“There is no room for basic bitches here.” Claire grabs my hand and leads me into the kitchen. We might not have a gourmet size anything but Claire makes our small space work in her favor. She grabs all her supplies and starts preparing everything on the mini peninsula.
My stomach grumbles on cue. Today’s small lunch barely held me over, especially since I worked later than usual since I was on a roll and didn’t want to stop.
Claire points at the barstool and I take a seat.
“Then what happened?” I pull off my vintage headband and give the sides of my head a massage.
“He offered me a second interview after nearly orgasming on the spot from my food.”
I giggle. “Shut up.”
“Okay, that was dramatic, even for me. But his eyes did roll the tiniest bit.” She grins.
“So what is your new job then?
“The head chef is being transferred to a new restaurant project with Mr. Kane so he won’t be working at The Royal Chateau anymore. And I’m going to be part of the chef’s team! It doesn’t have a name or anything yet, but I’m guaranteed a spot in the kitchen.”
“Claire! This is huge!”
Her whole face lights up from the grin she unleashes. “Right?!
“We need wine!” I go back to the living room and grab our filled glasses. We clink them together and say a quick cheers.
“Without you pushing me to try, I would’ve never bombed the interview. And without crying by a dumpster, then I wouldn’t have run into the best opportunity yet! So I now believe in fate. You were right all these years.” She returns her attention back to the frying pan on the stove.
“So us meeting didn’t convince you that fate exists?”
Claire rolls her eyes. “No. I thought you were just an annoying person who crashed into me because you wanted to steal the parking spot.”
“One man’s accident is another man’s fate.”
“Tell that to my insurance company.”
We both laugh to the point of tears before calling my parents and telling them the good news.
Claire serves us the most amazing grilled cheese I’ve ever had, not because her skills aren’t amazing, but because of everything a simple sandwich represents.
15
Rowan
Ihad always planned on flying back to Chicago on Saturday for my Monday board meeting. But after my moment of weakness around Zahra, I called my pilot and asked him to prepare for takeoff when I left Zahra’s cubicle. I should have never stopped by to visit her. It wasn’t like I needed anything from her, but I couldn’t stop myself after meeting with Jenny and Sam. It was like a siren calling out to me, leading me toward my demise.
She’s an anomaly I can’t categorize yet which only fuels my interest. Everything about her is strange. From her vintage attire to her pins, she doesn’t fit into the usual neat category of business professionals I’m used to.
I hate that she interests me about as much as I dislike how I keep acting like a thoughtless fool around her. Between my alias and Zahra working her way under my skin, I need some distance from whatever the fuck is getting in the way of my objective thinking.
A sense of relief instantly hits me the moment I enter my penthouse apartment overlooking the Chicago River. It’s my silent world up here, away from distracting females with enamel pins and employees who don’t understand the universal nonverbal signal for fuck off. People say home is where the heart is but I couldn’t disagree more. Home is wherever I’m unbothered. That’s true peace for me.
I shower, eat some takeout, and crack open a beer while tuning into a Friday night football game.
My phone buzzes and I grab it off the coffee table.
Zahra:I know you don’t like any kind of gratitude because you’re shy and all, but that drawing is INCREDIBLE. I just left my meeting after receiving a standing ovation.
There goes my plan to avoid thinking about Dreamland for a couple of days. I go to place my phone back on the table but another message shows up before I have the chance.
Zahra:Okay, that was an exaggeration. But everyone DID clap.