Free Sizzling in Singapore (A Carnal Cuisine Novel) by K.C. Falls, Torri D. Cooke Page B

her release from the walk-in that she couldn't ignore.
    So it was a confused and puzzled Mae who was released from the hospital with strict orders of rest and recuperation for two more weeks. "This is not negotiable, Miss Whitten," Dr. Liu had admonished when she protested that she was needed in the kitchen. "Although your hands and your head will recover completely, you can do further damage if you don't allow your body the time to heal. Give it that time."
    The bandages were off of her hands, but she had to admit that they still felt tender and sore. Her fingers were peeling in a couple of spots, but Dr. Liu said that this was completely benign and would soon pass.
    As it was, Mae wasn't really ready to go back to the Elysium. She felt it would be very difficult to just hang around the hotel without taking some part in the life of the kitchen. But more than that, Mae was delaying a face-to-face meeting with Nick. She wanted to thank him for all that he did but at the same time she was irrationally hurt and miffed that he hadn't come to see her in the hospital.
    Cess had a seldom-used apartment shared with another flight attendant who was also rarely in residence. The two women gladly offered Mae their place while she recuperated.
    "We've got a nice pool, a bookshelf full of trashy novels and a rack filled with cheap but drinkable wine. We're within walking distance of a great hawker's center. You can literally step out the door and find some fantastic local grub."Cess had given her a convenient out.
    It was a perfect solution for Mae. She would have a physical distance that would prevent her from popping into the kitchen (or running into Nick).
    However, after a few days and as many trashy novels, Mae was about to lose her mind. For a person used to fourteen-hour days, nearly ten empty, purposeless ones were torture. Mae missed her work, her room and her crew. She decided to give Tank a call.
    "Tank, love, I need some conversation. I'm going bat-shit crazy doing nothing all day. Can you steal an hour or two this afternoon and come over to Cess's?"
    He was happy to oblige. "Of course I will. Anything for my Maybe Chef. You shouldn't whine about being bored, though. Soon enough you'll be slaving for the 'massuh' again."
    When the afternoon lull was upon the kitchen, Tank took the opportunity to grab a cab and visit. "You're looking fine, Chef." He grinned at her from the doorway he nearly filled and gathered her into a crushing bear hug. "We've missed your bony-ass."
    "I've missed you too, Tank. All of you. How's everything going at the shop?"
    Tank grinned wide enough to see the several missing teeth that bespoke a childhood spent in deprivation. It always tugged at her heart when Mae recalled the stories her gentle giant of a friend had told her about his youth. The lulls in a kitchen's frenzy tend to promote intimacy and Mae and Tank had come to know each other very well.
    "Mae, this new guy is something else. He's jumped in with both feet and dances like he was born in our kitchen. He's been doing your job and Kurt's without missing a beat. I couldn't do as well, I know that."
    Tank caught the fleeting look of dismay on Mae's face before she answered with a desultory "that's nice"
    "I didn't mean we don't need you, love. We do. Besides, Nick's made it crystal clear that as soon as management finds a replacement he's outta here with his ass on fire. Man's got big plans and they don't include the Elysium."
    "Plans?"
    "Shit yea. He's already bought a property outside of Charlotte, North Carolina of all places. He's getting ready to open his own place. Small place. Maybe a dozen tables. Doing his own thing. He was just about ready to get started when he got the call to bail our asses out."
    "I see." Mae tried to digest what she already knew. That Nick was not only temporary, but anxiously so.
    "Man's spent his life in hotels. He grew up in hotels. He's just counting the days 'til he can have his own little show and a real