“It doesn’t surprise me at all that Paul is a player,” Jenny insists. It is Saturday, and the two of us are taking a break between the lunch and dinner rushes at the restaurant. As Paul warned, I’ve already had a long weekend and it’s only half over. This is the first chance to tell Jenny about the conversation I overheard in the restroom.
We sit at a small bistro table in the café down the street from Fission. We’d both agreed we needed a break from Robbs, Paul, and Fission in general.
“It’s absolutely disgusting,” I tell her. “I feel so awkward working with Claire after hearing how she got her job.”
“Does it appear like she knows what she’s doing? I can’t imagine Paul would put a bad chef in his kitchen, even if she’s good in bed.”
“She seems perfectly capable,” I reply. “And her food is delicious.”
“Maybe the gossip is only half right,” Jenny suggests. “Maybe she slept with him, but that may not be the reason she was hired. You know how gossip works. It’s like a margarita… it should be taken with several grains of salt.”
“I don’t like salt with mine,” I say with an upturned nose.
“Come to think of it, neither do I…” she says, “but the saying still applies. We just need to keep our heads down and focus on our jobs. No good ever comes from sleeping with coworkers anyway. That’s not a lesson I need to learn twice.”
I can tell Jenny is trying hard to be my friend, but I’m still not quite ready to let my guard down. I’ve had too many ‘friends’ who were decent enough at first, but bailed as soon as I let myself be vulnerable with them. When people hear about my past, they become closed off and treat me as if I’m damaged. And as friendly as Jenny seems, at the end of the day she’s still my competition. The last thing I want to do is let her know where my weaknesses are.
“You’re right,” I tell her. “It shouldn’t matter if Paul is a player or a saint. He’s our boss, and becoming involved with him isn’t an option.”
Jenny shakes her head. “Chauvinists always assume successful women slept their way to the top. The last thing either of us should do is prove them right. To be honest, I don’t care if you beat me or I beat you… as long as Robbs doesn’t get the apprenticeship, I’ll consider it a win.”
“Agreed,” I reply. We lift our coffee mugs and toast our mutual dislike of our male competitor. I take a long drink of my coffee and check the time. “The dinner rush will be starting soon. We’d better get back.”
As we exit the café, Jenny loops her arm through mine and we walk back to Fission together.