"Franky!" Emily always answered the brunette's calls the same way, as if she were shocked to see who appeared, even though she'd read the name on the screen before she'd answered.
"Hey, bub! Ooo what have you got there?" Franky saw the young girl's teddy bear sitting on the couch beside her.
"I put the banana on him." She held up the bear so that the brunette could see it.
"Looks good!" Franky held back a laugh, and saw Bridget do the same, at Emily's mispronunciation of the word.
"I put it on his arm like you." She held up his arm to make sure Franky saw it.
"That's awesome! He can be our team mascot!" The brunette could picture Emily and Bridget watching the show, with Emily holding the bear and cheering her on. "How was school today?"
"Good, we started learning about dinosaurs, and I picked out some books about them to read to Auntie Bridge." Emily moved closer to the screen. "Did you win today?"
"We didn't film today. If we do another challenge this week, it'll be either tomorrow or Friday." Franky was losing hope that there'd be another one this week since they'd already had one when they did the children's lunch service on Tuesday, and there was already a service scheduled tomorrow night.
She was also worried that until the black jackets were given out, the challenges, and therefore the rewards would all be team-based. If that was the case, then she wouldn't be seeing them for at least another couple of weeks, assuming she wasn't eliminated. She'd lucked out with the excuse that she didn't like boats the last time, but there were only so many times she could get out of them without making it look suspicious.
"Tell me what you learned about dinosaurs today." The brunette didn't want Emily to dwell on the fact she might not be coming home again this weekend.
"Some were really big. Bigger than a car! Some of them were really small, like animals we have now. And they laid eggs. Some ate meat, some ate plants, and some ate both. I have to make my favorite one out of clay and take it to school." Emily looked back at Bridget. "I need help with that. And clay."
"Sure. We can go pick up some on the weekend." The blonde was happy that Emily was excited over something that didn't depend on Franky coming home. Plus, it gave them something to do together on the weekend.
"Do you know which one you're going to make yet?" The brunette had an idea, and she was curious to see if she was right.
"Rex from Toy Story!"
"Nice!" Franky smiled. She'd been right. "Do you remember what kind of dinosaur he is?"
"Tyra...a T Rex!" Emily stumbled over the long word.
"Very good, a Tyrannosaurus Rex." The brunette tried to remind her of the word without making a big deal that she wasn't able to come up with it. "Is that why you picked the dinosaur pyjamas tonight?"
"Yeah!" Emily smiled, clearly pleased that Franky had noticed her choice and made the connection.
"Em." Bridget tapped her gently on the arm.
"I have to go because Auntie Bridge wants to talk to you alone about secret stuff." Emily put her face close to the screen. "I love you."
"I love you, too, bub." Franky said with a small laugh.
The brunette could see Bridget watching Emily walk down the hallway to her room, waiting until she was out of earshot. After a few seconds, the blonde turned her attention back to the screen, smiling.
"Is that what you told her? That we talk about secret stuff?" Franky asked with a half grin.
"No," Bridget said with a laugh. "I told her I wanted to talk to you alone. She made the connection to secrets on her own. I guess she doesn't totally understand privacy yet. I'm sure that will be a talk we'll have at some point."
"How do you explain that to a six year old? It's not like they want privacy for anything." Franky thought of all the times she'd walked into the bathroom thinking it was empty, but really Emily had just not bothered to close the door. Or, the times when the young girl would still be getting dressed on her way down the hallway in the morning.
"You'd be surprised. There are times when she goes to her room and shuts her door, so she gets it at least a bit." Bridget knew that the total understanding of the concept didn't come all at once; it was a process that happened as situations came up.
"Yeah, but like what's she doing in there?" The brunette couldn't think of anything.
The older woman shrugged. She knew from the child psychology courses she'd done in university what a few of the possibilities were, but she didn't feel it was something she needed to share with Franky at that moment, especially with Emily not really all that far away.
"How was your day, baby? You said you didn't film, did you have classes?" Bridget thought the brunette looked like she was ready to go to bed at any moment.
"It was okay. We did a couple interviews, so I guess we did technically film, it just wasn't a challenge or service." Franky sighed. "Those kinds of days are long though. You can't put on comfy clothes and relax because they keep calling you back to the interview room. You have free time in between, but you can't get into anything because you don't know when or if they'll want you for something else. I don't know...it's just boring as fuck."
The blonde could tell that the younger woman was agitated. She knew Franky hated sitting and doing nothing unless she was relaxing with either her or Emily. She was also someone who needed to get out of the house almost every day. Even if it was just a quick run to the corner store for milk, the brunette usually volunteered to go, especially if she'd been home all day.
"I know it's a boring place for someone like you. You've got too much energy to sit around there. You're doing so well though, baby. Just hang in there." Bridget didn't want the few down days to discourage her or distract her from the big picture. "I'll help you burn some of it off when you get home."
"The way I feel right now, that might take all night." The brunette gave her that sexy half grin again.
"I'm okay with that." The blonde shifted in her seat.
"Ugh, Gidge what is wrong with us?! We're like two teenagers. It hasn't even been two weeks since I was home." Franky laughed and heard Bridget do the same.
"I don't know, just don't make any plans for that first night home." The blonde glanced down the hallway on her way out to the patio.
She sat down in one of the lounge chairs that was facing away from the back of the house. She smiled at Franky as she let her fingertips brush over her breast. After she did it a second time, she could feel her nipple start to harden. The fabric of her singlet was thin, and she knew the brunette would be able to tell.
"Gidge," Franky said in a curious, but warning, tone. "What are you doing?"
Bridget shrugged. "We'll see how far we get, then I'll let you know."
Franky smiled and looked around to see if there was anyone else in the room with her at the moment, and saw no one.
"I can tell you're enjoying that." The brunette licked her bottom lip. "I bet you wish it were my hands on you instead of yours."
"Mmm, yes." Bridget let her head fall back against the cushion of the chair.
Franky watched as the blonde squeezed both of her breasts and pinched her right nipple.
"Are you wet, babe?" The younger woman saw a small grin flash across Bridget's face.
"Probably." The blonde knew the answer was closer to a 'yes', but she didn't want to make it too easy for the other woman.
"Check for me." Franky bit her bottom lip. "Nice and slow."
She watched as Bridget's hand slid out of view of the camera.
"Are you?" she asked a couple of seconds later when she saw the blonde's eyes flutter closed for an instant.
"Mhm." Bridget answered as she felt her fingertip slide smoothly over her clit then her folds.
"Keep going, nice and slow, back and forth." Franky could tell that the blonde's breathing was picking up.
"It feels really good." Bridget whispered. She was getting lost in the sensations of her own touch.
"How long has it been since you've done this?" The brunette knew that the older woman didn't usually take long to orgasm, but things seemed to be moving along fairly quickly at the moment.
"When I made the video for you." She stifled a quiet moan, not wanting to risk having Emily hear her.
"Oof, that's been a bit, huh, Gidge?" Franky smiled as they made eye contact through the screen. "Do you feel it already?"
"Yeah, I'm starting to." She closed her eyes again. "It feels warm, and nice."
"Good, that's good, babe." The only thing stopping the brunette from shoving her hand into her own pants was the knowledge that someone could walk in at any second with no notice. "Put your fingers inside."
Bridget squeezed her eyes shut, and bit her lip as she entered herself with two fingers. She preferred how Franky did it. The brunette had longer fingers, and when she was on top of the blonde, she could push in a bit deeper. Bridget was the smaller of the two, and she liked feeling Franky's weight on her; liked feeling the younger woman's muscles move as she held onto her.
"Shit." Bridget let her thumb brush over her clit and felt the warmth build a bit more inside her.
"Use a little more pressure, babe." Franky smiled when she heard the small moan that escaped the blonde's lips. "You're close now, I can tell."
"Mmm, yeah. It fee- it feels really good." It was getting harder for Bridget to concentrate on speaking.
"I like when you're close. I can feel you start to tense up, and I know that I'm about to make you come. I love knowing that I can make you feel that good. That's it, babe." Franky watched as Bridget's body tensed, then relaxed a few times, the blonde trying to be as quiet as possible.
"Nice and slow now, draw it out." The brunette knew she didn't need coaching, but she liked telling the older woman how she would touch her.
Bridget gave herself a moment to come down before she opened her eyes.
"Well, shit, baby." The blonde smiled, and they both broke out in laughter. "None of this had better end up on TV or the internet."
"It won't. Promise." Someone opened the door and signalled to the brunette that her time was up. "That's either really good, or really bad timing." Franky gave her an apologetic smile.
"I'll go with good timing." Bridget winked at her.
"Fuck I love you." The brunette meant it. She watched the other woman's face for a few seconds. "You're so beautiful."
The older woman laughed. "I love you, too, baby. Go kick some ass."
"I will." Franky blew her a kiss.
"Goodnight." Bridget blew a kiss back.
"Goodnight."
The screen went black and Bridget let out a sigh before she headed back into the house.
"I can't sleep." Emily had made her way back to the living room where Bridget was finishing up some work on her laptop.
"Come sit with me." The blonde patted the space beside her on the couch. "Why can't you sleep?"
"I don't know." The young girl shrugged. She looked at the laptop on her aunt's lap. "What are you doing?"
"I'm just finishing up some work." Bridget had been bringing some work home with her most evenings now. When Franky had started staying there, she'd stopped doing that, but now that the brunette was away it was a habit she'd picked back up. It was mostly what she used as a distraction between the time when Emily went to bed, and when she went herself.
"Are you going to bed soon?" Emily asked quietly.
"Yeah, I was planning to go in a few minutes." The blonde put her arm around her niece. "Are you okay, love?"
The young girl was quiet for a minute. "Can I sleep with you tonight?"
"Yeah, if you want to." Bridget had decided after her talk with Franky, that for as long as the brunette was gone, she'd let Emily sleep in their bed any night she asked. She hadn't talked with her about it yet though.
"Really?" she looked up at the blonde with a smile.
"Yes, but we need to talk about something first." She waited to make sure she had the young girl's attention. "You know that normally there are rules about when you can sleep in our bed."
"When I'm sick, or if I have a bad dream and I'm scared." Emily recited the rules.
"That's right. I had a talk with Franky though, and we know that you've been missing her a lot. We agreed that if you want to sleep in our bed with me some nights, even though you wouldn't normally be allowed, then you can. But, the deal is, that when she's home, the rules go back to normal, and you sleep in your own bed again. Can you promise you'll do that?" Bridget highly doubted that there would be absolutely no fuss about going back to normal, but she wanted Emily to know this was only temporary right from the start.
"Okay." The young girl nodded her head. "Can I bring my teddy bear?"
"Sure, love. I'm going to use the washroom, so you go get your bear then get in bed, and I'll meet you there." Bridget watched as Emily hopped off the couch, and went to her room to get the stuffed animal. The thought crossed her mind that she was glad she had a big bed, because at some point, there would probably be two extra people sleeping with them some nights.
When the blonde got to the bedroom, Emily was already under the covers on Franky's side of the bed. Bridget laid down as gently as she could, not wanting to disturb the young girl in case she was already close to sleep. It wasn't long though before she had moved in next to her aunt.
"Goodnight, love." Bridget kissed the top of Emily's head and put her arms around her. She got no response, and judging by the young girl's breathing, she was already asleep.
"Good morning everyone. As you know, we do have a service later today, but this morning, I'd like to have a chance to talk to each of you one on one about how you think you're doing in the competition so far. So I'll ask you to go back to the dorms, and wait until you're called to my office." Jared turned and headed towards the staircase at the back of the restaurant that led up to his office.
"Sounds kind of ominous, doesn't it?" Shayne asked as he walked with Franky back to the dorms.
"It's probably nothing. Just something for them to use as a filler in the show." The brunette of course knew that he might be right, but she was trying not to think about it.
She decided to make use of her time waiting by going through the new menu they'd been given. It hadn't changed much since the first service, but now that everyone was comfortable with those dishes, they were changing it up a bit. Some things stayed the same; the items, like scallops, that were simple to cook, but easy to screw up if your timing was the least bit off. They'd added a lobster risotto appetizer, as well as beef wellington, and lamb as main courses.
"Franky, you're up." Lucas had answered the dorm phone.
The brunette made her way to Jared's office. She hadn't thought a lot about what she wanted to say. She felt like her cooking spoke for itself, and the fact that she'd done well in the challenges and services should be all he needed to know. When she reached the top of the stairs, she knocked on the door.
"Come in!" Jared called out from inside his office. He looked up when he heard the door open. "Ah, Franky, come in and have a seat." He motioned to the chair in front of his desk.
Franky took in the office as she entered. It was nicely decorated, but mostly devoid of anything personal, such as family photos or decorative items. She thought it was strange, even though Bridget's office was in a prison, she'd taken in a few things to make it her own. The brunette remembered playing with the Newton's Cradle on her desk while they'd talk during their sessions. The only thing on the walls in this office though was some generic artwork that was probably chosen by the set designer.
"We'll get right to it. How do you feel you're doing so far?" The chef wasn't a fan of small talk when there was business to be dealt with first.
"I feel like I'm doing alright. I had some issues with the first service, but I think I figured those out." She was referring to when Hank had substituted salt for sugar at her garnish station.
"Well, those issues weren't exactly your fault, but yes, you were quick to correct them. How do you feel about Hank?" Jared leaned forward and put his elbows on the edge of his desk.
"I think he's an asshole, but a decent chef when he can pull his shit together." Franky knew it wasn't a secret that she and Hank weren't exactly fond of each other. Despite her personal feelings, she was able to admit that a lot of the time, he was good at what he did.
"You've had trouble with him besides during service." The chef watched her closely, trying to read her reactions. "A couple of incidents."
Franky shrugged. "They're over and done with."
"You don't want to say any more about them?" Jared sat back in his chair again.
"I said what I wanted to say at the time." The brunette wasn't going to let herself be pulled into any gossiping or backstabbing.
"Fine. In your opinion then, who is the weakest chef on your team?"
Franky took a deep breath. "The weakest chef if we're strictly talking about cooking ability, I'd have to say would be Catherine. If we're taking into consideration whether or not they could actually run a kitchen on top of their cooking ability, then I'd say Jenna. She lacks the confidence at this point, and tends to let herself be overwhelmed when things get off track instead of just pushing through it. I've seen a huge improvement in her since the first day, and I think she'll be fairly strong by the end of this."
The chef thought for a moment. "And Shayne?"
"He's good, but he's young. He needs some experience, but he's willing to put in the work. Hasn't fucked up during service yet." The brunette shrugged. That fact alone meant that he was good at what he did.
"Alright. Well, thank you for your insight. You can go back and join the others." He stood and shook her hand before she left.
"How was it?" Shayne asked when Franky returned to the dorms.
"It was alright, but weird. I don't know...just don't say more than you have to. It seems like he was fishing for something." The brunette had noticed how Jared had always been quiet for a moment after she had finished speaking. It was like he was hoping she'd want to fill the silence, and maybe say something she hadn't meant to let slip.
Franky sat with Shayne and went over the new menu until it was time for his interview. He wasn't gone long, so she figured he had taken her advice and kept his answers short and to the point. When everyone had had their turn, they were called back to the restaurant.
"So, you've all had your interviews, and you've unknowingly completed part one of today's challenge." Jared began to pace back and forth as he spoke.
Franky shifted nervously, she didn't like this at all.
"I asked each of you, not only how I thought you were doing, but how you thought your teammates were doing. Let's start with the Blue team. Lucas, your teammates voted you the strongest chef on the team, noting your strong performances during service. Amanda, your teammates voted you the weakest chef on the team, citing poor organization and execution of dishes during service, and mediocre contributions during the challenges." He was silent for a moment before he turned to the other group. "Red team, let's start with who you think is the strongest chef. Franky, you came out on top there. Everyone complimented your leadership skills, and willingness to help and teach the others." He saw the brunette glance at Hank. "Yeah, everyone. Now, to the weakest member of your team. Jenna, that was you. Your lack of confidence was your biggest downfall. You just can't consistently keep it together during service. So on to the good news, and the bad news. The good news: Lucas and Franky, you've got immunity for the next service. Jenna and Amanda, part two of the challenge starts now for you. You'll each cook three dishes, an appetizer and two mains, from the menu we've been using all along. The chef who produces the lower quality dishes, is going home. You have thirty minutes, and your time starts now."
"This isn't fucking right," Franky said, as she took a seat beside Shayne to watch the challenge unfold. "He never told us this was what he was using our answers for."
"Franks, she'll be alright. It's stuff from the old menu, she knows it." He waited until the brunette made eye contact, then gave a small nod.
"She's not up there because she doesn't know the menu, or because she's a bad cook. She's up there because he knows she gets flustered under pressure. Fuck." Franky had too much energy to just be sitting there, but she had nowhere to go. She sat back in her chair, and played with the silver ring on her finger.
The appetizer they were given were the scallops.
"Easy to make, easy to fuck up," the brunette thought to herself. She knew that since all the dishes had to be ready at once, Jenna should leave the scallops until the end since they took the least amount of time to cook.
The main dishes each chef had to cook were the New York strip steak, and the salmon.
"No, that pan is going to be way too hot by the time you're ready to cook the scallops if you put it on the burner now." Shayne watched Jenna closely. "No, you have to score the skin on the salmon. Franky, she didn't score the skin."
"Shayne, I love ya, but you need to just shut the fuck up for now, okay?" Franky didn't mean to snap at him, but she could see with her own eyes what was going on in that kitchen, and she was worried.
"Sorry." He sat back in his chair.
It was hard for the brunette to just sit back and watch. She saw Jenna look over at the rest of the team a few times while she was cooking. Franky knew the young woman wanted to ask questions, but she was on her own now. Even when Jenna was on the right track, the brunette knew that simply having someone confirm that for her would have made a big difference in how she was coping with the situation.
The half hour seemed to stretch on forever, but finally it was time for Jenna and Amanda to present their dishes to Jared. Franky wasn't religious, but she found herself saying a tiny prayer.
"Let's have the scallops first." Jared waited while the two women uncovered and sat their appetizers on the table before him. He tasted Amanda's first. "Not bad. Very slightly overcooked." Next he tried Jenna's. He was quiet for a moment while he chewed. "They're raw in the centre. I'd say the pan was too hot. The outside is almost too dark, but the middle is still raw." The chef sighed. "Neither one is perfect, but Amanda wins this round."
The brunette felt Shayne squeeze her elbow as a silent gesture of comfort.
"I'd like the steaks next, please." Jared picked up his knife and fork. "What I'm mostly looking for here is that you've nailed the cooking time that we asked for." He sliced into Amanda's steak. "This is well done, we asked for medium. What happened?"
"I was...I just lost track of the timing." Amanda shrugged. She knew that was one of her weaknesses, and she wasn't going to make up an excuse for her mistake.
"Alright." The chef respected when people owned their mistakes. "Jenna, let's have a look at yours." He sliced open the steak and took a bite. "Nicely cooked. Good flavour. Jenna, this round is yours."
"Good, good, you got this." Franky mumbled to herself.
It all came down to the salmon. The brunette knew that Jenna had forgotten to score the skin, and while that wouldn't make it impossible to get a nice crispy skin on it, it would make it difficult. She held her breath while Jared inspected the dish.
"You didn't score the skin," He observed on first glance, before taking a bite. "The salmon itself is nicely cooked, but the skin is soggy in places. You need to score it so it lays completely flat in the pan. Amanda, let's see yours." Jared took a bite. "Nice flavour, nicely cooked, crispy skin. This round is yours."
"This is bullshit." The brunette didn't think she'd said it that loud, but Jared glanced over at her.
"Amanda, please go back and join your team. Jenna, I need your jacket." He held out his hand and waited while the young woman removed her red jacket. "You have potential, but it's not your time."
Jenna turned to wave goodbye to her teammates, and Franky could see her tears all the way from where she was sitting. She wished she was able to at least give the young woman a hug, and tell her not to give up doing something she loved just because this didn't work out.
"I'll see you all for service tonight." Jared turned, with Jenna's jacket still in his hand, and walked towards the staircase at the back.
The brunette's stare was locked on his back as he walked away. She felt Shayne's hand on her shoulder.
"Come on, Franks." He tried to coax her back to the dorms.
Franky shrugged off his hand, and headed straight towards the chef.
"Jared!" The brunette was catching up to him, but he paid her no attention. "Jared! I want to fucking talk to you!"
The chef stopped, and turned around. Out of nowhere, two men who looked like bodyguards, appeared out of the shadows. Franky came to a stop about a foot in front of him, and crossed her arms over her chest. He waved the two men away.
"That wasn't right, and you fucking know it." Franky locked her gaze on his.
"Franky, this is how the show works. The weakest chefs get eliminated." He gave a small shrug.
"Yeah, based on their cooking abilities, not because they get singled out and thrown out there on their own when we've never had to cook like that alone before!" The more the brunette had sat there and thought about it, the madder she'd gotten. The only time they'd been asked to cook on their own was the very first dish, and that was something they had gotten to choose for themselves. It wasn't three dishes at once. "You called us up there." She pointed towards his office upstairs. "Then you got us to unknowingly put a teammate on the chopping block. The problem with Jenna was her confidence, not her cooking. You knew that, and you put her through that challenge knowing she'd fall apart emotionally."
"Franky." Jared had been silent the whole time, letting her say what she needed to get off her chest. "I've seen the work you've done with her. I know you sort of took her under your wing. You're good at that, and she made real progress. I understand that you care about your teammate, and I can respect you coming here now to stick up for her, but at the end of the day, it's still a competition. What we're looking for in a winner is someone who's going to go on and run their own restaurant if that's what they want. Someone who can take the prize money and turn it into their dream. That wasn't going to happen for her. She lacks the leadership qualities, the confidence, the ability to take charge of a group. I have no doubt she'll be a great chef, but right here, right now, she's not what we're looking for."
"You didn't have to send her off like that. You could have done it after a service if you knew you didn't want her. You didn't have to put her up there alone." Franky wiped a single tear from her cheek that fell in spite of her trying to be tough in this moment.
"You've got a big heart; it's not a bad thing. Word of advice though, it's not going to get any easier in here, so find a way to protect it until this is over." With that he turned and continued on his way to his office.
The brunette wiped her cheeks again, and started walking towards the dorms.
"Franky! My office, now!" Jillian had emerged from one of the side hallways. As soon as Franky started to walk in her direction she turned and went back the way she came in.
When the brunette arrived in the office, Jillian simply held out her hands and shrugged.
"I had to say something." Franky had known immediately why the producer wanted to talk to her.
"You can't go charging after him like that! Do you know what went through my mind when the call for security came over my radio?" Jillian had pictured all the hard work she'd done for her first show going down the drain.
"I didn't touch him...I wouldn't." The brunette was mad, but she wasn't stupid enough to go back to her old ways.
"Okay, just...I don't want to see anything like that again." The producer ran a hand over her face. "Are you okay now?"
"I'm fine." Franky shrugged and picked at a loose thread on her jacket.
"I can let you call Bridget for a few minutes if you'd like." Jillian doubted that the brunette would say much to her even if she wasn't fine, so she made the offer of the phone call.
Franky shook her head. "She's at work. I'm fine."
"Okay." She studied the brunette for a moment. "The offer is there if you change your mind."
"Is that all?" Franky wanted to get out of there. She knew there wasn't really anywhere to go, but the room was suddenly feeling too small.
"Yeah, get some rest before service." As she watched the brunette walk away, she contemplated calling Bridget herself, then thought better of it. She had to trust that Franky knew what she needed.
"Franks!" Shayne called out to her as she crossed the living room, but she paid him no attention.
She continued, not slowing her stride, until she was outside. She placed her hands high against the concrete wall surrounding the outside space, and leaned forward, stretching out her back and shoulder muscles. After a few seconds, she heard the sliding door open, then close, behind her. She turned to see Shayne sitting in one of the chairs behind her.
"You alright?" he asked as she took a seat in the chair beside him.
"Yeah." Franky studied the rings on her fingers. Shayne was quiet, and she thought maybe he assumed her earlier request for him to shut up still applied. "Let's just go over the new menu stuff for tonight, okay?"
The brunette didn't know what else to do. When she was upset out in the real world, she used to spend some time with a punching bag, or throw herself into her work. Right now, going over the new material was all she had. In the back of her mind, a voice told her that she should have taken Jillian up on the offer to call Bridget, but she didn't want to seem like she couldn't handle herself in here.
Bridget was running a bit late to pick up Emily from the Centre after work. She knew that Liz would never say anything about it, but she still felt bad making her stay there extra time.
"I'm so sorry. There was an accident on the main road, and I didn't realize it in time to take another route," the blonde said as she hurried into the classroom.
"Oh, it's no problem. I just got a head start on some things for tomorrow." Liz gave her a warm smile.
"You were in an accident?!" Emily rushed over to her aunt. It seemed that that was the only work she'd picked out of what Bridget had said.
"No, love." The blonde took her niece in her arms. "Someone else was. I was just stuck in traffic because of it."
"Were they hurt?" The young girl gave her a serious look.
"Um, I don't know. I wasn't close enough to see anything like that." Bridget knew she had to change the subject quickly. "How was your day? What did you do with Liz?"
"It was good. I have homework. Math stuff." Emily zipped up her backpack. "Liz gave me some cookies then I had a nap."
"Sounds like you had a fun day! I was thinking we could stop at the store on the way home and get the clay we'll need to make your dinosaur. That way, when I pick you up tomorrow, we can just go right home and start the weekend." Bridget knew that Franky was filming a service tonight, so it was unlikely she'd call, and it would be hard to get Emily to agree to leave the house on the weekend if she was waiting for the brunette to either call or show up.
"Can we go to McDonald's for supper?" Emily gave her the bright smile she knew usually worked on the blonde, and Franky.
"Sure, I don't feel like cooking anyway." Bridget saw the smile on the young girl's face widen. "Would you like to join us, Liz?"
"Oh, no, I'm just going to finish up here, and head home. Thanks though." She gave the blonde's arm a squeeze.
"Sure." Bridget smiled at her, "Drop by the house anytime though, if you want. We can have a chat, and some tea." She knew that Liz was probably missing Franky right now as well, and an afternoon with company would do them both good.
"Thanks, love, I will." Liz gave her a smile, and a small nod. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." She waved as they left the classroom.
It didn't take long for them to find the clay they were looking for, and get some food. Emily was quiet on the drive home, but Bridget thought she might just be winding down from her day.
As soon as they got home, she sent Emily to the shower.
"Go shower, love, and put on your pyjamas, then we'll have a look at your Math homework, and spend some time together before bed." The blonde wasn't taking any chances of the young girl falling asleep without getting ready for bed.
"Can we watch a movie in bed?" Emily asked.
Bridget had just finished helping her with her homework, and had told the young girl that she could choose the activity for the rest of the evening.
"Sure. Are you not feeling well, or just tired?" The blonde remembered that the last time Emily was sick, Franky said she'd slept for most of the day.
"I'm tired, and want to cuddle," she said as she placed her completed homework on the coffee table.
"Okay, go get ready for bed then." Bridget was glad that Emily was getting better at communicating her needs and feelings. The sessions with Brad around the holidays had helped a lot with that.
The blonde grabbed her iPad, and went to the bedroom to change while Emily was in the bathroom. When the young girl was done, she and Bridget switched places, and she climbed into bed while her aunt went to brush her teeth.
When Bridget returned, she saw Emily peering into the drawer of Franky's bedside table. She knew there was at least a bottle of lube, and the handcuffs from the brunette's Halloween costume in there, but she played it calm.
"Em, it's not nice to look through people's things. Close the drawer, love." The blonde watched as her niece closed it, and settled back into the bed. "You can pick out a movie for us to watch," she said, as she got in under the covers. She was thankful that it seemed like Emily didn't have any questions about what she'd seen.
Franky was standing at her station, waiting for the first orders of the evening to come in. She was doing appetizers, then switching to the dessert station when the apps were all done. Shayne was doing garish, and Hank was doing seafood, which left Catherine on the meat station. The brunette couldn't help but shake the bad feeling she had about this service. They'd just lost a team member, and while she knew she should be supportive of the others, she was worried about how Catherine would perform on her station. The older woman had two new main dishes to deal with, and the brunette knew she preferred a slower-paced station, so basically the exact opposite of where she was tonight.
"Table five, four covers, three lobster risotto, one scallops." Jared called out the first ticket.
"Three risotto, four minutes, chef." The brunette grabbed a pan, and quickly added the mostly pre-cooked rice, and stock.
"Scallops, three minutes." Hank called out. He sat a pan on the burner, but waited to give Franky the extra minute she needed before he started cooking.
The apps went out quickly, and without much issue. Hank overcooked one serving of scallops, which Jared had caught and sent back, but other than that they were all working well together.
"Okay, Red team, on to the main courses. Back to table five, four covers, two wellington, one lamb, one salmon." The chef called out the main course orders for the table that had started off the evening.
Franky switched off the burners at her station, and went to the walk-in fridge in the back to get the desserts they had prepared earlier. She was sliding the trays off the tall cart, and laying them out on the back counter when she heard Jared yell at Catherine.
"The lamb is still raw! Start again!" He dropped the trays onto the counter and turned back to continue plating dishes from the Blue team.
Franky continued working, setting out the small bowls of sugar and cocoa powder for the chocolate soufflé. A few moments later she heard Jared yell at Catherine again.
"Franky!"
The brunette's head snapped up when she heard her name. "Yes, chef?"
"Get up here and take over the meat station," Jared said as he went back to the Blue kitchen once more.
"Okay, here, we'll do it together. What do we need?" Franky had hurried back to the front. She knew she could catch them up, she just needed to figure out what the orders were. She quickly checked the ticket at the front. "We need two wellingtons, and a lamb right now, then the next table is two more wellingtons, and two lamb. Alright, let's go." The brunette patted Catherine on the back in encouragement, and then set to work.
"No, no, no." Jared marched back into the Red kitchen. "I said for Franky to take over. That means you go finish getting the desserts ready." He waved his hand between Catherine and the back counter where Franky had been working.
"She can stay and hel-" Franky was quickly cut off.
"I'm sending her back to desserts. Remember, you have immunity from them, not from me." He pointed to the others on the team, before going back to the blue side.
The brunette had wanted Catherine to put out at least a few orders from the meat station so she wouldn't feel like she'd completely blown it for that service. She knew after Jared's warning though, that she had to just shut up for now.
"I'm so sorry." Catherine touched Franky's arm as she turned to go.
"It's alright," the brunette said as she turned the lamb in the pan. "Most of the stuff is ready down there, and I'll be back to help when the main courses are done, okay?"
The woman gave her a quick nod, and hurried to the back before Jared returned.
The service ran smoothly again until Catherine couldn't get her chocolate souflés to rise.
"Hey, did you put the butter around the edge and bottom of the pan so it would rise and not stick?" Franky whispered quietly. Jared hadn't discovered there was an issue yet, and she was trying to keep it that way.
Catherine shook her head. "I forgot."
"Okay, do it from now on, quick, get those going, and I'll do the crème brûlées." Franky quickly sat the failed soufflé attempts to the side, and started on her own work.
"Where are the soufflés?" Jared called from the front. "The first tables should be ready by now."
"I'm going to need some extra time, they're just going in now." Catherine's voice gave away how nervous she was.
"What?" The chef started walking to the back. "Why are they just going in now?"
"I, uh, I forgot to butter the dish and the first ones didn't rise properly." She was working quickly to make up for her mistake.
Jared looked at the brunette, who glared back at him. "Alright, just make sure to call out your times so Franky can be ready to go with you."
The brunette was glad to see that Catherine had relaxed a bit, and was settling into a good pace. There were a few times she had to jump in and help in between making her own desserts, but it ran smoothly overall, and they finished the service.
"Clearly, Red team, you're the losing team tonight. I'll meet you out front in a few minutes for the elimination." Jared turned, and left the kitchen.
They all went out and stood at the front of the restaurant, and waited for the chef to return.
"Okay, let's get to the point. Shayne, who's your nomination, and why?" He called the young man forward.
"I'd like to nominate myself, Chef." Catherine spoke before Shayne had a chance to give his nomination. "I was the only one who screwed up tonight."
Normally Jared would have told her to step back into her spot and wait to hear what the others had to say, but tonight, he knew she was right. Franky had immunity, but had performed well anyway, and Hank and Shayne had each only made one minor mistake that didn't hold up service.
"Do you truly feel like you're done here?" he asked.
"I do. If Franky hadn't taken over, we'd probably still all be in there cooking. I'm sorry, guys." She gave the team an apologetic smile.
"Okay, give me your jacket, then." Jared knew she was right, and if she'd given up on herself, then there was nothing he could do to make her fight back.
Catherine handed her jacket over, and gave her team a small wave as she left.
Normally, they would be done filming the segment at that point. Tonight though, Jared placed Catherine's jacket over the back of a nearby chair, and remained standing in front of them.
"As you know, there are now only six of you left. Five of you will get black jackets." He stared at the floor while he thought about his next statement. "This is something I didn't know I was going to do until after the service tonight, so the producer is probably going to want to kill me." He gave a small laugh. "But anyway," he reached down and took something from the seat of the chair beside him. "Lucas, come here, please. You've shown great talent, and been a leader for your team. I think you've earned this. Congratulations," he said, handing him a black jacket. "Now, to the next order of business. Franky, up here, please." He pointed to a spot on the floor in front of him.
The brunette stood, and walked to where he had indicated. She was nervous. She'd challenged him twice today, and she knew that was something most people probably wouldn't have gotten away with.
"I've worked with a lot of chefs over the years, but I have to say, I'm not sure I've ever met one with as much passion as you. Not only for the food, but also for your team. You had their backs today; more than once. You have a talent for cooking, and a desire to share that talent." He reached down and took another jacket from the chair. "That's why I'm also giving you a black jacket today." Jared waited while she took off her red jacket before handing her the new one.
"Thank you." Franky knew she had the biggest grin on her face.
"Holy shit, Franks! That's fucking awesome!" Shayne put his arm around the brunette's shoulders and pulled her into his side as they walked back to the dorms.
Franky didn't know what to say. She certainly hadn't been expecting it. She simply shook her head and smiled. She couldn't wait to tell Bridget the next time she called.
