by Candis Terry
A smile hovered at the corners of Parker’s masculine lips. “You have no room for exploration at all?” The suggestive hint of something else darkened his eyes. Something that took her imagination on a trip altogether different than the conversation at hand.
“None.”
“So you’re caught between a rock and a hard place. Good pay. Few benefits.”
She pulled a breath into her lungs. “You have no idea.” Nor would he. While her employer and his questionable behavior paid her a decent salary, she had something to prove.
“You intrigue me, Ms. Montani.” As Parker settled back on the heels of his work boots, he regarded her. “But as I said, I have no job to give you.”
“All I need is a chance.” She doubled her efforts and reached deep. “I’ll even audition.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’ll audition. Cook for you. I’ll prove that you need me here in your kitchen.” She pulled in another breath for courage. “I’ll prove that more than just needing me here, you’ll want me here.”
Curiosity brightened his eyes as he scanned her face. She could almost hear his mind click through all the possibilities.
She hoped. Prayed. Quietly begged that he’d at least give her a chance.
“When?” he finally asked and she had to control the breath that threatened to rush from her lungs.
“Friday night?”
“If I say no will you keep coming back and stalking me?”
She smiled. “You can count on it.”
“Okay then.” A slow nod brushed his thick, dark hair against the neck of his T-shirt. “You’re on. But I expect you to bring it. Don’t waste my time.”
“I would never do that.”
“Uh-huh.”
Relief sped like buzzing bees through her stomach while he grabbed a construction pencil from a nearby sawhorse. He searched for something to write on. Finally, tearing a piece from a crumpled bag, he scribbled something and handed it to her.
An address.
On a pier.
“A houseboat?” she asked.
“That’s where I live.”
“You want me to come to your house?”
His broad shoulders lifted. “Where else would you suggest? Like I said, the kitchen here isn’t done, the food truck isn’t an option, and I don’t live at the vineyard. If you want to audition”—he made air quotes—“you’ll go where you need to go. Right?”
“Of course.”
“Unless you’ve just been pulling my leg all this time.”
Her gaze unintentionally shot to the crotch of his perfect fitting jeans. “No. I’m legit, and I want this.”
“Then I’ll see you Friday night.” He tossed her a benign smile. “Eight o’clock. At that address. Just press the button on the gate in the parking lot and I’ll let you in.”
“I’ll be there,” she said. Because she did want this.
The bigger problem?
She might want him too.
And that definitely wasn’t a good thing.
Chapter 2
Parker’s curiosity about Gabriella Montani skyrocketed as he took a break from the construction chaos and walked past the harvested grapevines and up the hill to the vineyard office. The gravel road was still dotted with pumpkins and hay bales left over from a wedding in the event center the previous weekend. Soon the giant scarecrow welcoming all to the vineyard would be replaced by a giant turkey. Or maybe he was the turkey, because apparently his reasoning lately seemed overcooked.
Exactly why he’d agreed to let Gabriella audition for a place in his kitchen when he didn’t even have a kitchen yet was a wild guess. Although when it came right down to it, his reasons probably had more to do with the way those jeans hugged her luscious curves than anything she could accomplish with a frying pan or colander. Aside from trying to get the restaurant constructed, the recent deaths of his parents, the vineyard being in financial trouble, his new half sister, his angry other sister, and his brother’s upcoming wedding, Parker barely had time for a sane thought that wasn’t family related.
Not that he didn’t love them all, and not that he wasn’t determined to do right by each and every one of them, but all the turmoil barely left time for anything more than a quick moment of self-satisfaction. Aka a warm willing woman who wanted nothing more than a nice dinner and a couple hours of commitment-free pleasure.
Shrugging the emotional burden off his shoulders, he looked forward to a lull in the day and a cup of his brother Ryan’s coffee. When he opened the vineyard office door, all four of his brothers were arguing loudly about the previous night’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Nothing unusual.
The Kincade boys argued about everything. When it came to sports they poured on the passion and it became a shouting match until someone either grew bored or left the room. No one ever cried uncle. Though Parker had been looking for a quiet break, he didn’t mind the chaos. At least, for a change, they weren’t discussing the vineyard finances, their parents’ deaths, or their father’s infidelity.
“Why aren’t you working on the restaurant?” Jordan asked him, picking up the tired conversation they’d had only a few short hours ago. “Don’t you know I have a wedding coming up?”
“You do?” Parker audibly gasped. “Shit. Why didn’t you guys tell me Mr. Pansy Ass was getting hitched?”
Ryan, Declan, and Ethan laughed.
“Fuck you.” These days Jordy’s snarl possessed a lot less punch than when he’d been earning his living on the ice.
Parker was mildly tempted to cut him some slack. But where was the fun in that?
“How about you send Lucy over to do the reception planning,” Parker said. “She seems a lot more laidback about the whole thing.”
“Newsflash,” Ryan, the oldest, said. “Lucy’s handed over all the wedding planning to our dear brother.”
“All of it?” Declan asked as though someone had just performed the world’s greatest magic trick.
“All the way down to the flowers and figuring out how her dog is going to carry the rings to the altar.” Jordan leaned forward in his chair and dropped his head into his hands. “I am so screwed.”
“Is she crazy?” Ethan, the youngest brother, asked.
“She says he’s the crazy one,” Ryan said.
“More like a control freak,” Declan said.
“Is he picking out the bridesmaids’ dresses too?” Ethan wanted to know. “Because I have got to see that.”
“You guys do realize I’m sitting right here,” Jordan said.
“Even better.” Parker grinned. “Then we don’t have to talk behind your back or wonder what pretty outfit you’re going to wear down the aisle.”
“I hate you guys.” Jordan looked undoubtedly flustered.
“No, you don’t. You gave up hockey just to be with us,” Ryan reminded him.
“I gave up hockey to be with Lucy.”
“Awww.” Ethan jumped into the bullshit. “That’s so sweet. Now you’re going to make me cry.”
Jordan flipped them his middle finger. “The truth is Lucy’s really busy with school. She has some difficult students this year.”
“More difficult than our sister was last year?” Declan asked.
“Apparently. And since I quit hockey and haven’t really figured out what to do with the eight hours a day she’s gone, I told her I’d help with the wedding if she needed me to.”
“Kidding aside,” Parker said, “that’s a really nice gesture.”
“Yeah. Except I didn’t know what I was walking into. I was thinking things like planning the bachelor party or moving heavy furniture. But she handed me a list five pages long and a butt load of bridal magazines. Then she kissed me and went to work. I couldn’t say no. Her first wedding and marriage were a disaster. I want ours to be special.”
“You’ve got more money than you’ll ever spend. Why don’t you just hire a wedding planner?” Dec, the fi
nancial wizard brother, asked. “Brooke was more than happy to hire one to plan our wedding.”
“Yeah, but your fiancée is not only busy constructing a family fun center here while she’s still commuting back and forth to Southern California, her fiancé is busy with his own business too,” Jordan pointed out. “Lucy knows I’ve got nothing but time on my hands.”
“Why don’t you ask Lili to help?” Ethan suggested.
Not only had they recently discovered they had a new half sister, they’d also discovered she was a twenty-three-year-old woman and an event planner—a position the vineyard was in dire need of. Despite their failed efforts to be hospitable when she’d come to Sunshine Valley a few months ago to meet their father—only to discover he’d died—she’d graciously decided to give them all another chance and accepted the job.
Parker hoped the opportunity for all of them to get to know each other worked out, even as at least one of them—namely their teenage sister, Nicole—was still on the fence. No one could really blame her for her hesitancy. She’d been the one to suffer the most as a result of their father’s indiscretion and emotional abandonment.
Everything in their family seemed to be balanced on a bed of lies and secrets on which only their aunt Pippy could shed some light. And so far getting the truth from her had been like trying to wrangle cats.
“I’m not sure adding another opinion to the mix is a good idea at this point,” Jordan said of hiring Lili.
Dec, ever the straightforward businessman, pointed at Jordan. “So what I hear you saying is that you like being the wedding planner.”
“I like making Lucy happy,” Jordan retorted. “If that means picking out flowers and decorations, then so be it.”
“Damn.” Parker shook his head. “I never thought I’d see the day my brothers were more worried about wedding details than winning an argument about a football game.”
“Oh yeah?” Jordan jerked his chin at Parker. “You just wait until you find the right one. We’ll see who’s laughing then.”
Parker had no plans, desire, or time to join the engaged brothers’ society.
In fact, the only female oriented thing on his mind right now was wondering what the delectable Ms. Gabriella Montani planned to bring to the table on Friday night.
Before Gabriella left Sunshine Creek Vineyard, she drove through the property to get a better idea of what a man like Parker Kincade might be made of. Or what he might appreciate. Dressed in his dirt-streaked T-shirt, jeans, and work boots, one would assume he’d prefer natural flavors or maybe comfort foods. Then again, sans the gold hoop earring and pirate sash, the untamed look he had going on suggested his tastes might lean more toward the exotic.
The menu for his food truck wasn’t much help in deciphering either. It varied from a complex and scrumptious seafood paella to a more humble and unassuming meatball panini and all points in between. Each delicious dish was always prepared with love and care, and was guaranteed to keep his customers coming back for more.
The mouthwatering selections he created, however, made her wonder if the very handsome Mr. Kincade’s tastes in other things might be just as eclectic.
Before she let her mind wander too far in that direction, the real question she should have asked when she’d had his full attention was what type of cuisine he planned to feature at his new brick-and-mortar restaurant. Normally she’d have been on her toes, prepared for whatever obstacle was thrown in her way. Unfortunately, she’d been completely unprepared to go one-on-one with a man who simply made everything in her feminine DNA drool.
When Parker Kincade had flashed his wicked grin and his blue eyes had sparked with interest, her racing heart and hormones had gotten in the way of normal thinking. Now that she had a little space between them, her mind kicked back into gear. She needed to stay grounded. Focused. She needed to ignore the extreme hotness he brought to the game and come up with a culinary plan of attack.
In need of a little advice, she called on the one person she trusted most. The person who’d taught her everything she knew about creating meals that would appeal to anyone who had taste buds. A requirement that excluded her current employer.
When the call to Northern Italy connected on her cell phone, her heart leapt with happiness.
“Nonni!”
“Ciao, cara!”
Just hearing her grandmother’s voice could calm any storm. When Gabi’s entire world had crumbled, her grandmother had held her close and reassured her that though there may be some bumps along the way, everything would work out fine. Even though Gabi was still waiting for the end result of that journey, she was ever grateful for her paternal grandmother’s love and support. Sadly, it was all she really had.
Pleasantries were exchanged, then, “I found an amazing opportunity, Nonni. But I need to know what you think.”
“What’s this opportunity?”
Gabi heard the skepticism in her grandmother’s tone and wanted to offer reassurance. Even if she wasn’t so sure herself. “I’m going to audition for a chef’s position at a new restaurant opening as part of a family-owned vineyard. The executive chef there is the man I told you about. The one who owns the food truck near my apartment.”
“The chef who won the episode of Chopped we watched together?”
“Yes. Parker Kincade.” Gabi told her grandmother about their meeting. Of course she omitted the minor detail that she was attracted to him in a major way.
“What does this mean, you’re going to audition?” her grandmother asked.
“There’s no way I’ll get a referral from my current employer, and I don’t have any references except yours, so I’m going to cook for Mr. Kincade to show him my capabilities. Basically I have to prove myself and then keep my fingers crossed that he’ll love what I do so much he won’t ask for my credentials.”
She left out the part that the audition would be at Parker’s home. Her nonni only needed to know so much.
“But you said Mr. Kincade told you he has no job opening now.”
“But he will, Nonni. Soon. And I want to be first in line. I have to get out of the dead-end job I have now. This is a wonderful opportunity for me.”
“Is it really an opportunity for you? Or is it to prove to your father that you can build a career all on your own without any help from him?”
Gabi sighed. Her nonni knew her too well. She wanted this job. Needed it. More than to prove something to her father. She needed this opportunity to prove to herself that she had what it took to be a success. She needed to make a name for herself.
And she would stop at nothing to make that happen.
“I need it for me, Nonni. If I have to make peanut butter and jelly on Ritz Crackers much longer I’m going to go crazy. I need to be able to create. To use all those wonderful skills you’ve taught me over the years.”
“I never wanted you to use them to compete with your father. Please don’t put yourself in that position.”
She hadn’t put herself in that position. Her father had.
“Nonni, I promise you, I only want a chance to use my imagination and my skills. Besides, nothing I could ever do would matter to him,” Gabi admitted.
“He’s stubborn, la mia bambina. But he loves you.”
Gabi doubted that. Her father had willingly walked away. No matter how hard she’d worked or what achievements she’d made, it had never been enough to earn his love. No amount of tears or, God help her, begging had ever been enough to even crack the unbreakable shell he’d constructed around his ice cold heart.
They’d not spoken in years. But to this day Gabriella could recall in vivid detail how he’d squashed her self-confidence and walked away without a backward glance, shattering every hope she’d had in her foolish heart.
She’d been only seventeen years old.
Because she knew her grandmother meant well, Gabi sidestepped the comment about her father’s love. “This audition means the world to me, Nonni. You know I’ll never find this opportuni
ty at an established restaurant. What do you think I should cook?”
“Hmmm.” Silence lingered as her grandmother gave the question some thought. “This Parker Kincade is very good looking, sì?”
“Exceptionally.” No sense lying.
“Then you make something that also speaks to his heart and not just his stomach. Maybe a fresh pappardelle with a cream sauce. Or that delicious carbonara you made the last time you were here. Of course, you can’t go wrong with a nice pomodoro. And for dessert, well, you know which one is my favorite. I’m sure it will become his too.”
Ideas swirled inside Gabi’s head. “You’re a genius, Nonni! I love you so much.”
“Ti amo troppo. Call me after and let me know how it went.” Her grandmother chuckled. “Even though I know you’ll do very well and you’ll make me proud.”
Her grandmother’s encouragement warmed her from the inside out and gave her the confidence she needed to succeed. Gabi ended the call feeling even more enthusiastic than she had earlier. Now all she had to do was maintain her professionalism, keep her mind on the meal, and not fall all over the gorgeous man like some kind of Chef Parker groupie.
Busy filling lunch orders the following day, Parker glanced over the shoulder of his window attendant at the crowd gathered outside his food truck while his assistant chef continued to process their orders. Desperate for a mental break from the rush, he scanned the nearby trees where the fall colors were in full bloom.
At the back of the crowd, with an angel wings ball cap pulled low over her eyes, Gabriella Montani was trying hard not to be noticed.
Like she thought he wouldn’t recognize her?
More like, how could he forget her?
She’d made a fast and appealing impression on him. One he hadn’t seen coming, and one he wasn’t even sure how to handle.