Ihad nothing to fear from him.
Iignored his question. “Where’s Wyatt?”
Amuscle near his eye ticked. “Working. Like he’s supposed to be.”
“Didyou fire him?”
“Ijust told you he was working.”
“Areyou going to fire him?”
“Why?Because he abandoned his post so he could flirt with the food truck girl for ahalf hour? I should fire him. We’re booked the entire night.” I opened mymouth, but I didn’t know where to start. So many of the things he’d said were…annoying. He didn’t give me a chance, though. “Would you fire him?”
“Excuseme?”
“Nothim. Not Wyatt. But if you had a sous chef, someone you counted on to get youthrough each service, someone you trusted above all other people in your kitchen,and they left you for thirty minutes in the middle of an important night, wouldyou fire him?”
Killianwas trying to trap me. He knew my answer—it was obvious. Yes. Wyatt had made abig mistake. “I don’t know,” I said instead, choosing my words carefully. “I’venever had a sous chef. Or run a kitchen. I don’t know what I would do.”
“Ido,” Killian was quick with his response. “You’d fire him.”
Mycheeks heated with emotion, I just couldn’t tell which emotion. Killian broughtout so many- anger, frustration, embarrassment, insecurity, irritation, lust.Stupid, stupid lust. “You don’t know that.”
Heran a hand through his beard, messing it up and then tugging it back to itsshape. “You’re a hard-ass, VeraDelane. Of courseyou’d fire him.”
Myguilty heart thumped hard for Wyatt, despite my earlier claims that I didn’twant anything to do with him. “Is that what you’re going to do?”
“Didn’tyou hear me? I trust him. It’s too hard to find a sous as good as him. He’ssafe for today. As long as he can give up taking his breaks locked away withyou.”
Islammed my eyes shut in frustration, hating his implication. “He wasn’t lockedaway with me. I just didn’t want him sneaking his food back to you so you couldrip it apart.”
Hestared at me so hard that I felt it all over my skin. I opened my eyes andshivered beneath the heat of his glare. “Then let me rip it apart now.”
“You’reout of your mind.”
Hetapped the boxes again. “It’s a fair trade. I’ll even keep my opinion tomyself.”
“DidLilourun out of food? Can’t you get your sous chefto make you a snack? God, you’re aggravating.”
“Comeon,Delane,” he persuaded with a lilting voice. “Thelemon lavender shortbreads are insane. You know you want them.”
Curiositydidn’t just kill the cat. It killed the stupid chef that was willing to sellher soul just to get a tiny taste of one of the greatest chefs in the city.
Heheld up a hand as if he could read the denial swirling in my head. “And beforeyou go claiming that these are already bought and paid for, let’s just considerthat Wyatt really would have gotten fired for smuggling these out of therestaurant. The only way you’re going to get to try these is if you make a dealwith me.”
Adeal with the devil.
“Icould always make a reservation. I’m sure it’s not that hard.” That was a lie.I’d already made a reservation after he’d written me that scathing note, butthe earliest they could get me in was still six weeks away.
“Delane, by the time you can manage to sneak inside myrestaurant, we’ll have changed the entire menu.”
Ishifted my shoulders, hating the way I felt every time he used my last name.And not because it made me feel bad. Because it made me feel the opposite. “Idon’t even like lemon.”
Heleaned closer, erasing the space between us. “You’re such a liar,” he murmuredon a dark chuckle. “Just make me the goddamn slider.”
Hewas right. I was a liar. And where the hell had Molly gone? Why wasn’t shecoming to my rescue? I was about to make a very stupid mistake, and she hadpromised that she’d intervene the next time I tried to ruin my entire life.
“Fine,”I relented. Letting out a slow, measured breath so he didn’t see how nervous Iwas, I said, “One meatball.”
