Taste Read online

  “Do I wait for you to tell me things to do, or do I sometimes take initiative as well and take action where I think it would be helpful?” I asked.

  “Initiative is always good,” he said, and a flutter appeared in my belly as we looked at each other. “But for the first few shifts, I’ll make sure to give you plenty of instruction and guidance. After a while, when you get used to how we work, you should be able to start anticipating certain things and acting on your own initiative.”

  He was so professional and competent. I was totally impressed.

  “And don’t worry if sometimes you’re standing around not knowing what to do. There are busy times and quiet times, so just go with the flow. When it’s quiet, feel free to watch us cook if you like.”

  “If you can stand my singing,” said Sam with a chuckle.

  “Ah, don’t worry, you become immune to the noise pollution after a while.” Leo patted his boss on the back. “So, here is the washing-up area.” He led me to a sink, dishwasher, drying rack, and a rack with various utensils hanging from it.

  “How do I know what to put in the dishwasher and what to clean by hand?” I asked.

  “Here’s a list and instructions on how to clean certain items properly.” Leo pointed to a laminated chart on the wall above the sink, just under the high-set rectangular window that allowed a narrow eye-level view of the dining room. I could spy on customers while I cleaned. “Most things are by hand, since we need to keep using them. You can load the used plates and glasses in the dishwasher as they get brought back in by the waiters, then if you get a free moment from other tasks, you can start washing some by hand. Otherwise, the dishwasher usually goes on at the end of the shift.”

  He also explained which cleaning products and utensils to use for what, and how much cleaning product to use to ensure both a thorough clean and that resources weren’t wasted. There were a lot of economics involved in running the kitchen that I hadn’t realized before. At home I used whatever amount of something I thought I needed and didn’t really think about maximizing cost efficiency. Poor Mom.

  The restaurant door opened with a jingle of the attached bell, and I glanced toward the kitchen entrance as two people walked in.

  I recognized the boy from a couple of my classes at school, though for the life of me I couldn’t remember his name. He was short and round-faced, with scruffy, sandy hair. Kind of cute and awkward.

  “I found this bum outside, thought I’d better bring him in and put him to work,” said the young woman, who looked a few years older than me, her dark, super-straight hair in a shoulder-length ponytail.

  The boy shrugged and put on an apron around his waist. It was black, with the Harborside logo on it in white. He nodded and said, “Hello.” I could tell he recognized me too.

  “This is Lachlan. Lachlan, this is Tamara. Are you in the same grade at school?” said Leo.

  I nodded. “Hi, Lachlan.”

  He smiled. “Better to be here than school, huh?”

  “You bet,” I replied.

  “Tamara wants to be a chef,” Leo added.

  “Really?” said the young woman. “Start at the bottom and build your way up, eh? Good for you.” She gave a thumbs-up, then put on her apron, which made her look like she was wearing a mini-skirt over her trousers. “I’m Emilia Harwood. Nice to meet you.” She held out her hand, and I took hold of it. It was cold, whereas mine seemed a bit hot and sweaty. Her eyes had black eyeliner framing them, and she wore a slight gloss of lipstick.

  Emilia put her bag in the office cupboard and Lachlan put his jacket in there, plus a set of keys, and they went out to the dining room to prepare tables. Emilia checked in at the reception desk and then used the phone. I wanted to know everything that went on in this place, get a good feel for the job as a whole, and figure out how everything worked. My body buzzed with the excitement of something new. A job. My first real job. My life was officially starting.

  “Here you go.” Leo dumped a few pots and utensils next to the sink. “First task of the day.” He smiled and went back to his station.

  I’d never been so damn excited about washing dishes. I followed the instructions for filling the sink with the correct amount of dishwashing liquid and made sure the temperature of water was as warm as I could handle, even though I’d be in rubber gloves most of the time. When I finished the first pan I gave it a little shake to remove excess water and almost dropped the thing on the floor.

  That would have been a wonderful start, Tamara.

  Luckily, no one seemed to notice. Sam and Leo were frying something, and it was making a lot of noisy steam.

  Emilia came up to me. “Congrats on the job.” She angled her head toward me. “Leo and Sam are both good to work with. Though in my past experience I’ve found women make better bosses.” She shrugged. “Have you met Leo before? I mean, apart from the interview?”

  “Um, yes, we’re actually neighbors.”

  “Neighbors? So I guess you know Riley too then.”

  “Yep. My sister is dating him.”

  Her eyebrows rose. “Ah, I think I’ve seen her. Short, dark hair?” She made gestures around her face.

  “That’s her. Savannah. But I have four sisters.”

  “Wow. I have none. No wonder I’m so sociable; I needed to be to have any fun in my childhood with no one else around the house. I learned to talk to anyone. Ooh, first customer’s here—gotta go.” And she whooshed off to the dining room.

  Leo came over with a couple more things. To look efficient and eager, I turned to the drying rack, grabbed two of the pans, and turned to hand them to him. “Here are the pans—oops!” I smacked him right in the chest with them. “Sorry! Did that hurt?” My face burned.

  He grinned. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.” He took the pans and walked off.

  Oh God.

  I tried to slow myself down so I could be mindful of what I was doing and not get too carried away with trying to be the fastest washer upper ever.

  One step at a time, Tamara, one step at a time.

  Toward the end of my shift, I thankfully had not had any more collisions with Leo or other staff members, had not broken anything, and had not slipped and fallen.

  “Ten bucks says you can’t catch that olive in your mouth, Sam,” said Emilia, when the restaurant had quietened down a little.

  “Ten bucks says I can and I will.” He took an olive and held it in front of him.

  “But you have to toss it high. You in for the bet too, Lachlan, Leo?” she asked. “Tamara?”

  I shook my head. Sure, use some of my first night’s wages on a bet.

  The guys shook their head too. “I’m not a gambling man,” said Leo.

  Sam tossed the olive high, then moved slightly to the left, and caught it in his mouth. He raised his arms in victory.

  “No!” Emilia stamped her foot. “Damn it.” She sighed and went to the office and returned with her purse. “Here you go,” she handed him a ten. Then her brow furrowed. “That’s weird. I’m sure I had more cash in here.” She rummaged in her purse, then got her bag and rummaged in that.

  “Placing too many bets and then forgetting about them?” asked Leo.

  “No. I never forget anything. I had fifty in here, and now it’s gone.” She looked up at the ceiling. “I definitely had it when I went to the café today, and then I’m pretty sure it was there when I bought some stuff at the pharmacy, but then I got a magazine at the newsstand and got distracted by some little brat running around my ankles and up and down the store and making lots of noise.” She scrunched up her face.

  “The guy at the newsstand said he’s had some thefts,” I said.

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, I noticed the new security camera they installed when I walked past on my way here,” said Lachlan.

  “Damn idiot. It’s not like I have heaps of money to throw around, geez. I needed that.”

  “Here.” Sam handed back the ten.

  “Oh, don’t
worry. A bet is a bet.” She waved her hand.

  “No, take it.” Sam shoved it in her purse.

  “Well, thanks. Sorry.” She put the bag on her shoulder like she didn’t plan on it leaving her sight.

  When Lachlan finished his shift and left, and Sam and Leo huddled near the ingredients shelf discussing things for the next day’s meals, Emilia came up to me in the office where I was getting my bag to go home. “Hmm. Unless someone here took my cash,” she said quietly.

  She didn’t mean me, did she? I raised my eyebrows.

  She cocked her head toward the two chefs. “Think about it. Both parents gone, having to provide for his younger brother all on his own. It’s possible.” She shrugged.

  “Leo?” I whispered. No way.

  “Well it wouldn’t be Sam; he’s loaded. And it wouldn’t be Lachlan. He wouldn’t steal to save his life. And I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t want to start off your new job by stealing from a colleague, right?” She flashed a brief smile and gave me a friendly nudge.

  “But Leo? I don’t think he’s that type of person.” I said.

  “How well do you know him?”

  I shrugged. “He’s just my neighbor.”

  “I’ve known him a while,” Emilia said. “Nice guy, and cute. But he can get moody sometimes. I think he’s under more pressure than he shows.” She cast a glance in his direction. “Besides, he’s good with his hands.” She shrugged and walked out. “See you tomorrow, peoples!”

  I stood there, dumbfounded. It couldn’t be him. She was just paranoid. It had to be someone at the newsstand, or maybe she dropped it while paying for something. I’d done that before. And what did she mean, Leo was good with his hands? Did she mean because he’s a chef and works with hands and could be good at lifting the odd thing from people’s bags or pockets? Or did she mean good with his hands in other ways? Just how well did she know him?

  Chapter 7

  “Thanks for the lift home.” Leo parked his car in front of my house. Mom was supposed to pick me up from work so I didn’t have to walk home alone at night, but since Leo was finishing up anyway, he offered to drive me. He said he could do it most nights if we finished around the same time. “You could have just parked at your place, you know. I wouldn’t have minded walking the long distance across the road.” I smiled.

  A small laugh slipped between his lips. “It’s no problem. I don’t mind having to drive the extra long distance home.”

  I exchanged a brief glance with him as I thanked him again and got out of the car. I seriously hoped he wasn’t the thief. There was something mysterious about him, the way his eyes seemed so deeply complex and troubled. His eyebrows curved above them like canopies, shading them from the grief they’d witnessed. The grief I knew more about than he realized.

  We’d both lost our fathers. But I knew the truth about what had happened to his, and he didn’t. Telling him would mean revealing the Delta Girls’ secret, and I didn’t know him well enough. It would be up to Riley to decide when to share the truth with his brother.

  I opened the door to a blast of warmth from the house. Mom shot up from the couch. “How was it? Did you get to watch them cook? Are the staff nice?”

  “Good. A bit. And yes.” I nodded. “I’m a bit tired though. And hungry. I got to have a break, but forgot to bring a snack and didn’t want to ask for some of their food.”

  “Oh no. I knew you should have eaten more before you left.” Mom scurried off to the kitchen, and I followed.

  “I couldn’t; I was too nervous to eat then.”

  She handed me some leftover dinner from the microwave. “I heard the car outside and thought you might be hungry, so I popped it in for you.”

  “Thanks, Mom.” I took the bowl to the dining table and devoured the food in it.

  Sasha came out from her room. “Did you happen to check the restaurant reservations while you were there?” She twirled her hair and smiled.

  “No, why?”

  “Jordan made a reservation there for Valentine’s Day next week!” She sat down in the chair next to mine. “He said it was supposed to be a surprise, but after what happened to me the last time I was supposed to be taken out to dinner, he thought I wouldn’t want any surprises. So make sure you wave to me from the kitchen!”

  “That’s so nice of him. You two are like an old married couple now.”

  “Pfft! Old? You’re older than me.”

  “Not by much.”

  “Enough for me to hold it over you the rest of our lives.”

  I gave her a gentle punch in the shoulder.

  “Tamara, shower’s free now if you want it,” Savvy called from the hallway. “I’d come out and ask how your first day went, but I’m kind of naked.”

  “Agh! My eyes, my eyes!” I covered them. “I’ll hop in it in five minutes, after I’ve finished eating this.”

  “Then can I have mine?” Talia came out into the living room. “Five minutes. Ten at the most.”

  “Okay, but don’t go into a trance and forget, and stay in there for half an hour and use up all the hot water.”

  “I won’t. Did you enjoy working with Leo?”

  “It was interesting. Now go! Shoo! I don’t want to fall asleep before I get a chance to take my shower.” The endless battles of having a single bathroom in a household of six females. It took more strategy than a game of chess. “Where’s Serena?”

  “She should be back any minute. Mr. Jameson’s driving her home,” said Mom. “She’s been working on some assignment with Damon.”

  “Assignment schmignment. They were probably cuddling in front of the TV.” Then again, they were probably cuddling in front of their laptops. I’d be happy to have a cuddle in front of anything. “Oh hey, just a heads up… keep your valuables close to you. There’ve been some thefts around town.”

  “What sort of thefts?” Mom asked.

  “Not sure, mainly money and stuff from shops I think. Nothing big, but I thought you should know.”

  “I’d be happy for them to steal my bills and pay them for me.” Mom giggled.

  “They could do my homework too, while they’re at it,” said Sasha.

  “I second that.”

  I finished my meal and placed the bowl in the dishwasher. “You know, we really should set up a system in here, Mom, for making things more efficient. They have systems and laminated charts and stuff at Harborside.”

  “Do they now?” she kissed me on the cheek. “I’ll leave that one to you, sweetheart. My system is doing as much as I can whenever I can, and when in doubt or under stress, always—”

  “Give the dishes a thorough hand cleaning, I know.” I laughed. “And pretty soon I’ll be an expert washer, so I might even be able to release your stress for you.”

  She gave me a hug then said, “Anyway, I’m off to bed. Got a busy day of clients tomorrow. Need my beauty sleep, not that I’m sure it’s working.” She frowned and massaged her cheeks. “Getting older, I am. It sucks.”

  “Mom, you haven’t aged a day since, since I don’t know, ages.”

  “Nice of you to say, but I see the truth. Anyway, life is a blessing; I have nothing to complain about.” She wandered off.

  “Oh that reminds me, I have to put my Valentine’s date in my blessings journal,” said Sasha, and she wandered off too.

  I walked to the window and discreetly slid the drapes aside. The living room light was on in Leo and Riley’s house. I wondered what Leo did to unwind after work. Watch TV? Read a book? Chill out with some music? Surf the Internet?

  Now that I’d said more than two words to him, he was no longer just the handsome older guy across the road who loved cooking like I did. He was a colleague, a kind of boss, and I hoped he would become my friend. That was a good place to start. But even though that would feel amazing, I couldn’t resist the temptation and desire that bubbled away inside me, the fantasy that one day, maybe we could be more than friends. It seemed too far out of reach. Surely he would prefer someone
older, like Emilia, but still, there was a faint glimmer of hope and possibility. And I’d just hold onto that. Hope, yes, but no expectations. I had learned not to expect things in life, because life never turns out the way you expect.

  As I went to my room to get ready for bed, I was reminded of how true that was when a metallic taste worked its way into my mouth. Hmm.

  I heard the shower stop. Then Talia said, “Ouch!” She came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her. “Shortest shower of my life. We have to connect. Come on.”

  I didn’t know what we would sense. I didn’t know what to expect. Like life, I just had to let it happen, and see what mysteries would unfold.

  Chapter 8

  “Let’s do this.” Savannah grasped my left hand, Serena my right. It didn’t seem to matter what order we were in the circle, but it had crossed my mind before that maybe we should start documenting where everyone was standing during each vision, so we could look back and see if it made any difference to the clarity or accuracy of the visions.

  After a few moments, the metallic taste in my mouth intensified. It tasted like something silvery—cold, crisp, and shiny. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it definitely wasn’t something edible, more like a symbolic representation of something. Then it deepened and became sort of gritty. Like a chocolate that has a smooth outer coating and then a crunchy center. Except it didn’t taste like chocolate.

  But… hang on… now I could taste chocolate. It wasn’t the mousse this time. But it tasted familiar. It was hard to judge exactly what it was when I didn’t have the additional senses of smell and touch. A lot of what people taste is from the aroma of a food, and the texture, but I had neither. Just pure taste, which somehow gave me certain ideas about what the texture would be. I could taste variations of chocolate, so it wasn’t just a plain old block of milk chocolate, but a combination of different sorts, which made me think it was a cake. I swirled my tongue around, and then it deepened into a sweeter chocolate taste, and I knew where I had tasted it before.

  I opened my eyes. So did my sisters. “I tasted my chocolate ganache cake!” I said.