First Class Menu by Aj Harmon, Christopher Harmon Read Free Book Online Page A

went and took a long hot shower and then dressed herself in flannel
pajama bottoms and an old sweatshirt. Her long auburn hair was knotted on the
top of her head and without any makeup on, she wandered through to her kitchen
to make dinner.
    Searing the steak on a griddle pan, along with onions and
mushrooms in a red wine sauce, was her preferred way to eat meat. She was
definitely a carnivore and could live without bread or chocolate as long as
there was red meat to be had. Her love of meat came from Trevor, her foster
dad. Many evenings were spent grilling in the backyard; hotdogs, hamburgers,
chicken, steak…it didn’t matter. Lindsey loved the smell and the sound of it
searing on the grill and eating is was just heavenly. It’s not a surprise she
became a chef when she grew up. She had spent thousands of hours in the kitchen
with Trudy learning how to make everything from cupcakes from a cake mix to
chicken cordon bleu and everything in between.
    Lindsey tossed some greens with a balsamic vinaigrette and
set the table with a placemat and napkin and a tall glass of ice water. She let
the steak rest for a few minutes and then sat down and ate as she listened to
the hum of the city on a Friday night. Then she clicked on the television, found
an old Doris Day and Rock Hudson movie and fell asleep on the couch before ten
o’clock.
    *****
    Saturday morning Lindsey arrived at The Bourbon ready to put
in a full day of work. She didn’t have anywhere else to be and there was always work to be done, even on a Saturday… especially on a Saturday. The
kitchen staff wasn’t at all surprised to see her and Gary took the opportunity
to have her approve the hors d'oeuvre menu for the Atherton Gallery opening the
following week.
    As Lindsey read through the list, she again felt a little
peeved that David had called Aaron and not her. There really wasn’t any
validity in her feelings…she knew she was being ridiculous, but she felt what
she felt and accepted it. She liked him. Not in a middle school crush kind of
way, but as an adult woman who didn’t have much interaction with adult men
outside of the restaurant business. He was extremely pleasing to look at; tall,
dark and handsome. He had beautiful blue eyes and a crooked smile that showed
his perfectly straight white teeth. She enjoyed looking at him.
    Her thoughts were interrupted when Gary asked if there was
something wrong with his menu choices. Lindsey blushed, embarrassed at her mind
wandering off while her sous chef stood right beside her talking about work.
She told him it all looked great. He walked away and left Lindsey alone with
her thoughts of David.
    Taking over the cooking class had not been something she had
been excited about, but when she saw David in the class, her pulse had
quickened and the idea of spending every Thursday night with him had been a
bonus she hadn’t counted on. When he’d asked her out she’d been inwardly
crushed that she’d had to say no. It wouldn’t be ethical to date one of her
students, even if the class was just an adult continuing education class that
didn’t receive credit and only cost a few hundred bucks. She needed to maintain
a professional relationship with all the students, not just David.
    Lindsey stood in the kitchen in the early afternoon making
bleu cheese dressing and parmesan crisps. Carving grape tomatoes into miniature
tulips came next and by the time one of the line cooks arrived for the salad
prep, Lindsey had completed most of it. She excused herself from the kitchen
and headed to the front of the house to survey preparations for the evening
rush. Saturday evenings were always busy and she had hired an excellent crew to
maintain the high standard of the restaurant. As usual, all was in order and
she wasn’t needed. Aaron told her to go home, she’d earned it.
    Walking home while the sun was still up was something she
was still getting used to. Over the years she had worked harder than anyone
else to get to