Chapter 11

CHAPTERELEVEN

I never knew a heart could actually break.

Until tonight, when mine did.

~ Chloé

“THESE ARE ALL excellent choices, mon ange…”

Chloé watched on eagerly as her père popped a perfectly seared scallop in his mouth. It was Saturday morning, and she’d come in early to prepare the four main dishes she was thinking about serving for her menu, to see if he had any sage words of advice for her.

Right now, she was having a difficult time deciding, and until she nailed down that main dish, there was no way she could construct the rest of the menu. The main was the star, and once she had that, she could plan the opening and closing.

“But which one do you like best?”

He glanced at her as he put the fork down and looked over each dish. She could see his brilliant brain working behind his serious jade eyes, and just when she thought she’d die from his silent contemplation, he shrugged.

“I can’t tell you that, bichette.”

He can’ttell me?

“What do you mean you can’t tell me? You know which one tastes the best. You have one of the most discerning palates in the world.”

“Oui, that’s true.” He picked up a napkin and dabbed at his mouth as he stepped around the station and put an arm around her shoulders. “But I’m not the one making the decisions this time. You are. It’s your palate that is going to be on display. That’s going to guide this experience for others. You need to show us what you think tastes the best. What works cohesively together. What forms a perfect dish.”

Chloé shook her head. “No pressure.”

“Au contraire. All the pressure. But that’s part of being the best. It’s part of running an internationally renowned restaurant.” He pulled her in and whispered by her hair, “It’s also something I know you can do.”

“Merci, Papounet.”She let out a sigh and wrapped her arms around his waist. His faith in her meant more than he would ever know. But at the same time, she knew she wasn’t quite there yet with any of these dishes.

They were good, but they weren’t great—and she wouldn’t settle for mediocre.

“I think I need to tweak them a little still. I feel they’re missing something. I’m just not putting my finger on it yet.”

“If that’s what your gut is telling you…”

Chloé pulled away and narrowed her eyes on him. “Is it what your gut is telling you?”

A grin tugged at his lips, causing one of his dimples to flash at her. “My gut isn’t the one making the decisions.”

He picked up the scallop dish and walked toward the kitchen doors. When he reached them, he glanced over his shoulder. “We can’t leave your dad out of this little taste test. He’d never forgive us.”

Chloé hurried over and eyed the scallops. “So was this your favorite?”

“Nice try. You know as well as I do your dad is crazy about scallops.”

“Especially when wrapped in bacon.”

Pèrechuckled as they continued on down the hall to her dad’s office. As they got closer, the sound of bright, bubbly pop music filtered out the door, and Chloé couldn’t help but smile.

No matter how stressed or in her head she might be about something, she could always count on her dad to make everything feel better. He was such a positive force of nature, one who always had a way of making everything in the world seem that much brighter.

Pèreopened the door, and as they stepped inside, the song hit a particularly high note, and Dad closed his eyes and had the hand out moving up and up and up with each octave.

Really, the performance here was on a whole other level.

“Princesse?” Père’s voice must’ve somehow made it through a pause in the beat, because her dad’s eyes opened and focused on the two of them. “While we hate to interrupt your dress rehearsal for your upcoming tour—”

“Very funny, Jules.”

“Our daughter has created something I think you might want to try.” Père walked around the desk and slid the plate across it.

Dad looked at the dish, his eyes brightening. “Scallops?”

“Roasted Maine scallops.”

“My favorite.” He took the fork from Père and dug in. When he slipped the first bite into his mouth, the expression on his face made Chloé’s indecision even greater.

“Oh my God. Chloé,” he said, bringing his fingers up to cover his mouth. “This is delicious.”

“You think?”

He finished off his mouthful and nodded. “Mhmm. What’s in this?”

“It’s an onion soubise, peas, and wild mushrooms.”

“Wow.” He took another bite and then another, and when she turned her attention back to her père and saw pleasure sparking in his eyes, she felt her heart swell with pride.

Ethan and Zayne were right. It didn’t matter how this test or evaluation went—her fathers were already proud of her. This was about furthering her career, showcasing what she could do, and knowing that—nothing was going to hold her back.

Dad’s cell phone lit up on the desk, displaying his parents’ number.

“Ah, it’s your nonna and pop.” He smiled and hit answer, and Chloé decided to stick around so she could say hi.

“Hey Ma, how are— Ma? Calm down. I can’t— Ma, what’s wrong?”

Dad’s smile from seconds ago vanished. He fell silent and listened to the phone.

“Ma? I need you to slow down a little. I still can’t— He what?” Dad’s face went ashen, as whatever Nonna was trying to tell him finally got through. But all Chloé could hear were sobs on the other end.

Pèrecrouched down by Dad’s seat and placed a hand on his arm, and a very distinct ringing sound began in Chloé’s ears.

“I don’t understand. When?” Dad shook his head as though what he was being told made no sense, as a tear escaped and rolled down his cheek. “Who’s there right now?”

Another pause.

More crying.

Then—

“I’m coming up there.” Dad shoved to his feet. “No, Ma. I’m not leaving you alone. I’m coming up there now, tonight.”

He looked to Père who immediately nodded, no questions asked. It was clear something was very wrong, something to do with her pop.

“You sit tight and don’t worry.” Dad sniffed and swiped at the tear on his cheek. “Everything is going to be fine. I’ll leave now and be there as soon as I can.” More talking, more muffled cries. “I love you, Ma. He’s going to be fine. Call me if you need anything or hear anything else.” He nodded. “I know. Julien or Priest will drive. We’ll be careful. See you soon.”

He ended the call and lowered his arm, his eyes wide and glassy as he turned to Père.

“Pa just had a heart attack. He’s been rushed to the hospital.”

“Oh, princesse.” Père drew him into his arms. “I’m so sorry.”

Dad buried his face in Père’s neck and burrowed into him, and Chloé looked at the two of them and mouthed, Go.

Pèrestroked a hand down Dad’s back as quiet sobs started to fill the air. “Are you sure?”

Chloé’s own emotions were starting to get the best of her as she watched her dad slowly fall apart, and she knew the one thing she could do for them right now was look after this place so her père and papa could look after him.

“Of course. No question. You and Papa need to go with him.” She came around the desk and wrapped her arms around them both. “Go—he needs to be with Nonna.”

Pèrenodded and kissed her on the forehead. “We’ll call you as soon as we hear anything.”

“I know.”

Dad didn’t say anything as Père led him to the door, and Père looked back at her. “On t’aime.”

“Je vous aime aussi.”

As they disappeared, Chloé collapsed onto the desk. Her heart was racing, her head spinning, and as everything that had just happened started to sink in, it felt like she couldn’t breathe.

She closed her eyes and tried counting back from ten, and when that didn’t work, she reached for her phone, knowing the one thing that would calm her.

She hit the number and closed her eyes.

When she heard, “Hey there, Red. How you doing?” she finally took another breath.

* * *

“RED?”

WHEN CHLOÉ didn’t immediately answer, Zayne got up off the couch in their office at the club, and clicked his fingers at Ethan to get his attention. Something wasn’t right. “Chloé? Are you there?”

Ethan tossed his pen on the desk and sat back in his chair, a frown marring his forehead.

“Yes,” Chloé finally said, but her voice sounded different. Quiet, shaky…sad.

“Are you okay? You sound upset.”

Ethan sat up at that, and Zayne held a finger up and put her on speaker.

“Ethan’s here too, Red.”

“Chloé?” Ethan said. “Where are you? Are you hurt in any way?”

“I’m okay,” she finally said, though her voice was still shaking as though she were about to start crying—or had just stopped. “It’s not me.”

It’s not her? Zayne mouthed to Ethan, who shrugged.

“Is it one of your fathers?” Zayne asked. “Are you at the restaurant?”

“Yes, I’m at JULIEN and they’re fine, but my pop… My dad’s dad.” She sniffed. “He had a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital.”

Ethan got to his feet then, and both of them headed for the door.

“Chloé, we’re so sorry to hear that. Do you know anything more than that?”

“No.” Her voice shook. “We just got the call a couple of minutes ago. My dad, he… He and my père are going to get Papa and drive up there now.”

“There?” Zayne asked as they made their way through the main floor of the club. “Where is there?”

“Oshkosh. They live in Oshkosh.”

Okay, so a good three hours away from them.

“Chloé?” Ethan said as they reached the foyer. “Do you want us to take you up there to see him?”

“No, I, uh, I have to stay,” she said, and Zayne could imagine her nodding. “I said I would stay and look after the restaurant so Dad could go. So they could all go with him.”

Of course she’d done that. She had such a big heart, and even though it was breaking right now, she was busy thinking of others.

Zayne looked at Ethan and covered the phone. “What do you want to do?”

“Tell her we’re coming over there, right now.”

Zayne nodded. “Okay, this is what we’re going to do. Ethan and I are heading your way—”

“No, you don’t have to do that.”

“Chloé.” Ethan looked down at the phone in Zayne’s hand as though she could see him through it.

“Yes.”

“We’re coming. We’re going to spend the day and evening over there with you. However long you need. But you’re not spending it alone.”

“Okay,” she said, her voice soft but much steadier now.

“Is Justin on shift with you tonight?”

Oh shit, Zayne hadn’t even thought of that.

“No, um, he’s got tests to grade and— Oh God, I need to call Justin.”

“You can do that when we get there.” Ethan’s tone was strong and steady, the exact kind of rock you needed in a moment like this. “We’re walking out the door and will be there in less than ten minutes. Right now, just stay where you are—where is that?”

“My…my dad’s office.”

“All right, stay there. We love you.”

Ethan gave a clipped nod as he yanked open the front door and stepped outside. As he gestured for the valet to bring their car, Zayne brought the phone up to his ear.

“I’m going to stay on the phone with you until we get to the restaurant, okay?”

“Okay.”

Zayne gripped the phone a little tighter as Ethan opened the door to the SUV for him to climb in. “We’re coming, Red.”

* * *

ETHAN WASN’T SURE how she did it, but Chloé somehow managed to not only run JULIEN like the well-oiled machine it usually was, she also cooked, commanded, and soldiered on through what had to be one of the most stressful nights of her life.

When they’d arrived at the restaurant hours earlier, they’d found her just as she’d described, sitting in her dad’s office, with her legs curled up against her chest and her arms wrapped around her knees.

Her eyes had been red from crying, her face pale from the news, but by the time they reached her, she’d stopped with the tears and was merely staring at her phone as though willing it to ring.

He understood that kind of desire to know the bad news even if you were aware it would break you, because sometimes not knowing was a million times worse. But there was no way she’d been going to find out anything that quickly. Oshkosh was almost three hours away, and her fathers would’ve still been on the road.

So, they’d gotten her up and asked her what she needed, and it turned out their being there was pretty much it. Next, she’d called up Justin and told him what she knew, and he’d been in his car five minutes later.

Now, as they closed down for the night, Ethan sat with Zayne in one of the booths of the lounge area and watched as the staff went about clearing up the place.

She’d done it. It was amazing what the mind could accomplish even under great stress, and tonight Chloé had shown exactly what she was made of.

The last of the customers had left around ten minutes ago, and it appeared that this Saturday night crowd had gone home satisfied, all thanks to the grit and determination of one incredible lady.

“Hey guys.” Justin came up to where they were seated with two glasses of scotch and slid them on the table. “Scotch works for you two, right?”

“Always.” Ethan reached for his wallet, but Justin shook his head.

“Don’t even think about giving me your money tonight, not when the two of you have been sitting at this restaurant for over eight hours keeping an eye on my sister.”

Zayne reached for one of the glasses and brought it to his lips. “Wouldn’t be anywhere else, not tonight.”

“I get that. But still, it’s appreciated.”

“We love her,” Ethan said, simple as that.

“I see that. She should be winding down in the kitchens now if you want to head back. I’m sure she’d prefer to see your faces over mine right now.”

They slid out of the booth and got to their feet, and Ethan picked up the scotch and downed it in one quick swig. The strong, fiery liquid was exactly what he needed after sitting there all night worrying about the woman out in the back kitchen.

He placed the glass on Justin’s tray and nodded. “You two are lucky to have each other. Especially in moments like this.”

“Agreed. I always feel lucky to have Chloé in my life. I have since the moment she charged into it. The hard times are always easier to deal with when you have people you love around you. Go,” Justin said, and gestured toward the back hallway. “I’m going to close up out here. Then I’ll come back and see her before you take her home.”

Ethan nodded and walked with Zayne out to the kitchens. They were empty now, the prep stations cleaned, the appliances off and the floors swept, and the dishwasher whirring away was the only sound in the room as Chloé stood with her back to them and her hands braced on one of the counters.

This was not good.

She was using the bench to prop herself up as though her legs might give out from under her at any second. As they got closer, Ethan saw one hand gripping the counter and the other clutched tight around her phone.

“Red?” Zayne’s voice was tentative, his senses telling him the exact same thing Ethan’s were, as Chloé raised her head and looked over her shoulder.

Her eyes were red-rimmed once more, her skin ghostly and ashen. But instead of shock, deep-set lines of grief marred her features now—Ethan would recognize them anywhere.

“He died.” She blinked, a lone tear escaping to roll down her cheek. “Pop just passed away.”