Reynaud's Redemption, стр. 13

Chapter Four

The summer heat had lingered into September. Luckily, a midafternoon breeze eased the sizzle on his skin from the sun’s bright rays. Joe slouched on a bench in the park under a tree chomping on a piece of gum. He eyed the man across the street with malice. He couldn’t see his face, but his mannerisms made Joe stare harder. The way his body moved as he greeted the people at the door… His cheerful manner… The nonchalant way he raked his hair from his face when he chuckled. The man’s laughter drifted across the heated air to Joe’s ears. It was barely audible, but he heard it. Its light almost musical pitch made a sinister smile appear across Joe’s face. The sound was just the way he remembered it. He would know it anywhere. That was his Cameron all right.

“So he really did it… Opened the little restaurant he’d jawed on about all those years.” He snorted. “Well, he couldn’t do much else, but he did know how to cook,” Joe admitted with disdain.

Joe’s narrowed his eyes as he watched Cameron holding the door open for all those who wanted in, smiling and laughing happily. Heat rose around Joe’s collar that had nothing to do with New Orleans’ sultry weather.

Joe knew he hadn’t been the best boyfriend. Cameron had been angry with him. That’s why he’d sent Joe to jail. He could admit he had some things to work on, but so did Cameron. Neither of them was perfect. The whole time he was gone, Cameron hadn’t answered any of his letters. When Joe was released, he went home to find his house in disarray. All of Cameron’s stuff was gone. No note, no forwarding address, nothing. Joe was confused at first. Three years was more than enough to calm down or even forget all the things Joe had done to upset him. He contacted their mutual friends, looking for him, but no one seemed to know where Cameron was. Then Joe remembered there was one person who would know where his Cameron had gone. Once he’d located her, it didn’t take long to find Cameron.

Joe watched Cameron disappear with two people behind the white French doors and into the restaurant. He glared at the building for a while longer as the betrayal rose and festered within him. Finally, Joe spat the gum out of the side of his mouth into a bush and took off down the pathway.

“I’ll be back later, Cam. We’ll talk then.”

* * * *

“The kitchen is done, Cameron,” the sous chef announced, coming into the room. “Here is tomorrow’s menu for your review,” he added, sliding a few sheets of paper on the table before Cameron.

“Thanks, Pierre. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Goodnight.” Pierre shut the door behind him.

Cameron went back to the article he’d been reading. The Louisiana Food Today gave him five stars, mentioning that he had great ambience and food to match. With a sigh of contentment, Cameron closed the newspaper and sipped his glass of wine, bringing the menu closer to him.

“All right, everything is shut down, cleaned up and put away. Did we miss anything?”

A smile touched Cameron’s lips at the voice. Reynaud’s sultry Cajun accent still sent shivers of delight down his spine whenever he heard it. Cameron watched him approach. Reynaud moved with the fluidity of a tiger on the prowl, full of power encased in grace.

Reynaud had entered Cameron’s life and everything had seemed to change for the better. He’d become a constant source of joy and enlightenment. His mind, body and spirit were at ease when Reynaud was around. Cameron couldn’t have asked for a better partner. He constantly bombarded Cameron with love and affection, always there giving a helping hand or offering an encouraging word. Even at night, when Cameron woke with fear gripping his heart from another nightmare, Reynaud was there, holding him close until he fell asleep again.

Reynaud had become Cameron’s virtual right-hand man when handling the daily duties of owning a restaurant, freeing Cameron of undue stress. He offered ideas for creating new recipes and perfecting old ones. The staff took to him almost instantly, accepting whatever assistance he offered. Reynaud had no issue helping wherever there was need as a waiter, cook or janitor.

When the workers asked about Mel, remembering the fondness their boss had had for the dog, Cameron merely said they’d found his true home and he was happy. He and Reynaud chuckled about it whenever the conversation came up, because it was the truth. The day Reynaud explained how he’d become Mel seemed like a lifetime ago. Cameron didn’t know if he was already in love with Reynaud when he’d been Mel, or if love had grown over the last six months. He only knew for sure that his heart swelled with love when he looked up at Reynaud now. With a smile, Cameron stood to greet him.

“No, Reynaud. Everything is done. I’m just going over the specialty menu for tomorrow.”

“Do we have everything we need?” he asked, looking at the paper. “Mmm, caramel-glazed apple dumplings. That’s one of my favorites.”

Cameron chuckled. “Yes, Pierre is very diligent, you know. He always checks the supplies before he makes menu suggestions.”

“All right