my past off my chest. I sigh, then turn my attention to settling in my new friend. Welcome home, indeed.