Page 31 of Mine
“Love you,” he says, his voice noticeably quieter.
I open my eyes and look at the glass door. The silhouette of Logan’s body is highlighted against the white light of the bathroom. I wipe my fingertip below my eyes, knowing they’re probably already red from the tears. I inhale a deep, exhausted breath. ”I Love you, too.”
He stands there for exactly thirty seconds before he finally leaves. I know this because I count, waiting until his silhouette has disappeared from behind the glass.
Twelve
Logan
Ipull into the parking lot at the market, fuming from Natalie’s text. Why is she meeting me here?
Dodging groups of people crowded on the sidewalk, I type out a quick message to Max, asking him if he told Natalie she needed to go to the market before coming in to the restaurant for our first closing shift. When I get his reply telling me that he did in fact tell her I was going to be here, but he didn’t tell her sheneededto be, I curse under my breath. Of course, Max didn’t need to invite her here, she did that all on her own.
The market is filled with hundreds of people. Vendors of all kinds line the walkways, selling everything from produce to fish to meats. Bright colored banners and signs line the hundreds of tables and displays. It’s an iconic place in Seattle and one chefs love coming to. It’s our playground. It’s also the same market where I met Max.
Natalie’s standing by a table selling cakes when I find her. She’s wearing a plain white T-shirt tucked into her blue jeans. She doesn’t look ready to work in less than an hour, when our shift is supposed to begin.
“Hey.” She waves excitedly, her long ponytail bouncing along with her arm.
“Hey, Natalie.” I sigh. I seriously don’t know how to handle what’s going on with her. Technically, she isn’t doing anything wrong. I can’t fault the woman for wanting to be involved with this aspect of the job. Max and I have built an excellent relationship with some of the fisherman who sell at the market. We get the best fish at reasonable prices. A deal hard to come by in Seattle.
I pinch the bridge of my nose, forcing myself to keep my opinions to myself. Maybe Natalie was just an overly friendly person. A woman who wanted to learn about her career as much as possible, snatching up every opportunity. In a sense, that’s what I have done ever since I started working in this business when I was sixteen.
She shrugs, clasping her hands in front of her. “I hope it’s okay that I came. Max said you’ve been getting the fish from the market and I wanted to see what it was like.”
I stare at Natalie, understanding where she’s coming from. If that truly is the reason she’s here. “Yeah, it’s okay that you’re here.” I point to her outfit. “You do plan on changing before we get to the restaurant, right?” I laugh, hoping to make this trip a little more fun.
“Oh.” She looks down then looks back up to me, smiling, a hint of laughter in her voice. “Of course. I forgot to wash the set I have at home. I keep a spare in my locker at work.”
“Good.” I nod once then tilt my head back toward the seafood. “Come on, I’ll show you how we place an order and the type of fish we usually get.”
I lead Natalie through the market to the back. The last tables are near the water’s edge. The scent of salt and sea water fills the air and I inhale a deep breath, loving the way it smells. The merchants are loud as they toss large fish to one another for show. It’s a common spectacle in the market and one that’s popular with the tourists, testing to see if someone can catch one without dropping it.
Natalie follows me as we stop in front of one of the counters. Manny, one of the local fishermen, is working today. He greets me with a large grin, already knowing what I’m here for.
After explaining all the fish to Natalie and introducing her to Manny, I realize it maybe wasn’t such a horrible idea for her to come. As a chef, it’s important to experience everything you can about different foods, even when it doesn’t involve actually cooking it.
I’m surprised as Natalie nods and hums every time I explain a certain fish to her or how we prepare it at the restaurant in various ways. Our menu is constantly changing so I try to give her ideas on how we could use other pieces in the future. She’s different today than she was the past several times I had trained her. She’s invested in the job.
After Manny and I set up the delivery that’s to be made tomorrow, Natalie and I begin our walk back to our cars.
We begin the small trek back as Natalie looks down at her feet. “Thank you for explaining it to me.” She smiles, looking up. “This place is pretty exciting.”
I shrug, feeling a hint of a smile on my lips. It was hard not to think about the way Lena and I left things at the house. It was a nice distraction to come here, giving myself time to concentrate on something other than my wife and I’s failed attempts at connecting lately. I walk a bit slower, enjoying the sounds of the market around me. “I never really thought about it but this place is pretty cool.”
Natalie laughs. “You never noticed?”
I shrug. “Not really.”
“You need to lighten up a little.” Natalie giggles again, bumping her shoulder into my arm. She points to a small smoothie cart near the entrance of the market. “Do you mind if we stop and grab one?”
I wince. “We really should get going. Max is waiting for us for the shift change.”
Natalie glances at her phone. “Come on, we still have ten minutes to spare before we have to leave.”
I roll my eyes and begrudgingly agree. “Fine.”
We’re third in line behind the cart and I try not to appear too impatient to get back to the restaurant. Natalie was right. We did have ten minutes to spare but Max was always strict when it came to being on time. I told Natalie that on her first day.
