Chef Saltbaker Novels & Stories

“That was disgusting. I swear I followed all the directions.” “I think you forgot the sugar and maybe added a bit too much salt,” Mom says. “I put in what they said. ATof salt.” “Was that a bigTor a littleT?” Mom asks. “I don’t know. What’s the difference? ATis aT.” Mom laughs. “Maybe you should think about taking some culinary classes. Or leave the cooking to Jacques,” she says, referring to the chef I’d hired. I sigh in frustration. Another failed recipe. I’m a smart, successful businesswoman. You would think I could figure out something simple like baking.

She had been the one who knew the exact temperature for a medium-rare steak; she was the one who could make a soufflé rise like a miracle. I looked at my hands, hands that had signed billion-dollar contracts, hands that had held steering wheels of Italian sports cars. They were useless in a kitchen. But I was Caleb Knight. I didn't need to be a chef. I needed to be a ghost. I grabbed the ledger again, slamming it onto the counter. “If she can play dead for five years,” I whispered, “I can play a cook for five days.” I pulled out my laptop, my fingers flying over the keys as I bypassed the security firewalls of The Silver Spoon’s employment database. It was surprisingly easy. The rich never t