New York HEAT (HEAT Vol. 6) A Coming-of-Age Romantic Suspense: Master Chefs: Heat Series

by Kailin Gow

“Relax, man,” Shannon called out as she prepared the fresh vegetables that would accompany so many of the night’s dishes. “You’re going to make us edgy and then everything’s going to fall apart. Just relax. You know everything on the menu is good. No matter what she chooses, she’ll love it.”

  “Yeah. Right.” I didn’t believe her. Beth Gregory had slammed some of the hottest new restaurants in the area. The slightest thing could make for a disastrous review; too salty, too cold, too much on the plate; too incoherent.

  Kelly returned and I stared at her. “So?”

  “She wants you to surprise her.”

  I threw my hands up in the air. “Great.”

  A new dish had been knocking around in my head recently, but I hadn’t fine-tuned it.

  Everyone looked at me, waiting for my next order.

  “So,” Vinny said. “What will it be?”

  I headed to the back of the kitchen and opened the meat locker.

  “Bobby,” Vinny called out. “What do you want us to do?”

  “I’ll take care of this one.”

  “Alone?”

  I grabbed a thick slab of halibut and several herbs.

  “Bobby?”

  “Yes, alone.” I set up at a grill in the back and threw a dollop of butter into a pan. Working quickly, I prepared the dish as I’d imagined it. Oblivious of everyone around me, I smelled, tasted, seasoned and tasted again.

  “Kelly, bring her this.” I handed her the appetizer.

  “What is it?”

  “My own personal take on bruschetta.”

  As she disappeared into the dining room, I moved onto the main dish. It all came together perfectly, and when I handed the dish to Kelly, I knew I’d served Miss Gregory the best possible dish that I could.

  When she returned a few moments later with a half eaten plate, my gut tied in a knot. “What did she say?”

  “Nothing. She just pushed her plate away and signaled me to take it away. What did you want to serve her for dessert?”

  “Bring her the fried ice cream.”

  She hurried to Chris who was in charge of desserts and waited as he dropped the puck of ice cream into the fryer. Garnished with a sprig of mint, the dish was ready and Kelly hurried out of the kitchen with it. Seconds later, she returned with the fried ice cream intact. “She’s gone.”

  “What did she say?”

  “Nothing. She was gone when I came back out.”

  “Great.” My heart sank and my palms grew clammy as I anticipated the harsh words she would use to describe my cuisine. “Damn it.”

  The next twelve hours were torture. I saw nothing of the dinner rush, I was in a daze as I closed for the night, and forget about sleep. All that went through my head were the adjectives Beth Gregory could possibly use to describe the meal she’d had.

  Bold. Risky. Unexpected. Horrible. Inedible.

  At the break of dawn, I jumped out of bed, grabbed my phone and pulled up the day’s edition of the paper. I went through the pages and came to the review.

  In a simple, but amiable décor, Sam’s offers homey comfort and a friendly atmosphere which can be very misleading. Expecting a bowl of comfort food, I was pleasantly surprised by the sophistication of the menu, and even more surprised by the dish Chef Bobby Cummings concocted especially for me.

  Good taste, generous portions and a pleasant atmosphere make Sam’s a must.

  Drenched in relief and disbelief I sat back in bed and stared at the screen. A good review. No, a great review. It was almost unheard of from Beth Gregory and here I was the recipient of a great review. After reading the review a dozen times, I got dressed and hurried to Sam’s to share the great news with my crew.

  “Bravo!”

  Surprised, I entered the kitchen that was already in mid celebration.

  “So you guys have already seen it,” I said.

  Beaming, they all nodded.

  “Good work,” Vinny said with a proud pat on my shoulder.

  “You’ve already received several congratulatory calls,” Kelly said.

  “Really? From who?”

  “Friends. Family. Rivals.” She brought me a stack of messages. “But the one on top will probably interest you the most.”

  I took the message and looked at the name of the caller; Mrs. Francine Russo from Good Morning Sunrise. Stunned, I looked up at Kelly. “Is this a joke?”

  “No,” she said, her face beaming with a mile wide smile that was duplicated on all the faces around me.

  “They want me to be on the show,” I muttered in disbelief. Feeling the need to prove my words, I waved the message around. “The Good Morning Sunrise Show wants to interview me. Can you believe it?”

  “You deserve it, Bobby,” Kelly said. “You’ve worked so hard.”

  Bright and early the next morning, I headed into Manhattan to the network’s building and rode the elevator up to the seventeenth floor to get ready for my big interview. I had no idea what to expect and tried to keep calm, but as the hour approached I became increasingly nervous.

  “Ready, Mr. Cummings?”

  Nodding, I clapped my hands together and followed the assistant to the stage.

  “Nice to meet you, Mr. Cummings,” Delta Wolforth said as I sat in the seat facing her. She shook my hand and offered me a reassuring gaze.

  The crew stood at the ready.

  “We’re ready to go in four, three, two…”

  “Welcome back to Good Morning Sunrise,” Delta said to the camera. “And ladies, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by our next guest. Not only is he the hottest new chef in New York, but he is also one of the hottest young bachelors out there.” She turned to me. “Tell me, Bobby. How is it that a good-looking and talented young man like yourself hasn’t been snatched up yet.”

  I looked straight into the camera, straight into the hearts of every young woman listening out there, and put on the charm. “I guess I just haven’t found the one, yet.”

  Chapter 5

  My phone rang for the hundredth time that day; another amorous female hoping to be the one, no doubt.

  “Are you starting to regret turning on the charm the way you did?” Vinny said with a teasing chuckle.

  I’d barely gotten any work done, and while I was flattered by the series of calls, I knew I’d have to put an end to them soon. Retreating to the far end of the kitchen, I took the call and let the young woman down as delicately and diplomatically as I could. No sooner had I hung up that the phone rang again.

  “Giving out you cell number was by far the stupidest thing you’ve ever done.”

  Recognizing the familiar voice, I looked up. “Taryn!”

  Rushing to her, I swept her up in my arms, mindful of her growing belly. “Man, what are you doing here?”

  Errol came in behind her, adding to the surprise.

  “We heard the great news and wanted to come by to help you celebrate.”

  I leaned back on the counter and shot her a disbelieving glare. “You mean Mom sent you over to keep an eye on me and make sure I don’t overdo the celebrations.”

  “Stop being so cynical. Mom’s thrilled. They’re even talking about Sam’s all the way over in Paris. She’ll come back to celebrate with you in a month or so, but we wanted to be the first to congratulate you.”

  “The truth is Taryn wanted to come see you before she was unable to fly.”

  Taryn ran her hands over her belly.

  “I’m glad you did,” I said. “I owe so much to both of you. It’s only fitting I celebrate with you guys.”

  “Then haul ass, get cleaned up and let us take you out.”

  I looked around the kitchen that was a flurry of activity. “I can’t leave. The dinner rush is…”

  “Sure you can,” Vinny call out. “Everything’s under control. Go on. Have a good time.”

  I shot him a quick nod of appreciation and grabbed my jacket. After a quick trip home to shower and change, I got into Errol’s limo and we headed off.
r />   “Where are you guys taking me?”

  “A nice little quiet place not too far away from here,” Taryn said.

  “And I’ve got an added surprise for you,” Errol added.

  “A surprise? Like, what kind of surprise?”

  “Something that will advance your career even further.”

  When the car pulled up the curb, we got out and I followed them into the restaurant, eager to discover what my surprise was. It was only once we were seated that I recognized the familiar décor. I’d only seen it once, through the darkened windows when I’d passed by one night. Then I saw Alyson at the back of the restaurant and the full realization of where we were hit me.

  “Red?” I said. “You guys brought me to Red’s”

  “Yeah,” Taryn said. “What’s wrong with that?”

  “I’ve been meaning to check this place out,” Errol said. “I hear everything is good, but if you don’t like it, we could go somewhere else.”

  “No,” I muttered as I shot an admiring glance at Alyson. “This is fine.” Professional and classy, she had an air of authority, all while being friendly and welcoming to her patrons. She looked great in black slacks, and a raspberry blouse under an unstructured blazer, and I couldn’t help but think of the quick and passionate kiss we’d shared when I’d made a surprise visit.

  Taryn gave me a funny look, but said nothing as I finally tore my eyes off Alyson.

  “Good,” Errol said as he stood, “because my surprise just walked in.”

  I looked up to see an older gentleman in a tight suit coming our way. Not really the kind of surprise I was expecting.

  “Bobby, this is Keith Alton, my agent.”

  “Your…” I stood and gawked at the man, my hand outstretched and eager to shake his.

  “I’m hearing great things about you, young man.”

  I was thrilled with the confidence Errol had in me. To introduce me to his agent was a huge gift. Amid conversation about the endless possibilities for my career, we sat down to a hot and spicy dinner.

  For the fifth time since sitting down, Taryn stood. “If you guys will excuse me, I have to go to the ladies’ room… again.”

  I once again rose to help her out of her chair. “That’s so sweet, Bobby. What’s gotten into you?”

  “Hey.”

  “Come on. You know what I mean. Gallantry isn’t exactly your forte.” She turned and walked away, crossing Alyson’s path who looked at her with open admiration.

  “Like I was saying, Bobby,” Keith said. “You could be the next big thing.”

  “I’m not sure I’m ready for that. I don’t know if I want to put myself out there so much.”

  “You know, celebrity chefs are all the rage now. They’re everywhere. Every show out there is inviting chefs to make guest appearances. All you have to do is go in for the day, whip up a few recipes and charm the audience. You’ll have them all eating out of your hand in no time.”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “What don’t you know?” Taryn said as she returned. “What’d I miss?”

  I helped her back into her chair and when her purse slipped off the back of her chair, I stooped down to pick it up. Alyson passed by and looked at me with an unusual expression on her face. I couldn’t quite read it, or understand what she could be thinking, but I smiled.

  “Really, Bobby,” Taryn said. “You don’t have to do that. I’m still quite capable.”

  “I know. I just don’t want you making any kind of move that could compromise the baby.”

  She huffed and turned to listen to Keith.

  “Your brother could have quite an explosive career as a celebrity chef, but he’s reluctant.”

  She turned to me. “You… reluctant to be a celebrity? Come on, Bobby. This is practically what you’ve been waiting for all your life.”

  I knew she was right. I’d always craved the limelight, craved attention. So why was I so reluctant now?

  Taryn poked her fork around in her plate, pushing her food to the side only to bring it back to the center again.

  “You okay?” I said.

  “Yeah.”

  “You hardly ate anything?”

  “I think the baby doesn’t like this spicy food.”

  I made eye contact with our waitress and waved her over. “Would it be possible to have the same dish, but without the hot spices?”

  “Sir, the restaurant is called Red Hot. Spicy food is our thing.”

  “Yeah, but…”

  Taryn put her hand to my forearm. “It’s okay, Bobby. I’m not really that hungry anyways. Besides, I really had my eye on the chocolate brownie supreme for dessert.”

  “No, this is ridiculous. I can’t believe such a successful restaurant can’t cater to the needs of a preg…”

  “Excuse me,” Alyson said as she came to stand beside the waitress. “Is there a problem?” She glared at me, her eyes clearly blaming me for making a scene.

  “My sister is expecting a baby and she underestimated the spiciness of the food,” I said.

  “Oh.” Alyson’s eyes instantly softened and she turned to looked at Taryn. “Congratulations.”

  “I simply asked if she could have a tamer version of the dish she ordered,” I went on.

  “Why, of course. I’ll take care of it myself.” Smiling, Alyson put an affectionate hand to Taryn’s shoulder and looked at me with that unusual expression again.

  Everyone at the table stared at me as she left.

  “What?” I said. “Can’t a little brother be concerned about the wellbeing of his first niece or nephew?”

  Errol gave me a playful punch on the shoulder. “You're making me look bad, buddy.” He put his arm around the back of Taryn’s chair.

  She looked at him with teasing eyes. “Since you're taking such good care of my brother’s career, I’ll forgive you.”

  Moments later, Alyson arrived with a fresh plate of lightly seasoned pasta.

  “Thank you,” Taryn said.

  “If there’s anything else I can help you with, please let me know. I want all my patrons to enjoy their meal at Red Hots.” She turned her attention to the table nearby.

  “You know,” I said. “I was thinking. Maybe I could come to Paris and help you out until the baby arrives.”

  “I’ve already got Mom hovering around me, and believe me, that’s enough. Besides, having my little brother take care of me would be weird.”

  “What about after the baby arrives? You're going to need a sitter.”

  Taryn laughed. “And what do you know about babies?”

  I shrugged. “Nothing, but… Well, how hard can it be? You give them a bottle, burp them, put them down to sleep and change their diapers.”

  Errol grinned. “You make it sound so easy.”

  “Well, in a way I guess it sort of is.”

  “Let’s wait until you have a kid of your own to make that assessment.”

  “You know, if things had worked out with Lilly, I think I might have been ready for that.”

  Taryn’s brow rose in surprise, but her eyes quickly darkened with tears and concern.

  “Don’t worry. I know it’s over between us.”

  “So, you're completely over her?”

  “Yeah, sure. I’ve moved on. I mean, in case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been fending off women ever since I got back to New York.”

  “Good,” Errol said. “Then we won’t have to hide the fact that Lilly and Rial are getting married this summer.”

  I choked on the bite of bread I’d just taken.

  “You okay?” Taryn said.

  “Married? Christ, they’ve only been dating for a few months.”

  Taryn glared at Errol then looked at me again. “They’ve got a lot of history together. I think it’s only understandable that they…”

  “Yeah, I know… but…” I dabbed the cloth napkin to my mouth and shoved my chair back. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  “Bobby,” Taryn call
ed out. “Where are you going?”

  “I’ll be right back.” I headed to the front entrance and pushed the door open, eager for a breath of fresh air.

  Chapter 6

  Allison

  For as long I could remember, Bobby had always been a player, and he’d been proud of it. Despite that, I’d had a crush on him since the very first time we met in college. At first I’d tried to justify and excuse his behavior, but in time, I realized that I had to bar him from my list of prospective boyfriends. As deliciously good looking as he was, he was just too wild for me.

  But when he walked into my restaurant that night, the same pounding in my heart that had been there the first time I’d met him, returned, as it had every other time I’d seen him. I didn’t know why he had that effect on me, but he did, and it pissed me off. He was everything I loathed in a man; self-centered, narcissistic, womanizer, player.

  “Alyson,” my head waitress said. “A few diners are asking if that is Bobby Cummings?”

  “It is, but that’s none of their business. Just tell them you don’t know.” My tone was harsh, harsher than necessary, but something about having him in my restaurant bugged me.

  It made me jittery… nervous… on edge.

  Horny.

  My eyes reverted to him once again. There was something different about him that night, something reverent, something unexpected; a touch of maturity that had never been there before. Considering the rave review he’d gotten from Beth and his wildly successful interview on Good Morning Sunshine, I thought he’d come to my restaurant to gloat.

  To my surprise, he’d not even made mention of either. It was a side of him I never knew existed.

  As I made the rounds, checking in on various patrons, I couldn’t help but hear him talking to his sister. I tried to concentrate on the recommendations a patron was making, but my ear seemed to instinctively hone in on Bobby’s voice. I was able to make out the name of a girl; Lilly, the girl’s plan to get married to a guy named Rial and then a disgruntled reply from Bobby just before he stood and walked out.

  I glanced over my shoulder and looked at Taryn. Her heart was visibly broken at the sight of her distraught brother. She caught my glance and pressed a wan smile. I couldn’t resist.