“I’m good.”
“I’d say you’re more than good. When you have that much positive feedback for doing work that’s so personal, it must be because you have a true passion for it. I’m curious what that is.”
“You know this is supposed to be an interrogation of you.” Madison crossed her arms over her chest. Her white chef’s coat and black pants were basically shapeless, but it was clear she had an enviable figure, all long legs and slim curves. It didn’t look as though she was wearing makeup, which in no way detracted from her creamy skin and rosy mouth. A mouth that was pressed into an unforgiving line, something Cory could almost appreciate. She had a feeling this woman wouldn’t take grief from anyone.
“You’re interrogating me?” Cory inclined her head. “I wouldn’t have guessed. I thought I was just here to eat.”
“Jordan gave us a convoluted story about your long-distance relationship. He wasn’t convincing.”
Cory drew in a breath. “It’s complicated.”
“That I believe.” Madison took a trio of perfectly round cheese balls out of the fryer and plated them. She poured two different kinds of sauces into matching ramekins, then placed them in front of Cory. “Tell me more.”
“Oh, that smells divine.” Cory dipped a piece of fried cheese into one of the creamy sauces and bit into it. The flavors exploded on her tongue, a kaleidoscope of savory and spice with just the hint of smoky sweetness. She closed her eyes so she could concentrate more fully on the bite. She didn’t consider herself a foodie but could appreciate Madison’s genius with flavors. “Is that paprika?”
“I have it shipped in from Hungary. The local grocery in Starlight doesn’t carry anything worth buying as far as spices go.”
“I didn’t realize it made such a difference.” Cory took another bite. “Wow. I could swim in a vat of that.”
She glanced up as Madison let out a rusty laugh. “That would be disgusting.”
“But worth it.” Cory looked past the other woman. “Didn’t I see that chicken satay skewers are the special tonight? My taste buds are advanced.” She tried hard not to laugh as she said the words. Her idea of gourmet during her pregnancy had been fast-food chicken nuggets with a large fry and a strawberry milkshake. “I can definitely give you a worthwhile opinion on those, as well.”
“You just told me you want to swim in garlic aioli. That’s not exactly discriminating.”
“You never told me why you like to cook,” Cory said with a shrug.
“You never told me the real deal with you and Jordan.”
Cory thought about how to handle this situation. She knew what Jordan would tell her. Lie. She needed to keep up the charade of them being a couple until his mother came and went. That was the agreement.
But she didn’t want to lie. It had been hard enough when they were together in the coffee shop. Madison’s gaze on her was far too knowing. Cory got the feeling the other woman would sniff out the deception, and Cory wouldn’t get to be any sort of taste tester if she got on the chef’s bad side.
“We have a baby together,” she said because that was the truth.
“And you’re engaged?”
“In a manner of speaking.” Cory kept her focus on the plate. “Can I have a piece of chicken now?”
“Explain the manner of which you speak and I’ll give you the best satay you’ve ever had.”
“That’s blackmail.” Her mouth watered.
The other woman shrugged. “It will blow your mind.” She glanced toward the kitchen door. “But I want the scoop before Jordan comes back here like some knight in shining flannel to rescue you.”
“It’s kind of wrong to look that good in flannel,” Cory mused.
“Stop trying to change the subject.”
“You’re bossy,” Cory said, pointing a finger. She felt oddly comfortable with the caustic chef.
“You’re tougher than you look.”
That compliment made a lightness infuse Cory’s chest, but she didn’t answer the question about Jordan. “I’ve heard you have trouble keeping your employees happy. Do you think that is a result of your bossy nature?”
“It’s my kitchen,” Madison reminded her.
“But you need people to want to be here with you. You can’t do it alone.”
“I hire good people and train them well.”
“Are they loyal to you?”
“They respect my skill.”
“Okay, Ms. Chef Miyagi.” Cory made a face. “Wash on and wash off with your bad self. Who cares if people like you as long as they’re afraid of you?”
“Do you want the chicken satay or not?”
“Of course I do. It smells amazing, and I’m hungry.”
“Then tell me about the engagement.”
Cory threw up her hands and then looked around the kitchen to make sure they were alone. She didn’t need to tell this woman anything. They were strangers, and Madison worked for Jordan. That should tell Cory everything she needed to know about the other woman’s loyalty.
Yet... Cory had no one in her life now that her grandmother was gone. Nobody in her corner. No friends. No support system of her own. She didn’t think for a minute that she and Madison were destined to become besties and braid each other’s hair or skip off to Vegas for a girls’ weekend. There was something about the woman, however, that made Cory believe she could be trusted. And Cory desperately wanted someone to know the truth. “It’s fake, okay?” she blurted before she thought better of it. “Until I got to town this week, I hadn’t seen Jordan since the one night we spent together.”
“The night where you made the baby?”
“Yes, that night. Now please give me the satay.”
“Okay, Ms. Sassy-Pants.” Madison plated the food and placed it in front of Cory. “First, your strange little secret is safe with me. I’m trying to figure out why the two of you are bothering to make all of this up. Did Jordan know about the baby and he didn’t want to be involved?”
Cory shook her head and cut off a sliver of chicken. “No. The complicated part was the truth. We were friends and then had one night together after I broke up with my long-term boyfriend. The next day Kade told the guys we were back together and getting engaged. He hadn’t bothered to mention it to me, but Jordan believed him.” Her chest ached at the memory, but she forced herself to breathe through it. She was leaving the past behind for the sake of her baby.
Instead she focused on Madison’s food. As soon as the chicken hit her tongue, she moaned out loud. “This is obscene,” she said after finishing the bite. “Does the Michelin-star guy know about you?”
“Small-town bars don’t get Michelin stars,” Madison said with a laugh.
“They should when the food is this spectacular.” She pointed her fork at the chef. “You should get five stars.”
“And that’s not how the rating system works.”
“Seriously, what are you doing here? You should have your own restaurant in some fancy upscale town or big city.”
Madison’s eyes went dark. “Been there, done that. The pressure didn’t agree with me. Stop trying to change the subject. We were at the part where your boyfriend—”
“Ex-boyfriend,” Cory corrected.
“Your ex-boyfriend,” Madison amended. “When you call him Kade, does that mean Kade Barrington, the bad-boy darling of the NFL?”
“You makes him sound a lot more charming than he actually is.”
“So what happened next?”
“Kade showed up at the hotel room I’d rented while I was looking for a place to stay. I tried to avoid him, but he eventually tracked me down. I’m pretty sure the girl at the reservation desk alerted him. He could be a real charmer when he wanted to.”
“Sounds more like a real stalker,” Madison observed.
Cory shrugged. She’d gotten so u
sed to her ex-boyfriend’s overbearing personality that it hadn’t seemed odd at the time. But, yeah, Kade had crossed the line, and she’d let him. “I hadn’t talked to Jordan since I left his place. Everything was too overwhelming, and I thought I had time to figure out my feelings. After Kade told me what he’d announced to the guys, I kicked him out of my room and went to find Jordan.”
“Don’t tell me he believed you’d gone back to that guy or used him for a night.”
“He was gone,” Cory murmured, placing her fork on the plate. As amazing as the food was, her stomach twisted into uncomfortable knots. “It was the postseason and there was already a question as to whether Jordan would return because of his injury. I don’t know if the business with Kade had anything to do with it, or the timing simply worked out, but he left Atlanta and announced his retirement the following week.”
“You didn’t go after him?” Madison asked, curiosity clear in her tone.
“No.” Embarrassment added to the uncomfortable feeling roiling in her gut. “I figured we were just together one night and he realized he didn’t want anything to do with me. That’s how it felt, anyway.” She ran a hand through her hair, regretting the fact that she’d tried so hard to look nice tonight now that emotions from that time had risen to the surface. Jordan had walked away without even talking to her. That had been a clear indication of his feelings. There was a good chance she was imagining everything else—the connection and attraction that seemed to shimmer in the air between them.
“Then you realized you were pregnant,” Madison added quietly when Cory didn’t say anything else.
“I knew after the first ultrasound the baby wasn’t Kade’s.” Cory pressed her lips together. “He tried to convince me to get back together with him anyway, but it wasn’t going to work. I didn’t want that life for my baby. The timing of the pregnancy...” She shook her head. “The baby was Jordan’s. I know I should have tried harder to track him down, but I went back to Michigan and things just seemed to spiral out of control. My grandma was sick, so I moved in with her. I could barely process the thought of being a mom, let alone trying to negotiate it alongside a man I’d been with one time.”
“That’s a lot to deal with.”
“I’m not proud of the choices I made, but I’m trying to make amends for them.”
“Oh, honey.” Madison chuckled. “Welcome to the club. We all have things we’d like a redo on. My list is a mile long.”
Cory did her best to smile, although it felt a little wobbly at the edges. At the same time, she felt more at peace than she had in ages. She’d shared the truth of her circumstances with someone who didn’t seem inclined to judge her for her mistakes. It felt like the first real step she’d taken toward the life she wanted to have. In fact, she wanted more of this feeling.
Madison was obviously wrestling with her own demons. What if they could be actual friends? What if Cory could put together her own tribe of women the way Jordan’s mom had in her life? What if she made Starlight her home even after she and Jordan ended their pretend engagement?
“We should start a book club,” she blurted, and Madison took a step back.
“Do I look like the joiner type?”
“You look like someone I want to hang out with.”
“No one wants to hang out with me.” Madison scoffed, but Cory saw color bloom on her cheeks. “Unless it’s because I’m cooking for them.”
“Then we’ll start a cooking club,” Cory said with a nod. “That’s perfect.”
“You’re crazy.”
“Crazy about me.” Jordan’s voice came from the door leading to the bar.
Madison looked at Cory, brow raised.
“Not a word of what I told you,” Cory murmured. “We’re friends. Friends don’t snitch.”
She thought the other woman might laugh in her face, but Madison only inclined her head. “Because snitches wind up in ditches,” she said with a soft laugh.
“Not exactly my train of thought, but let’s go with it.” She climbed off her chair and turned to Jordan. “You’re lucky to have someone with so much talent in your kitchen.”
“Agreed,” he said, then ran a hand through his hair as he glanced around. “By the way, Louis quit on his way out. He said he’d rather flip burgers at a fast-food dump than have you order him around.”
“He’s an idiot,” the chef muttered.
“Also the fourth kitchen employee we’ve lost this month. We’re going to run out of candidates in Starlight.”
Madison’s whole demeanor changed in an instant. “Then I’ll do it all myself.”
Jordan shook his head. “That won’t work when we’re busy on the weekends. You need help.”
“I’m looking for work,” Cory offered as she took a final bite of chicken. “Madison and I are going to start a cooking club, so the more I learn about the kitchen, the better. I can wait tables, too. I’ve done it before.”
“No way.” Jordan looked almost horrified. “I won’t have my fiancée toiling away in the kitchen.”
Cory felt her mouth drop open. “Um, what year is this? Did I miss the time traveling to Downton Abbey, where you’re the lord of the manor and I’m the lowly servant wench?”
“Sounds like some kinky role-playing to me,” Madison said, clearly enjoying Jordan’s irritation.
“No, thanks,” Cory told the chef, then turned fully to Jordan. “For your information, if I can work out childcare for Ben, I can apply for whatever job I want.”
“It’s my bar,” he countered.
“It’s my kitchen,” Madison said. “Remember, our deal was I got full control of the food and my staff.”
“You don’t want to hire her.” Jordan hitched a finger at Cory. “She has no experience, and she can barely boil water.”
Cory narrowed her eyes, even though he was right. She regretted sharing funny stories with him about her long list of kitchen failures, never guessing that they would be thrown back in her face this way.
“You take two days off a week,” Madison reminded Jordan. “I’ll arrange her shifts so she works those nights as well as the weekend.” Her crystalline blue gaze switched to Cory. “That way you’ll have less childcare scheduling to manage.”
“That sounds great.” Cory couldn’t hide her smile.
“That sounds like the worst idea in the history of ideas,” Jordan said, sounding exasperated.
Madison gave a thumbs-up to Cory and ignored Jordan. She grabbed a small pad of paper and a pen from a nearby counter, scribbled something on it and handed the paper to Cory. “Here’s my number. Think about the logistics. Discuss it with your fiancé if you need to.”
“Doubtful,” Cory muttered.
“Call me tomorrow if you want to talk more about what I’d expect. I don’t go easy on the people who work for me.”
“I’m not looking for easy,” Cory said. “We can make plans for the club idea, too.”
“This is not happening,” Jordan said, arms akimbo.
“I’m heading back home.” Cory turned and planted a smacking kiss on Jordan’s cheek. “We’ll talk later, hon. Nice to meet you, Chef.”
Madison chuckled. “It’s been interesting.”
Ignoring Jordan’s heavy scowl, Cory walked away, looking forward to this new challenge.
Chapter Eight
“I’ll help you find a different job,” Jordan said a few days later as he watched Cory making a list of instructions in her neat penmanship. “One that will make you happy.”
She didn’t look up from her writing as she answered, “I think working with Madison will make me happy.”
“Said no one ever. I don’t know a single person who would say Madison Maurer makes them happy, other than through her food.”
“Her mom might argue with you. Most mothers are made happy by their children.” Cory straighten
ed, her brows furrowed. “Except maybe mine, but most others. At least that’s what I want to believe.”
He felt his mouth open and close in stunned shock at her eternal optimism. Other than when she was giving him grief, Cory always tried to look at the bright side of a situation. It made him feel like a regular Eeyore in comparison. “That’s an argument for another time. Once we finish this one.”
“We aren’t arguing, and there’s no need for discussion.” She glanced at her watch. “I need to leave in fifteen minutes. Don’t want to be late for my first day on the job.”
He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to figure out if it was worth making one last-ditch effort to change her mind. He’d been trying all day. Cory had been asleep when he got home last night, or at least her door remained closed. The door of the room across the hall from hers had been cracked. He’d crept in to watch Ben sleeping in the soft glow of the night-light plugged in next to the makeshift changing table.
Jordan’s heart had tightened almost painfully as his son’s chest rose and fell with steady breaths. The boy wore fire-truck pajamas, and his arms and legs were spread out in a great imitation of a starfish. Jordan tended to sleep the same way even as an adult, and he wondered if something like that could be passed down. It still amazed him that he’d helped create this beautiful baby.
Of course, Cory had done the heavy lifting so far, which was often the way with mothers, in his experience. But he’d become part of the equation, even though he wasn’t yet comfortable with his abilities.
“It’s probably too soon,” he told Cory, taking a different tack. “Ben needs to be more settled here before you start work. What if he needs something?”
She inclined her head as she studied him like she couldn’t understand a word coming out of his mouth. “Even way out in the woods, you’re only fifteen minutes from town. If there’s an emergency, call me.”
Before he could answer, the baby monitor on the counter crackled, and he heard the sounds of Ben’s quiet fussing. The boy had such an easygoing temperament but always woke with a few minutes of postnap crankiness. Another thing he could have inherited from Jordan.
His Secret Starlight Baby Page 8