“Oh,”Kelly murmured.“Sorry?”
“I thought you interviewed her.”
“I did interview her, Grey. Over the phone,” Kelly said, her tone softening.“It’s not like I can jet up to New York to interview a chef for a short-term position like the one you were trying to fill. I mean, I do have three hotels to oversee on the island here, never mind the two on Saint John, and the one on St. Croix.”
Properly chastised, Grey sighed and nodded. “Yeah, I know.” The Kipling family had been a fixture in the Virgin Islands for generations, and Kelly was the general manager for Kipling Resorts, overseeing the family’s empire. It was because none of the chefs for her hotels were available for the next few weeks that Grey had asked Kelly if she could help her find somebody to work on theVeritas. “I’m sorry…”
“It’s fine, Grey, don’t worry about it. Look, you just have to make it through two cruises and then you’ll be rid of her. Just give her a chance, and don’t rip her head off just because she looks like—”
“Don’t even go there, Kip.”
“Fine,”Kelly sighed. Really, she should have known better than to try and say Emily’s name.“Look, I am sorry. About all of it.”She paused for a beat and then added,“So, you leave this afternoon?”
“Yeah. We’ll be out for nine days. I’m just going to follow my usual loop through the BVI and back for this one, nothing spectacular.” Grey held her breath at the sound of footsteps making their way up the stairs to the bridge, and her heart thudded heavily in her chest when Lauren came into view. “I, uh, gotta go.”
“She’s there.”
Grey nodded, unable to tear her gaze away from Lauren, who flashed her an apologetic smile and quickly backed down the stairs. “Yeah. We need to go do some grocery shopping to stock up for the trip.”
“Good luck. Call me when you get back. Or, you know, whenever you need to.”
“Will do.” Grey blew out a loud breath and added, “Look, I’m sorry I went off on you. Thanks for listening.”
“That’s what I’m here for,”Kelly murmured, her voice tinged with concern.“Be good.”
Grey laughed, the sound devoid of any genuine mirth, but she was grateful for the normalcy of the quip when her entire world felt like it was spinning out of control. “When am I ever good?”
“There’s a first time for everything, Wells. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Yeah. Later.” Grey shoved her phone into her pocket and started for the stairs, knowing that they really did need to get going if they were to get back in time to put everything away before the Muellers arrived. Lauren was sitting at one of the tables on the back deck that was sheltered by the bridge, and Grey’s breath caught in her throat at the small smile the redhead greeted her with. It was not fair that she should have to try and continue to survive, day after day, while being confronted with a reminder of all that she had loved and lost.
“Sorry about interrupting,” Lauren said.
Grey shook her head and glanced toward the salon. The ache in her chest was easier to ignore if she did not actually look at Lauren. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not a big deal. I was just talking to a friend. I’ll, um, just show you to the pantry so you can see what we’ve got, and then we can head out.”
“I went ahead and found it on my own before I came looking for you. Hope that was okay.” When Grey nodded, Lauren continued, “Anyways, I have my list ready.”
“Excellent.” Grey waved a hand at the dock and motioned for Lauren to disembark first. “Then let’s get going.”
CHAPTER FOUR
LAUREN LOVED FARMER’S markets. There was something about the combination of fresh air and interacting with people who were proud of the produce they had brought to sell that never failed to make her smile. It was difficult, however, for her to find any enjoyment in this particular trip. She did not like confrontation, but she found herself almost wishing for it as Grey continued to avoid her. At least then she would know what it was about her that irked the brunette so. She had given up trying to draw Grey into conversation after her eighth failed attempt, and they had ended up wandering the market in a tense silence that set Lauren on edge.
She double-checked her list and glanced up at Grey, who was standing a good four feet away from her and looking like she would like nothing more than to drop the cooler full of fish she was carrying and run away. “I just need to pick up a few herbs, and then I’ll be done.”
Grey nodded and looked around the bustling stalls around them, and Lauren sighed as she made her way over to a small table that was covered with different herbs. She set the bags of fruits and vegetables that she was carrying onto the ground, and began quickly sorting through the bundles of aromatics that were piled in small wooden crates on the long rectangular table. Everythinglooked to be at the peak of freshness, and it did not take her long to find what she needed. She stowed the herbs she had chosen on top of their other purchases in her bags as Grey paid, and she forced herself to smile when Grey turned toward her.
Grey pocketed her change and looked at a spot that was just over Lauren’s right shoulder, grateful that the mirrored lenses of her sunglasses hid the fact that she was not looking her in the eye. “What’s next?”
Lauren looked at her list again, even though she had checked it only moments before. “We have everything but the meats from the butcher.”
Grey glanced at her watch. The polished steel hands stood out easily against the orange face, telling her that it was just after eight o’clock, and she nodded. “It all should be ready and waiting for us.” She had called the butcher and placed Lauren’s order while she drove to the market. The call served two purposes: first, the food would be ready when they arrived; and second, it gave her a few minutes respite from the tension that surrounded her and Lauren. She really was trying to behave as normally as possible, but she knew by the cautious glances Lauren kept shooting her way that she was failing miserably at it.Of all the chefs in the world…she lamented silently. She cleared her throat and waved a hand toward her car. “The butcher is on the way back to the marina.”
Lauren nodded, picked up her bags, and headed toward the half of the parking lot that was actually being used for its intended purpose. She wandered toward the back row of the lot to where they had parked, and stopped behind Grey’s red Mini Cooper. She remained quiet as she stowed her bags in the back of the car, and glanced only once at Grey as she slipped into the passenger’s seat.
More of the modern classical music Grey had been listening to earlier poured from the speakers as Grey started the car, and Lauren sighed as she looked out the window. At least now therewas some music to fill the tense silence between them. Despite her growing frustration, Lauren could not help stealing quick glances at Grey, who was staring purposefully out the windshield. Grey’s jaw was clenched tight, the corded muscles of her forearms visible as she gripped the steering wheel much harder than was necessary. It was obvious that she wanted to be anywhere else at that moment, and Lauren pursed her lips as she looked away again.
Though she was doing her best to not look at Lauren, Grey did not miss the hurt that had flashed across Lauren’s face before she turned toward her window. Guilt swept through her, and she gave herself a sound mental head-slap. It was not Lauren’s fault that her mere presence was driving her insane. And, like it or not, she also knew that the two of them needed to be at least passably friendly with each other once the Mueller family arrived later that morning. “So, um…you’re a chef in New York?”
