Guilty Pleasures by Cathy Yardley

dreams and bigger ambitions. The problem was that she needed to be more reasonable. She needed to pay attention to the big picture.
    If his ambitions were to be believed, then his big picture didn’t include her. Guilty Pleasures was a way station for a guy like Nick Avery. She couldn’t trust her future to a guy who was looking for a way out.
    Still, she thought, as she caught him looking in her direction, if it could have worked out some other way, she wished for a second that it would.
    She shook her head. She was too old to believe in fairy tales.
    Lindsay entered the kitchen with a dramatic push of the doors, Mo hot on her heels. Before Mari could even call out a greeting, Lindsay shook out a large newspaper.
    â€œWe’re in it,” she said, and you could have heard a pin drop in the kitchen as everybody’s head spun around.
    Mari shot a quick glance at Nick, who was already looking at her. She chose instead to focus on Lindsay.
    No matter what happens, it was my choice, and my fault, Mari thought, steeling herself. She wasn’t going to blame Nick if they got grilled.
    She remembered being blamed for the failure of Le Pome. She wasn’t going to have anybody else take the rap for what happened. If her restaurant was going under, then she’d take responsibility.
    Lindsay opened the paper with shaking hands, and Mari gritted her teeth.
    â€œâ€˜Treat yourself to a Guilty Pleasure,’” Lindsay started, and Mo made a triumphant thumbs-up gesture behind her back. “‘Hidden in one of the roughest neighborhoods in the Mission District, a stone’s throw away from an adult theater and other dens of iniquity, you’ll find a garden of sinfully delicious, hilariously sexy culinary delights that will have you canceling your previous plans and heading straight home to bed… if you’re lucky. ’”
    The crew, as one, cheered…and Mari felt relief wash over her like a cool bath.
    Lindsay read out the rest of the review. It had some pithy things to say about the location, but overall the piece was glowing, a real boost. Mo already talked about having it framed, or maybe blown up large and put out front by the host’s podium. The crew was chattering excitedly to each other.
    â€œSo, we’re going to be, like, really busy from now on, huh?” Zooey said.
    Paulo nudged her. “We’re gonna be money, ” he said, rubbing his hands together enthusiastically.
    â€œIt’s just one review,” Mari said, even though some part of her felt like singing. “But good job, guys. We earned that one.”
    Again, they cheered, then clattered with buoyant energy through the next round of orders.
    Lindsay walked up to her as Mo returned to his station. “I’m sorry,” she said, tugging Mari into the back room and giving her a hug. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you. Obviously I underestimated what you’re capable of.”
    â€œNick helped,” Mari said. Just because she wouldn’t throw the blame on him didn’t mean she’d hog all the credit now that they were coming up roses. “We worked on it together.”
    A picture of the last time they’d worked on it flashed through her mind…warm water sluicing over hot bodies. She closed her eyes, suppressed a shudder.
    What was he thinking now?
    â€œAll the same,” Lindsay said, not noticing Mari’s little sojourn down memory lane. “You did a great job, and it will do wonders for the menu. I’m sorry. I guess I just focused too much on the bottom line.”
    Mari patted Lindsay on the shoulder. “That’s your job, remember?”
    Lindsay groaned. “Job. That reminds me…I’ve got to see my parents. They’re thinking of opening another restaurant, and they want me to go over their books.”
    â€œAll right. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
    Lindsay nodded, leaving the paper on the desk, and hurried out.