She found herself nodding to Daniel, and discovering that it was quite hard to look away from the handsome architect sitting across from her, his legs casually crossed at the ankle as he smiled back at her.
‘I’ll just take myself for that look at the kitchen first,’ Charlotte said, clearing her throat and rising, ‘then I’ll be ready for the grand tour.’
Daniel stood, which made Harrison stand as well, and she suddenly felt as if she was living in a different generation where all the men at a table stood whenever a lady did. It almost made her laugh, although out of respect for both of them, she managed to keep a straight face. She appreciated the chivalry.
‘Shall I have that offer prepared?’ Daniel asked, holding her gaze across the table.
‘If you have it prepared, I’ll look over it and come back to you,’ she said, not wanting to be pressured into saying yes, but also not wanting to miss the opportunity. It was obvious that he was a man well used to hearingyeswhen he asked a question. ‘And thank you for inviting me here to see this place, it’s nothing short of exquisite.’
‘You know I like you, Charlotte, and I want to give you time to think this through, but if you don’t accept, I’m going to have to start searching for someone else straightaway,’ Daniel said, taking his phone from his pocket when it started to ring. ‘Shall we set Friday close of business as our deadline to make this happen?’
‘Agreed,’ she said. Friday worked—it gave her enough time to properly consider the offer and have her lawyer read it through, but not too much time to overthink things. ‘I’ll come back to you before then with my answer.’
He took the call then, so she gave him a wave goodbye, which he returned, then took herself into the kitchen without looking over at Harrison. She needed a moment to centre herself, and just like she always did when she was feeling rattled, she placed her hands on the cool stainless steel of the counter, closed her eyes and slowly inhaled. Even when she’d been a child, when thinking about her mum had overwhelmed her, it was going into the kitchen and preparing something that grounded her and helped her move past the panic.
‘It’s quite something, isn’t it?’
Her eyes popped open at the sound of the smooth, deep British voice behind her.
‘It is,’ Charlotte said, looking around and admiring the huge workspace, with its gleaming brand-new surfaces and appliances. Shiny pots and pans were placed in the spaces below, and she found herself walking the length of the kitchen, her fingers trailing the handles and then across the counter.Now this is a kitchen I could work in. It’s everything I’ve ever wished for—a perfect, custom-built space just waiting for me to make my mark, to show the world what I’ve accomplished.
‘Daniel’s been talking about you all morning, telling me you’re the only chef he wants. I was with him the day you replied saying you’d visit, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile like that.’
Charlotte laughed. ‘Just because I came to see him, doesn’t mean I’m going to say yes.’
Harrison gestured for her to follow him. ‘Then come with me and let’s see if I can impress you with the rest of the place. He’ll never forgive me if I don’t talk you into staying.’
He had a long, relaxed gait and she fell into step beside him as they crossed through the restaurant and out into the lobby. The enormous light fitting was still being hung, and he lightlyplaced a hand to her back to guide her past it and out of the fall zone.
‘Do you have a say in everything, including the lighting?’ she asked. ‘I’ve never actually thought about all the little details that have to be considered, and who the person making the decisions is.’
Harrison’s smile was easy, and she wondered if he was the same as her—more comfortable talking about work than anything else.
‘I’ve liaised closely with Daniel’s interior designer on this project, but the short answer is yes. When I start a project, it’s about considering every angle, the way the light will filter into the building, the atmosphere my design will create. I’m always involved, from the moment the actual design begins until the day the building is completed.’
‘I have a feeling you love what you do,’ she said, as he led her out to the lobby. ‘Am I right?’
‘I do. Design is my life, I live and breathe it, much the way I imagine you live and breathe food.’
‘It takes a workaholic to know one, hey?’
Harrison laughed, but his face became more serious as he gestured around them. ‘When guests step into the hotel, I want them to feel two things. First, that it’s somewhere special, making them pause to look around and drink in their surroundings, and second, that it feels like a place they could stay for a long time. It has to feel magical, but at the same time almost like it could be their home away from home. I want to balance cutting-edge design with a sense of comfort.’
‘That’s quite the design brief.’
Daniel grinned. ‘Tell me about it. I feel like I’ve barely slept this past year, especially now that we’re almost at the end.’
‘Is it more nerve-racking coming up with the initial design, or imagining people walking through the completed project?’
‘Definitely the latter. My anxiety starts to rise from the day construction starts,’ he said, as they began to walk again. ‘You?’
‘The menu creation is when I’m at my happiest, but watching someone eat my food is by far the scariest part of my job,’ she said. ‘I mean, I’m always confident with my flavours, and I’m much more so now than I was earlier in my career, but there’s always that moment of hoping others can understand what I’ve tried to create.’
‘Who would have thought that a chef and an architect would have so much in common?’
Daniel caught her eye, and she couldn’t help but smile. He certainly wasn’t wrong. Over the next thirty minutes, they toured the first few floors of the hotel, and by the time they came back down in the lift to the lobby, she’d gone from impressed to absolutely in awe of his design.
‘You deserve every accolade,’ she said as they strolled slowly across the polished tiles to the door. ‘It’s absolutely stunning. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a hotel like it.’
