Heart storms, p.7
Heart Storms, page 7
Jade strummed her pen on her notebook. “Tell you what I’ll do if you’re okay with it—I want you to come up with the breakfast menu on your own. It’s all yours. We can discuss it later. I’ll reschedule Rick for around dinner to give you time to work on it, and we’ll see what you’ve come up with. Sound good?”
A wide, brilliant smile burst onto Gabe’s face. “Heck, yeah. Sounds great. Thank you for… for, you know…”
“Trusting you? Yes, I trust you, Gabe, to do your best as the wonderful chef you are, if the muffins are any indication.” Jade saw many things in his smile: she’d made up for her earlier judgment; he was happy about her respecting and trusting him; and there was hope for the future of them working together. She gathered her things to leave. “I’m excited to see your menu.” As she walked by him, she noticed how handsome he was when he was happy and didn’t have his angry, spoiling for-a-fight face on.
Gabriel checked her out, too, from behind. She had shapely legs—slim with nice calves, and a firm backside—both meant to be seen in his opinion, or why else dress provocatively? Under the tight, black yoga pants and the brightly colored tank top, every curve was visible. A hint of a fresh, light scent drifted by as she did. I might’ve been wrong about her. At least she copped to what she did and apologized. I never saw an apology coming. He took a last look at her going out the door. And it sure will be nice to work around this eye-candy every day.
The kitchen had a wall of windows and sliding glass doors opening to the eating area and bar, and beyond was another wall of windows and French doors leading to the outdoor patio giving a clear view from the kitchen to the beach. Lawns surrounded the patio where Rick supervised the landscapers, and he had a full view of the kitchen. He looked as Jade walked by Gabe and saw them check each other out. Rick figured it was innocent or unconscious on her part, maybe not so much on Gabe’s. All he knew was he didn’t like it. He didn’t know why; he just didn’t like it.
Five minutes later, Jade popped back into the kitchen. “Gabe, I forgot to tell you Rick asked me to introduce you to the staff today. Will you be free in an hour or so?”
“Sure thing, boss.”
“Please don’t call me boss. Rick’s the boss.”
“But Rick’s not here. Lucky me, I have you all to myself.” As he spoke, he quickly scanned her up and down, like she was one of his tasty muffins, licking his lips.
A look of disgust crossed Jade’s face.
Gabe had been using his seduction routine so long it was unconscious behavior and he instantly regretted it. Attempting to limit the damage, he added, “I’m really sorry. I meant to compliment you on how good you look in your outfit.”
Jade’s tone was icy. “Good enough to eat, obviously.”
Gabe glanced at her cleavage peaking up under the tank top, another instinctual habit when a beautiful woman stood in front of him with her bare chest showing. If she were like his usual type of woman, he’d think her line was a ‘come-on’ and say, ‘Yeah, and I’m hungry right now.’ But Jade would go ballistic hearing those words. What irritated him was if she didn’t want sexual or flirtatious attention, why did she dress her hot body so seductively? Typical woman. Flaunts it, then cops an attitude when a man notices and comments. Blurting out those thoughts would be career suicide, though, so he held them back. “It’s just that I’m not used to working with beautiful women who flaunt their lovely stuff. You caught me off-guard.” He truly believed he was complimenting her.
“For your information, I’m not flaunting my stuff, whatever the hell that means in your sexist mind.”
Gabe froze and his mouth dropped open for words to come out, but none did, which was unusual for him.
Jade continued. “I do yoga and take a quick jog on the beach before work each morning. I was late and wasn’t expecting to work with anyone except the new chambermaids, doing some hard cleaning. After which, I was planning to go home, shower and dress for business the rest of day.” Her stare began with the cold look of a dead fish eye and transformed into the fiery glare of a prize fighter facing a hated contender. “Except Rick roped me into working with you.” She sniped, “Not that it’s any of your business.”
Gabe looked at his feet, feeling embarrassed but next got hot in the collar, at which point he looked straight into her eyes. “You’re right. Nothing about you is my business.”
“Except having to work with me. In which case, you better stop with the seduction crap, and racist comments like you made last night. I’m sure you were thinking them now, too, weren’t you? Probably thinking me to be a slutty white woman flaunting her stuff, wanting attention then getting angry when she got it. Right?”
Her insight was so accurate, her stance so formidable and serious he imagined she’d put up her fists. Even angry, she was lovely. The last thing anyone would consider her was ‘slutty.’ The scene suddenly became funny to him—Jade, a vision of beauty and grace ready to beat him like a practice dummy. Gabe risked a joking response. She’d either laugh or throw a knife at him. Let’s see what kind of personality, or lack of, she has. So, with a straight face, he said, “Well, I would never think you were slutty.”
Jade jerked her head back. At first shocked, she realized he was making fun, and she’d been acting a tad dramatic. She broke into a raucous laugh and so did Gabe. She slapped her hand on the island. “Well, as long as we got it clear I’m not a slut, I guess we’re good.”
They continued laughing together while she walked to the door and Gabe said, “Yes, we’re good!” That was a close one. But at least now I know she has a sense of humor and can laugh at herself. How good it feels to hold a woman in high regard for a change.
***
Introducing Gabriel to the staff went surprisingly well. Jade observed he was authentic, friendly and interested in everyone. He cajoled with Roy, the bartender and later joked with the wait staff. He asked questions of each person to find out something he could relate to and talk about. She noticed he shared only minimal information about himself but was a gracious coworker, showing intelligence, a good sense of humor, and everyone liked him.
Gabriel spoke Spanish with a chambermaid, Lottie, who spoke it to him first. But after their short chat, he said to her, “I love speaking our language, but I don’t want to be rude to Jade.” He turned to Jade. “We were saying how happy we were to work in a beautiful place like this.” Lottie smiled and nodded in agreement.
“That’s so nice to hear,” Jade said. “We’re happy to have you both on board.” She touched Gabe’s forearm and said, “But remember the conversation we had when we met? I do know some Spanish. Remember?”
Gabe showed no embarrassment at the referral to their unpleasant first meeting. He touched her arm back. “Oh, yeah, how could I forget?” He looked at Lottie and said, “Be careful what you say in Spanish, because Ms. Jade hears all and understands.”
Jade took his hand off her arm. “I’m teasing him, Lottie. I’m not fluent. I understand enough to get by with four years of high school and college Spanish and working with many people of Mexican descent who taught me a lot. I do have a good ear, though. Say it once, and I’ll usually remember it.”
Gabe cocked his head to one side and half-smiling, said, “I’ll definitely remember that.” He hesitated, then added, “And, by the way, I’m not Mexican. I’m of Spanish descent. There’s a difference, and it’s insulting to call a Spanish person ‘Mexican.’”
Lottie’s cheeks turned red as she lowered her eyes and excused herself before walking away. Noticing Lottie’s embarrassment with Gabe’s comment, Jade stepped back, her brows furrowed and her mouth dropped open. “Excuse me if I misinterpreted your statement, but did you put yourself above Lottie because you’re Spanish and she’s Mexican? Sure sounds racist.”
With a look of disgust, Gabe fired back, “No way am I racist. I only meant to make a distinction. I’m full-blooded Spanish. These blue eyes are not from Mexico, they’re from my father and his father and all the way to ancestors in the Basque region in northern Spain. My great-grandfather came to this country directly from Spain and settled in Texas.”
“Thanks for sharing your genealogy, but he must’ve married a woman who already lived in Texas. Was she pure Spanish?”
Gabe held his head high. “I believe she was. My great grandfather was the type to make sure.”
Jade thought for a long moment. “But, technically, aren’t most Hispanic and/or Latino people in North America today descended originally way back from Spain; because the Spaniards discovered and settled the New World, and parts of what is today Central, Latin, South America, Mexico, and migrated to the U.S., right? And even though ‘Latino’ refers to those of a Latin country descent, aren’t the terms Hispanic and Latino used interchangeably?”
Gabe’s high cheekbones flashed red. “Not completely accurate, but close enough.”
“With the way you talk, don’t you see you’re racist against people of your own culture, racist against a particular geographical segment you consider beneath you?”
Gabe’s embarrassment turned defensive. “You, being Caucasian, would think so. I’m extremely proud of my Spanish lineage, that’s all I meant to convey.” He turned to walk back to the kitchen.
Jade followed him. “There’s a difference between being proud of your heritage and putting yourself above others because of it. To say you’re ‘insulted’ with being called Mexican, is not a distinction. You’re implying you are a higher class and being judgmental with a ‘I’m better-than-you’ attitude, and that’s racist.” She put her arm up to stop him from walking.
“Look at me for a second. This is important. You’ve also used racist comments and names toward me. When we stumbled over each other, you didn’t have to say ‘Miss white lady.’ Your words triggered me to throw the same kind back to you, which only magnified the problem. You’re so busy assuming everyone is being racist toward you, you don’t realize you’re guilty of it yourself. What you just said in front of Lottie really embarrassed her, and me. And if this was a big company with a Human Resources department, she could report you for discrimination or using racist language. She and I both could.”
The truth of her words hit Gabe square in the chest. He’d never viewed himself as racist, yet he’d had the attitude and used the words. Jade witnessed it. Once in the kitchen, he sat down at the island and put his head in his hands.
Jade kept quiet, letting him sort out his thoughts.
“I hate admitting this,” he said in a quiet voice, “but you make me think, and you’re right. I didn’t mean to put Lottie down, or myself above her. She’s the sweetest person, and my equal. I feel terrible.” He reflected on her words for a few moments. “My father force-fed such talk to me all my life. I’ve said and thought things like that for so long I didn’t realize I was doing it. I’m doing the exact thing I hate being the object of, the racial prejudice I’ve been subjected to all my life.”
“Hey, I understand. I still have vengeful, hateful thoughts for my ex, and I divorced only a couple years ago. I get how a lifetime of hatred and discriminatory talk would color your thoughts, words and behavior, especially coming from a father who made himself feel big and proud by making others look small and putting them down—including you.”
Gabe looked up. His eyes filled with amazement. “You’re so right-on, I can’t believe you said it. You pegged my father exactly.” He put his head in his hands again. “And to think I was imitating him. He’s the last person I want to be like.”
“Then don’t be. It takes time to change ingrained behavior, but I think the first step is to recognize it so you can fix it. All I was trying to do was to bring it to your attention.”
Gabriel shook his head, his gaze deep and thoughtful. “No one’s ever seen it or stood up to me about my attitude. I appreciate your understanding. It means a lot. Thank you.”
“De nada,” Jade said to make him smile, and he did.
He stood to face her. “As long as we’re talking so honest, during our little tiff I saw things in you I recognize in myself. You’re hiding some serious anger, especially toward a man. I think it’s why you overreacted when you tripped over me.”
“Now I’m busted. I’ll admit I overreacted, but you provoked me with your hateful comment. Do you have a subconscious hatred or dislike of all women, or just white women?”
Gabe paced around the kitchen, shaking his head back and forth. He rubbed his hand over the top of his head, through his hair and wrung his hands together. “Oh, man, you really know how to push a guy’s buttons. I do not hate women—of any color or race. I love women.”
“But how you treat them is a different story. I’ll bet with your looks you run through women pretty fast, especially after your nasty divorce, which Rick mentioned.”
“Gee, thanks Rick. But I guess you’d have firsthand knowledge of such things, huh, with spreading your anger and bitterness to other men because of your ex. Or is it just directed at me? I notice you’re all sweetness around the boss.”
He triggered Jade’s hot-button again. “My history with my ex, and the platonic friendship I have with Rick are none of your business and probably something you wouldn’t understand anyway. Have you ever had a woman friend? A platonic relationship without taking her to bed? Or is it always about sex with you?”
“Look who’s poking into my business now. I don’t have to answer your personal questions. We work together. Talk about getting reported to Human Resources. This is feeling a little like harassment.”
Jade realized she’d gone too far again. “You’re right, none of my business. But my personal life is none of yours, either. Let’s leave it at that.”
“Fair enough.”
“Now you better get to planning the new menu.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, but her words triggered the devilish voice which rebelled: Keep ordering me around Jade, asking personal questions, bringing up sex. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were interested in me. If you heard my thoughts, you’d be rip-roaring mad. A real spitfire, you are. Oh, how I’d love to calm you down. What great foreplay. You think I run through women? You wait and see.
Chapter 11
The same evening, Rick and Jade sat outside in front of a blazing fire having a glass of wine before Gabe joined them. “Gabe acted terrific with all the staff—cordial, friendly, interested, spoke Spanish with Lottie and won her over.” Jade elected not to tell Rick about Gabe’s sexist comments or their further conversation about racism, mainly because she thought Gabe got the message. There was no need to give Rick one more thing to worry about.
“I’m relieved,” he said. “And I’m glad you trusted him to work on the menus. Let’s see what he comes up with. You did good, Jade. It’ll give him confidence. Not as if he needs it.”
“I hear you. Our cocky cook. Hey, I don’t mind his hubris as long as his food is extraordinary to the same degree and he gets along with everyone.”
Rick’s features contorted. “I don’t either, as long as it doesn’t extend to you.”
Jade, in mid-swallow, coughed. “Wait. What? Me? What do you mean?”
Rick twirled his glass, looking inside it instead of at her. “I don’t like when his cockiness extends to you. From the back lawn today, I saw you both in the kitchen and watched him check you out when you walked by. It sure looked like he enjoyed admiring you, and he’s probably attracted to you. Be careful.”
Jade practically choked on her wine. “After our sparring match? You think he’s attracted to me? Oh, please. He’s a hot-blooded guy. So what if he looked?” She, too, stared into her glass. “I gave him a once-over, too. It’s natural, what single men and women do. It means nothing.”
“Okay. I believe you and trust you. Just be careful. I’ll give him a break because what normal guy wouldn’t be attracted to you?”
Jade let his question slide, given he was her boss. She did, however, file it away in her brain for future reference. “Don’t worry about me. Or Gabe. The only thing you should worry about is if he and I argue. This ‘getting along’ thing you required may be fake or short-lived. He may not be genuine about it or capable of putting up a front long-term. And if he ticks me off or says something macho, rude, sexist or racist, you know I’ll verbally defend myself.”
“Oh, Jade. I respect your strength, but you always keep me on edge with your sometimes-hard edge. You still harbor anger and bitterness and I’m concerned you might blow if something sets you off. Please be civil with Gabe and don’t get too close or too involved with his private life.” Rick sipped his wine. “It’s interesting, when I interviewed Gabe, I sensed the same about him as I see in you. He didn’t elaborate on his divorce, except it was nasty. But I think he’s reeling from it and there’s no telling how it might manifest in his interpersonal relationships, especially with women. Be careful, okay?”
Jade didn’t have words to respond. She hated Rick seeing things in her she didn’t want him to see and comparing her to Gabe again. He doesn’t realize with this kind of talk, instead of keeping Gabe and I apart, he might push us together—the ‘misery loves company’ thing, the ‘united front’ thing. But all she said was, “I’ll be careful.”
Gabriel walked onto the patio and joined them. It was dusk and the fire danced and glowed, reflecting the gold flecks in Jade’s eyes and warming her face. Her beauty almost took his breath away as he sat down, but he kept his cool. This meeting was too important to screw it up by going gaga over a pretty face.
As Gabe approached the table, Jade noticed his confident gait. Dressed in jeans topped with a nice silver belt, and a tucked-in snug T-shirt, his body underneath was the main attraction—trim waist with wide shoulders and muscular biceps. He sat down across from her and for the first time she was close enough to get a good look at his face—the high, chiseled cheekbones and straight, regal nose. His jet-black hair was thick, straight, trimmed over his ears but longish on top and swept off his forehead. The dark moustache and closely cropped goatee complemented his face in a rugged, masculine way. His appearance sure does represent the Spanish heritage he’s so proud of.
