CHAPTER SIX
The week after was full of activities. The broken-hearted woman did all she could to take her mind off the betrayal. Though she slept, she could stop hearing the things she had heard. Casey had filled her in. Because according to her, she needed to know. Had this really been going on for long? How she had been so blind to her boyfriend's tactics was beyond her. Now, she could understand the lapses that didn't add up. There was always something missing in his excuses which had the time she didn't see. It was glaring now.
Her phone rang. Leaning across her bed, she checked the caller. It was her cousin, Maddie. "Hey you," she said, picking the call. "Just the lady I was going to call."
"Really?" asked Maddison. "I missed you. How did the new restaurant go? I'm sorry I should have called, my boss…."
"Oh, I know. I was going to call too. Then that happened." Said Ava, rolling her eyes.
"What happened?"
"Well, Dan happened."
"Dan? What?" she suspected this had to do with his cheating ass. Maddison and her cousin were close. So close that they shared everything. Not even the distance could stop their friendship. They were the only family, and that might have strengthened the bond. They talked almost every day and were involved in every aspect of their lives. She knew her boyfriend, and Ava knew hers. The day she saw Daniel's picture, she knew something was off with how he shies away from the camera. Every photo Ava sent of them had the bastard either looking away or something. Unless it was unaware. She wanted to tell her cousin to be careful. But she was in love. Who was she to cut that with some baseless theory? "Did he cheat on you?" she blurted out.
"You knew?" asked a shocked Ava. Why was it that everyone knew her boyfriend better than she did?
"I suspected."
"You didn't even meet him." she pointed out.
"It's why I said nothing. I was hoping I was wrong."
"Now, I'm officially mad at you."
"Why?" she stifled a laugh knowing just why she was upset with her.
"You could have said something."
"Uhm, something like, hey, Ava, Daniel might be a cheat," she chuckled, "Underline the word, might."
It did sound off. But still, she could have hinted her. "I'd have said it."
"We all know how you can be very blunt, lady. But not even you can say that. Come on, tell me what he did."
"He went to the restaurant with Anita. Turns out they've been seeing each other." She went on to fill her in on everything Casey told her. Plus the ones she figured out by herself. The missing gaps that she hadn't been paying attention to. Her cousin, the ever gist lover, had immediately asked that they video-called. She listened as well as gave rude comments about how much of a jerk Dan had been. By the time the call ended, Ava felt better with herself. She sat up from the bed, wondering what she would do today. It was her day off. And such poor timing too. All she could do was be moody because of Dan. "I refuse to let that cheat tamper with my mood." She told herself determinedly. Dragging herself to the bathroom, she started to hum as she planned her day.
➢
It wasn't until an hour later that Ava realized she had been going in circles. She was dressed all out, determined not to feel sorry for herself. Now, she wondered why she needed to be on ankle heels, a tank top, and her ripped jeans. And her flawless makeup too, when she had no idea where to go. She would have loved to revisit the new restaurant, but considering the memories, she stayed away. The security guard would still remember her face and the chaos she had caused. Hating herself for not handling that episode properly, she stopped walking. The stopping had nothing to do with the restaurant. This time, it was her colleague she saw. What is it about this restaurant and me catching people? She sighed. The instant she noticed Kathrine looking her way, Ava turned and started walking away quickly.
"I guess you couldn't stay away too," said Kathrine, rushing after her. "Hey, stop. I can't run on heels." She called out to Ava,who was going on full speed. How she did that on heels beat her.
"Then I'd better walk faster. I don't want to talk to you." She told her colleague bluntly. That had to do with what Casey had said. As it so happened, Kathrine had caught Dan severally cheating. And she never said a word. Not to the one who matters, that is. She had told everyone every horrid detail of her encounters. Yes, encounters. Yet she said nothing to her.
"Does this have to do with your boyfriend?"
So she knows! Casey must have told her. Gritting her teeth, Ava stopped. Then she turned around to face the woman. "Ex-boyfriend." She corrected. "And yes, it has to do with him."
"If it's any consolation," she began, walking closer to Ava. "I didn't want you feeling bad."
That made Ava scoff. Kathrine was anything but considerate. And though she pretended not to notice, she knew all about her colleague's inward rivalry with her. She saw the way she looked at her. Then there were the nasty comments about her cooking too. Just as she knew about her jealousy whenever Pat gave a hug or something even miniature like praises. "You didn't want me to feel bad? Really, Kathrine. It's Ava. You can cut the bullshit."
Kathrine laughed as she held her hand. "You do know me," she accepted. "Come, let's talk this over lunch. I'm starving."
"I don't do lunch with psycho bitches." She insisted on being enemies with the lady. Ava wanted the pretence over. Open war it was going to be now. Kathrine better be prepared.
"There's a catch." She taunted her. "A cooking catch."
"I'll pass." She told her frankly as she jerked her hand off.
"There's a competition you should go for. You stand a chance of winning the cash price." She told Ava, knowing how much she wanted to start her own business. "That's why I came here, in case you were wondering."
"Why would I wonder about that?" since she had nowhere to go, she headed for the Elixir. Kathrine followed behind.
"I meant it when I said I didn't want you to feel bad."
"Can we drop it already?" Ava said, not stopping to give Kathrine a nasty look on her face right now. "I'll bet you couldn't wait to gloat about it."
"I didn't gloat. I hated that he cheated. And when I told the others, I made them promise not to tell."
"I'm tired of you guys thinking for me. Am I that fragile that I wouldn't be able to handle something like that? Heck, I cook under over a 100degrees of heat. Give me some credit."
Kathrine burst into laughter. "What has cooking got to do with any of this?"
Ava stopped as she pulled the door open, "Everything Kat, everything."
Saying nothing, they both entered the restaurant. The two went to the bar and placed their order. "Oh, I remember you," the barman said to Ava. "You wanted to meet our chefs."
Ava looked embarrassed as he was a bit loud. Kathrine stifled aburst of laughter behind her. Moving back, she kicked her legs and felt satisfied when she yelled. It had been a long time since she wanted to do that. Sighing, she adjusted her crop top and smiled confidently at the chef. "Yes, it's me."
"Then it's your lucky day. They will be coming out shortly."
'Wow. That's good." She replied with a smile. Mentally, she started to prepare her mind for the encounter as she placed her order. Considering she planned on stealing their menu, she figured she should ask them something about it. The meal served while she had been here with Casey tasted sweet. But she was missing some core ingredients. If they could tell their little secret, she mused, chewing her lower lip absentmindedly. The waiter took her order, and she went to her seat.
A few minutes later, the order was brought to their table. Ava smiled when she saw Kathrine's plate. "I doubt you even know what that is." She teased. The assistant chef had requested a foreign dish. She watched the lady as she took a strand of some whitish thing and put it in her mouth cautiously. No sooner had she tasted it than she closed her eyes. Ava could see the pure ecstasy of one who loves a meal on Kat's face. She reached over immediately and took a pinch of it too. "Wow," she munched, "It's good."
"Glad you like it."
The ladies turned around to look at the intruder. It was one of the chefs standing behind them. the Korean. "Hello," Ava greeted cheerfully, "What's this?"
"I believe that is our special in-house Seolleongtang," he smiled when the ladies gave him a strange look. "Ox bone soup."
"It's lovely." Said both ladies. They exchanged looks at their choice of words and turned to the chef again.
"Glad you like it." the chef curtsied.
"The last time I was here, I had your sushi…."
"Chef Tannit made that," replied the chef humbly, "Still, what would you like to know?"
"I couldn't help tasting an ingredient," Ava pointed out, trying to recall the taste. "It tasted sour, no, not vinegar. Sour and then a slight sweetness at the end. What was that?"
"Well, I can see you have good taste, bud. Most people wouldoverlook that. Are you a chef?"
"She is," Kathrine said, shaking her head as Ava had gotten tongue-tied because of the compliment. She was blushing like a school girl now too. "A really good one."
"That explains it then," the chef said, not taking his eyes off the pretty lady for a second. "How about this, I give you time to find out, then," he brought out his card from his apron and handed it over to Ava, "And then tell me what you think it is….?" He quirked his brow, asking for her name.
"Ava," she said, "Ava Davis."
"Chef Ava," the chef smiled sweetly at her as Ava tucked the card in her purse. Standing straighter, he asked Kathrine, "Do you have any request? Comment? Something you'd like us to improve?" then his eyes settled on Ava again.
"None. Nothing." Kathrine said too quickly, "You can be on your merry way now."
The chef smiled, bowed and left their table. Ava turned to her colleague, "What? He's nice." She shrugged.
"I can't believe you're flirting already, Dan…" she covered her mouth immediately.
Ava said nothing. For some minutes, she had not given a thought to the bastard. And in just one second, Kat ruined the moment. She stuffed her food in her mouth and chewed blandly. The food had lost its taste.
"I'm so sorry, Ava. I didn't mean to remind you…."
"It's fine," she cut her short. Talking about it would only aggravate things. "It's okay, really." She assured while willing her tears back. For minutes, an awkward silence descended on the table. Each faced her meal squarely. The food tasted pleasant. Ava was curious about the secret ingredient this time. Avocado! She gasped. The chef, who was done with his round,came over to their table.
"Enjoying your meals, ladies?' he asked, stopping to check on them.
"Yes, we are," Kathrine replied, "Thank you."
"I love this," Ava confessed. "Secret ingredient is Avocado."
"Wow… great," the chef laughed.
"I didn't catch your name," she said, looking past Kat, who was shaking her head ever so lightly. That way, the chef wouldn't see her.
"It's Sung-Ho"
"Thanks, Sung-Ho"
The chef smiled, "Looking forward to your answer." He said and took his leave.
"More like looking forward to seeing you soon." Kat scoffed.
Ava laughed at her colleague. "Don't be so jealous," she chided. She sipped her juice, dropped it and asked, "So, what was it about the cooking stuff you were saying earlier?"
"There's an all chef cooking game show. I think you should apply for it. You are their spec."
"And you ain't?" she asked, brows raised as she questioned her colleague. Kathrine was a great chef if you looked past her kitchen manners. Cooking was more than serving a tasty meal. Other stuff comes to play. The way the food is arranged on the plate, then on the tray. The planning; side dishes, and all. The way you serve the meal. In the kitchen, Kathrine was a mess. You won't want to eat her food if you saw her kitchen. This was why Pat had displaced her from being the main chef when Ava arrived. And that was the beginning of their rivalry.
"Let's not beat around the bush with each other. You have the chance to win this. You've got all it takes. Go for it."
"Would you say that again, please?" high praises from Kathrine was rare. "Wait, let me get my phone out so I can record it."
Kathrine shook her head as she stuffed her mouth with another spoonful. No way in hell was she ever saying that again. "Keep dreaming."
"Spoil fun." She held her chest like she was heartbroken.
"Anyways, I wanted to get that from him," she pointed at the waiter. He was serving some customers at the other table. "He has the flyer. We could google it out if that's what you want."
'Who is he?" she asked her colleague, eyeing the waiter suspiciously. The man turned towards them and winked at Kat. He is a good looking hunk. "Wow."
"Breathe a word of this to the others and…."
"Mouth shut." Ava demonstrated quickly with her hand, zipping her lips. Even though she couldn't stop herself from laughing.
"Ava."
"What? Can't I laugh now?" she asked, feigning all serious.
The waiter came to their table then. He sat down as he brought out a flyer. "I hear you're the best at this." He said, looking at Ava.
"You told him?"
"As I said, I do care about your feelings," she said, looking her straight in the eyes. "See this as me making up for my wrongs."
"Aww, thank you, Kat." It was strange. Never in a million years would she have thought Kathrine cared about her. But the sincerity was there in her eyes. Wow.
"We're even now." Kathrine took the flyer and handed it over. "She will make us proud. Trust me," she told the waiter.
"I hope so," he stood, leaned over to kiss Kathrine on the forehead, and curtsied. "When the voting starts, let us know," he told Ava.
"I will do that." Ava stared at the flyer. "The cash price gets a hundred thousand dollars? That's huge."
"I know, right."
"Thank you, Kat. This means a lot."
"Happy to help," Kat said, "We're even now."
"Yes, we are." Agreed Ava. She moved back her chair, satisfied and elated about this news. The two left the restaurant and stepped outside. The first cab took Kathrine home because she insisted. Ava then took a stroll to get some air. Then she flagged down the next cab. "Take me home," she whispered to herself. "I've got a competition to get ready for."