Chapter 36

I woke up to an empty bed and no sign of anyone else in the room. After showering and dressing for work, I came into the kitchen and found Dean, also dressed and putting the finishing touches on breakfast. He'd gone all out, putting together a far more elaborate meal than his norm on a workday: eggs Benedict, crepes stuffed with strawberries and sweetened cream cheese, and bacon quiche Lorraine.

"Dude, this is quite a spread! How long have you been up?" I asked as he set a full plate in front of me.

He shrugged while taking a seat beside me. "Dunno, a few hours I guess. Couldn't really sleep well last night."

"Excited about the big day?"

"More like scared shitless, man! What if people hate the food? Ellen put so much work into the renovations, but that ain't gonna mean squat if no one likes the fucking menu," he replied miserably.

I once again cursed both his jackass father and the institutionalized oppression of omegas for smothering this wonderful, talented man's self-esteem. "Stop worrying so much, Dee. Everyone who's tried your cooking loves it, remember? The reopening is going to be a huge success, and that will in large part be due to you!"

Dean's heat had ended up lasting a total of four days, and we both stayed home for a fifth day to rest. Since then, he'd thrown himself wholeheartedly into the remaining preparations for the restaurant launch less than two weeks away. This included finalizing shift schedules for the kitchen, training his staff on the recipes, and ordering any remaining supplies. This was the first time I'd seen him succumb to his nerves in a while though.

"I hope you're right, Sammy. I don't wanna let Ellen and the others down," he said.

I put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "You're going to do great, baby. I think half my firm alone is planning to go there this weekend!"

Dean had been bringing meals home for the past week, after training his employees each day on various dishes. I'd then taken samples to work and left them out in the lunch rooms, along with flyers for the restaurant. I fielded loads of questions and heard from multiple coworkers that they planned to attend the reopening. In addition, I'd left flyers at several businesses nearby, including the café and bookstore downstairs.

I finished eating and put my plate in the sink, then grabbed my lunch sack and wrapped an arm around his waist. "I've got to get going. You're heading over at your usual time, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah, there's a lot to get ready even with the later start, so it's still all hands on deck today."

Harvelle's new hours were from eleven in the morning to eleven at night, with the bar section staying open a couple hours longer. For today's grand inauguration, however, the doors wouldn't open until six this evening for the dinner crowd. To ensure everything went smoothly though, even staff from earlier shifts were putting in hours to help with the preparations.

"I should be over a little after six. You'll do awesome tonight!" I gave him an encouraging kiss and left.

The day passed pretty quickly. A few people stopped by my office at various times to inquire about the opening. When five-thirty rolled around, several of us piled into cars and made our way to the restaurant. I stopped by the apartment first to pick up Bobby before heading over.

This was my first time seeing Harvelle's in a number of weeks. The exterior now boasted a brick façade, carved wooden double doors, an elegant metal sign above the doors, and a row of large picture windows. Inside was a small wood-paneled lobby that had a marble-clad host station and leather benches for waiting customers, which were already packed. The bar was to our left and the main dining room to our right.

The drinking area was much smaller than before, with a long, wood and brass bar along the partition wall and the rest of the floor filled with square high top tables and stools, except in the back where there were still a couple of pool tables and a dart board. Most of the tables were already occupied, with even more people lined up at the counter. Eli, one of Benny's nest mates—who they both swore weren't related despite the uncanny resemblance—was dispensing drinks while a couple of servers moved around the tables.

Like most restaurants in the community, the dining area was divided into two rooms—one for the general public and one for members. From the lobby, we could see into the larger public dining room. Spacious booths lined the walls, while square and rectangular tables were arranged around the large stone planter in the center of the room. From what I understood, the other dining room was set up in a similar fashion. As in the bar area, the dining rooms were already fairly busy despite the restaurant having been open for less than an hour, with diners seated at most of the tables and servers bustling around to take care of them.

The restaurant was decorated similarly to the original bar in what Ash had dubbed a "hunter-chic" aesthetic. Replicas of antique and exotic weapons, stylized depictions of wards and other occult symbols, and representations of supernatural creatures in various media—drawings, paintings, masks, statuettes, and more—were displayed on the walls, the plinths at the ends of the booth dividers, and even on the servers' uniforms, while the planters were filled with herbs and shrubs known to have protective or healing properties. Fine materials were evident throughout the décor, from the polished hardwood of the floors, paneling, and furniture and the gleaming brass of the light fixtures and hardware to the smooth leather upholstery of the benches and chairs and the soft linens of the tablecloths and napkins.

Jo smiled at us brightly from the host station, looking elegant in a black cocktail dress and upswept hairdo. "Hey there, Sam, Bobby! Good to see you tonight! We've got your table ready for you."

"The place sure is hopping," Bobby commented. "Your momma must be thrilled!"

"We all are, especially after how much work Mom put into this place. I have to admit, I put up flyers all over my school and gave samples of the food to my friends, some of whose parents put up the flyers at their businesses. A lot of the staff has been doing what they can to spread word of mouth," she said.

"I've done the same at my firm and some of the shops in my area," I added. "The wife of one of my co-workers told me she even dropped a word to people she knows who write for the food sections of local newspapers and magazines, and she thinks a couple of them may stop by tonight."

"Wow, that would be great if they do! Let me take you back. Is the rest of your party coming soon?" Jo grabbed several menus and began leading us through the main dining room.

"They should be here shortly. Lenore left at the same time I did to go home and get Charlie and Benny," I replied as we followed her into the smaller members-only room.

She brought us to a table near the fragrant planter and handed out the menus after we were seated. "Your server tonight will be Marlene. I'll let Mom and of course Dean know that you're here."

She left with a wave, and I took a look around the room. I recognized several people from work and our apartment building, as well as other friends. Crowley was seated at nearby table with Rowena and two young witches who worked at her shop, Jamie and Jennie Plum. Jack Montgomery and his wife Michelle were sharing a booth with David Lassiter and his sister Margo. I smiled to see Meg and Ruby sitting and talking together quite amiably, while Garth and several members of his pack had invited Kate and her sister Tasha to join them at their large table.

Marlene, a vetala who'd worked for Ellen for years, came up to our table a few minutes later. "Glad to see you here tonight, Sam! Hope you're excited as we are! Who's your friend?"

"Hi Marlene. This is Bobby, Dean's foster father. He's been visiting with us for a couple weeks," I explained.

"Oh yeah, Dean and Ellen have both talked about him. Nice to meet you, sir. Any family of Dean's is good in my books. And the boss lady seems to think pretty highly of you too." She pulled her order pad out of her apron pocket. "So can I start you off with something to drink?"

I grinned as Bobby's face turned pink at the mention of Ellen. Dean and I had arranged for the Harvelles to visit our place a few days after we'd recovered from the heat so that they and Bobby could catch up. Ever since, the old hunter looked for any excuse to call or visit the restaurant and yet seemed oddly flustered whenever Ellen was brought up. Both Dean and I of course were highly amused.

"Shuddup, ya idjit!" Bobby growled, and then glanced up at Marlene. "A coupla El Sols will be fine, miss."

"Alright. I'll bring those and then give you some time to look over the menu and for the rest of your party to join you." She put her pad away and left.

Lenore, Benny, and Charlie arrived at the same time as our drinks, and they asked for a Bloody Mary, another El Sol, and a Sex on the Beach respectively. Marlene brought the additional drinks fairly quickly and then left again to allow us to review the menus.

Charlie looked around the dining room excitedly. "I love that Ellen kept the hunter theme from before and snazzed everything up! And this place is already bursting at the seams—there are people with no reservations waiting outside 'cause the lobby is overflowing. How nervous was Dean earlier?"

"From what Sam told me, he was doubting himself as usual this morning. Sam did his best to encourage him, and I'm sure Ellen smacked some sense into him too when he got here," Bobby answered. "But the real proof in the pudding will be how well tonight goes. Then maybe the boy will finally believe he can do this."

"Well, with how hard Dean and everyone else has been working, I have no doubt tonight will be a spectacular success," Lenore said firmly.

When Marlene returned, we first requested oysters Rockefeller with shallots, garlic, and grated Romano cheese and fried dill pickle chips with Sriracha mayo sauce for the table. Bobby chose no-bean chili slow-cooked with brisket, bacon, beer, and dark chocolate, meatloaf with balsamic mushroom sauce, maple spiced baked beans, and jalapeno cheddar cornbread. Charlie went with a Caesar salad with sliced hardboiled eggs, red onion, and ciabatta croutons, baked three-cheese macaroni with leeks and sundried tomatoes, roasted broccoli with sliced almonds, garlic, and lemon zest, and tater tots with shallots, chives, and smoked paprika. I ordered a tossed Cobb salad with fennel, red onion, and crispy chicken skin in a warm bacon-mustard vinaigrette, grilled salmon glazed with honey, butter, lemon, garlic, and cilantro, roasted corn with smoky lime butter, and wild rice with porcini and cremini mushrooms. The two vampires were restricted to warmed glasses of A-positive, though Benny got his seasoned with Cajun spices and Lenore hers flavored with a port wine reduction.

While we waited for our meals, we caught up with one another, since I hadn't seen Benny or Charlie in nearly two weeks. Crowley joined us at one point for a few minutes, claiming he needed a break from the coven politicking going on at his table. I later wandered over to see how Kate and Tasha were getting on with Garth's family, since I knew the two girls had been in search of a new pack since moving to the city. I returned to my seat just as our main courses were served.

A few minutes after we'd started eating, Dean emerged from the kitchen and walked over to our table. "Hey guys! I'm taking a quick break to see how you're doing. Ellen thinks it's a good idea to come out and talk to some of the guests, and of course I wanna see you all specifically."

I smiled and reached a hand out to him, pleased that he didn't appear nervous or stressed. "Everything's been incredible so far, man. The restaurant looks amazing, and I'm thrilled to see how busy it is already. And the food is spectacular, as always. How are things going in the back of the house?"

He beamed and wrapped his fingers around mine. "Everything's awesome, Sammy! The whole crew's been busting their asses all day to get ready before the doors opened, and now everything's working like a well-oiled machine. Even the coupla problems that popped up got dealt with quick and easy. We got a great goddamn group back there!"

"Who have a kickass leader guiding them!" Charlie got up to give him an enthusiastic hug before sitting again. "We're seriously stoked to be here tonight, dude, and see you rocking it with your food. This mac 'n cheese is totally amazeballs!"

"Benny and I certainly appreciate having more options on the menu," Lenore added. "It means a lot that you took those of us with more . . . limited diets into account as well."

Dean shrugged modestly. "It didn't feel right to expect folks like you to come out here and pay good money to just get someone popping a blood pack into the fucking microwave—especially since the packs are coming from your blood bank! I'm glad you like what we came up with. Cooking for so many different kinda people is an interesting experience, I gotta say."

"Your community sure does take some getting used to. But I can't tell you how good it feels to see you fitting in here so well, son," Bobby observed. "The food ain't half-bad either!"

"I'll make sure to tell Ellen that was the best you could come up with." Dean glanced over his shoulder. "Speak of the devil . . ."

Ellen strode up, her demeanor both proud and anxious. "Sorry to interrupt, Dean, but there's a reporter here from one of the local rags, and she'd like to interview the head chef. She's in the main dining room, in the booth with the rakshasa statue."

"Sonofabitch! She wants to talk to me?" Dean flushed, his scent a bit distressed. "Uh, do I look okay?"

"You always look spectacular, honey. Now calm down and go kick it in the ass!" Ellen turned to us after he hurried away. "As for you, you old coot, c'mere!"

I smirked once she'd dragged Bobby off. "Ten bucks says she's carrying him off to swap spit in her office."

"That's a sucker bet there, chief." Benny leaned back and then grimaced. "I know werewolves are people too and all that happy horseshit, but watching 'em eat ain't for faint of heart!"

Charlie smacked his arm, and the rest of us laughed at his disgruntled expression. There was some good-natured heckling several minutes later when Bobby returned, looking rather dumbfounded. We continued to chat and enjoy our food until Marlene cleared away our plates and brought the dessert menus. To no one's surprise, the dessert offerings consisted almost entirely of different varieties of pie. Bobby picked strawberry-rhubarb, Charlie ordered Key lime, and I opted for apple pie a la mode. Benny asked for a glass of scotch, while Lenore limited herself to a cappuccino since she was driving.

After the server departed, I frowned when I noticed an unwelcome face being seated at the other end of the room. "Excuse me for a few minutes. There's a potential problem I have to go check out."

Benny glanced in the same direction and raised his brows. "Well, shit! D'ya think you'll need backup?"

"I should be okay, as long as he doesn't try to start any trouble. Even if he does, I trust Ellen is more than capable of throwing him out on his ass," I replied as I stood up.

"Alright, but you holler if you need us."

I nodded and stalked over to the other table. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Alastair offered his unsettling smile. "Hello there, Sam. Fancy meeting you here! This is a free city—at least if you're a true member of our lovely community. I have just as much right to come to this restaurant as any of these other fine diners."

"Cut the crap, Alastair. You've never been to Harvelle's before in all the years it's been open. So what's your angle now?" I demanded.

"I'm simply here to satisfy my curiosity," he answered amiably. "Heard a rumor you'd let your bitch off its leash. . . . even allowed it to have delusions of being a real person. I want to see for myself how well your little experiment is going, that's all. And maybe get the chance to lay my eyes on the pretty young thing in person, as it were, since I have yet to have the pleasure."

I growled angrily. "You stay away from him, you bastard! If you try to lay one finger on him—"

"Calm down, Sammy! Your prized pet is perfectly safe . . . here. I wouldn't dream of causing a scene in front of all these good, upstanding people and disturbing their meals. Surely you don't take me for some kind of fool now?" He met my eyes to make sure I got his meaning.

I gritted my teeth at the veiled threat. "Don't you have better things to do—such as investigating the complaints I filed against the Food Market?"

"Why would I waste precious resources on such petty charges? The Market provides vital and essential services to our community, after all. One minor infraction is hardly grounds to disrupt their activities with an investigation, particularly when we have more valuable uses for our time." He smirked as I glared at him.

"Now, I was troubled to hear that despite our earlier conversation, you've allowed a hunter to enter our city and roam about unchecked. And seeing as the man is right over there, you can't deny the allegations this time. I thought you were smarter than this, boy," the demon sneered.

I took a deep breath to get myself under control, though the other alpha's harsh scent made my nostrils flare. "And yet you prove yourself a fool once again. Things are never simply black or white, especially around here. You're in an establishment run by former hunters right now," I pointed out. "As I clearly stated in the report I gave several weeks ago—since we don't have anything to hide—Bobby Singer managed to find us entirely on his own, but Dean and I convinced him not to go after the community. He even agreed to have a geas laid on him to show he isn't a threat. So if this is some poor attempt to intimida—"

"Is there a problem here, Sam?"

I turned to see Jo behind me, her face concerned and her stance alert. "It's fine, Jo. This conversation is over anyway. Though if you could do me a favor, please send a message to the kitchen to recommend that Dean may not want to come in here until the trash is taken out."

Alastair stiffened at the insult, but I walked away before he could respond. Jo followed me while I went back to our table, where our desserts had shown up.

She waited until I resumed my seat before asking, "So who was that guy? A couple of the servers came up to me, since Mom is with Dean and that reporter, saying two alphas were having a faceoff in here!"

"That was Alastair, the head of the Security Commission. And the asshole who's already tried to kidnap Dean once," I replied grimly.

Lenore's lips curled back in a snarl. "Did he threaten you or Dean directly? Because if he did, he's going to have a second alpha—and a police officer—in his face!"

I shook my head. "Just the usual blustering and insinuation—he wants to rattle us, but I refuse to give him the satisfaction. We've already done as much as we can to ensure Dean's safety here and at home. I'm not letting fear of him control our lives . . . or ruin Dean's big day. So let's get back to our desserts!"

After we finished eating and paid our bill, the vampires and Charlie went home. Bobby wandered off, mumbling about checking if Ellen needed his help. I made my way into the kitchen, which was bursting with controlled chaos. I found a corner where I wouldn't be in the way and waited to be noticed.

In the center of the room was a huge island with separate stations for grilling, sautéing, baking, and other cooking needs. Along the walls, a large section was devoted to food preparation, including stations for washing, cutting, mixing sauces, preparing dough, and so on. There were also zones for washing and drying dishes, storage of food and equipment, and plating and organizing orders to go out to the dining rooms. Line cooks, prep cooks, dishwashers, porters, and servers moved around in their areas under the supervision of Dean and his sous chef.

Dean came over after a few minutes. "Hey babe, you finished with dinner?"

"Yes, and everything was fabulous." I slipped an arm around his waist and nuzzled behind his ear. "What color are you wearing tonight?"

"Quit it, you perv! I never woulda started wearing 'em if I'd known you'd become so obsessed with my damn underwear drawer," he retorted with a laugh. "How much longer are you staying?"

"I'm not sure—a couple more hours at least, unless Ellen gets tired of Bobby's pestering and throws him out on his ass earlier!" I answered.

"Alright, you can wait in the staff break room if you want, or in my office," he told me. "I'll come join you when my next break comes up."

"See you soon then." I headed out of the kitchen to make a bathroom stop before going into the employee area.

When I merged from the restroom, Meg was waiting outside. "Hi there, Sam. I wanted to catch you since Tall-and-Creepy showed up. Thought you might want to know that he was talking to Ruby earlier."

"He was? Why?"

She shrugged. "I didn't hear anything. I left to powder my nose and saw him at our table when I got back, but he walked away before I came up. She didn't look to happy about the conversation but wouldn't tell me about it. Maybe you can talk to her, find out if he's been hassling her or whatever."

"I'll do that. If that asshole is harassing Ruby to try to get to me, I'll make sure this complaint gets heard! Thanks for the heads up, Meg," I said.

She nodded and left. I continued on to the break room, which didn't look much different than the ones at my firm. There was a small kitchenette with a fridge, microwave, toaster, and coffee maker, several sets of small tables and chairs, and a sofa and couple of armchairs. I took an armchair and tooled around on my tablet for a while, then eventually dozed off.

I woke to a gentle shaking of my shoulder and realized someone had reclined the armchair and covered me with a throw blanket at some point. "Wha—what time is it? How long have I been asleep?"

Dean smiled down at me indulgently. "It's almost eleven, and you've been out for a coupla hours at least. I didn't wanna wake you when I first found you like this, so I just made you comfortable. Bobby took an Uber home a while ago so he can pack and turn in for his early flight tomorrow. Ellen's kicking me out now, since the dining rooms are closing down."

I sat up and rubbed my face. "Sorry about that. I guess we're heading home then. How did the rest of the evening go?"

"Really good, man. The dining rooms were pretty packed all night, and the bar's still full. No one sent anything back, and from what we heard, everyone left happy. I talked to the guests a few times—Ellen thinks putting a face to the person behind the food is a good idea—including a coupla other reporters and critics. We just hafta see if this keeps up or if tonight's just a fluke," he replied.

"This isn't a fluke, Dee. Everyone here, especially Ellen and you, has put their heart and soul into the success of this restaurant. All of that dedication is going to pay off." I stood and gave him a firm kiss.

He put his arms around me and leaned into my chest. "Hope you're right, Sammy."

I hugged him back. "You can do whatever you set your mind to, sweetheart. This is just the beginning!"