“Damn, girl. You’re really good.”
“That’s because I took lessons from a master chef in Italy who lectured his students about taking shortcuts. He’d rip you a new one if you used ready-made sauce, even if it was highly recommended, for pizza. One time when I was in between jobs I helped a caterer friend prepare for a wine and cheese gathering, and we decided to turn it up a notch when we made individual pizzas topped with tuna and fresh salmon tartare, figs, and prosciutto. They were such big hits that another couple hired us and requested even more unorthodox toppings.”
“What did you make for them?”
“Crème fraiche and red onion confit, salmon caviar and lemon crème fraiche, spicy shrimp, and a few with deviled crab with a tomato rémoulade.”
Gage shook his head. “The caviar must have cost them a pretty penny.”
“It did. I had caviar once, and I must admit I wasn’t too fond of it.”
“I suppose it’s an acquired taste,” he said.
“You’re right about that. Do you have all the ingredients we need for our dinner?”
He nodded. “Yes. I managed to find everything at the French Market.”
“Did you decide on Chinese to test me?”
A smile ruffled his mouth. “Not really.”
“Either it’s yes or no, Gage.” Tonya waited for his answer as he signaled and turned off onto Esplanade Avenue, and then maneuvered down another tree-lined street and parked in front of a building with green-shuttered second-story windows and a fire escape leading from the second to the third story, both with decorative ironwork balconies.
Gage shut off the engine, unsnapped his seat belt, and then turned to face her. He removed his sunglasses, leaving them on the console between the seats. “No. I want you to testme. Don’t move,” he said. “I’ll help you down.”
Tonya undid her seat belt and waited for him to come around and assist her. Gage had called her an enigma, but she could say the same about him. Although she felt comfortable being with him, there was something about his mercurial moods that kept her slightly off balance. She found him candid almost to a fault, and then within seconds he would turn on the charm, making it nearly impossible for her to be angry with him.
He opened the door, extended his arms, and swung her effortlessly to stand on the sidewalk. She glanced at the building. “Which apartment is yours?”
Grasping her hand, he gently squeezed her fingers. “There’s only one apartment,” he said cryptically.
* * *
Gage knew he shocked Tonya when she went completely still. After his divorce he had rented a small furnished house in Tremé with the possibility that he would purchase it. His plans changed once he overheard a patron at Jazzes mention he wanted to sell his condo because he was moving his family to Austin, Texas. Gage approached him and asked if he could see the property.
A single glance at the rare Parisian-style garret located in the Lower French Quarter and he knew he wanted it even before entering the secure entrance leading to a lush, tropical courtyard. Once inside the three-bedroom, two-bath condo he found himself awed by the open floor plan, exposed beams, high ceilings, skylights, and Jacuzzi, while the upper floors offered views of the river, the city’s skyline, and many church steeples. He was able to negotiate a price to which the seller agreed, and two months later he moved in with only a bed and a folding card table and chairs.
He was totally clueless when it came to decorating and asked his mother whether she would decorate his new home. The first thing she asked him when walking through the empty rooms was whether he was thinking of getting married again; his response was a resounding “never again.” Desirée told him he was too young to be so bitter, and then gave him a look that dared him to refute her.
He unlocked the gate leading into the courtyard that spanned the width of the building and reached for Tonya’s hand. “This is what sold me on the condo even before I saw inside.”
The courtyard resembled an emerald city, with two towering trees, one an oak tree covered in Spanish moss and the other a red mulberry; ivy, and dozens of different ferns and flowering plants in massive clay pots. They provided shade and set the scene for beginning or ending the day in the verdant mini-jungle.
Tonya noticed strings of tiny globe lights and three lanterns suspended from the beams supporting the second-story balcony. Her gaze lingered on a gas grill and fire pit in a corner. “I see what you’re talking about. You have your own private Garden of Eden.”
Gage squeezed her fingers. “I come down here every morning to have coffee and read the newspaper. I now have birds to keep me company because a couple of weeks ago I installed a couple of feeders under the mulberry tree.”
She pointed to several hanging baskets overflowing with colorful orchids. “Do you also take care of the flowers?”
“Thank goodness, no, or everything would be dead within a month. Come inside with me.”
He led the way down the flagstone walkway to a door at the opposite end of the courtyard. Gage unlocked the door, and then tapped several buttons on a wall keypad to deactivate the security system. Despite the security cameras positioned around the building, and the gate leading into the courtyard, and bars protecting a wide window and the glass on the double doors on the street level, he felt a lot more secure after he had the property wired against potential intruders.
Gage stood aside, waiting for Tonya to enter, and then turned and closed the door. “Welcome to my humble abode.”
Tonya blinked once as her gaze swept over the living and dining rooms. “There’s nothing humble about this place.”
“You like it?”
