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evaluating it.”
    “It’s a deal,” Amber said.
    Brad rose. “Let’s tour the kitchen while they’re preparing our lunch.”

Chapter 5
    “We’re in the beverage center,” Brad informed them as they walked into an alcove where built-in stainless-steel coffee urns were marked Decaf and Regular. A wall-mounted unit dispensed soft drinks, and pitchers marked Tropical Iced Tea were nearby. A huge ice machine dominated the corner. Off to one side was a computer terminal.
    “The server inputs the drinks ordered and the table number,” Brad explained, pointing to the computer, “then serves the beverages except for alcohol. That has to come out of the bar.”
    They moved through swinging doors into what Brad called the lion’s den. It was a fitting description for the hurricane of activity in the huge commercial kitchen. Everyone seemed to be moving at once without—miraculously—bumping into each other. Most of them were shouting at someone else.
    A mist of steam from the simmering pots and smoke from the nearby grill filled the air. A thousand different, delicious smells swirled around Lexi. She couldn’t help wondering if there was some order in this chaos.
    If any of the crew noticed Brad, none of them showed an interest. Everyone seemed to have a job to do, and by all appearances, they were behind schedule and frantically attempting to catch up.
    The three of them stood there a moment, watching in amazement. Lexi caught Brad’s eye and he smiled, lifting his chin just slightly to indicate Amber. The girl was gazing awestruck at the scene before her. Like Lexi, Amber had naturally curly hair. A few minutes in this kitchen and she would look like Frankenstein’s bride, but Amber didn’t seem to notice. She stood, silent and trancelike.
    And loving every second, Lexi would bet.
    “Looks pretty high-tech,” Lexi said to Brad. “Aren’t those minicomputer terminals above each station?”
    “That’s right,” he said. “The server enters the selection at a terminal just outside the kitchen and it appears in front of the chef. That way we don’t have any extra people in the cooking area, creating a traffic jam. The completed dishes are put on the ledge for the server to pick up.”
    “Doesn’t the heat and steam make the computers short out or something?” Lexi asked.
    “Nah. These are special computers.”
    “It’s a miracle a meal comes out of here,” Lexi said.
    “Everyone has a job,” Brad assured her, “and they’re doing it. As long as food’s not backed up, the kitchen is running smoothly. Right now, things couldn’t be better.”
    “What’s the woman in the corner doing?” Amber asked, speaking for the first time.
    Lexi immediately saw who Amber meant. A woman with a white gauze bandanna wrapped around her head like a turban stood in one corner. A crate of pomegranates was on the counter beside her. A large stainless bowl full of water was in front of her. Was she washing them one by one? Lexi wondered.
    “Come on,” Brad told them. “Let’s take a closer look.”
    They wriggled their way between the workers and came up behind the woman laboring over the stainless bowl. Nearby a mound of glistening pomegranate seeds stood on a platter.
    “Emily is prepping pomegranate seeds to be used as garnish,” Brad said. “She’s doing mise en place —that’s prep work for the chef.”
    Emily looked over her shoulder with a toothy grin. A bristle of bangs like a whisk broom stuck out from under her bandanna, a casualty of the steamy kitchen.
    “Removing pomegranate seeds is easily done underwater,” Brad said. “The membranes float to the top while the seeds sink. You skim off the membranes, then drain the water through a strainer to save the seeds.”
    “Awesome!’ cried Amber. “I hate taking out pomegranate seeds.” She twirled around to face Brad. “I never read this in my cookbooks.”
    Brad laughed. “Some things aren’t in books.” Then he looked pointedly at Lexi.