“Oh God, seriously? That sounds fantastic.”
“It was. I mean, it was beautiful. The ocean, the clean air, the ferris wheel at the pier in the distance. There was this little cabana we had all to ourselves, a waiter bringing us drinks—”
“I’m gonna leave Greg if you keep telling me things like this.”
“We swam a little…hung out…talked. You know.”
“What did you talk about?”
“I dunno…life. He told me about how he grew up, how he got interested in food.”
Ellie tilts her head and looks like she’s almost overwhelmed with happiness.
“That sounds so romantic.”
“Actually…it was kinda sad. The stuff that’s he’s gone through. The guy did not have it easy, not by a long shot. He’s way more intense than I thought—”
“Intense is sexy.”
“—kinda lonely—”
Ellie claps her hands.
“Perfect!”
I laugh.
“You know,” she says, wistfully, “I always saw you with a guy like Cole.”
“What? A lonely millionaire with a dark past and a bad temper?”
“No! A broody, passionate type. A guy with a bit of attitude. And lots of ambition.”
“You could have told me that when I was dating Nick.”
“Ugh,” Ellie says, rolling her eyes. “He’s back living with his parents now, you know.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. Sometimes I think he was pinning all his hopes on my restaurant being a success—even though he couldn’t leave fast enough when it wasn’t.”
“Forget him. Nick’s the past. The future is Cole Chambers.”
“Ellie! You haven’t even met him!”
“Pfft. I’ve watched his show a dozen times. I can pretty much recite all his best lines at this point. And you know a man that fine is gonna make some super cute babies.”
“Ellie! Enough!”
“Just saying!”
I shake my head and then check the dough, deciding to leave it a little longer.
“I’m not even sure he’s into actual relationships, anyway. I mean, I searched for ‘Cole Chambers girlfriend’ online and it was a who’s who of gorgeous Hollywood actresses and famous heiresses. He’s probably just looking for a bit of fun, and to be honest, that’s all I’m in it for, too.”
“Willow,” says Ellie, using the big sister tone she reserves for career and relationship advice, “you’re different than those other girls. You’re a great chef too, you have a connection. You literally just told me about how he told you how he grew up—that’s not ‘fun time’ conversation, that’s ‘getting serious’ conversation. Did you…”
“No. Well…we kissed a little but that was it.”
Ellie waves her fists in coiled excitement.
“It’s happening!”
“No! Ellie, come on! It’s just a little fun, don’t get any ideas about it being—”
I’m interrupted by the sound of my phone buzzing against the counter.
“What’s that?” Ellie says, peering into the camera as if she can look beyond the computer. “Is that him? Well? Is it?”
“Um…” I say, picking up the ringing phone. “I’m gonna call you back in just a second.”
“No! Willow!” Ellie says, reaching toward the camera as if she wants to climb out of the screen and stop me. “Let me listen! Please!”
I click off the chat window and answer the phone.
“Willow?” Cole says.
“Speaking,” I reply, almost surprising myself with how hearing him compels me to smile.
“How are you?”
“Little tired,” I say, checking the dough again, “cooking up a storm. Same as always.”
“You should take a break sometime.”
“I should. I’ll have to check with my boss,” I tease.
Cole chuckles warmly.
“Actually, I think he might have something in mind.”
His deep voice, even over the phone, feels like music, striking at some deep, primitive urge in me. My skin tingling, an emerging tension that makes me stroke my own neck.
“Oh yeah?”
“Come with me to Vegas for a couple days. I’ve got most of the distributors lined up but I want to really nail down any problems in the menu; see if there are any gaps, run the cooks through their paces. I’d like a second opinion, a second pair of eyes, and since Martin is busy finding new chef candidates, I’d like that second opinion to be yours.”
“Two consecutive days off work?”
“You’ll still be working, make no mistake. We’ll cut a few tables at Knife, the crew will manage. And I’ll pay you overtime, of course.”
I take a moment to think of what to say, mentally performing acrobatics to read between the lines and figure out if it’s as professional as he makes it sound.
“I’ve got to ask…why me? I mean, I’ve only worked at Knife for a few weeks. Wouldn’t one of the other chefs know your style better than I do?”
“You’ve got good taste,” Cole says, without missing a beat. “Plus, you’re one of the few people with the balls to tell me when you don’t like something. You disagree with me about food, and that’s what I want in a second opinion: Criticism. I might not act on it, but it’s what I want to hear.”
I let another moment drift by, feeling the inevitability of this trip encircle me.
“Can I just ask...is this all business, or…”
Cole laughs again.
“It’s absolutely business,” he says nonchalantly. Then, in a voice that seems to come from some unresolved urge, from that broad, hard-muscled body, “Until the business is done. After that…well, it’s up to you. Though I did only book one suite for us to share…unless you’d prefer your own room. The trip still stands, regardless. I need you there.”
“The suite works great,” I blurt, understanding the implication, and figuring that I can always book myself a separate room later, if need be—although I can’t imagine wanting to…
“Great. We’ll leave tomorrow morning.”
“So soon? Um…ok. Sure. Should I book a flight, or are we driving, or—?”
“I’ve taken care of all the details. Pick you up first thing, say around nine?”
“That’s perfect. Looking forward to it.”
Cole hangs up, and I stand in the kitchen feeling dazed for a few seconds before remembering that Ellie is probably still waiting in front of her computer. I call her up again and dump the dough onto the counter, ready to roll it out.
Ellie appears on-screen pouting disappointedly. It doesn’t last long, though.
“Sorry about that,” I say, as I start forming the buns.
“Was it him?” Ellie asks, her pout disappearing in the face of immense curiosity.
I nod.
“Ha! I knew it.” Now she’s all smiles again. “And what did he say?”
“Uh, not much…just wanted to discuss some business stuff…”
“Willow…”
“Fine! He wants to take me to Vegas for a few days to help him with the new restaurant.”
Ellie squeals so loud I have to reach over and turn the volume down with flour on my fingers.
“Greg!” she calls off-screen. “Willow’s in a relationship with Cole Chambers!”
“I’m not in a relationship!” I plead.
Ellie laughs and looks back at me through the screen.
“Sorry,” she says, warmly. “I’m just happy for you. And I just want to see you happy. Not just this Cole thing, but everything else. The job, the Vegas trip. It’s great to see you moving on, getting over things not working out in Idaho. You deserve better, and you’re capable of so much more. I’m just glad you’re finally on the right path.”
“Yeah,” I say, looking back at her affectionately. “I know.”
“And listen, whatever happens with Cole, just enjoy it. Although, I mean…it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if you fell madly in love with each other and could invite us down to eat at his restaurants for free…but so long as you’re enjoying life then who cares what you call it? You do you.”