Steamed (Steamed #1) by Nella Tyler Page A

Worse than
that, she feared that I would ask to speak to the chef, because then things
would really be on. She worried about these things because I have asked to
speak to a chef more than once and it usually ended in tears-for the chef. A
good shaming will make for a better chef in my opinion.
    I looked down at my sandwich hoping for the best. “Okay, it
doesn't look bad, I'm sure it's fine. Yours looks good too.”
    “Don't start pretending now that you aren't fearful of your
food. I will still go out with you for lunch.” She looked at me with narrowed
eyes.
    I grinned, “Okay great, because this looks awful.”
    Sarah started laughing as my phone dinged with a message
coming in. I looked down at my phone and noticed it was a message from my
brother Jared. My brother and I were very close. He was genuinely a good guy,
one of the best I knew actually.
    “Geez, something is wrong with Jared.”
    “What? What do you mean, what's going on?” Sarah asked.
    “I have no idea but he seems distressed about something.”
    I sent back a message to Jared before taking a bite of my
sandwich. I hoped he would give me some more information.
    I cringed. Chewing on the sandwich, I set the rest down and
vowed not to finish it. The bottom bun was soggy. They had waited too long to
bring the food in; they must not be able to handle a busy lunch crowd. Chic
restaurant my ass, what was wrong with the chef? Someone should have a meeting
with the guy.
    Another message from Jared dinged in and I wiped my hands on
the napkin in my lap before checking it out. My brother was not doing well and
I wanted to see him to determine what was up with him, if anything. I couldn't
imagine what could have him feeling so distressed but I had to find out. I set
my napkin on the table and grabbed my purse.
    “Sarah, I'm sorry. I have to go. I need to go see Jared;
something’s wrong.”
    She waved me off. “Sure. No problem. Keep me posted about
what's going on.”
    “Yep, will do. See you later.”
    I smiled at her as I headed out of the restaurant.

 
    Chapter Two

 
    I drove a little too fast across town, but I was worried
sick about my brother. I kept my eye peeled for cops however; I wasn't a fan of
spending money on speeding tickets. Talk about throwing your money away.
    I couldn't imagine what got Jared so upset and yet he was
flustered about something. My brother wasn't the type of guy to get all heated
over nothing. I had rarely seen him bent out of shape about anything. I needed
to find out what was wrong with him. Aside from chatting with my friend, I
wasn't too distressed that I missed out on lunch; the food at that place had
been devastating. Jared’s messages were actually taking me to a great
restaurant; I had eaten there many times and was never disappointed. The chefs
that worked there were some of the best in the city; it was a privilege to eat
their food. They knew exactly what they were doing and were right on point when
it came to blending flavors and spices perfectly. That's what a real restaurant
should offer you. The restaurant had a great atmosphere with food to die for
and some great cocktails on the menu. I hated shelling out money for food that
was sub-par; I didn't care how hilarious my friends thought I was. I would only
eat the best.
    I pulled into the parking lot and noticed the place was busy
for lunch, not that I was surprised. I almost wished that I hadn't eaten lunch,
that way I could grab a bite while I was there. I walked through the front door
and made my way back to the kitchen. As I walked through the kitchen doors I
saw my brother slamming down his phone angrily. I raised my eyebrows in
surprise. Like I said, I had rarely seen my brother like that.
    Jared was the proud owner of the aforementioned amazing
establishment. He had a natural talent for cooking ever since we were young and
it was no surprise to anyone when he decided to go into the food industry by
opening up the restaurant. I couldn't have been