Winter Love (Love Collection)

by Natalie Ann

“Both. I need a huge favor from you. I think it’ll be mutually satisfying for both of us.”

  “That’s what the bed is for,” she said wiggling her eyebrows. When had she desired sex so much before and why with him when she was worried he was just using her?

  “Don’t distract me or I might take you up on it.”

  He was looking serious now. “What’s the favor?”

  “My executive chef just walked out the door. Or I should say he didn’t bother to even come in today. After twenty-five years, he said he’d had enough and quit on the spot.”

  “What? Why would someone do that after all this time?”

  She couldn’t imagine that unless there were extenuating circumstances. He really did seem to have his hands full since the last time she’d seen him, wiping away some of her crazy thoughts.

  “He didn’t like the interview you posted about the restaurant we visited the other day.”

  “What?!” She’d never had this happen before. She prided herself on only posting and publishing positive pieces. How could this happen? “I don’t understand.”

  “Robert was annoyed that you gave who he considered his competitor more time than him.”

  “Erika told me that you guys have a big wedding this weekend and that you’d be getting ready for it all week. After that was done would be the best time to interview him.”

  “And she told him that, but he didn’t care. I guess the bigger issue was that the prick was pissed I was with you. He felt it was a slap in the face to his ability that I was seen praising the enemy. I believe those were his words. A slap in the face.”

  “I’m so sorry, Zeke. Is there anything I can do to help? To get him to come back? Can I talk to him and interview him today? Maybe give him a really big piece to make it up to him and you guys?”

  “Nope. That isn’t how you can help us. You can take his place, though, until I can find a permanent replacement.”

  It Just Is

  “You’re joking, right?” Kendall asked him.

  He wanted to laugh over the expression on her face, but damn it all, she walked right into what he was hoping for. It was probably wrong to use this ploy, but he was going to do whatever was needed to get her to like it here and maybe stay longer.

  “Not at all. You’re twice the chef he is. This is a big wedding for us. Longtime guests and all. I’d love to be able to say that though Robert is gone, we’ve replaced him with a well-known, popular traveling executive chef. One that is sought after by restaurants all over the world. I wouldn’t even be lying if I said that,” he said, grinning at her.

  “You’ve never seen me cook anything other than what I’ve done in your kitchen,” she argued.

  “Please, Kendall. I’ve read just about everything on your blog in the past week. I’ve watched all your videos and interviews and I’ve seen how you reach people. How you talk to them and relax them. If anyone can calm the bride and her parents down, it will be you.”

  “You’re trying to either guilt me into this or compliment me enough to do it.”

  “Will either of those things work?”

  She shook her head. “I feel like it’s my fault so the least I could do is help you out. You don’t have any staff you can promote?”

  “Robert has repeatedly said no. That no one knows what he knows. I don’t think I completely believe that, but I can’t put it to the test before this weekend.”

  “I’ve got plans for today,” she said. “This isn’t something I can just jump into and get it done. I need to see their menu. I need to see how all your meals are cooked and prepared.”

  “If you started at a new restaurant, how long would it take you to slide right in and feel at home with their menu?”

  “A week tops. Some things are fairly straightforward.”

  “So do what you’ve got planned for today. Try to mentally prepare yourself because I know you need to.”

  “It’s crazy to me that you know me so well after such a short period of time.”

  “Sometimes when it’s right, it just is,” he said quietly.

  “What does that mean?”

  “Think about it and let me know. But now, go do what you have planned. We can handle Robert gone in the restaurant for today. It’s not a big deal. We’ve got staff to cover and it’s not much different than if Robert had the day off. The wedding is a big deal though.”

  “I’ve got a few places lined up today. I guess it will give me a few days’ of interviews and material.”

  “You can interview our staff. Talk about what you’re doing. Think about it. The Montgomerys are big names for us. It’s a destination wedding. When the parents come in tomorrow, Erika and I will talk to them. I bet they’d love to have their wedding spotlighted on your blog once they see how popular it is.”

  “Now you’re really dangling a carrot in front of me, but I won’t do it for that. It’d be a complete change of pace for my blog to do that. On the flip side, I think it’d be fun and maybe draw in a new crowd of hopeful brides.”

  “There is that. So you’ll do it? I can go down and tell Erika I saved the day?”

  “Don’t you think your sister should interview me or try my food first? Or will she just go by your word alone?”

  He laughed at her. “I do all the hiring here. She knows I’m the calm one of the two of us. I told her I was going to offer the Montgomerys something better and I saw her shoulders relax. She didn’t even ask me who or how I was going to fix this. She trusts me.” At least on the business end now, it seemed. Maybe he was insecure from all the times he’d been told he was reckless and irresponsible as a kid when he ditched school to ski or fish, even hike alone.

  “That being said, I want to at least provide a meal for her. Several food choices. I want her to honestly feel I can do this, not because you’re in a bind.”

  “Kendall,” he said, pulling her into his arms. “I’m in a bind. But I believe in you. This is what makes you happy. You said that the other day. Why not do more of what makes you happy while you’re here?”

  “You know which buttons to push to get your way,” she said.

  “I do.”

  “Let me do what I’ve got planned today. It’s early still. I should be able to get what I need within a few hours. Then I’d like to spend some time in the kitchen and feel my way around and I’d like to cook a few of the menu items for you and Erika. If you’re both satisfied and want me to stay on while you fill the position, then I will.”

  “You’re a lifesaver, Kendall.”

  He left her to do what she needed to and made his way back to Erika’s office.

  “What are you doing back here?” Erika asked, pulling her fingers from her mouth. She was chewing on her nails again, something she always did when she was nervous.

  “Telling you to relax and I’ve got it all covered for the Montgomery wedding. Not only that, we’re going to sweeten it for them. You know how much Alexa Montgomery loves the spotlight.”

  “Yeah?” she asked.

  “Well, Kendall is going to do a blog piece of them. Not just one, but a few days’ worth. Time with the bride while she prepares for her day. From the favors that they brought, to the bachelorette party on Thursday night, to the bridal party’s breakfast.”

  “Why would she agree to do this? Because you’re sleeping with her?”

  “How do you know that?” he asked his sister. She’d never called him out on spending time with guests before and he didn’t know why she was now.

  “I’ve been following the videos. Even I can see there is a spark between you two. Her audience is going crazy with the last two posts. I have to admit you might be onto something with the blog posts and the wedding, but that doesn’t help solve the problem with Robert’s position.”

  “Erika,” he said, sighing deeply. “You’ve never been this slow before. Kendall is an executive chef for a high-profile restaurant in Vegas. She’s traveling the world trying new cuisine and techniques. The Montgomerys are going
to eat that right up.”

  “Oh my God. She’s going to do it. She agreed?”

  “I might have guilted her into it by telling her the reason Robert left.”

  “I don’t care how you did it. I don’t care if you screwed her brains out to get her to agree as long as she is.”

  He started to cough. “Erika. What has gotten into you?”

  She burst out laughing. “Completely uncalled for. I’m just a mess right now. Seriously though, I’m thrilled this is taken care of. I mean we still have to calm the Montgomerys down when they get here tomorrow. I was thinking of calling them today and giving them a heads up.”

  “Let’s think on it first. Hold off. Kendall agreed, but she felt that you should taste her food first. She wants to cook several plates tonight and then if you’re okay with it, she’ll do it.”

  “She wants my approval?” Erika asked. “You do all the hiring. I just deal with the numbers and guests’ serious issues and complaints. I’m behind the scenes; you’re the one in front. You’re the pretty face everyone loves to see.”

  He laughed at her. She’d always been shy, but her face was almost a mirror image of his.

  “I’d like your approval too,” he said.

  “For more than her cooking?” she asked, tilting her head.

  “Yeah.”

  Erika stared at him. “You’ve known her one week, Zeke. I said you were a softie.”

  “I’m a puddle of mush for her right now. I’m doing anything I can to get her to stay here.”

  “You think she’d want to?”

  “I don’t know. But for now, I’m going to take advantage of this situation.” And hope it doesn’t come back to bite me in the ass.

  My Hero

  “What a success.”

  Kendall turned to see Zeke standing in the doorway of the kitchen on Saturday night. The wedding dinner had been served hours ago, the cake cut and handed out, and the kitchen was in cleanup mode from the wedding. The restaurant was still serving, but the craziness had come to an end.

  She loved every minute of it!

  They never had a wedding at her restaurant in Vegas. The owners wanted no part of that crazy train, rather catering to the high rollers. She’d become good at creating dishes on the fly because whatever someone wanted, they got if their wallets were deep enough.

  “It was great. The bride was lovely and she wasn’t a bridezilla at all this week like you and Erika thought she’d be.”

  “That’s because you managed to calm her parents down enough on Wednesday, who in turn had some control over Alexa.”

  “Don’t remind me,” she said. That had taken hours. She’d finally convinced them to let her cook the whole wedding menu for them to taste. Thankfully that won them over and she should have just started with that. It wasn’t until Alexa came to town with her fiancé the next day and checked out her blog and YouTube channel that they got so excited over it.

  “She drove you nuts, just admit it,” Zeke said.

  “There were moments. She thought I was going to be her personal wedding videographer for the whole week.”

  “I put a stop to that.”

  “You were my hero saving the day.”

  Once Zeke saw what Alexa was doing, how she was trying to take advantage of the situation, Zeke told Kendall and Alexa to pick three times and dates and Alexa would get five minutes of video for each time and that was it. Alexa finally agreed after Erika talked with her parents and reminded them that they agreed that Kendall’s food was better than Robert’s, and that Kendall offered her blog, but it wasn’t required and that if it interfered with Kendall’s ability to do her job, she wouldn’t be doing any videos at all.

  Kendall had actually thought the whole thing was funny since Erika seemed the quieter of the two, but when it came down to business she was pretty darn tough.

  “I like being your hero.”

  In the past week, the two of them hadn’t spent nearly as much time together as she had hoped they could. She was working, trying to learn the menu and get ready for the wedding. Zeke was doing his normal duties with the business, but also trying to run herd for this wedding too. She never realized all that his responsibilities entailed.

  Sure, there were managers for different facets of the business, but he and Erika had their fingers in every pie and tasted them not once, but at least twice, if not three times, before giving the final okay.

  She and Zeke had a few nights together and if she hated coming back to the lodge after, she kept that information to herself. No reason to let him know when it was most likely a short-term deal. As much as she wanted to stay there more than she had, she wasn’t pushing it. Wasn’t making herself comfortable in the least.

  Clingy she wasn’t!

  “Are you done for the night?” she asked.

  She just wanted to make sure the kitchen was under control before she left. Though she was only temporarily filling in, the staff had gotten pretty close to her. There were some good cooks back here that could be trained to move up. Seemed Robert wanted all the glory to himself.

  Still, she wanted to make sure they were all set before she left for the night.

  “I’m just going to take one more pass through the building and grounds and then call it a night. Oh, before I forget, this is for you.”

  She reached her hand toward the white envelope he was holding out to her. “What is it?”

  “It’s from Alexa’s father. My guess is it’s a bonus. He had a few in his hand and gave them to some staff.”

  “A bonus? Why would I get that?”

  “Didn’t you ever get bonuses for weddings at your other job?” he asked.

  “We don’t do weddings there. We get tips now and again, sometimes big, but I always felt uncomfortable taking it. We are compensated well. And you’re paying me even though I told you that you didn’t need to.”

  “First off. You’re doing us a favor, so of course I’m going to pay you. Second of all, I’ve got a feeling I’m not paying you even remotely close to your salary back home.”

  He wasn’t, but she wasn’t about to tell him that. Erika made her fill out employment papers even though she didn’t want to, but she didn’t want to get them in trouble paying her off the books like Erika threatened to do. She wouldn’t tell Erika what to pay her and finally said, “Just pay me Robert’s salary.” She figured that was fair for them.

  “I’m not here to work,” she reminded him. “And I got some serious viewers this week for the wedding feature. I never thought it would turn out the way it did. I’ve even been contacted by a lot of advertisers now, but I’m not going to consider it.”

  “Why?” he asked.

  “I don’t want to commit to something that is only temporary.”

  He paused for a second and then said, “Aren’t you going to open it up and see what it is?”

  She sighed and opened the envelope. “Holy cow. It’s a check for five thousand dollars. I can’t take this.”

  “You can and you will. Alexa’s parents have been coming here for years. They’re loaded and pulled out all the stops for this wedding. I won’t tell you the headache that Erika and our restaurant manager had getting some of the decorations that she demanded.”

  “Then Erika should get this bonus.”

  “She was given one along with the restaurant manager.”

  “Good grief, he’s probably handing out more in bonuses than the cost of the wedding alone.”

  Zeke just laughed at her. “I doubt that. Weddings are big profits for us which is why we offer the packages we do for the activities.”

  She did like that they did that and made sure at least two of the three interviews with Alexa included stuff provided here at the lodge. “Has Erika said if there have been any more inquiries for weddings in the past week?”

  “You’ve got a good business mind. Yes. In the past three days, we’ve booked two weddings. Three more brides saw your videos and will be meeting with Erika in the next few
months for consultations.”

  “That’s great. I’m happy for you.” She handed the check back to him. “Take this and give it to the kitchen staff that worked the wedding today.”

  He shook his head at her. “Robert would have slipped that in his pocket the minute it was handed over.”

  “Robert is a prick, per your words. Don’t compare us.”

  “Very true. If that is what you really want, just sign your name to the check, since it’s written to you and I’ll make sure the staff gets it.”

  “It is what I want. Thank you,” she said, walking into his arms. She was hoping he’d reach for her but hadn’t, making her wonder if he was counting down the days until she left. He was probably getting bored with her already.

  “So what do you say we meet back at my place in an hour? I’m positive you want to finish making sure everything is taken care of here and I’ve got a few things left to do myself.”

  “I think that’s the best idea you’ve had all day.”

  “Then finish up fast and put your thinking cap on. I want tonight to just be about us.” He kissed her quickly and left her in her kitchen to finish up.

  Her kitchen. When did she start to think of it that way? And should she stop?

  One week left to go. Well, almost one week. Her last day was a week from tomorrow.

  She wasn’t looking forward to it nearly as much as she’d thought she might. Especially since it seemed Zeke was still interested in her.

  A Surprise for You

  Zeke had to get out of there before he said something he would regret.

  No, that was wrong. He wouldn’t regret it, but he was pretty sure Kendall might regret hearing it.

  Watching that wedding today was giving him thoughts he’d never had before.

  Sure, he figured he’d settle down someday, maybe have a kid or two, someone to carry on the family business, but he hadn’t really been looking. He had years to find that. Find someone who could take him seriously and not just want to party.

  Now he was thinking that when you aren’t looking is when it finds you and smacks you upside the face.