Free Fire In the Kitchen by Donna Allen Page B

watched the water shoot above the water feature in powerful bursts before cascading down the reversed letters and resting in the pond below. It was stunning to watch.
    For reasons unknown to him, he looked up.
    Looking at the window directly across from his, he found himself staring at Cassidy, the woman who’d been in the bold border of his thoughts since they’d met. They waved at each other.
    Damn, that woman can release some serious feel-good hormones.
    Dante let go of the curtain and turned his alert gaze to the camera crew.
    “You must have a lot of other welcoming interviews to do. Shall we get straight into it?”
    An eager young man held up his finger as he watched a cameraman getting his equipment ready.
    “Sure, just waiting on…”
    “Me?” Carlos leaned into the open doorway with a casual pose that appeared rehearsed.
    “Yes, how about we get you both facing each other in a stance ready for battle?”
    The man held his hands out in front of him and pushed his palms to and fro indicating they should move closer to each other. He reached into a bag. “Maybe put on these chef’s hats?”
    “Pistols at brawn?” Dante raised an eyebrow and waited for Carlos to walk over to him.
    “Food joke! You’re a crack up, Dante.” The interviewer slapped his leg and put the hats on Dante and Carlos at interesting angles. “Can you say that again when I say roll?”
    “Yeah, a real ham,” Carlos said, pursing his lips as he watched Dante straighten his hat with military precision.
    This time the interviewer and cameraman laughed together.
    “Brawn, ham, love it. Keep up the banter during the interview and all will be sweet.”
    The cameraman held up three fingers, lowering them one at a time as he counted down. The one was silent.
    The interview went as Dante wanted it to, and he repeated his quip on cue. His war with Carlos was a private one for now, and the less collateral damage the better. After Dante had walked the cameramen to the door at the end of the interview, he turned to face his nemesis. Carlos was grinning at him as if he’d never tried to ruin Dante’s life.
    “Time for a quick drink before we settle in for the night?”
    “That was just for show, Carlos. I haven’t finished with you by a long shot.”
    “Let’s put this on hold until after the competition,” Carlos said, holding out his hand for Dante to shake. “I’ve got a lot riding on this.”
    Dante stared at the outstretched hand as if it carried a disease. “Why have you always tried to ruin what I have when I’ve always been willing to share everything with you?” he said.
    Carlos let his hand drop and smoothed back his hair. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
    Dante put his hand on the chair, gripping it so tightly his knuckles turned white.
    “Let me see,” Dante said, letting out a loud breath. “How about the way I left you to run the restaurant while I was away and you ran me into the ground instead?”
    “I managed just fine,” Carlos responded smoothly. “Profits were up.”
    “And staff loyalty toward me was down. Particularly after you fired my oldest team members and told them I’d left instructions for you to do so.”
    Dante felt the room get hotter. He opened the window, hoping for another glance of Cassidy to distract him from where this conversation was heading, but he was out of luck. He turned around to face Carlos again.
    “Why, Carlos? Why did you stop ordering local food from our family and friends? Why did you twist my causes around and tell so many lies?”
    “I just said it like I saw it.” Carlos crossed his arms and started to rub them. “I see many things without even having to look, and I could see there was a lot more money to be made if we bought and hired smarter.”
    “Your invisible glasses need cleaning, and they should be put away with your lost morals.” Dante grabbed his suitcase and tossed the items into the drawers by his bed. “Don’t traditions mean anything to