by Terri Osburn
“Knox, I think I might have really messed up.”
“Messed up what?” he asked.
“Remember that boyfriend question?”
“Yeah. Are you dating someone?”
Bolting from her chair, Lauren unzipped her oversized jacket on her way inside. “Give me an hour, and then we’re going out to eat.”
Knox stood up. “You mean to Pilar’s? Do I need to change my uniform?”
“Not Pilar’s,” she said, hoping she hadn’t waited too long. “And there’s no need for you to change. I just need to look better than…” She glanced down at her ripped jeans and dirty Chucks. “This.”
“So you are seeing someone,” he said with a chuckle.
“If I’m lucky, I will be after tonight.”
By the end of his shift, the competition dish had been perfected, though he’d had to reach out to a friend for one of the ingredients. Jackson had come through, as always. In a moment of weakness, Nick had asked about Lauren and learned that she’d been busy doing publicity for the restaurant, which was doing better than anyone could have hoped.
He wished he could tell her how proud he was. Less than six weeks ago, she’d been in over her head with no idea how to open a restaurant. Nick had given her a push here and there, but she’d made it happen. The menu, which was fresh and original, highlighting local ingredients with her own New England flare, was unlike anything he’d seen before. That she’d taught the staff how to create those flavors in such a short time said a lot about how good she really was.
“Nick, someone is asking to see the chef,” Georgette called into the kitchen as he untied his apron. No one called him chef around here, so it had to be some tourist unhappy with their food. Every once in a while they’d get an out-of-towner who didn’t like a sauce or complained that his burger had extra stuff on it. As if the description wasn’t printed right there on the menu.
“I’m off the clock,” he called back. “Let Carl handle it.”
Carl Oliver had been part of the crew since before Nick took over and he’d always been more patient with the customers.
“They asked specifically for you,” she answered.
So not a tourist then.
Tossing the apron in the hamper in the back, he grabbed his jacket off the hook and headed for the swinging door. When he reached the dining room, he spotted Lauren standing by the entrance talking to a tall man in fatigues. White-blond hair hung in loose curls around her face, and the blue and white dress clung to her curves, then billowed out to stop just above her knees. She was bouncing on the balls of her feet and smiling up at the man like a woman in love.
He couldn’t believe she’d bring a date to Dempsey’s.
Anger rising, Nick sought out Georgette and found her at the other end of the bar. “Who asked to see me?”
“The new chef,” she answered, loading three tall necks onto her tray. “She’s over by the door.”
This could not be happening. Why would Lauren ask to see him while out with another man? Glancing their way, he watched the soldier drop a kiss on top of her head and he’d never felt the urge to kill a man more.
Determined to get this over with, Nick charged through the thin crowd to reach his target.
“You asked for me?” he said, skipping the niceties.
Lauren looked up, startled, her blue eyes going soft as they fell on his face. “Hi.”
That was it? She’d asked for him to say hello?
“I was heading home. What did you want?”
“Are you sure this is the guy?” the soldier mumbled, but Lauren ignored him.
“Then you aren’t working?” she asked.
“I just finished for the day.”
“Could we sit down and talk?”
As if he had any intention of being her third wheel.
“Looks like you already have a dinner partner,” he replied, casting a snarl in the stranger’s direction. “Have a nice night.”
“Wait,” she said as he tried to pass. “This is my brother. He came to visit to help celebrate the launch of Pilar’s.” Her brother? “Knox Riley, this is Nick Stamatis,” she continued. “He’s the head chef here at Dempsey’s and was helpful in getting Pilar’s up and running.”
Still stunned by the introduction, Nick said, “I didn’t do much. Did you say brother?”
Lauren nodded as the smile on her face widened. “I did. I wanted the two of you to meet. Are you sure you don’t have time to sit down?”
More than a little off-balance, he rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ve got a few minutes.” Looking around, he said, “Annie, is table seventeen open?”
She checked the chart on the podium and said, “Yes, sir.”
Nick led Lauren and her brother through the tables to the booth in the far corner. When he gestured for them to sit, Lauren slid in first and the soldier followed. Nick took a seat on the opposite side.
“Knox, is it?” he asked.
“That’s right.” The brother, a large man with a square jaw and a crew cut, extended a hand. “Lauren told me a lot about you on the way over.”
Unsure if what he’d heard had been good or bad, Nick accepted the greeting in silence.
“How are you?” Lauren asked, as if they were old friends catching up.
“Busy planning for the festival. I assume you’ve been busy, too.”
Too busy to pick up a phone or send a message.
“Yes, I have. We’re nearly sold out for every seating.”
“So I hear.”
An awkward silence loomed until Knox said, “I’m going to the bar for a beer. Can I get you anything, Nick?”
He shook his head. “No, I’m good.”
“How about you, sis?”
“I’m okay.” As her brother crossed the room, Lauren watched him with pride in her eyes. A second later, she turned her attention back to Nick. “I apologize for taking so long.”
Feeling like a man caught in the crosshairs, Nick’s body tensed. “So long for what?”
“To give you an answer.”
Now he was truly confused.
21
“You already gave me your answer on that,” Nick said. “Followed by ten days of silence to drive the message home.”
Lauren didn’t blame him for being mad, though she hoped there was some hurt as well. That would mean he still cared.
“I’d like to take that answer back.”
“Pretending I’d agree to that, why?”
She’d been formulating this speech from the moment she’d stepped into the shower, but she was struggling to remember the words now.
“Because I’ve had time to think about it some more and my answer has changed.”
Brown eyes narrowed. “That isn’t what I mean. Why has it changed?”
This was already not going to plan. Taking a deep breath, she tried again.
“What I’m about to tell you is not an excuse for how I’ve hurt you, but it will give some context for my answer. I mentioned in the past that I had to take care of Knox from a young age, and that we never knew our fathers. Well, father, now, but that’s another story. Anyway, the truth is that we were really poor, we moved around a lot—usually because we were evicted for not paying rent—and Mom fell into one bad relationship after another.”
She took a breath, mustering up the courage to say the rest.
“The lesson I took from all of that was that letting people get close to me would mean getting hurt. Men left—or sometimes they sucked you dry, stole all of your stuff, and then left—but the bottom line was don’t trust and you’ll be safe. What I didn’t realize is that not everyone is like those people Mom brought home. That trust isn’t always used as a weapon, and letting someone in can actually be a good thing. You taught me that, but it wasn’t until today that the message sunk in.”
Nick leaned back with an unreadable expression. The longer he remained silent, the faster her heart beat.
“I understand if it’s too late,�
�� she said, “but I wanted you to know all of this either way. I don’t remember much about that last night, so I don’t honestly know what answer I gave you. Since I haven’t heard from you—”
“Since you haven’t heard from me?” he cut in. “Are you saying you didn’t want this to end?”
“I just didn’t want to get hurt,” she replied. “But being scared is no excuse for the way—”
Before she could finish the sentence, Nick was on his feet and tugging her into his arms. Without another word, his lips were on hers and all she could do was hold on as the kiss turned her bones to jelly. Not until he finally pulled away did Lauren realize the other diners were applauding.
Cheeks hot from both arousal and embarrassment, she buried her face in his shoulder as a roomful of strangers whistled and cheered in support of a love story they knew nothing about. Happier than she could ever remember being, Lauren looked up into warm brown eyes and a little voice said, “Don’t mess this up again.”
Laying her cheek against Nick’s chest, she whispered, “I won’t, Mom. I promise.”
“What was that?” Nick said, nudging her head up with a gentle touch of her chin.
“I was just saying thank you.”
“No, thank you.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “I thought I lost you for good.”
She’d been lost all right. For much longer than the last ten days.
“Looks like we might have something to celebrate,” Knox said, returning to the table. He held a bottle of champagne in one hand and three glasses in the other. “This seemed more appropriate than a beer.”
Lauren laughed and let go of Nick long enough to kiss her brother on the cheek. “I am definitely ready to celebrate.” Turning back to Nick, she added, “It isn’t every day a girl realizes that she’s fallen in love.”
Nick kissed her once more, eliciting more oohs and aahs from the crowd, then he pulled away, flashed a crooked grin, and said, “I’m glad you’re finally catching up.”
Nick couldn’t believe she was back in his arms.
Lauren curled up tighter against him, sighing as she slid her soft calf along his. “Do I want to know what I said that night?” she whispered.
He rubbed his thumb along her shoulder. “You said you didn’t like needing me and that you were sure I’d walk away.” Turning to kiss her forehead, Nick said, “I’ll never do that.”
“I should have been braver,” she mumbled into his chest.
“You are brave. It takes guts to go your own way. To move to a new place to chase a dream. Not a lot of people would do that.”
“That isn’t the same, though. I’m talking about us.”
Tucking her beneath his chin, Nick watched the ceiling fan spin in the dark. “You came back to me. That’s all that matters.”
Twirling a finger through his chest hair, she said, “I never would have guessed how much coming to this island would change my life. I found you, and now I have a cousin and a whole new family to learn about.”
Confused, he said, “A new family?”
“Oh, I haven’t told you that yet, have I?” Lauren leaned up on an elbow. “Will Navarro is my cousin.”
“How did that happen?”
“Her uncle is mine and Knox’s biological father, though he apparently never knew that we were his. Before she died, Mom tried to track him down and the hunt led her to Will. That’s how I ended up here. Mom’s last wish was for me to get my dream, and since she knew Will is super rich… Do people here know how rich she is?”
Nick knew the Navarros were successful business owners, but he’d never heard the term super rich tossed around. “What exactly qualifies as super rich?” he asked.
She narrowed her eyes. “Like not quite Bill Gates, but a level above Beyoncé.”
“Seriously?”
“The Van Clement family is old money in Boston,” she said, lying back down. “I’ve grown to like this island, but if you saw the mansion Will could be living in, you’d wonder what the hell she’s thinking staying here.”
He’d had no idea and wondered if anyone else did.
“So that’s how I ended up here. Mom asked her if she knew a way for me to get my own restaurant. Will told me today that they hadn’t intended to revamp the Marina after buying it, but to grant Mom’s wish, they put the plan into motion, found me, and here I am.”
Then that was why Will hired such an inexperienced chef. “Did she recruit you, then? Didn’t you wonder why she’d contacted you out of nowhere?”
“She was smarter than that,” Lauren explained. “Mom told her I’d never take the job if I knew the truth, so Will contacted my boss and asked him to pass me the job info but to make it look like he’d told everyone.”
“And you didn’t think twice about applying?” he asked. “This isn’t exactly a short trip from Boston.”
Lauren rolled onto her back and crossed her arms over the top of the sheet. “To be honest, I’m not sure what possessed me to do it. When I applied, I didn’t really expect anything to come of it.” Looking his way, she added, “I definitely didn’t expect to come here and fall in love.”
Leaning over her, Nick trailed a finger along her cheek. “That’s the second time you’ve said that. Do you really love me?”
With a nod, she said, “I know it’s too fast, and I don’t expect you to feel the same way.”
“I love you, Lauren.” Relief softened her features and he wanted to keep her looking that happy for the rest of his life. “I love your strength, your determination, and most of all, I love that you have no idea how special you are.”
“I feel special when I’m with you.” Pulling him to her, she pressed her lips to his and Nick shifted until she was under him. Breaking the kiss, she stared into his eyes and whispered, “Don’t ever let me go.”
“Never,” he replied.
“Come on,” Lauren said, tugging Roxie through the crowd. “They’re about to announce the winner. I don’t want to miss it.”
“I’m going as fast as I can,” her friend said. “We already know he’s going to win.”
“That’s why I can’t miss it.”
Due to running her own tent, Lauren hadn’t seen Nick since they’d woken up that morning and dashed around each other to get ready. Despite her barrage of questions, he’d refused to tell her anything about the dish he’d entered in the festival competition. Though she was happy that Pilar’s was so popular, that popularity had made leaving the tent to taste anyone else’s food impossible to do.
Lauren had given up any concern about entering the contest, since Pilar’s was already filled to capacity every shift. What she’d always thought was a competitive nature had turned out to be more about survival than winning. Now that she was content for quite possibly the first time in her life, the need to prove herself and her food had disappeared.
“There’s Jackson,” she said, spotting the tall black man at the front of the crowd. “We need to get up there.”
“Cut around here,” Roxie said, pointing to an opening along the side.
They followed that path and reached her coworker at the same time that Will walked onto the makeshift stage. The competing chefs were lined up along the back, and Lauren caught sight of Nick in the lineup. She’d never seen him in a chef’s jacket before. Good Lord, he looked hot. He also looked nervous, which surprised her. She didn’t have to know what he’d cooked to know that he was the best chef up there.
“Welcome to the final event of this year’s Anchor Island Food Festival,” her cousin said into the microphone. “We’ve hit record attendance numbers this year, and thanks to the amazing eateries up and down the coast, the food has been better than ever. I speak for the planning committee and the entire island when I say thank you all for coming, and thanks to everyone who brought their delicious food for us to try.”
The crowd applauded, with a few louder whistles coming from the back, and Will waited for the cheers to fade before speaking again.
“The
competition for Best of the Fest was tough, as always, but the votes have been counted and it’s my pleasure to announce the winner.” She paused to open a small envelope in her hand. Withdrawing the card inside, her smile widened as she said, “The winner of Best of the Fest for the third year in a row is Nick Stamatis of Dempsey’s Bar & Grill.”
Lauren screamed with excitement, leaping up and down and nearly jerking Roxie’s arm off. Then she found herself caught up in a celebratory hug with Jackson. As Nick took the microphone, she dropped to her feet and shushed those around her so she wouldn’t miss a word.
“Thank you, Will,” Nick said, accepting the trophy with much more calm than Lauren had displayed. “Thank you to everyone who voted for my dish, but in truth, you really voted for someone else’s.”
The crowd went quiet as people looked to their neighbors in confusion.
“Lauren, where are you?” Nick said, scanning the audience.
“Here she is,” Jackson yelled, while Roxie jumped up and down with a hand in the air.
“What’s he doing?” Lauren asked her second-in-command, but all he did was grin in response. Before she knew it, Jackson had shoved her up the stairs beside the stage and she found herself staring at hundreds of questioning eyes.
“Come over here, hon,” Nick said.
Unable to do anything else, she closed the distant between them and leaned against his side. “What are you doing?” she whispered.
Nick ignored the question. “As most of you probably know, this is Lauren Riley, the head chef of Pilar’s here on the island. Due to Will Navarro, the event coordinator, being the owner of that establishment, Lauren was shut out of the competition.”
“You don’t need to do this,” she said, tugging on his sleeve.
He kept going. “I knew I couldn’t change that, but what I could do was make sure her food was represented. The dish I made today—tuna steak in a red wine sauce with celery root-potato puree and Brussels sprouts in garlic—is the first dish she ever made for me, and this award belongs to her.”