Naomi sighed. Of course Tessa knew. They had been friends for long enough that Tessa could identify most of Naomi’s emotional breakdowns by facial expression alone. Naomi was taking a short break from work, sitting on an overturned crate near the back of the restaurant kitchen. Her chef jacket was already stained, her feet hurt, and she still had several hours left before she could leave.
"I don’t know what I am going to do, Tessa."
"I still can’t believe you’re married. You got married before me!"
"Tessa, will you focus?!"
"I’m just saying, I spent almost a year planning my wedding. You got drunk in Vegas, had sex with a hot stranger and somehow beat me to the altar. That is deeply offensive."
Naomi rubbed her forehead. This conversation had been a mistake. Actually, calling Tessa for emotional support was often a mistake, but Naomi continued doing it because occasionally there was useful advice hidden somewhere between the insults and inappropriate questions. "Tessa, Richard gave me one week. That week is almost over."
"If I don’t sort this out, he’s going to make me responsible for the whole payment."
"That man is evil."
"He says he can’t keep carrying the burden."
"You have been paying those debts forever."
"I know!"
Tessa shifted on the screen. "Listen, why don’t you just tell your uncle about Dorian’s proposal? All Richard thinks about is money anyway. If you’re going to get money for staying married to Dorian, I’m sure Richard will give you the time you need."
"But..." Naomi hesitated. "I... Agreeing to his money would mean I am whoring myself."
"You don’t have to fuck him again if you don’t want to."
Naomi made a small sound. "Hmmm..."
Tessa shot upright. "Hmmmm? Oh my God! You so totally want to fuck him again."
Naomi’s eyes widened. "I did not say that."
"You didn’t have to! It’s all over your face." Tessa was practically glowing with excitement now.
This was apparently the most interesting thing to happen to her all week.
"Was he that good? Oh, this is amazing," Tessa breathed. "You’re blushing. How good was he?"
"I am not discussing this with you."
"You married the man after one night. He must have done something spectacular."
"We were drunk."
Tessa leaned closer to the camera. "Scale of one to ten."
"No."
"Was he better than Trevor?"
Naomi’s face betrayed her. Tessa gasped.
"Oh my God!"
"Stop doing that! You know what? Forget everything I just said. I hate you."
Tessa wiped beneath one eye. "So let me understand this. You need money. Your incredibly rich, painfully hot accidental husband wants to pay you to remain his wife for six months, and your biggest objection is that accepting the money makes you feel cheap?"
"When you say it like that..."
"Naomi, accepting money to remain in a legal arrangement is not the same as selling your body."
Naomi knew that. Still, Dorian’s money complicated everything. She remembered the first day in his car.
The bills he had thrown into her lap.
You look like you need the money.
The humiliation still burned. And now she was supposed to turn around and accept even more?
"What if he thinks I’m exactly what he accused me of being?"
"Who cares what he thinks?"
Naomi groaned. "Where’s your husband? I need him to put you on a leash!"
Tessa’s grin became wicked. "Ooooh, kinky... I didn’t know you like stuff like that."
Naomi stared at the phone. She had walked directly into that one. "Okay... bye-bye... my break is over!"
"Wait! Don’t forget the event you are helping me with," Tessa said quickly.
"Yes, yes... I won’t. Love you."
The call ended before Tessa could add anything else inappropriate. Naomi lowered the phone and stared at the blank screen for a moment.
Tessa would sometimes throw jobs her way whenever she knew Naomi needed extra money, which was almost always.
Small catering gigs. Anything where Naomi could cook, or supervise food and make a little extra cash on the side.
Tessa never made it feel like charity. The girl was truly an angel. Naomi missed her. She had missed her almost immediately after Tessa got married and moved out.
Their apartment had felt wrong. The silence had taken some getting used to. Well, that was until a certain arrogant man had filled the apartment for a couple of minutes.
One of the kitchen helpers pushed through the door. "Naomi?"
Naomi turned. "Yes?"
"One of the customers would like to see you."
Naomi sighed. Normally, she liked when customers asked to see the chef. It usually meant something had gone well.
Sometimes people wanted to compliment her personally, and Naomi always appreciated that. Food was one of the few things in her life she trusted herself to get right.
Tonight, however, she did not have the emotional energy to smile politely while someone explained how much they enjoyed the risotto.
Richard’s text was still sitting in the back of her mind like a countdown. Two days to figure out a problem she had absolutely no idea how to solve.
"Yes, tell them I am very busy," Naomi said. "I appreciate their kindness and thank them on my behalf."
The kitchen helper gave a small shrug. "Okay."
"Thank you."
She disappeared through the door. Naomi checked the time. Her break was officially over. At least work gave her something else to think about.
She slipped her phone into her pocket, straightened her chef jacket, then headed into the kitchen.
The moment she entered, she switched gears. Whatever disaster was happening in her personal life could wait.
For now, there were orders.
"Table twelve needs the steak medium. Sauce for fifteen?"
"Almost done."
"Good. And check that garnish before it goes out." Naomi moved between stations.
This part she understood. A kitchen made sense.
Unlike life.
It was not much of a busy night. Weekdays were usually manageable. Not quiet enough to relax, but nowhere near the chaos of weekends when the dining room filled up.
Still, there was plenty to do. She hoped she would finish on time.
She had just started checking the next batch of orders when the kitchen helper appeared again. Naomi looked up. "The customer? They’re still asking?"