Free All the President’s Menus by Julie Hyzy Page B

recognized it for what it was—an attempt to find common ground. “Until then, I have faith that you will find a way to make this situation work to the best of your abilities.” He pushed up the sleeve of his suit jacket and showed me his watch. “Your minute is up. I have other matters to attend to.”
    I let him go without further argument. What if? I thought. What if Kilian decided to put a little something special in President Hyden’s chocolate soufflé? Starting now, Bucky and I were the last line of defense where food was concerned.
    Time to step up my game.

CHAPTER 9

    Once I’d settled myself sufficiently to be able to mask my unease around the visitors, I departed the Map Room and returned to the kitchen. Not that anyone would have cared whether I was upset or even bothered. No one seemed to notice when I slipped back in. Bucky was talking with Kilian and Tibor, while gesturing toward a simmering pot on the massive stovetop. All three had their backs to me.
    Hector and Nate had teamed up across from each other at the far end of the center countertop. They’d returned to working with leaves of cooked cabbage, filling them one at a time and wrapping them up. This dish reminded me of Polish cabbage rolls, or
golabki
, but featured a far spicier mix.
    The rolls themselves, according to Tibor, who had been our main instructor before Sargeant’s arrival, were to be folded and rolled tight so that they could be placed in neat, uniform rows in a pan to bake.
    Tibor had given us a quick lesson, impressing me with his quick movements and obvious expertise. The four rolls he’d produced in less than a minute each told me that he’d made this dish many, many times in his life.
    Before Sargeant’s interruption, no one else had attempted to put one together. With Bucky, Tibor, and Kilian at the stovetop, the filling process had been left to Hector and Nate.
    Hector dug a cabbage leaf out from the pile, ripping it in two. As yet unaware of my presence, he smirked and flung the wet, droopy leaf at Nate, who was spooning rice mixture into a leaf of his own.
    The projectile hit Nate straight in the nose. He looked up with instant anger that, a half second later, morphed into amusement. Grinning now, he blurted out a couple of words in Saardiscan and reached for the offending leaf, intending to throw it back.
    When he spied me in the doorway, however, he hesitated. He shot a snarly look at Hector, then placed the leaf next to the partially filled one he’d been working on, as though that had been his plan all along.
    Hector bit his bottom lip, grabbed a new leaf, and began stuffing it with filling. Both men seemed determined to pretend they hadn’t been horsing around, but the quality of their rolls fell short of those Tibor had made.
    By this point, Bucky and the other two had turned around. “You’re back,” Bucky said unnecessarily. His tone was cheery but his eyes were filled with questions. Not something I was ready to deal with right now.
    “What are we doing?” I asked, glancing at the stovetop. It was clear to me that the three of them had begun another concoction that had nothing to do with the wrapping assembly going on behind me.
    Bucky hesitated. “I suppose that’s up to you. We were about to embark on stage two of the traditional Saardiscan celebration meal, and I’d asked Kilian about preferred desserts.” He gestured toward the other man.
    Kilian hadn’t had the chance to utter a word when Tibor spouted a strangled cry. He slammed his hands against the sides of his legs and bolted away from our small group. A second later he was practically on top of Nate, banging the steel countertop and shouting in Saardiscan.
    Taken aback, I turned to Kilian. “What’s happening?”
    Kilian’s face reddened. “Nate is not performing properly.” He nudged my arm with his elbow. “Neither is Hector, but it seems Tibor hasn’t yet taken notice of him.”
    I leaned forward to see better, as Tibor’s flying