Romancing the Chef

by Robyn Amos

  “He took you shopping for a sexy dress in Las Vegas and then suddenly you show up in a newspaper article wearing it. Now there are photos of you half-naked online. If you put on that bikini, where do you think those photos will show up?”

  “I think you’re giving Ace too much credit. He doesn’t think that far ahead. Elaborate schemes really aren’t his style. I’ve been friends with him for many years, and I know he wouldn’t—”

  Exasperated, LQ cut her off. “Ronnie, do you really think he’d be dating you if you were still fat?”

  Ronnie froze and so did LQ.

  Her friend’s face went pale as she realized she’d crossed a line. “Ronnie, I didn’t mean to—”

  “Actually, LQ, I have to go. I’m supposed to meet Ace on the beach.” She crossed to the door and held it open for LQ.

  Looking miserable, LQ left without another world.

  Later, on the beach with Ace, Ronnie decided to block out all the stress of the morning. She didn’t mention the photos to Ace because she knew the news would upset him. And for a little while, Ronnie just wanted to enjoy herself.

  The surfing lesson was more fun that Ronnie ever would have anticipated. During the last thirty years of her life, no one ever would have accused her of being athletic. But the last several months in the gym had changed that.

  She turned out to be a much better surfer than Ace, who kept wiping out in the waves.

  “You’re top-heavy,” Ronnie called as he finally surfaced after another brutal fall. “For once all those big muscles are working against you.”

  He glared at her, clearing the water from his eyes. “I’m done with this,” he said, heading for the beach.

  Ronnie followed him, dropping her board in the sand beside his. “Honey, don’t be such a sore loser. This should be good practice for the next Food Fight. You’re going down hard.”

  “Such big talk for fourth place. You’ve got a lot of ground to make up. You might want to save face and focus on not getting sent home.”

  Pursing her lips, Ronnie struggled not to stoop to name-calling. “You’ll see,” she finally retorted.

  After drying off and changing, they headed to thehotel grill to share some overpriced hamburgers by the exotic pool.

  “I wish they’d let me in that kitchen. I could really hook this burger up. A little asiago cheese and some cayenne pepper. You’ve never had a better burger.”

  Ace frowned at her. “Is everything a competition with you? Now you’ve got to show up the poor fry cook at the grill? Why don’t you relax and save your energy for the real competition. Enjoy letting someone else cook for you.”

  She shrugged. “I do enjoy it. But don’t you ever eat a meal and think, ‘this food would be perfect if it just had …’”

  “Only if it’s a bad meal,” he said, laughing. “This is a perfectly good hamburger. Stop talking and eat it.”

  Ronnie stuck her tongue out at him and took another bite.

  He winked at her. “Don’t show me your tongue unless you’re going to come over here and put it to good use.”

  “Fine, I’ll be quiet. But first there’s something I’ve always wanted to know about you.”

  “And what is that?” Ace asked, wiping his hands on his napkin.

  “Why did you become a chef? You’re clearly athletic and you’ve always had a lot of hobbies. You could have done anything you wanted. Why cook?”

  “It’s a calling. I’ve always been a natural cook. Putting flavors together until they pop. That’s what gives me satisfaction.”

  The words rolled out of his mouth almost without any thought.

  Ronnie groaned. “No. That’s your slick TV response. I’ve heard you say almost those exact words a thousand times. What’s the real reason?”

  Ace wadded up the napkin and dropped it on his plate. “You don’t want to know the real reason.”

  “Yes, I do. Are you afraid to tell me?”

  He shrugged. “I’m not afraid to talk about it. It’s just not the cute story that makes good TV. That’s why I’ve never told it to anyone before.”

  Ronnie hesitated. She hadn’t meant to push him into uncomfortable territory. She was just about to let him off the hook when he began to speak.

  “Cooking was the only way I could get my parents to stay in the same room.”

  “What do you mean? They’re divorced, aren’t they?”

  “Now they are. But they stayed together for years, even though they could barely tolerate each other.”

  “So, where did the cooking come in?”

  “When I was fourteen, we learned to make coq au vin in home economics. I came home and made a big production of making it for them. They sat through the meal for my benefit and even managed some small talk. That’s when I convinced myself that I could make them love each other again, if I could keep them in the same room long enough.”

  Ronnie put her hand to her chest, feeling a deep sympathy for the teenager who felt responsible for keeping his parents together.

  “I went through every cookbook in the house looking for romantic-sounding dishes. I made beef Wellington, chicken cordon bleu, and eventually, I even learned to make a crown roast of lamb.”

  “Did it work at the time?” Ronnie asked, knowing how the story eventually ended.

  Ace shook his head, and Ronnie could see there was some lingering pain in his eyes. “No, only a kid would think romantic meals could unite two people who’d givenup on their marriage years ago. They sat through the first few dinners but, after a while, I think they caught on to my plan. Suddenly my dad had to ‘work late’ several nights a week.”

  Ronnie touched his hand. “Maybe his workload had picked up.”

  “Yeah.” Ace laughed, bitterly. “A few months later I found out that his workload’s name was Sabrina.”

  “Oh, no!”

  “Don’t feel bad,” Ace said, waving off her sympathy. “Turns out my little sister and I were much happier once our parents got divorced. It was the strain of their pretending that made everyone miserable. Plus, I discovered that I really do love cooking.”

  “Wow, that’s some story.” Ronnie sighed. “I’m sorry I made you go into it.”

  “It’s okay. It doesn’t hurt anymore, and both of my parents are happily married to other people.”

  “Oh, your dad married Sabrina?”

  “Yeah. And Amber and Kelly. Turns out he’s not so good with commitments.”

  Then Ace’s cell phone rang, but he didn’t move to answer it.

  “Do you need to get that?”

  He pulled out the phone and looked at the screen. “No. It’s just Garett. I’ll talk to him later. The conversation we need to have may take a while.”

  “Oh, if you have business—”

  He shoved the phone back into his pocket. “No, I’d rather be here with you. The competition starts tomorrow, and we’ll have to retreat to our respective corners. For now, I just want to enjoy our time together.”

  Ronnie felt herself warm. Ace wasn’t holding anything back. He seemed genuinely into her. Maybe after thecompetition, there would be a chance for them to have something more serious.

  She blinked as LQ’s stinging words hit her again. Do you really think he’d be dating you if you were still fat?

  Her skin lost its warmth. Was she falling back into her old ways? Here she was eating a hamburger instead of something healthy. Was she slacking on her common sense the way she’d been slacking on her diet?

  When LQ had told Ronnie about her model friend’s experience with Ace, Ronnie had defended him. When LQ accused Ace of leaking photos to the press, she’d defended him. The last time she’d defended a man against the concerns of her friends, she’d made a fool of herself. What if she just wasn’t able to make smart judgments when it came to men?

  Should she guard her heart? After what Ace had just told her about his parents, it was quite possible that he wasn’t any better at commitments than his father. Or should she take a chanc
e? His story also told her that he was a romantic. He focused on cooking for lovers because, once upon a time, he’d tried to rekindle his parents’ love.

  “So, now are you going to tell me what made you become a chef?” Ace asked, breaking into her heavy thoughts.

  Ronnie laughed, relieved to let go of her worries until another time. “You already know the reason…. I cook because I like food.”

  Ace shook his head. “No chef worth his salt doesn’t like to eat.”

  “You don’t understand. It’s not about liking to eat. It’s about the food. The smells, the textures, the combination of flavors. I love all of it. Do you know how excited I can get over a basket of fresh strawberries or a cut of pork loin? When I see really good ingredients, my skin tingles. The possibilities are endless.”

  “I see.” Ace smiled, leaning forward. “Fresh food is to Ronnie as a palette of paint is to an artist.”

  “I guess that’s right,” Ronnie said. “That’s why winning this Food Fight is so important to me. It’s an opportunity to realize a dream. If I win this, I can open another restaurant, and share my food with more people. When I was a kid, my mother, grandmother and I used to spend all day Sunday cooking. We’d bake fresh biscuits with honey, shell peas, batter and fry chicken with gravy….”

  Ace closed his eyes. “Stop it. You’re making me hungry all over again.”

  She laughed. “I know you’re thinking the best part of the day was eating it all. But, believe it or not, the best part was the three of us talking and cooking in the kitchen all day. Those are some of the best memories of my life.”

  With those words, a memory hit her at once. Her father had disappeared on them when she was only eight, and she’d never met her grandfather. A lot of those talks over a hot stove had revolved around their troubles with men.

  Ronnie swallowed hard. Until recently, she’d been repeating the pattern that her mother and grandmother had started. No wonder she always picked the wrong man. She’d been trained to think that was how it was supposed to be.

  “You just got really quiet on me. Are you okay?”

  Ronnie brought herself back into the moment. “Yes, I was just thinking how much I learned during those cooking sessions.” Looking away, she added, “The tricky part now is not allowing my relationship with food to affect my clothing size.”

  “Trust me, Ronnie, you look good no matter what size you wear.”

  She felt her smile fade a bit. It was a nice line. But unfortunately, she knew it was nothing more than that.

  Smooth talkers like Ace always knew the right thing to say, but she didn’t need pretty lies.

  The one thing she still believed was that men lied. They’d lied to her grandmother, they’d lied to her mother and they’d certainly lied to her. Ace might seem different on the surface, but she knew his flattery, however harmless, was still just a lie. After all, Ace hadn’t been interested when she’d worn a larger size.

  “I don’t know about you, but this time in the sun has made me tired. I think I’ll go upstairs for a nap.”

  Ace raised a wicked brow. “Care for some company?”

  “No, thanks. Because of all your company, I haven’t had a decent night’s rest in days.”

  He leaned back in his chair. “I can’t argue with that. You definitely need your rest. Tomorrow we duke it out.”

  Ronnie nodded. “Yeah, I want to get up early and check my kitchen setup. I don’t want to have the same problems I had in Las Vegas.”

  Ace shook his head. “I don’t think we’re getting full kitchens.”

  She frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that our stations will probably be set up outside. Think about it. The Hawaiian scenery will make a great backdrop, and I don’t think this hotel has the indoor space we’d need. My guess is that we’ll be set up in the same area as tonight’s luau. The crew wouldn’t even have to change much, since it will already be decorated.”

  Ronnie chewed her lip. That made a lot of sense. In fact, it was such a clever deduction, she wasn’t quite sure why he was willing to share the information. A chef prepared to cook outside in the heat would strategize differently than one who expected to cook in an air-conditioned building.

  “You’re probably right. If you’d kept that theory to yourself, you could have had a big advantage over me.”

  Ace shrugged. “I guess so. But, you’re a good chef. That kind of an edge wouldn’t have helped me much. I plan to bring my A game, and I know you will, too.”

  Just as quickly as the dark cloud had settled over her thoughts, Ace had brought on the sunshine. She really wanted to trust him. And he was giving her reason after reason to give him a chance.

  “If you’re going to take a nap, I guess I’ll go back to my room and do the same. You’re going to be my date for the luau tonight, aren’t you?”

  His smile was so engaging. Ronnie had to remind herself not to let her heart get carried away. When the competition was over, they’d have to go back to their old lives. But for now, they were still having fun.

  “Absolutely. I’m looking forward to it.”

  Ace laughed and clapped his hands as two hula dancers led Ronnie and several other audience members to the stage to dance with them.

  She looked stunning in her pink sundress and lei of purple orchids. Again she wore her hair long and curly, framing her lovely face.

  The drummers started a rousing, rhythmic beat, and Ronnie began to copy the hip shaking of the other hula dancers. Ace stared with appreciation as she moved her voluptuous curves in time to the beat. He felt like she was giving him a private show that he’d be sure to have her repeat when they were alone.

  Even though they were supposed to get a good night’s sleep before the next Food Fight round, Ace was determined to convince her to spend the night in his bed anyway. These last couple of days had been better than he could have imagined. He just hoped they both made it through tomorrow, so their time wouldn’t come to an end.

  Minutes later, Ronnie returned to the table beaming and out of breath. “That was so much fun. I’m going to have to teach those moves to Cara when I get home. Maybe I can convince her that hula is a better workout than the treadmill. Lord knows I hate that machine.”

  “You’re welcome to hula for me anytime. You’re a natural. And I love to watch those hips shake.”

  She threw her napkin at him. “Behave yourself, now.”

  Ace felt a buzzing in his shorts pocket. Pulling out his cell phone, he saw a text from Garett: BEEN LOOKING 4 U ALL DAY. WHAT TABLE R U AT? WILL COME OVER.

  He felt his adrenaline spike. He’d been having such a good time, he’d almost managed to forget the paparazzi drama. He’d tried to call Garett again before the luau but hadn’t had any luck. He couldn’t speak to Garett now, in front of Ronnie. But Ace needed a chance to find out what was going on with these lame publicity stunts.

  Ace typed: NEED 2 TALK. MY ROOM 5 MINS.

  Ronnie leaned forward. “What are you doing?”

  He pushed his chair back. “I have to run to my room for a minute. I’ll be right back.”

  She gave him a puzzled look. “You have to go right now?”

  “I won’t be long,” he said, getting up.

  “Oh … okay.”

  Ace jogged back into the hotel, hating that he felt like he was up to no good. At least he could clear the air with Ronnie after he set Garett straight.

  As soon as Ace rounded the corner and headed down the corridor toward his room, he saw Garett was already waiting outside.

  “You have got to be the toughest guy to reach today. I woke up to a ton of messages from you this morning, but when I tried to return your calls, you wouldn’t pick up.”

  “I was with Ronnie all day. And I didn’t want to chew you out in front of her. Especially since your little stunt with the photographers last night almost ruined everything. Didn’t I tell you to call off the press?”

  “I did, but this thing has taken on a life
of its own. Thanks to those steamy lagoon shots, your showmance with Ronnie is starting to generate some real interest. I have six calls from news outlets wanting quotes or an interview with you.”

  “You’ve got to put a stop to this. If Ronnie finds out you were behind this—”

  “Look. The showmance angle is boosting the buzz about your cookbook. I don’t see how Ronnie can object. She was a virtual nobody before this.”

  Ace rubbed his temples. “I don’t think she’s going to see it that way.”

  He gestured toward the door. “Are we going to go into your suite or not?”

  “No, I don’t even have time to get into this with you right now. Ronnie is waiting for me at the luau. I just need you to make all of this go away.”

  “No can do, buddy. This is a speeding train. All I did was start the engine, it has a destination all its own.”

  “Garett, this isn’t over. I have to get back to Ronnie, but I’m not done talking about this.”

  “Relax. Just because the focus is on you and Ronnie right now doesn’t mean that you’re stuck with her. It’s not going to interfere with you dating other women.”

  Ace released an exasperated sigh. “You’re a piece of work, you know that?” he said, heading back down the hall.

  Hearing Garett and Ace’s voices coming closer, Ronnie ran back to the elevator. Fortunately, a family of four wasjust getting out, and she could jump in and jab the door-close button.

  When she was safe behind the metal doors and the elevator was headed down to her floor, she let her face fall into her hands. A showmance?

  Her fling with Ace had just been a publicity stunt planned by his publicist? LQ had tried to tell her Ace was responsible for the paparazzi shots, and Ronnie had defended him. She never would have known what was really going on if she hadn’t gone to his room to tell him the luau was over.

  Feeling tears welling in her eyes, Ronnie got off the elevator and walked liked a zombie back to her room. She thought she’d finally stopped playing the fool.

  Turned out she was wrong.

  Chapter 14

  Ronnie sat on her bed staring at the carpet for several minutes. Tears made hot trails down her cheeks until they dripped off her chin. Leaning over, she watched them fall to the floor. Then she began to get angry.