Accidentally in Love, page 20
“All right, Hulk hands, go easy,” Sam said. “My mom specifically chose Simone’s to meet you because she’s been social-media-stalking you.”
“Samantha, don’t embarrass me,” Claire said, giving Russ a dazzling smile. “I’ve always been interested in mixology, and Sam says you’re headed to New York soon . . .” And with that, Russ sat down and started chatting with her parents.
What an unexpected afternoon.
Russ nodded politely while Sam actively ignored the genial chatter now taking place. She even tried to distract herself by focusing on the way Russ’s forearm brushed against hers when he leaned against the table at one point. But all she saw was how happy her parents looked together, how at ease they seemed.
Sam must have been staring too much because her dad raised an eyebrow when he caught her looking at them. But he wasn’t admonishing her for something she said; he looked concerned, like he was making sure she was okay.
While Russ and Claire carried the conversation—Sam caught something about Russ having worked at a pet-grooming boutique in Galena a couple years ago—Sam and Theo held back, letting their chattier counterparts continue to talk. Since their tense conversation after the heart attack, Theo was suddenly always checking in on her. Sam was using work as a way to avoid anything more than a quick update phone call or text, but her dad had been so much more responsive lately. Sam didn’t know if he was making an extra effort because of her mom or if he’d had some kind of life-changing revelation while he was under anesthesia, but it was interesting.
They had just started talking about the food truck when Gabby came by the table to talk to Russ. “We need you in the kitchen for a last-minute catering order that James claims is from a friend calling in a favor. James is already covering your bachelorettes, so see you downstairs in ten?” Gabby turned around to look at the party behind them, and they all followed her gaze. James was fully in his element, doing a thorough job charming the increasingly loud group of celebratory women.
“Well, that’s my cue. It was great to meet you—I hope you’ll come back again,” Russ said to her parents as he stood up. “Sam, I’ll call you about this weekend, okay?” He nudged her shoulder, waved, and headed downstairs.
“Samantha Muireann Sawyer, you did not tell me you were dating the hot bartender!” her mom squealed the moment Russ was out of earshot.
“What are you talking about?” Sam replied, though she knew her face was hot, and judging from her parents’ beaming faces, she was blushing. “We’re just hanging out, all right? No big deal.”
“Okay, Daughter, settle down,” Theo replied. “He seems really nice.”
“He is,” Sam said. “But it’s complicated.”
A look passed between her parents as they got up to leave. “Then uncomplicate it,” Claire said matter-of-factly. “You know, things can just take a while to sort themselves out. Your dad and I—”
Sam sighed in a way she knew her parents wouldn’t ignore. But she also didn’t think her situation with Russ was anything like what her parents had been dancing around for her entire life. She laced her fingers together in front of her on the table. “I get that you both are very excited about your rekindled relationship and everything that entails, but I don’t know that you need to be giving me relationship advice.”
“Sammy, I just . . . well, I wanted to explain,” Claire started to say, glancing quickly at Theo, then back at Sam. “Things can work out and be great and—”
“Mom, seriously,” Sam said, on the verge of whining for her mom to stop waxing poetic on the merits of being in a committed relationship. That’s not exactly the definition of a fling, and brunch wasn’t the place to scandalize her parents with that bit of information about what she had going on with Russ. “Can we please drop it?”
Theo cleared his throat. He’d been so quiet through all of their yammering, Sam almost forgot he was there. One thing her dad could recognize was when he was needed to defuse a tense situation between mother and daughter. “Now, I believe Kit promised us dessert back at your apartment.”
Sam flagged down Hazel to bring them the check, grateful for something else to focus on instead of her parents’ burgeoning love and her own complicated summer fling.
EIGHTEEN
Russ threw his messy apron in a plastic bag before putting it in the backpack he brought to and from work, making a mental note that he absolutely had to do laundry—who knew chopping pine nuts for a large batch of pesto could be so messy? The methodical task let Russ’s mind wander, and his thoughts turned to his relatively painless introduction to Sam’s parents. He was feeling pretty great.
After meeting Sam’s parents, Russ left the bar in good spirits. Sam had been cordial with him, and though she seemed mortified by her parents’ relationship status, she hadn’t undermined him when he mentioned the plan for Saturday night. He’d text her later for official confirmation, but for now, he was going to consider the date still on.
Watching Sam so obviously uncomfortable with her parents was amusing and a different side to her that Russ hadn’t seen. He wasn’t an authority on family dynamics, and though he wasn’t quite sure what to make of their relationship, Russ could tell Sam had two parents who completely supported their daughter and wanted to see her happy. This was a foreign concept to Russ, but he was starting to understand what having a family meant, like unconditional and unfailing support. Reid hadn’t always been there for Russ growing up, but now Russ wouldn’t trade the relationship he had with his brother for anything. And the fact that Cassie was officially going to be his sister—at some point—gave him a sense of belonging that he never thought he needed. Knowing that Reid and Cassie were there for him, along with the friends he had found in the Simone’s and Buxom Boudoir “family,” gave him the confidence to try his hand at culinary school.
Russ wasn’t sure why he’d picked a school so far away; he told himself it was for the award-winning programs, but he also knew it was scratching his itch to be on the move, just like their mother had always done. Either way, Russ was grateful to have a family in Chicago to come back to one day. As soon as he’d started working at Simone’s and realized that a career in the restaurant industry was his next big opportunity, he’d busted his ass to finish his associate degree in just under eighteen months by taking summer classes, as well as working at Simone’s to save money and gain experience in a restaurant. Next, it was culinary school, and after that, who knew? The unknown future that usually excited Russ instead left him hesitant. Now there was someone who confused him and enticed him and made him want to settle down and stay in one place—wherever she may be . . .
But there would be time for all that eventually, or maybe never. Russ always assumed he was just like Rose Montgomery. He’d left home at sixteen, begging for a ride from a guy he barely knew driving to a college in Iowa, and he felt alive on the road, out from under the weight of knowing no one cared what he did or where he did it.
The year or so he had been back in Illinois left him feeling steady—almost too steady, like he could predict what would come next. And he just wasn’t built for that sort of stability. He had done well—as well as he could—moving from place to place, thriving on the hustle of bouncing from job to job, making ends meet by the barest of minimums . . . or calling his brother for help.
“Russ, let’s get started,” Gabby said as she entered the break room where everyone hung out before and after shifts, near James’s small office. He and Gabby were having a food truck meeting to plan the menu for their next festival, the Roscoe Village Burger Fest. They were required to have at least one burger on the menu, but Gabby wanted a few options. She slapped down a notepad with a list of the current selections at Simone’s. “What do we want to keep?”
“Duck fat fries are a no-brainer,” Russ said. “They were a hit and will pair well with burgers, of course. The same salad, too, I think. Both will be easy to increase the quantity of without exhausting resources.”
Gabby nodded in agreement. “I wonder what we can do to punch things up, flavor-wise. A buffalo sauce burger would be a great homage to our buffalo mac and cheese, and we could use chicken or turkey for protein instead of beef.”
“I like that,” Russ said, then spending a few moments thinking about what more they could do with a burger to make an impression at a festival where all that mattered was producing the best burger possible. Thinking back to earlier, Russ combined his idea of European street food with Sam’s parents’ reminiscences of their travels after enjoying the flavor profile of their lunch. He had the beginnings of an idea. “What about Spain? Like a tapas-style mini burger that could have Spanish spices. It keeps the street food angle we started with but will be something different from the usual giant burgers, and still higher-end than sliders.”
“I love this idea,” Gabby said, tapping her pen on the table, obviously excited by this direction. “What about combining beef and pork, using a romesco sauce and Manchego cheese, on a brioche roll?”
“You know that fig jam you use for the charcuterie sometimes? Could we use that to add a little sweetness?”
Gabby looked at Russ and smiled. “Russ, you are developing quite the palate. NYC won’t know what hit it.”
“Thanks, Gabby,” he said, not hiding his grin at the praise. He hoped all the extra hours as a line cook and working on the food truck would pay off when it came to culinary school.
They continued developing the menu, adding a small batch of Simone’s signature pound cake with a berry medley as a topping, in addition to the stroopwafels. Gabby wondered if they should add something chocolatey but decided to keep dessert on the simpler side, with their main courses a little more involved than before.
“I think we should have someone stationed outside the truck to help with running orders, making sure people hear their numbers called, handing stuff out, things like that,” Gabby suggested. “That was our biggest hang-up last time. We made it work, but the Roscoe fest gets bigger and bigger every year, and we’re going to be one of the closest trucks to the main stage.”
“I hadn’t even thought of that; I was too concerned with what was going on in the truck. I think people will appreciate the help.” Russ watched as she made a note to see who could work the extra hours in a few weeks. They spent the rest of their time going over small details like canned wine quantities and which type of mustard packets to provide. Gabby had a firm grasp on the entire scope of the food truck and what Simone’s could offer to make it an elevated street festival dining experience. Russ was glad she was on this project, and he was going to make the most of his time with her.
“Gabby, can I ask you for some advice?” Russ said as they both got up at the end of the meeting. Russ was officially off work for the weekend, but Gabby was the only person he trusted with this question. “I’m making dinner for someone tomorrow night and want to do something that is impressive, but not hard to mess up. What would you make?”
Gabby smiled sweetly before saying, “So you’re finally going on a date with Sam?”
Apparently, everyone knew.
“Uh, yes.” Russ rubbed the nape of his neck, suddenly hot and itchy at the same time.
“Keep it easy, all things that you can prepare ahead of time, nothing too bold or out of the ordinary, and make sure you have chocolate.”
“Why chocolate?” Russ’s brain went to a place that was not appropriate for work.
“Because Sam always orders the flourless chocolate cake when she’s here. Something along those lines will make her happy.”
“You’re a genius, Gabby,” Russ replied. As they made their way out of the back room, Russ asked her a few more questions about the ideas he had for dinner. Then he headed to his apartment with a clear plan of what to make and excited about the fun he and Sam could finally have together.
NINETEEN
Sam had never felt so seen before in her life. Mainly because she was staring at someone who was so like her—it was almost scary.
Her name was Lazer and she was a younger, surlier version of Sam. She wore an oversize black T-shirt over black biker shorts, her all-black Chuck Taylors were frayed and worn in just right, and her chipped black nail polish looked so great, Sam assumed she had it purposely done that way. A ton of mascara made her hazel eyes—perhaps the biggest difference in their appearance—pop, and she had on a lip stain that was dark purple and almost on the wrong side of messy if it hadn’t been blotted so well.
Lazer sat across from Sam, who was relieved that she had agreed to come in on such short notice—on a Saturday morning, no less. Then Lazer said fewer than twenty words during each of her interviews with the rest of the Buxom Boudoir team.
She was perfect.
Her résumé was awesome, she had assistant experience working in her college’s financial aid office the four years she was there, she was interested in photography, and she quoted Louisa May Alcott, Audre Lorde, and Mean Girls in her cover letter—and it didn’t feel like overkill.
Sam had found her replacement.
“When are you available to start?”
“Right now,” Lazer replied. “I mean, immediately. As soon as possible. My current retail situation is mind-numbing, and I have to wear a uniform, so . . . I’m not beholden to them or anything.”
Sam was practically bouncing in her seat. She hadn’t been this excited since she found a glow-in-the-dark Bride of Frankenstein Funko Pop. Lazer had the credentials, everyone who interviewed her thought she was great, and Sam just had a gut feeling about finding someone so close to her own work ethic and demeanor that she wanted to hire Lazer on the spot.
But Sam played it cool and said she’d be in touch.
After walking Lazer to the door, Sam hurried back inside the studio to see if she had to convince anyone that Lazer was perfect before they set out for the Do Division festival in the photobus.
“So, I think she’s—”
“Just as straightforward and odd as you are?” Cassie said.
“Twisted and outrageously smart?” Dana added.
“Slightly terrifying but wonderful in every possible way?” said Kit.
“I mean . . . yes!” Sam said with a laugh. “She’s amazing.”
“What are the odds you find someone just as endearingly salty as you, Sammy?” Cassie said as she refilled her water bottle in the small kitchen. “Make sure she’s trained and ready to go for the Roscoe Burger Fest next month. It’ll be great to have another person to help out with the booth.”
“Do we have everything we need for today?” Dana asked. “You know how crowded this fest gets. Once we’re in, we won’t be able to leave.”
“All our ‘glamping’ props are stowed in the bus, and our outfits are hanging near the back stairs where I steamed them yesterday,” Sam said. She was relieved to think that gathering supplies would be the type of task she could delegate out to Lazer once she was fully trained to be the office assistant.
Instead of waiting until their staff meeting to discuss creating the new office assistant position, Sam and Cassie had had breakfast before work at a little diner a few blocks from the BB studio on the Monday after the artist mixer. Over pancakes, bacon, and copious amounts of coffee, they figured out how to separate Sam’s position, which over the years had morphed into a catchall of office tasks, photography assistance, and now styling and set dressing, into two distinct jobs. It had been a hard conversation, but Sam was pleased to hear how much Cassie valued her work and ideas about how she could continue to grow as an employee of Buxom Boudoir. Sam still wasn’t quite sure what that growth would turn out to be, but she wanted the breathing room to be able to think about things like her long-term career goals instead of trying to make it day to day.
Sam knew she just had to get through this busy Saturday to be in a place where she not only had more time to dedicate to her projects, but she would also be managing an employee. And who knew? She might even have time to relax.
Sam also knew if she made it through the festival in one piece, she’d be handsomely rewarded with homemade dinner and a gorgeous guy to hang out with afterward.
So far, the summer had been one of Buxom Boudoir’s busiest. In recent weeks, it was rare that all four of the BB ladies were at work at the same time. Sam was always running around picking up prints, setting up a display, or taking notes while location scouting with Cassie, who was juggling regularly scheduled clients, doing freelance photo shoots, and working with Luscious Lingerie on concepts for her own line’s ad campaign. Dana was mostly working from home so Riki could conduct interviews for her replacement, and so they could both pack a random box or two for their move to the suburbs in the next month. Kit was the only one of them who was in the office regularly—she did consultations, session prep, and online tutorials, all from the Glam Zone.
And while they had more than enough things to talk about that had nothing to do with Sam’s love life, she knew that as soon as there was a lull in the conversation about hiring the new office assistant, her friends would all pounce on her about what was going to happen later that night.
“Samantha darling, did you bring a change of clothes for later? Or do you think you’ll go home between the festival and your dinner date?” Kit asked, going straight into an interrogation rather than simply inquiring about her evening plans.
“I was planning on coming back here, since it’s closer to Russ’s apartment than ours.”
“And your outfit for the night is where, exactly?” Dana asked, slowly walking toward her, as though she were a lion stalking its prey.
“You’re looking at it?” Sam said, not meaning for it to come out as a question. She was wearing her favorite pair of dark denim jeans and a simple black-and-white striped T-shirt. She still had to change into the getup for that day’s festival, which looked like a Boy Scout uniform, but instead of matching navy separates, she had found dark blue rompers, yellow silk bandanas to go around their necks to mimic the traditional neckerchiefs, and buttons Sam had made with the Buxom Boudoir logo on them in different colors and font styles to look like embroidered achievement patches.
