Chapter 20

"Good morning, Mrs. Cagliari. I'm Chef Larry. I work as the head chef in the Cagliari kitchen on weekends. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." He extended his hand, and she returned the handshake briefly before pulling back.

"Well, I'm Ashleigh. You can call me that," she responded.

"I don't know about that. Will I get fired if I do?" he teased. Ashleigh's eyes widened as she began to refute his claims.

"Just kidding," he said with a chuckle, "no need to get yourself more riled up than you are at the moment. This time, I can say it was well deserved. Tara needed someone to bring her down a peg." His tone was appreciative, almost relieved that she threw Tara out.

"Hmm, seeing as you're so happy about this, I'd say you have some grudges against her," Ashleigh observed.

"Some would be an understatement," he huffed, pushing up his sleeves that fell down to his wrist, as he had done earlier.

"Well, all that scold