Brand New Day: Book 2 - Coming Together

By Wren Rogers

Intended for an adult audience, The Brand New Day series is a seemingly true romantic adventure tale of greed, lust, loss, love, misery, success, setback and plain old bad luck. Set in the backdrop of the downtown streets and back alleys of Cincinnati Ohio & Newport Kentucky, the story begins on The Good Ship Cincinnati, the hottest floating dining destination on the riverfront.

Twenty six year old Ellen Addison is a hard working, lonely server longing in sad silence for the Good Ship's handsome Chef Rob Anderson. Rob is a seriously talented carefree chef, newly transplanted to Cincinnati from New York. Hard twelve hour line shifts followed by hard drinking at the bar fills most all of his time. When a mysterious stranger enters their lives aboard The Good Ship, life takes an unexpected turn. Along with their crew mates, Ellen and Rob's fate becomes forever changed while working at the popular riverboat restaurant. Sex, lies, tragedy and true love tangles their futures and twists their fortunes in ways no one could have imagined.

Graphic, blunt, brutally honest, and occasionally offensive, the series is an uncensored 'Rated - R' fictional biography of hard living service workers and the crazy career they have either chosen, or somehow become stuck in.

Written with factual geography, businesses, street names and locations, the series stays true to certain facts from beginning to end. The realistic backbone of the story is intended to transport the reader deep into the bowels and belly of the beastly reality of cooking, serving and struggling to earn a living in the public service life. A tale often told, but not commonly presented as it really is.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wren Rogers
• Release date: Jun 13, 2016
• ISBN: 9781311234001

Wren Rogers

I write, cook, wrench, cycle, study, paint, sing, pet, smoke, philosophize, shoot, savor, think and drink. I have many regrets and few accomplishments. My never-ending passion for becoming closer connected to the souls I love fuels my vigor for life even though my failing physique frequently falters my efforts and endeavors. I claim allegiance to nothing aside from family & friends and forgo all political affiliations in favor of true freedom. I never judge another and forgive when judged by others. At 46, I have begun to understand the world around me and realize we will never achieve uniform peace. I am not under the influence of illusions, fantasies, false hopes or illogical faiths. I wish the people who do good well and the people who don't Hell. I never kill or consume any slain souls to feed. I respect every form of life and wish the rest of the world would understand that all souls have beauty and should never be treated as food. I hope the bottom rises to the top and the separation of classes would crash. I don't believe in anything more complicated than positive and negative, with positive being the superior force. I strive to live by own moral code based on choice rather than fear and hope to die by my own choosing.

Book preview

Brand New Day – Part Two: Coming Together

Copyright © 2015 by Wren Rogers

Published and distributed by Eastside Publications

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief (cited) quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

ISBN 978-0-9972795-1-1

website – www.wrenrogersbooks.com

email –[e-mail]

The Brand New Day series is a work of fiction based certain facts. With some exceptions, the businesses, streets, buildings, bridges and other historical and geographical details are based on fact.

In some examples, characters may use foul language; engage in explicit sexual acts, violence and other illegal activities. Characters may abuse drugs and alcohol, use racial stereotyping, bigotry, and make offensive racial remarks and or actions. The viewpoint of these characters is not in any way related to the personal viewpoints of the author.

None of the content in this book, or any in the series, was intended to offend, anger, profile or otherwise cause any gender, race, color, creed or doctrine harm or distress.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

More books in the series.

Author Bio

Chapter 1

The silver 777 touched down on the French tarmac right on time. Ellen jolted in her sleep as the tires burped their squealing cry. Opening her eyes, she came awake with excitement. Far away from Cincinnati, she was totally unaware of the dire circumstances back home that had taken place since she left.

Departing off the plane, Ellen’s only focus was on her next move. The painful thoughts of Rob and their last encounter were suppressed into her subconscious. This would be her last layover before arriving in Vietnam. Even though she was still thousands of miles away, she felt closer to seeing her unknown sister Maria than she ever imagined. The reality of the trip was fueling her enthusiasm.

Back on The Good Ship Cincinnati, Chef Rob's elevated position was troubled with uncertainty. Prepping the line, he felt an odd fear. Not a fear of his ability to apply his trade, or of his ability to lead The Ship into new waters, but a fear of the deal he had made with George. He knew George could not be trusted. Ralph had found that out the hard way. Now Rob had no choice but to trust him.

Carefully boning a fish, Rob wondered what fate would befall him now. Would George hold true to his word? Could he really find Ellen? Did Rob actually have full control over The Ship and her crew? If so, he was certain he could hold on until Ellen was safe at home with him again. If not, he could be wasting valuable time better spent searching for her himself.

In the kitchen, things looked perfectly normal. Miguel and the crew prepped the line, obviously hung over from a hard night at The Pub. Mexican music blared from the greasy stereo speakers. Armando and Micah were putting the big pots of sauces on to simmer as Rob made his rounds, inspecting the equipment and stocks for any irregularity. All seemed well behind the line. Before the doors were opened, Charley came back to the kitchen.

Hey guys, you all need to come out to the dining room. We have a staff meeting before we open today.

As the kitchen crew filed out of the swinging doors, they wondered what the meeting was about. Only Rob knew the true meaning.

The crew talked amongst themselves as they shuffled to their seats on the patio. Scanning the crowd, Charley stood in front of the group. They couldn’t help but notice that she was uncharacteristically dressed in an expensive form clinging fashion dress and satin high heeled shoes rather than the plain black work clothes she usually wore. They wondered why, of all the servers, Charley was dressed like this, and even more so, why she was addressing them.

Hi everyone, Charley said, getting their attention. This meeting is to tell you all know about the new changes here on The Ship. First of all, I have a couple of announcements. First, Sandra will no longer be with us. She has been offered an exciting new job on a cruise line that required her to leave for Jamaica early this morning. Of course we will miss her on The Ship, and I am sure we are all excited for her and wish her all the luck in the world with her new career.

Wide-eyed faces shot glances of surprise to one another at the news of Sandra. Noticing their curiosity, Charley continued.

Second, Ralph is no longer owner of The Ship. Ralph has left to retire and spend more time with his family, relaxing and enjoying life. I wish him well as I'm sure all of you do too. Now, I would like to you to meet our Good Ship's new owner, George Achmed. George is here to introduce himself and say a few words.

Charley sat down with the rest of the crew as George took her place in front of the curious staff.

Hello to all of you. As Charley said, I am George Achmed, the proud new owner of The Good Ship Cincinnati. Under my ownership, I wish to promote and encourage the talent in each and every one of you. With your help and hard work, we will see The Good Ship become not just a Cincinnati dining destination, but The Cincinnati dining destination. I have full confidence Chef Rob will lead us into a new level of excellence. Unlike The Ship's previous owner, I will be here for each and every service, attentively listening to your complaints and suggestions.

As he continued, George's words peaked the curiosity of every crewmember, everyone except Rob.

My first order of business is to name the new general manager… A lady of fine taste and tremendous talent… Miss Charley Peyton.

Hearing Charley would be their new manager, the crew murmured, exchanging teasing glances and subtle smirks. George didn't notice, nor pause.

Charley will assume control of all General Manager duties from this day on. All daily staff concerns will be addressed by her.

As the staff murmured to one another, Charley watched their faces with silent contempt.

Lighting a cigar with a posh ritual, George continued.

We all know Chef Rob has been doing an amazing job in The Ship's kitchen. Now, he has the total freedom to change the menu at will, introduce unique dishes and spectacular seasonal specials that will no doubt have critics raving and customers filling our reservation book as never before. Chef Rob will now be the ultimate authority here on our Good Ship, aside from myself of course. He and Charley will guide this fine vessel into new waters, higher profits and of course bigger tips for all of you.

Miguel nudged Rob with a wink. The compliment felt meaningless as Rob feigned a smile. Puffing his cigar, George held his arms out wide as he went on.

I realize many of you are uneasy about such sudden changes, but I assure you, together we will steer The Ship into a better and brighter future than she would have ever seen under her previous flag. So without any further delay in your duties, I want to wish you all the best of success in making our Ship the finest restaurant to ever grace the shores of this city. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to voice them to myself, or your new manager Charley.

Smiling, George waved as he walked away to the bar. The crew stared at one another in disbelief and amazement. Miguel looked at Rob curiously with eyebrows raised.

Señor Rob, did he really say Charley ees the manager now? Charley, the snotty server?

Rob looked at his watch as he got up off his seat.

Yep, that's what he said Miguel. Now lets get back to the line and get ready for lunch as usual.

With quick clicking steps, Charley rushed to Rob's side as he walked to the kitchen.

Rob, I need to meet with you before the lunch rush. We can go over a few things. You can get me up to speed with what you need from me. You know, scheduling, ordering, all that good stuff.

Never breaking stride, Rob replied as she followed along.

Sure Charley, I would be happy to. How fast do you want to get up to speed?

Stopping, he turned towards her. Leaning close, he whispered.

Would you like a quickie in the office now, or would you prefer we meet later, so you can take it all in nice and slow?

Shooting him a smug look, Charley hung a hand on her hip.

Real funny… Rob, I hope you and I are going to get along. I plan to treat you as a professional in my new role as manager. I assume you will treat me the same.

Rob pushed through the swinging doors.

Sure Charley. A Professional… Got it, he said as the doors swung shut.

Charley stood still in her pose, staring in anger as he disapeared.

Fucking dick, she said under her breath. He thinks he can talk shit then walk off from me. This will get straightened out, one way or another.

Stirring a huge pot of sauce, Miguel watched over his shoulder as Rob began to unroll his knife set onto the shiny stainless counter. Miguel was curious. He had not seen Rob take out his knives in a long time.

Chef, you a-cooking tonight? Miguel asked.

Rob shrugged with a nod in reply.

Hey, Chef, is Charley really the manager? Micah asked.

Rob nodded again.

She doesn't know shit! She can barely serve, let alone manage. She's gonna' fuck everything up when we get hit. What the hell are we going to do now? Micah asked in a huff.

With a laugh, Rob pointed towards a big shiny bowl. The first thing we are going to do is put that fried cheesecake on the menu for tonight. Lets get it prepped and portioned, lets do… say, fifty servings to start.

Micah relaxed with Rob's words. Miguel spoke up from the stove.

Sure thing amigo! Armando! Get een here, we need you to get dees mixer ready!

The two line cooks worked without any words between them as they began slicing open large packages of cream cheese. Micah scraped fresh vanilla beans with a sharp knife as Miguel cracked dozens of eggs together into the bowl. Soon the big Hobart began to spin. Tasting the raw batter, Rob smiled with approval as Miguel began spooning the rich mixture into delicate molds.

Micah slipped a Grateful Dead CD into the stereo. Man, I hope that bitch can figure out how to run this place and fast. That's all I know… he said as the song began to play.

The tune sang out as the crew worked, all the while they wondered how Charley could possibly fulfill her new role with no experience, or training.

Chapter 2

Stepping into the French airport, Ellen was dumbfounded by the sheer volume of people. Crowds were pushing and shoving on both sides of her. Not having to bother with waiting for her luggage, Ellen headed straight to the customs line. The officer barely even looked up at her as he casually stamped her passport and waved her along.

Walking on down the massive corridor, she followed the crowd down a pink escalator, stopping at a row of green machines. Everyone was feeding bills into the machines and taking tickets. Watching the people, she paused, not sure what to do next. Knowing she did not want a repeat of her initial New York experience, she asked what appeared to be a valet the best way to get to a hotel.

Just take the RER, he replied, pointing over his shoulder.

Where would you stay if you were a first time visitor? she asked, smiling with exuberance.

Looking around from side to side, he ignored her for a moment as he scanned the line for his next customer.

Uhh… I would… I guess I… I dunno' lady. I have never really thought about it.

Turning away, he approached a man with a large case.

Standing ignored, Ellen looked around with confused eyes. Huge signs in French hung all around, pointing with bold arrows, none of which made any sense to her whatsoever. Among the crowd, she saw a welcome sight, a security officer. Having such luck with her new found New York security friend, she jogged up beside him, tugging his sleeve.

Hi! I just arrived here. I have quite a long layover and I am looking for the easiest way to get to a hotel.

Have you ever been here before? he asked. Looking irritated due to her unexpected tug, he relaxed as he listened to her spill her naive tale.

No, I’m from Ohio. I've never even left my home town before. Well once, my dad and I took a trip to the Smoky Mountains, but that was just a day's drive from Cincinnati… I'm sorry, my name is Ellen, Ellen Addison, how do you do?

Shaking her hand slowly, he looked her over.

This is a big city, he said. Many thieves and pickpockets around here… all over you know. You would do well to just stay at the Sheraton. It's right over there. You don't even have to leave the airport. I would stay there and wait for your flight if I were you.

Her smile disappeared. Sensing his remarks sounded harsh, he motioning her to follow him.

Come, come walk with me. There is a great bakery right over here. You can get some wonderful ‘pain au raisin' uh how would you say… uh… raisin bread, he said smiling.

Ellen smiled back.

You go to the bakery, right there. It says ‘Paul' on the sign. It's right over there. After that, then you go down that corridor. You will see the hotel there. It's a very nice hotel.

Ellen had been filled with excitement to see something of Paris, but under the circumstances, she knew he was right. She should just get her room here, rest up, shower and stay safe inside the airport.

You know, I think I will. What did you say the name of that good bread was? I am pretty hungry.

Smiling again, he pointed at the black storefront.

Pawn-ah-ray-sawn, he said slowly. You will love it.

Smiling back, Ellen thanked him as she headed towards the bakery, keeping her bag pulled tight under her arm. This layover was going to be easy and stress free. She was beginning to learn to travel with the caution she naively lacked initially. It was becoming more apparent to her now. She was far from home and all alone. Chances and risks were not wise, nor worth the danger. She had a mission to accomplish. This was not a vacation after all.

After checking in, she found her room. Swiping the key card through the electronic lock, she walked into the dimly lit space. Pulling the blinds open with a tug, her eyes gazed at her first view of a foreign city. It was more beautiful than she imagined.

The city skyline stood out impressively against the blue sky. Standing at the glass, she stared in silence, taking in the amazing architecture of the ancient buildings and bridges. The streets were a smash of compacted cars, seemingly inches from each other as they snaked across the streets. She knew there was so much to discover out there. So many sights to see right in front of her she may never have the chance to see again.

Turning back to the room, she tossed her bag on the desk and fell to the bed. The fatigue of the long flight was beginning to take hold. Sliding back on the clean smelling sheets, she clicked on the TV. Browsing through the channels, she didn't even pay any attention to the programs as the shows were all in French.

After