The Restaurant(25)

As it happened, she said exactly that when Mandy’s consultant came in again and insisted on ordering the surf and turf anyway, along with the steak she did recommend and the pasta special. By now most of the employees knew he was some kind of consultant and since no one knew what he was likely to suggest changing, they all still treated him as if he were a food critic, walking on eggshells to make sure everything went as smoothly as it possibly could. He stayed for several hours, didn’t bother to take his leftovers home and, after eating, spent a bit of time in the kitchen, observing quietly and browsing through the walk-in refrigerator and oversized pantry area.

He finished up with a draft beer at the bar and must have written at least a dozen or so pages of notes. Emma knew he was there to help them, but she still couldn’t help feeling a bit nervous herself, especially if one of his suggestions was to trim the staff. She wanted to make sure that the positive work environment that Grams had been so proud of stayed intact.

At the end of the night, when most of the staff had left, Emma joined Gary and Paul at the bar for an after-shift drink. Talk turned to the consultant as both Gary and Paul were curious about him.

“What did he think of the food?” Paul asked.

“He seemed to like everything, but I think he liked the pasta the best. It was the only meal he finished.”

Paul smiled. “That’s good to hear.”

Gary’s phone buzzed, and he glanced down at a text message and frowned.

“I have to run. Maria needs me to stop at the store on the way home. I’ll catch up with you both later.” He took a big sip of his beer, then dumped the rest of it in the sink and headed out.

Paul sipped his Jack and Coke and looked at Emma thoughtfully.

“So, how is it going? This has to be a huge change for all of you.”

Emma nodded. “It is. It’s probably the most challenging for Jill, as she still has her business going in New York and is trying to juggle that during the day. For Mandy and me, it’s actually a godsend. We both needed something new. I love the fast pace. And during the day, I can still do some of my photography.”

“I didn’t know you were into photography? Did you do that full-time?”

“No. I was a teacher in Arizona. I always did photography on the side. I actually had an idea for how I might be able to tie it into the restaurant.” She told him about her website and food blog. “What do you think of me taking some pictures of you and your signature dishes and maybe sharing a recipe or two on the blog? I could link it to social media like Instagram and Facebook. It might be a way to help get the word out.”

Paul looked intrigued. “I like it. Let me think of what might be a good dish to start with and you can pop by to take some pictures. Do you like to cook too?”

“I do. Just as a hobby, though. The thought of doing it for hundreds of people like you do is intimidating. I never knew you wanted to be a chef. I thought you might go into the family business after college.” Paul’s family ran a clothing store on Main Street. He made a face at the thought.

“I hate retail. I sort of fell into restaurant work. After graduating from college, I spent the summer working in the kitchen at The Straight Wharf. It was just supposed to be temporary, but I fell in love with it and decided to go to culinary school. That’s where I met Patsy and a year later, we were married.”

“That was fast.” Emma knew he’d married but didn’t know the history of it.

“We probably never should have gotten married,” Paul admitted. “We’re very different. Patsy is loud and passionate and the life of the party. She was fun to be around. When she got pregnant, it seemed like the thing to do.”

Emma was surprised. “Oh, I didn’t realize you had children.”

“I don’t. She miscarried a month after we got married. It became apparent not too long after we started the restaurant together that we weren’t well suited. Patsy was somewhat difficult to work with. I’m sure I was too. It just wasn’t a good match.”

“I’m sorry that didn’t work out. Divorce is hard.”

“Yeah, it is. It was a long time ago for me though.” He grinned. “I’m over it now. I’m sorry that you are going through it. You were married a lot longer than I was.”

Emma sighed. “Almost fifteen years. And I thought we were happy. Well, happy enough. Looking back now I realize we were probably more like roommates, but we were always great friends.”

Paul opened his mouth as if he was going to ask a question, but then thought better of it and took a sip of his drink instead. She guessed he’d been about to ask why they got divorced.

“He left me for another man. Can you believe it? His best friend from college. I had no idea, none. I think I’m still a little bit in shock.”

Paul set his drink and met Emma’s gaze. “Em, I am so sorry. Jeez. I can’t imagine.”

“I know, right? How could I not have known?” She explained how they’d reconnected when Tom took a job in town. “He said they’d experimented in college but realized it was more than that when they saw each other again.”

“So, how are you doing? That must be difficult to process.”

Emma laughed. “That’s an understatement. It makes you question everything. In a weird way, I suppose it’s a little better than if it had been another woman? I don’t know. I’ll just say I’m in no hurry to get into another relationship any time soon.”