“Levi—Levi—Guys, I think we lost him. Levi, are you there?”
He snapped back to attention. “Oh, I must have lost you for a minute. I heard the beginning. I hear you. Downhome Made New is cancelled.”
The talking heads hesitated for a moment. Levi could picture them bobbling their expressions between one another, wondering how in the world this had been so easy. “Do you have any questions?” one of them asked.
“None that I can think of. The lawyers do the work from here, right, since my contract wasn’t up?”
The logistics over the next five minutes were a formality more than anything else. Levi knew he was right; his lawyer would handle everything from there. Still, he wasn’t a fool. Mark, Dave, and Dave didn’t need to know that he couldn’t care less about the buyout amount from the contract, or that he was happy to have his show cancelled. When the call ended, he wanted nothing more than to celebrate. After he finished the Master Ingredient List.
Cheerfully, Levi bent down and buzzed the intercom.
Kelsey’s voice boomed over the speaker. “Yes, boss?”
Click. “Come on in for a moment?”
Slowly, facetiously, she opened the door.
Levi offered an apologetic smile. “I really am sorry, but listen to this! Downhome Made New has been cancelled! Yay!” Levi’s arms were up in the air, nothing but victory coming from the internationally renowned chef who viewed a show cancellation as a win.
Kelsey’s defense took a nosedive, seeing her friend so happy. Her annoyed lines were replaced with genuine delight. “Congratulations.”
“Can’t stay mad at me now, can you?” He looked like a kid who had just gotten away with breaking his mom’s best planter, but since he was so sorry and so loveable she forgave him in an instant.
“No,” she said, smiling. “However, let us not forget last year when you got so crazed planning that charity event that Seth and I had to check you by attacking you with water balloons in your kitchen.”
“Oh, I remember.”
“You left us no choice!” Kelsey’s passionate disdain for Levi’s attitude last year still reared its head from time to time. “It snapped you out of the cranky pants you had put on.”
“So you’ve told me. Plenty of times,” he said, happy to have her as his friend and on his side. “As for this year, when my pants have been perfectly amiable, no more show. Thrilled about this.”
Kelsey stood straight up and smiled. She clapped her hands together for effect. “Me, too. I saw how much it was draining you. What can I do for you?”
Levi guided Kelsey in tying up everything related to Downhome Made New. The physical files he wanted removed from his office. The digital files he wanted moved from their share drive to their archives on the server. The name-and-contact-info list he wanted of every crew member impacted by the cancellation. And a side-by-side comparison of his calendar this time last year when he was working on the show versus his calendar this year when he would be free as a bird to nail the Gala and pursue Virginia.
The stellar assistant that she was, Kelsey kept up, lent valuable input, and made sure Levi knew the tasks would be complete by end of business Friday, just three days away.
When he had his office to himself again, he took a break from the Master Ingredient List. Still feeling victory swarm him, Levi stood facing his windows, hands atop his head, looking out at the skyline as it stood from his seventeenth story. The canvas on the wall opposite his desk and the view before him was meant to inspire, remind him of greatness and grandiosity when his vision started to wane. Though he had not remained as in love with the city since that photo was taken, the canvas and his view continued to serve their purpose.
In three-and-a-half months, Levi would help to put on the fanciest annual event in New York City. He would do so with the dedication and focus the event deserved. He would do in order to keep up his own name, and he would do so as a way of showing up big time for the woman whose name would be on the event for all to see, one Miss Virginia May Sharpe.
Twelve days and two hours later, Levi stood in front of what Kelsey had taken to calling his crush, like he was in junior high school. Funny thing was, once in a while, that’s what this felt like—the speech turning to staccato nonsense, the butterflies that took flight the moment he saw her, and the goo he felt when she looked at him. Try as she might, Levi knew that Virginia was just as drawn to him as he was to her. The constant, prolonged eye contact, the leaning in when she spoke, and the half-smile when he spoke made that point clear as day.
Today, he had arranged two of every menu item for Virginia and Sophie. Kelsey and Seth had skipped this meeting, Kelsey in favor of a run with Tanner and Seth for another IT project deadline.
In the meet-and-greet room that had become the de-facto meeting space for vendor team meetings, Levi had laid a silver linen table cloth over the string of five tables set up against the back wall. Five red square linens lay in a diamond shape, spaced equally from one end of the table to the other. The center diamond was raised from underneath and held a large bouquet of white and red roses, interspersed with black and white images of New York City from the early 1930s. He thought that might be her favorite, considering one of the photos he had chosen to display. On each of the four surrounding diamonds lay five of his Michelin 5-star creations.
Levi stood back, hands on hips, to admire his display. It was the first tangible draft of months of preparation. After the rejection, he, Kelsey, and Seth had put long hours into deciding what to prepare. It had paid off when Virginia and Sophie “more than loved” their second menu.
“Wow.”
Levi spun around to find Virginia, her mouth ajar as she stared at his works of art. An immediate grin spread across his face. Her initial reaction was most definitely good news.
“Hey there,” he said, softer than he had intended. She’s just so pretty.
“Hi,” she said, matching him in volume and—seemingly—in feeling. She kept her eye on him in the moments before she spoke. With the force of a hurricane, Levi felt his heart connect to hers. It was getting stronger, these feelings of his. If she would just let him take her out on a date, sweep her off her feet, and let them live happily ever after, that would just be great.
For now, the food.
“This looks incredible, Levi. Love the roses in the middle. And the chocolate, of course,” she said, laughing lightly. “Want to walk me through everything on the table? Can I sample?”
Levi’s hands moved from his hips to his pockets. If he couldn’t feel casual on the inside, he could at least act it on the outside and hope that’s what came across. “Of course,” he said. “I made two of everything, one for you and one for Sophie. Do we want to wait for her?”
She ever-so-cutely tucked her flowing long hair behind her right ear. Her head dipped slightly before she met his eyes once again.
Goo. Absolute goo.
“She is actually a bit under the weather today. It’s just me. And you.”
He didn’t dare break contact with those hazel eyes.
“And the food,” he managed to say.
Her smile grew. “And the food.” She nodded toward the table, and on with it they were.
Starting with the appetizers, Levi talked about each menu item in detail. He handed her a copy of the Master Ingredient List so she could follow along on all the levels, but she put it down almost immediately.
“Today is just about experience. No logistics. I want to see, smell, taste, and feel my way through this. No numbers.” Her words held no room for debate.
Levi nodded once. “Deal. First, then, bacon-wrapped scallops.” Her eyes widened with joy. Another great sign. “We are clear on no appetizers, but people like something while they’re mingling. They like a drink in their hand and a small something to eat in the other. These, the cucumber-dill-tomato, and the salmon crustinis work perfectly for the mingling time of a party.”
Virginia’s adorable face crinkled in total thought-mo
de. “You think people will stand to mingle here?”
Confused, Levi answered, “Of course, why wouldn’t they?”
Virginia seemed to debate whether or not to voice her true thoughts. “I don’t know. It’s such a fancy party—the fanciest one I have ever worked—and I just imagined all these people in their ten-thousand-dollar gowns, just talking about their money and their boats and not really caring to eat.”
Levi’s laughter rang. It echoed in the room and bounced off the walls.
“Or maybe they’re just normal people in nice clothes who like a good piece of bacon like the rest of us,” she said with a smile, popping the scallop in her mouth. When it was safely swallowed, she concluded: “Mmm. Perfection. Next.”
Levi put his hand on his chest to make sure his heart had remained beating. When he was sure that it was, he had to jump in with two feet to this meeting or he’d never get through it. He had to discard the notion that he and Virginia were alone, that she was complimenting him on his culinary delights, and that she seemed just as taken into the intimacy of the moments as he was.
Halfway through the table, after the candied carrots with walnuts and the rosemary dinner rolls, Virginia stopped to look at the centerpiece. The five vintage photos stood in stark contrast to the fresh flowers. He wondered if she would know that he chose one in particular just for her. She looked just about to move on to the second half of the food sampling when she stopped, silent and still.
“The fire engine.” The statement burned with far more than three words. Now was his chance. One of his chances.
“I remembered it was your favorite out of the set you gave us,” he said, quietly and with some reverence to his voice.
She fingered the photograph before slowly turning turned to look at him, silently inviting him to stand closer. “Sometimes I wonder if I remember everything we’ve talked about because we’ve had fewer than a dozen conversations, or—” She hesitated.
He encouraged. “Or what?”
She huffed softly. “Or if it’s because you and I…”
He waited. When she remained quiet, he lifted his right hand out of his pocket and gently placed it on the small of her back. His expression grew serious, determined, and helpless at the sight of her. All of him had been drawn to all of her since the day they met, and he knew that if he didn’t kiss her right then and there he would regret it for the rest of his life. Without an ounce of resistance from the incredible woman standing before him, Levi pulled Virginia in for a fireworks kiss that lasted less than ten seconds, but sealed the deal as far as he was concerned.
Until she pulled away and covered her face with her hands.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have let you do that.” He wished she wouldn’t shake her head so many times, but at least she had pulled her hands down from over her face.
“Don’t be sorry. I’m not sorry,” he said, his hands moving to his chest. “That was the moment I’ve been waiting for since the spring. Since you told that loser to go back to his seat after you laughed at his lame pick-up line.”
“It was pretty lame,” she said, laughing nervously. Her hands were entwined and she held them at her chest. “What I said still stands, Levi. I can’t be with someone who is in the public eye all the time. And especially not while planning the career-changing event of a lifetime.” Her hands moved nervously while still stuck together. “It has to be this way. It just has to be.”
Did he see a glisten in her eye? Did her voice just crack?
He wanted nothing more than what he had wanted for months, which was all of her. He knew that continuing his current direction would earn him no favors.
It’s just … those eyes. Looking at him, so big and hazel and beautiful. He saw his future in her eyes. He saw who he wanted to be in her eyes. And, if he wasn’t crazy, he saw her wanting the same things. He rested his hand on her cheek for a moment before stepping back.
“You have my word, Virginia. I’m sorry if I jumped the gun. I just…”
Virginia’s head slide side to side. “You don’t have to explain. I get it,” she said, smiling a knowing and grateful smile.
A silence bigger than the room and filled with a million words Levi wanted to say followed until Virginia let out a nervous laugh. “Can I at least try the rest of the food? Seems unfair to leave that lobster and chocolate mousse just sitting there. I mean, I am the intended audience. It would be rude and such a waste if I didn’t get to taste them.” Her hands were crossed over her middle, and she was looking back and forth between the food and Levi. He watched her, and could admire her professionalism and her ability to protect herself from whatever she was afraid of.
He could respect her. He could work with her. But not without making every effort at every turn to show her that he was a worthy contender for her heart, including asking her a question that had been burning in his mind for weeks.
Chapter 18
“So?”
Kelsey’s simple question startled Levi out of his daze as he walked into his office after the menu sampling meeting with Virginia. She was sitting on his couch with her laptop, feet up on the nearby table, looking comfortable and like she’d been there for more than a minute.
“How is it you always manage to scare me when I walk into my own office? How much time do you spend in here when I’m not here?” he asked, lighthearted and brotherly.
“Your view is better than mine,” she said with a smile.
“I should hope so, you sit facing two double doors,” he said, shrugging off his black Eddie Bauer fleece. “It went well. She loved all the food.”
“Of course. What about Sophie?”
“No show. She was sick,” he said, looking through a small stack of envelopes that hadn’t been on his desk when he had left his office earlier in the day. After a moment of silence, Levi could all but feel Kelsey’s eyes boring into him. His eyes remained on his mail as he asked, “Yes, Kelsey?”
“You two were alone for two hours?”
“Yes, as professionals.” He opened the third envelope; it was a letter of thanks from an organization in Columbia to Tutto Mangiare, which Kelsey knew were his favorite pieces of mail to collect.
“As professionals and… two people who are in love with one another and finally shared their true feelings and can now live happily ever after?”
Levi fumbled the letter in his hands. He looked up at her, a laugh playing on his lips. “Have some mercy. And some restraint, Kels,” he said, laughing. “No. In fact, can we move on? There’s something you and I need to discuss.”
“Only if you’ll admit that you want what I said to be true,” she said, playing her hand at little sister one more time in this conversation.
“Kels. Let it go.” He briefly looked at the ceiling. He had his arms folded and his legs crossed as he leaned against his desk. “Please? For now?”
Kelsey sat up, examining her boss and her friend. She placed her laptop on the table where her feet had just been propped and gave one definitive nod.
“Now, on to you.”
“Me?” Concern colored her face for a quick moment. “What about me?”
“Months ago, before the Pacific trip, we talked about you moving up in the company. We haven’t talked about it since because of the Gala and the show—”
“And the girl,” she piped in, knowing she was one of the few people allowed to do so.
“And the girl,” he said, rolling his eyes and sighing a long, deep, good-humored sigh. “But this is about you. Kelsey, you have proven over and over again how passionate you are about Tutto Mangiare. How diligent and organized and on top of it you are when it comes to projects, trips, documents, legalities, everything. The list goes on and on.”
Kelsey sat taller as Levi spoke. He was proud of her like a big brother would be of his little sister. It would hurt him—physically and business-wise—to lose Kelsey as his assistant, but he had to let her fly.
“You were a dream Team Lead for the Pacific, Kel
s. I would be honored if you would consider taking the Vice President of the Pacific role. We haven’t yet created that position since we just pushed into the Pacific on your trip. It’s been going well there, so it’s definitely time. The role description is mostly the same as the other VPs, just with a few specifics for this area of the world.”
Levi watched her dumbfounded face remain so. She was too humble to ask for this role, but he saw back in the spring how much it had meant to her when he gave her Team Lead. Back then he had seen a trickle of tears roll slowly down her cheeks.
“Comes with a huge pay raise. The title bump of course. Exchange of duties. No more setting up my family video conferences or transferring my files from the share drive to the archives,” he said, trying to laugh some movement into her. She seemed stunned into speechlessness.
“So what do you think?” he asked, maintaining his crossed arms and ankles.
Levi heard his watch faintly beep twice, one for each minute that must have passed before Kelsey spoke. She had turned to look out the window, her light brown eyes shining with unshed tears. Her breathing seemed labored as her chest bellowed in and out, in and out. She kept her hand on her necklace, a sterling silver Arabian jasmine pendant—the national flower of the Philippines—she had been given from her grandmother for her fifteenth birthday.
Her voice was thick with emotion as she spoke. “I think that I don’t deserve this, but I will take it. I promise to blow you away, Levi. Thank you.” In a rare moment of overt physical affection, Kelsey bowled Levi over with a long, tight hug. His words caught in his throat, and anything complimentary he thought of saying remained unsaid.
Later that night, alone in his apartment, he sat in his rocking chair looking outside to Rockefeller Center, which had been recently undergoing the annual holiday preparations. Lights and decorations wouldn’t be up for another month, but that never stopped the city from keeping it extra clean in the weeks leading up to the holiday spectacles the city was so well known for. Soon there would be lit angels blowing their horns, stars that could power an entire city block, and the most iconic Christmas tree in the world, all sitting below his window. For now, the night had blanketed the city with a rare stillness. The clouds had rolled in and a cold rain had started, reminding everyone why most New Yorkers are meant for the indoors.
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