chapter eight: buzzfeed and dessert

"Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

~Casablanca

"No," Kelsey said firmly. "We're not naming him Roadkill."

She balanced the phone against her ear as she spread out a large sheet across the floor of her room.

"We have to!" Ethan said on the other end.

The dog stared pitifully up and Kelsey, seeming very unhappy after he'd tried to run around, but was hindered by the sling on his back leg.

"Roadkill is the perfect name," Ethan continued.

"It's morbid."

"It's funny."

"Well, I guess he is your dog," Kelsey said, "right?"

"Absolutely. Three days, remember?"

"I'll hold you to it, movie star."

She straightened, said goodbye, and hung up the phone.

"It's just me and you, Roadkill," she sighed, patting the dog's head. The vet had given him fluids and a full checkup, figuring something had to be wrong with him internally.

As it turned out, Roadkill suffered nothing but a broken leg, a bruised rib, and anemia from not being fed.

She carefully helped the dog over to the bed she'd made him and watched as he lowered himself down. He gave a deep sigh and a small tail wag before resting his head on his paws.

Kelsey sat next to him and stroked his glossy coat.

She was taking a quiz on Buzzfeed to see what type of cappuccino she'd be based on her personality when she saw a familiar picture pop up on the sidebar.

She immediately clicked on the page, and there was an image of Ethan carrying Roadkill into the vet with a title that read, 'Woman Hits Dog—Then Ethan Glenn Saves Its Life'.

"What?!" Kelsey cried, accidentally making Roadkill jump. Her frown deepened as she scrolled through the article that read:

An anonymous woman was driving, when an animal darted into the road and became the unfortunate victim of her bumper. Upon checking beneath her car, she found the form of a dog unconscious amidst a pool of blood and fur. Desperate, the woman called for help from a passing car, unaware that assistance would come to the rescue in the form of actor Ethan Glenn.

The star took the dog in his arms and sought medical attention from local vet, Doctor Ritter. Upon talking with the vet, we were delighted to find out that the dog survived and is on his way to full recovery. What a lucky boy!

"Where did they even get that crap?" Kelsey growled, tossing the phone up onto the bed.

She sighed, feeling a sense of twilight-zone strangeness at the prospect of seeing herself—a skewed version of herself, anyway—on the internet.

"I'm in a Buzzfeed article," she whispered. At least she'd made her mark of fame in L.A, as the woman who ran over a dog.

~~~~

Kelsey opened the door to the back entrance of the kitchen, almost dropping her lunch sack, but catching it with her hip against the wall.

Roadkill had woken her up at 4:30 by putting his head on her stomach and staring at her with pitiful eyes. She'd rolled out of bed and taken him for a walk, but had neglected to buy a leash. How far could he run, anyway?

She'd completely underestimated him.

She spent the next thirty minutes chasing him down the street as he sprinted down the road—a three-legged wonder with the speed of a superhuman.

After he'd worn himself out, Kelsey trekked back home wet from the dew and dirty from sliding on the neighbor's grass.

Needless to say, she was already a little frazzled when she came in for work.

She was tying on her apron as she entered the kitchen and immediately felt the tension in the room.

Everyone was working in silence, lips pursed, and Chef Romano wasn't shouting orders.

"What's going on?" Kelsey asked, surprised at how her voice cut through the thick air.

There wasn't an immediate answer, everyone just looked up briefly before resuming their work.

Chef Romano put down her spatula and made her way over to Kelsey.

Her usually angry face seemed sad now, though she carried her familiar frown. "Ivan died last night," she stated resolutely.

Kelsey blinked. "W-what?"

For the flicker of a second, Chef Romano looked as if she were about to cry, but it vanished as soon as it came. "He suffered a heart attack and was gone before the ambulance came."

"Oh Chef Romano. I—I'm so sorry," Kelsey reached out to touch her arm, but Chef Romano jerked away and pointed to the table in the corner.

"It doesn't change the fact that we need those utensils wrapped," she said gruffly and turned away.

Kelsey went to her table and sat down. Tears came to her eyes, even though she hadn't known him very well. She thought it was strange how someone's one act of kindness could etch itself into a person's heart so deeply.

She thought of Ivan's words of encouragement and that twinkle in his eye. She'd miss his mild mannerism that quenched Chef Romano's rage.

As she rolled up another set, she stole a glance at the chef.

Chef Romano was moving quietly, head down, brow set. Despite her massive flaws, Kelsey felt her heart soften towards her a tiny bit. She could tell she was deeply hurt by the loss.

The day moved forward slowly, and finally came to a close. The chefs streamed out one by one, not offering good-byes to any of their coworkers.

Kelsey was getting ready to clean up when she noticed that Chef Romano was still there, lingering and wandering back and forth across the kitchen.

She didn't say anything at first, but when she noticed the lost look in the chef's eyes, she felt like she had to say something.

"He seemed like a good man," she said. "I wish I could've gotten to know him better."

"He was too optimistic," she huffed. "Drank too much wine!"

Kelsey chuckled as she sprayed the stainless steel countertops and began wiping them down.

"How did you become friends?"

"Grew up together," Chef Romano grunted. "I moved from Italy to Poland; he was in school there. That is also where he met Natalia, his wife."

"I'm sure she's heartbroken," Kelsey said.

"Natalia died many years ago. Kidney failure. Her father started this catering business nearly fifty years ago."

"Really?" Kelsey asked, grabbing a broom from the utility closet. "Carmichael?"

"The very same," Chef Romano nodded. As if she realized her harsh attitude was quickly diminishing, she threw back her shoulder and grunted as her frown returned. "Now listen, intern. I don't want any more horseplay in my kitchen, do you understand?"

Kelsey knit her eyebrows together, confused. "Oh, yeah, of course. I haven't been saying long after-hours, if that's what you mean."

Chef Romano's face reddened and Kelsey wasn't exactly sure what was going to happen. Her mind flew in a hundred directions of what she could've done wrong.

"But I don't want you to make a fool of my business when you cater that party. So...I am allowing you to use the kitchen during the night again so you can practice," she sighed. "I think Ivan would've been happy with that."

Kelsey sucked in a breath, feeling a rush of excitement and relief. "Thank you so much, Chef Romano! You have no idea—"

"Oh, shut up," Chef Romano muttered, angrily grabbing her purse. "Don't make me regret this decision with all of your jubilation. I don't want any of your friends in here, either."

"Absolutely." Kelsey promised.

"Well anyway," Chef Romano muttered, hustling towards the door.

"Chef?" Kelsey called.

Chef Romano halfway turned around. "What?"

"I really do appreciate it."

"You had better, indeed."

As soon as she left, Kelsey twirled around happily. She wanted to call someone, but figured no one would be as excited to work after-hours like she was.

So, she contented herself by quickly finishing her work and celebrating by making a miniature pavlova—a layered meringue cake with whipped cream and fresh berries in-between.

Roadkill was still at home, but Kelsey had asked one of the neighbors to check in on him every once-in-a-while, so he would be okay for another couple hours.

She had to cheat a little on the merengue since it traditionally cooked in the oven overnight, but it still turned out crisp and amazing. She was about halfway through when her phone rang.

Ethan's name lit up the screen and Kelsey picked it up worriedly, figuring something had to be wrong. "Hello?"

"Uh, hey," Ethan said.

"Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine, sorry." He gave a forced laugh.

Kelsey frowned. "Ethan, I'm serious, is everything alright?"

"Yes, I promise. I was just calling to ask—I was just wondering if, you know what, never mind. It's stupid. I'm just going to go."

"Hey wait," Kelsey said quickly. "You've interrupted an amazing pavlova, so you'd better tell me what's going on. You don't have to be scared of me," she laughed.

Ethan took in a breath on the other end. "Okay. If you're not busy tomorrow, I was wondering if you'd like to see the sights around L.A.? Or just sometime. Or never. That's fine."

Kelsey was kind of glad he couldn't see the smile that lit up her face. She leaned back on the counter and said, "That depends. Are you sure you won't be swept away by adoring fans? I don't think I could find my way back home by myself."

"No, of course not!" He said quickly. "I've got, like, a disguise and everything!"

Kelsey couldn't contain a laugh. "Well then, movie star, I would be honored. How does two o'clock sound?"

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Hello everyone! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

~What do you think of Chef Romano? Do you see any hope for her? XD

~And what about the prospect of a first date? (though I don't think Kelsey or Ethan would classify it as that =P)

~General thoughts on the chapter?

Thank you so much for reading! {don't forget to comment, vote, and share!}