Troy walked into the kitchen hearing the sounds of pots and pans clinking together. He was wearing a blue t-shirt and jeans not really sure what to wear into a kitchen. Zeke walked past him with a bucket filled with what looked like green bananas. "Hey boss," Zeke said with a smile as he placed the bucket on the table.
"Hey," Troy said casually, "Have you seen my wife?" looking around he spotted Isabella at the bar outside the kitchen talking to some guy as she filled up shakers. The restaurant wasn't open yet, they were still prepping. He'd come straight from the house after a three hour business call and he hadn't really been looking forward to it. He didn't cook, people cooked for him and he paid them to do so.
"She in the walk in getting out the cod fish," Zeke said with a smile, "She's letting me cook."
"That's good," Troy said looking around the small cramped kitchen; it was going to get hot he could already feel the steam. "Is it just you and her back here?"
Zeke looked around the kitchen, "Her mom helps her out a lot, but she can only help out for moments at a time."
Troy nodded as he looked around, maybe he should invest a little more into the kitchen? Gabriella had listed a number of things that needed work but he had no idea what half of the equipment she wanted was. There was music playing in the back ground and he recognized the sounds of trumpets and drums. The hum was fast as the other instruments kicked up with the lyrics, which were in Spanish. Troy looked around as outsider in this world, how on earth did he end up here?
"Is that my son-in-law?" Maria said as she came from her back office and into the kitchen. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm going to be cooking today," Troy said with a small smile, despite his annoyance for the woman, he was fond of her. They had first met when he had a meeting in there dining area, the place he normally took his business was book because his secretary had forgotten to make their reservation. When they came into the restaurant there were only four or five tables occupied and he been seated right away.
The meeting was a success and had he had been in a good mood; good enough that he ordered another drink after his client had left. That was when Maria had come out of the kitchen, she was so social, and having never saw him before she had what seemed like a ton of questions. Willing to keep his good mood he kept talking to her eating the chips with salsa and carrying on a conversation about running businesses.
It wasn't until he stood to pay the bill at the register that he saw her. She was doing something behind the kitchen window, he couldn't see her fully just her face, and what a face? Troy smiled as she brought a hand up to her neck and gently rubbed a muscled there, which he could image had been just the relief she needed because a look a of ecstasy came over her features.
It was her face that brought him back to this restaurant, like a fool, he came back the next night and the night after, it took him two weeks to learn her name and it had been one of the best feelings in the world when he finally knew it. He began making business promises he had no intention of keeping, he told Maria anything she wanted if it got him into that kitchen to meet her.
"You're going to be cooking?" Maria said taken aback as she looked around the kitchen, and brining Troy back to the present, "here?"
"Yes mother, here," Gabriella said as she laid three slabs of meat on the counter top, "Hey Troy,"
Troy smiled as he laid eyes on her face; she had the same flushed cheeks from when he first saw her. With a small frown he looked at what he assumed to be the fish and then back at Maria and Zeke who were curiously looking at him. "What did I get myself into," he mumbled more to himself then to the three people watching him.
"What on earth is he going to cook?" Maria said looking at Gabriella with a raised brow.
"Bacalaitos," Gabriella said walking up to Troy, "Get yourself an apron and go wash your hands."
"Sure," he said looking around the room, "Where?"
Gabriella smiled and pointed at the hooks behind him on the wall that had aprons, "The sink is over there, the one in the back room doesn't work so you'll have to use that one."
Maria and Gabriella watched Troy walk over to where the aprons hung, "Are you sure about this?" Maria asked her daughter.
"I'm sure," Gabriella looked around the kitchen and then over at Zeke, "Baylor do you know what you're doing over there? "
"Asopao de Gandules con Bolitas de Plátano is an easy stew," Zeke said with a grin, "I love Latin food."
Gabriella smiled as she turned her attention back to Troy who was coming back into the kitchen, "Alright tonight the special is bacalaitos," she said with a smile.
"What does that mean?" Troy asked looking at the slabs of fish on the table.
"It means I'm being nice and letting you cook something easy," she said walking over to the table. Troy followed in his red apron as he came to the counter he stood beside Gabriella as she pointed to all the ingredients in front of them.
"You will be making this for an average table of two or four which makes a batch of about 10 each and you're going to need 1/4 lb. bacalao filet per batch." She said patting the fish.
"Okay," Troy said looking at the fish and then back at the ingredients on the table.
"You're going to need 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1/3 tsp. salt, 3/4 cup bacalao broth, 1tsp. black pepper, and 2 tsp. crushed garlic."
"I feel like I should have written that down," Troy said with frown.
"Its fine I'll be right here the whole time," Gabriella said with a laugh.
"How do you know what to put in it?" He asked picking up the little cup full of crushed Garlic and bringing it to his nose to smell it.
"Because I've been watching my father cook since I was seven," Gabriella said taking the cup away from him and placing it back on the table. "We are going to rinse the bacalao and tear into smaller pieces." Taking the first fish she brought it over to him and place a bowl in front of him, "Start tearing," she said taking another slab of fish and beginning to tear it apart.
Troy watched her fingers work though the slab of fish as she quickly began tearing it apart. "You're really fast."
"Come dinner service you're going to have to be," Gabriella said with as she focused on her task.
Troy did his best to keep up with her and shred the fish as she was doing, his fingers started to become a little stick and wet at the same time making it even hard to shred the pieces. "Where are the bones?" Troy asked feeling only meat.
"There aren't any I buy it from the vendor boneless," Gabriella said dropping the last of her slab into the bowl and handing him the last slab. Gabriella wiped her hands on her apron and made her way towards the pots and pans.
"Where are you going?" Troy asked curiously as he continued to shred the fish.
Gabriella rolled her eye as she took the pot and made her way to the sink to fill it up. "We are going to have to boil the fish in plenty of water for about 20 minutes or so. Then we will discard the water and add fresh water and boil again for another 20 minutes."
"So this fish is raw?" he said looking back at the mess between his fingers.
"What's wrong not a fan of sushi?" Gabriella said lifting the pot of water out of the sink.
"Do you need help with that?" Troy moved in her direction and stopped as Gabriella lifted the pot with ease and brought it over to the burner.
"Bring me the fish," Gabriella said turning on the flame.
Troy made his way over with the bowl and with her approved poured the fish into the pot. Once it was in there Gabriella took the bowl and made her way to the big sink where she put it in there and rinsed it out. Setting it to the side she came back over with a bigger bowl, "Alright this is what you're going to mix everything in."
Gabriella handed him the bowl and he took it from her as he looked back at all the ingredients. Gabriella took a small sniff of the new aroma in her kitchen. The food had always been there and she loved nothing better than the smell of warm food coming together to make something spectacular. This new smell was a charming woody aspen scented collogue that loomed in a happy cloud around Troy. The smell reminded her of her father, when she was little she knew when her father was home and she knew when her father was leaving. It was the coming and going of the aspen that she always picked up on.
Gabriella held up some measuring cups and handed them to Troy, "Now we measure," she said nudging him playfully.
Troy looked down at her with a smile, "Cooking certainly puts you in a better mood."
Gabriella shrugged her shoulders, "It's your collogue, it reminds me of cooking with my dad," she said picking up the first cup. "3/4 cups of flour," she added.
Troy found the matching size scooper and smiled as he scooped into the cup she held up, "Did you cook with your dad a lot?"
"Yup," Gabriella put the flour down and picked up another cup, "1/2 teaspoon of baking powder."
"Do you not like talking to me?" Troy said as he did as he was told.
"When I'm quite it doesn't always mean I'm upset. I could just like being quite," she said shrugging her shoulders. "I'm not obligated to tell you about mine and my dad's relationship."
Troy held up his hands in a small surrender, "Sorry I asked."
"1/3 teaspoon of salt" Gabriella said as she put the cup down and picked up the next.
"You know I understand how you feel about your dad more than you think I do," Troy said mixing in the salt. "My mom died while she was giving birth."
"With all due respect that is not the same thing," Gabriella said switching the salt for the black pepper, "1 teaspoon black pepper."
Troy scooped it out of the cup and poured it into the mixing bowl, "Yeah at least you knew your father," Troy said in a low voice, "You never spent long nights trying to think about what his voice sounded like, or if you looked like him."
Gabriella closed her eyes as she imaged her own foot being shoved into her mouth. "I'm sorry," Gabriella said in soft tone as she placed a hand on his forearm, "I just, I don't talk about it, but I am sorry for your lost," Gabriella said.
Troy took a deep breath as he looked at her small hand on his forearm, his frown lifted slightly and he looked back at the cup full of crushed garlic, "2 teaspoons right?"
"Yeah," Gabriella watched as Troy poured the Garlic into the bowl. Taking the cup she turned around and dipped it into the water where the fish was boiling, "3/4 cup bacalao broth."
"Thanks," Troy said looking in the bowl at the concoction so far.
"Whisk it," she said handing him a whisk, "the mixture should look like pancake batter." Walking away
"Why not just use a mixer?" Troy said looking at her and then at the whisk.
"Because we do not use an electric appliance to stir this stuff, when you had the fish to it, you'll have a better idea." Gabriella said with a shrug, "it's mostly because the bacalao will become like fiber and you will end up with a matty mess that will have to be thrown away. The batter should look like thin pancake batter. If too thick just add a bit more broth and whisk. If you put too much broth add a bit of flour - just a bit."
Troy nodded as he began to stir the mixture and watch as she went into the backroom where Maria was seated at a small table punching things into the calculator.
Gabriella shut the door behind her and took a seat in one of the chairs. Bringing her hands up to her temple she rubbed slightly and let out a sigh.
"What's wrong," Maria asked looking up at her daughter.
"Promise me the next time you have a bright idea, you'll marry off Isabella and not me," Gabriella said as she looked up at her mother with heavy eyes.
"You have bags under your eyes," Maria said with frown.
"That's because I'm tired mother." Gabriella said leaning back in her chair, "I going to be taking a week off."
"A week?" Maria looked up at Gabriella with surprise, "I had to beg you to take your wedding night off and now you want a week?"
"My fake wedding," Gabriella corrected.
"Your wedding nonetheless, seriously it's not every day a rich man is willing to marry beneath him." Maria said in a low voice. "You need to count your blessing that he's at least a good man."
Gabriella furrowed her brow as she thought about what her mother just said, "He wants me to sleep with him,"
"Why not?" Maria said standing up, "If you get pregnant that's 18 years of commitment, you could be set long after this deal is over."
"For one second could you just try to remember that I'm your daughter and not one of your weird friends?" Gabriella pleaded.
"You are my daughter and I am looking out for your best interest, when was the last time you dated a nice boy?"
"What about David?" Gabriella said looking at her mother.
"David left." Her mother looked down at a small piece of paper.
"So what?" Gabriella said with a sigh, "because I don't date I qualify for an arrange marriage?"
"Yes," Maria said crossing her arms. "Your almost 30 years old and you were still living at home in your bedroom with a wind-up toy for a friend."
"Charlie is a fish," Gabriella said pointedly, "And I'm 27?"
"Point is you need to be taken care of," Maria said as she came around the desk to place a hand on Gabriella shoulder, "That man offered us a lot of money to get this restaurant back up off the ground, he wants to help us and he wants to help you," Maria said placing a finger under Gabriella's chin. "He likes you, he liked you from the first day he saw you give it time, you will learn to love him."
"I don't want to learn to love him, I want my freedom, I don't want to be another notch on his bedpost." Gabriella said looking away from her mother.
"Then don't be, make him work for it, show him you mean business. Show him that if he doesn't have you in his life he'll feel dead inside," her mother explained, "Great love stories happen in the movies, and in Isabella's mind whenever a boy smiles at her." Maria waved off that last comment as she returned to her chair. "Your different, you need pushing."
Gabriella frowned as she got up from the chair and opened the door behind her heading back into the hot kitchen. Isabella was standing next to Troy leaning on the table and talking to him in that way meant she wanted him to ask her out. Gabriella rolled her eyes as she made her way over and crossed her arms as she approached.
"You know my sister is in the fashion industry," Troy said while he whisk the batter, "She flies out to New York just for fashion week, maybe if you give some of your sketches to Gabi, Sharpay can find someone who might be able to help you."
"How goes the salt shakers?" Gabriella asked looking at Isabella with narrowed eyes.
Isabella straighten and smirked as she placed her hands on her hips, "All done," she said with a confidence.
"Great here," Gabriella said bending down and grabbing a new box of napkins, "refill the napkin dispensers."
Isabella rolled her eyes as she grabbed the box, "God you're so bossy," her little sister turned to make her way out of the kitchen.
"She sweet," Troy said looking back at Gabriella, "It's like she has all the confidence between you two but she means well,"
Gabriella narrowed her eyes, "What does that mean?"
"Means if I wanted to I could bang your sister before you and I get to second base," Troy said with a laugh.
"Is that a threat?" Gabriella said caught off guard.
Troy eyebrow shot up as he looked at her dead on, his stirring stopped "She's your sister," he said a little disgusted.
"Just keep it in your pants," Gabriella said getting a frying pan from the shelves, placing it on the stove she turned around shocked when she was face to chest with Troy who was standing behind her. "What are you-"
His lips crashed down on hers hard cutting her off, muting the fight inside her like water on a fire. His hands came up to her cheeks holding her to him as he deepened the kiss. Her back arched in her attempt to pull away and Troy followed, she pushed back bringing them upright again and Troy pulled away gasping for breath as lifted a finger to her lips cutting her off again before she could lash out. "Stop doing that," he said quietly.
Gabriella blinked as she watched him walk over to the pot of fish lifting it up and bringing it over to the sink to drain it. Her fingers reached up and touched her lips not really sure if they were still there because in their current state she couldn't feel them. All she felt were tingles where his lips had been.
The first night they meet she was introduced by her mother, she had no idea about their soon to be relationship or who he was. She just knew that he came there often and he ordered her beef stew every time. When their hands touched she swore she felt a spark, like a zing of tingles that shot up her arm and she had look at it to see that her hand hadn't just magically vanished.
"Close your mouth," Isabella said from the kitchen window.
Gabriella jerked as she turned toward her younger sister, "Go fill the dispensers," Gabriella said a flustered as she wiped her brow.
"You have a visitor," Isabella said with frown, "Blast from the past. He came to see you."
"Who?" Gabriella said looking out into the dining room. Her heart almost stopped and her body went cold. "David?" she squeaked as she jumped back outsight hiding in the corner. "What is he doing here?"
"He wants to see you?" Isabella said with a frown as she rolled her eyes, "I'm sat him at table 8,"
"I can't go out there," Gabriella said creeping up to look out the window at her ex-boyfriend. "I look horrible."
"No worse than usual," Isabella said looking across the kitchen at Zeke while he was chopping up peppers and onions, "Is he working here for good now?"
"Get rid of him," Gabriella hissed.
"Get rid of who?" Troy asked as he leaned down to her level to see the man in the dining room sitting down at the table as he looked around curiously.
"My ex-boyfriend," Gabriella said returning to her hiding place.
Troy looked up at Isabella, "That guy?"
"That guy," Isabella said before moving away from the window and returning to the bar where she was refilling napkin dispensers.
Troy turned his attention back to Gabriella as she tried to comb through her pony tail and hide all her fly away. "You can't be serious,"
"Screw you," Gabriella whispered as she stood up, "That was the last guy who actually sweep me off my feet," she said with a sigh as she peeked out to the dining room.
"Really," Troy said sounding a little impressed, "I should go ask him for pointers."
"Don't you dare," Gabriella said hiding again, "God my mother was right I should have stopped eating so many carbs I look like flustered hippo."
Troy raised a brow, "I like it when you eat."
"Oh my god, I have bags under my eyes,"
"What's the big deal about this guy?" Troy asked looking back out where the guy was sitting at the table drumming his thumbs lightly on the surface. "He's just as nervous as you are?"
"He is?" Gabriella poked her head out again to look, "How do you know?"
"He can't sit still," Troy frowned, "He's sweating, and he shops at the gap," Troy looked back at Gabriella, "This guy swept you off your feet?"
"Troy," she said leaning against the wall and holding her stomach as she stared at him. "Please remove your ego from the situation."
Troy held up his hands as he shrugged his shoulders, "Fine, I'll just stand here and watch my fish boil for the next 15 minutes."
Gabriella let out a breath as she look at her reflection in the pot one more time before standing up and removing her apron. Placing it on the hook she headed out towards the dining room. Troy watched from the kitchen window as she approached the man at the table. He stood as soon as he saw her, and the smile on his face let Troy know there was a reason this wasn't good. Troy turned around to see Zeke staring at him. "What?"
"Nothing sir," Zeke said going back to chopping.