Part 20 (1/2)

”I did too, but not enough.”

”Really? How so?”

”When I think about it, maybe I didn't care for it.”

Bridget nervously tapped a fork against her water gla.s.s.

”Gibson is a fantastic cook,” Asha said. She glanced at me and probably could tell I was near tears.

”What happened?” Bridget asked.

I shrugged, and Asha took over. She leaned over and began to whisper to Bridget. Asha wore this loose-fitting, burnished-gold tunic. Her dark skin and hair looked even richer against the paleness of Bridget's skin and hair. As Asha whispered, whatever resistance Bridget had toward me faded. Bridget was totally smitten with Asha and when Asha took her hand, she was transported.

I was almost embarra.s.sed to see how much she was taken with Asha.

”Listen,” Bridget said, loud enough for me to hear, ”I'll tell you the bottom line. We have a hard time getting quality people up on the mountain.”

”Why is that?” I asked.

”It's a tough job, the type of job for a particular person who wants to be in a beautiful place and needs privacy. It's very private there.”

”You mean isolated?”

”I call it very private. You can call it what you like.”

”Isolated. I don't mind isolation. I don't mind it at all.”

”Do you know who Lamont Stiles is?”

I shook my head.

”You've heard of Monster Stiles?” Bridget asked.

”The singer?”

”Yeah. He doesn't do much of that anymore. He's more of a producer with three acts at the top of the charts. Everything he touches is bling; his clothing line made millions last year and this year it's expected to double in sales.”

”When you say bling, you mean ...?”

”Priceless. You had to have heard of that expression.”

”Yeah, but I never used it.”

She looked at me like she had already made up her mind.

”So, Mr. Stiles needs a chef?” I asked.

”He prefers to be called Monster. He fancies himself the monster of music, of cutting-edge fas.h.i.+on, of life.”

”Monster, it is.”

Bridget laughed. ”I like how direct you are.” Then her face hardened. We were going to get down to it. ”You need to understand how this works. If you repeat this to anyone, I'll get fired and you'll get sued.”

I laughed. ”Listen, I'm on parole. If I don't jump through hoops I go to jail.”

She nodded and smiled at me after Asha patted her hand.

”This might be hard to believe, but many people aren't comfortable on the mountain. It takes a special person, someone who really enjoys quiet and their own company. The perfect candidate for this job loves nature, because that's where you are, in the clouds. It's G.o.d's most beautiful, pristine country. That's what Monster loves about it, he's above it all, but people get lonely for their families, for life outside of the Lair Lair. Plus, well, Monster is demanding. He says that about himself.”

”How so?”

Bridget sucked her teeth. ”You haven't heard all that rubbish about him?”

”No, I really don't keep up with the music scene.”

”He made all those bubble-gum pop songs. You got to wonder about people like that,” Asha muttered. ”And he had that pet koala hanging around his neck.”

”He's gotten rid of the koala, that was a big mistake,” Bridget said, with perfect seriousness.

”I'm not sure about this. What do people say about him? Is there any truth to it?”

Bridget laughed. ”I'm not going to go into it. People say all kinds of things about him. You'd think he bathes in the blood of little boys. That kind of National Enquirer National Enquirerbulls.h.i.+t.”

”What do you think of him?”

”Well, it's hard to explain,” she said softly, as though she were wary of being overheard. ”Monster isn't really someone I see a lot of. He is a great employer in that he's very generous. But mostly he's on the road or holed up in the Lair Lair. It's really his encampment, the inner grounds of his mansion and the gardens where most staff aren't allowed. I think that's how those horrible stories of Monster get out. Disgruntled former employees spread rumors when they really don't know what goes on in the Lair Lair. Anyway, if you're really interested, I'll fly you out to interview. Asha can come with you. I'll show you Solvang and there's this wonderful little Danish bakery. You'll love the pastries.”

”I'm not sure of what he wants. Will I be his personal chef or will I be running the kitchen for everyone there?”

”You know, I couldn't tell you at this point. With Monster you go with the flow. He'll fill in the blanks, he always does.”

Bridget shrugged and put her head on Asha's shoulder.

Business was done for the evening.

Asha wore something beautiful. She told me the name, but I immediately forgot. A Jabari? Whatever it was I liked it-a kind of purple pantsuit with fringe around the waist and cuffs. Bridget was in black again, straight leather, suitable for nightlife in the big city but f.u.c.king silly on a brilliant day in beautiful Solvang. Bridget was just as schoolgirl giddy to have Asha near as I remembered.

”You are too wedded to that job,” I heard Bridget say.

Asha shrugged. ”You know, I trained to be a social worker. It's what I wanted to do, and I'm happy with my life,” she said to Bridget. It was the same thing she said to me when I asked why she was so content to run a halfway house. I guess Asha was sincere in what she said to people; I admired that, and how rare it was.

At the Dutch bakery that Bridget was so high on, I lingered over stale strudel while the girls stepped outside to admire bachelor b.u.t.tons and Mexican primrose growing along the road. They held hands, and I saw Bridget lean toward Asha to sneak a kiss. I hoped this Bridget knew what kind of woman she had in Asha, a human being of the first order. But maybe that was too much to hope for. I didn't get a good feeling from Bridget. She probably thought Asha was hot and exotic, the domestic equivalent of an incendiary foreign affair without the bother of having a pa.s.sport renewed. Maybe I was jealous, but I knew I was right about this Bridget and her b.i.t.c.h nature.

I was supposed to be put up somewhere spectacular, a woodsy resort over in the hills with an amazing restaurant and a wonderful chef I was supposed to know. Bridget mentioned more than a half-dozen times just how excited she was to take us to this slice of paradise. However, something happened to the reservation, or the charge card, and plans had changed.

As we drove downhill, back to the valley, I thought we'd all be staying at Andersen's Split Pea Soup and Hotel-she mentioned that it was campy and fun-but Bridget obviously couldn't wait to drop me off. Even so, she took the time to remind me that Monster liked prospective employees to be an hour early for interviews, expected her to be two hours early, and with unctuous sincerity she mentioned again just how important it was to make a good impression. Oh yes, he'd be there, he wouldn't speak and I wasn't to speak to him, but he'd be highly involved in the process.

Flow.

Monster could flow in any moment and seal the deal, but I couldn't expect that.