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Ti Me?” He pulls away the collar of his shirt and points his knife at a tattoo of a star on the curve of his shoulder “I earned this”

Alex chuckles “Don’t mind Tima He can be overdramatic”

I take an i to the cook “It’s a pleasure toyour food”

“The pleasure is all mine, Miss Morell”

“Please,” I say, “call me Kate”

“Only if you’ll calla carrot down thespecial? You ask Ti you want”

His enthusiasm makes me smile “I appreciate that”

Putting a hand on

“Do all of your staffhis touch

He steers me into a pantry the size of my studio apartment back in New York “I insist that they take lessons It’s good to have language skills But I can’t take credit for teaching Tih-end restaurant before he calish was co with the clientele”

Fragrances of dill and tarragon infiltrate s fro “Aren’t chefs normally bound to the kitchen?”

“In those kinds of restaurants, chefs are often called to the table to be paid a cohest honor a diner can bestow on a chef It will reflect negatively on the restaurant owner if a chef isn’t able to thank an ie”

“That’s a bit harsh” I duck to pass underneath a bouquet of parsley hanging upside-down from the beam “Does that lots like you?”

He acknowledges the unintended colish”

I look around the well-stocked space The shelves are filled with jars of preserved fruit, pickled vegetables, and honey A cured ha block Baskets filled with fresh fruit and vegetables hang on hooks froer one on the floor overfloith bread rolls