Betrayal

Chapter 6

One month down the line Valerie got a call from an unknown woman who said that they needed help in a company cafeteria. She got referred to her by someone, but Valerie did not care she accepted right away and agreed to go for an interview.

"Please wait here Miss Armstrong", the receptionist instructed her. It was more like a plaza with different logos plastered behind the reception wall. It appeared to be a group of companies. She made a note to herself to google them to understand what they did after her interview. An old but smart-looking woman approached her with a smile that could light a path for miles. "You beautiful thing must be Valerie. Hi, am Claire and I am your new boss", she said pulling her in a hug. "Hello", Valerie replied with a smile wondering what happened to an interview she prepared herself for.

She was taken to the kitchen, surprised to walk into a huge industrial kitchen full of people in uniforms running around. "Welcome to your next home", Claire told her playfully. She led Valerie to her office where she was given uniforms and her schedule. "Before you go, let me show you your workstation", Valerie was in awe of every corner of the kitchen, she received a couple of hellos from other cooks, their warm smiles assuring her that she was going to enjoy working there. "Hi handsome, meet your new neighbour, Valerie", Claire introduced her to a guy who was busy chopping stuff like a machine, it was very impressive. He was tall and handsome indeed, it made her wonder if it was just her luck or if the whole city was just full of good-looking men. "Oh! the queen of my heart, only your voice can take me out of focus", he said pulling Claire in for a hug. He turned towards her and smiled, showing off his dimples. Gosh, they made him look even sexier. She never had a thing for just any man but being tall and handsome were definitely among her the few options that made her appreciate god's ability to create men.

"Hi Val, am Liam, this woman's favourite chef", he said earning 'oh please' from the close cooks and making Valerie laugh. "Don't mind them, they're just jealous", he said with a wink. Valerie was as red as a tomato at this point. "Hi there am Mia, welcome, what are you here for?", an Asian bubbly girl asked making her smile. "She doesn't know yet, we will know by tomorrow", Claire said pulling her out of the kitchen but not before shouting 'get back to work'. "What did you mean by that? What will I know tomorrow", Valerie asked feeling nervous. "Oh sweety nothing to worry about, I promise it's nothing you haven't done before", she said with a warm smile making her relax and wait for the second day.

She spent the rest of the day studying different recipes and googling the companies she saw on the reception wall but fell asleep right when she reached her second company.

"Wake up! We don't want you late on your first day", a happy Yolanda screamed from the door making her wake up and get ready. For some reason Yolanda ended up giving her and Rayan a lift saying that he was working in the same building, she was happy that at least she knew someone even though they were not going to see each other that much. Claire told her that after passing her test she will be in a position to tell her the timings because every set of cooks had shifts depending on what they were able to cook. The owners of the company were keen on making sure that the workers ate healthily and loved every single food that was offered in the cafeteria.

"My you look beautiful in that uniform, so professional", Claire said when she walked into her office to find Liam and Mia sitting with her. "Thank you, good morning", "Good morning beautiful, do you wish to start now or do you need time to relax before we start?", Liam said with a serious face. The nickname made her feel shy, which made Mia smack him on the back of his head. "This is serious Liam", "Ouch! I know, but she is beautiful", he defended himself making Claire rolled her eyes playfully. "Valerie, I want you to prepare a meal for ten people, it should be made up of three of your favourite meals my dear, you have two hours, everything you need is in the pantry which is on the right side of your workstation. We are not into perfection, just cook as you would cook for your family ok?", she asked. "I can cook anything?", "Yes, anything you wish my dear, off you go", she said switching on the timer.

She thought of her cinnamon buns and a scoop of ice cream for dessert. Sweet sticky wings with a mayo dipping sauce for the starter and steak with veggies for the main course.

She started with the buns, and when she was waiting for them to rise, she marinated the steak and wings and moved to make the dipping sauce for the wings. The dough was double the size by the time the dressing was ready so she went back to the buns and rolled them, leaving them to rise the second time, switching the oven on. She went back to chopping the veggies. When she was done the buns went into the oven she switched the deep frier and the grill on. She made the sticky sauce for the wings, icing for the buns and gravy for the steak. She deep-fried the wings getting a call from the oven. Removed the buns placing them on a drainer to cool off. She collected the plates from the pantry spreading them on the table ready for plating. She put the steaks on the grill and the veggies on the pan. She placed the meat in a foil to rest as she started assembling the food on the plates. She had fifteen minutes left and she was sweating bullets.

"Time is up!", Claire said from the kitchen entrance making her fall to the ground. She had never done something that intense before but she was happy that she finished on time. She was panting but her attention went to the sound of people clapping their hands. When she stood up from the back of her station her eyes met the deep blue ones that always made everything around her disappear.