Page 22 of Burning Rivalry

Lucas cleared his throat, reminding me to settle the fuck down. It was all her fault. This was who she turned me into. “Life pretty much always works out like it’s supposed to.”

“I agree.” Hadley flashed a brilliant smile. “That’s what I keep telling Claud.”

“Oh, really?” I turned her way, setting down my menu in favor of giving her my attention. “How so?”

Though Claudia made a strangled, disapproving sound, Hadley would not be stopped. She had already put away two glasses of wine and was working on the third, so it seemed like she was hardly in the mood to pick up a hint when it was pretty much dropped in her lap.

“Well, she never imagined herself all the way out here in Las Vegas. We always used to imagine living together as big, established career women in Manhattan. But life has a way of doing what it wants, right?” she asked, wearing what looked like an almost regretful smile. Or sympathetic.

“What brought you out here in the first place?” I asked Claudia, pointedly ignoring her scowl. “I know what Sienna told me, but why was Las Vegas on the table in the first place? You were riding this wave of popularity.”

“Oh, she didn’t tell you about that?” Hadley asked.

“And I didn’t intend to,” Claudia warned in a sharp tone, pairing her words with an unblinking stare. I took too much pleasure in getting under her skin, but even I would have stopped there if she looked at me that way.

Hadley, unfortunately, was having a little too much fun to notice. “Sometimes, a girl needs a new start when her fiancé goes and⁠—”

“I’m hungry,” Claudia announced, practically shouting the words to drown out her friend’s voice. “Is everybody ready to order?”

Fiancé? I knew better than to stare, especially when she so pointedly avoided looking at any of us in favor of searching the room for the girl who’d presented our menus. “This pear and gorgonzola gnocchi looks delicious,” she murmured, her voice trembling slightly. Was that pain I heard or simply anger? Did it make a difference? It was clearly something she hadn’t meant to share.

Lucas looked apologetic, even reaching out to touch her arm at one point. She barely met his gaze, giving him the sort of look that was probably meant to reassure him, but it resembled a pained grimace more than anything else.

Luckily, someone provided a distraction from the discomfort. “Sebastian Kennedy.” Kristoff Darden strode across the dining room, quietly greeting a few diners but quickly returning his attention to me. “I heard you were here with us tonight. What a pleasant surprise.”

I took him in all at once. The same unruly, dark red curls, the same wiry frame he never could seem to bulk up no matter how hard he tried. His brown eyes glittered in a way that was anything but warm or friendly, no matter how he pretended otherwise. “Kristoff,” I said with a smile, standing to shake his hand. “Allow me to introduce⁠—”

“No need! We have a celebrity in the house.” Kristoff took one of Claudia’s hands in both of his, clasping tight, almost bending over her much smaller frame. “What a pleasure. I’ve been meaning to stop in and sample some of your work.”

Then he turned to me, grimacing comically. “Then again, I understand there’s nothing new happening over there, anyway. It’s pretty much the same dessert menu as ever, right?”

Now I remembered why I hadn’t made a point of visiting Kristoff’s restaurant before now, and it wasn’t only due to my hectic schedule. He was a man who took holding a grudge to new levels. He practically made a sport out of it.

“There have been some changes made,” Claudia made a point of informing him with a gentle laugh. “You should stop in, sample for yourself. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing what your kitchen offers tonight. Your restaurant has been on my list ever since I got to town.”

“How flattering.” He then introduced himself to Hadley and Lucas, leaving me to stare at Claudia suspiciously. She caught me and lifted a shoulder. What else was I supposed to say? I looked down at my shoes, attempting to hide a smirk.

“Dinner’s on me, folks,” Kristoff informed us, holding up a hand in protest when I attempted to argue. “I won’t hear of it. It isn’t every day an old friend stops in and brings two beautiful women. You’re classing up the place,” he told them, making Hadley giggle while Claudia offered a brief, incredibly insincere smile. It was almost alarming how similarly our minds worked. I could almost forget how fucking irritated I was with her after that interview, not to mention all the other times she had managed to irk the shit out of me over the last few weeks.

“Oh, and best of luck with your new place,” Kristoff added, shaking my hand again. “I’m looking forward to paying a visit once you’ve opened.”

“Be sure to let me know when you plan to stop in so I can prepare something special for you.” It wouldn’t happen, but these were the things men in our position said to each other. As far as I knew, he’d never darkened Home’s doorstep over the years. Why start now?

Claudia maintained a suspicious silence for the rest of the meal while Hadley chattered with Lucas about various preparation techniques and where they’d originated. The two of them seemed to get along well—maybe the night wasn’t a complete loss for them.

“I haven’t exactly been lucky in love, either,” Hadley confessed to Lucas, who seemed amused if nothing else. “I’ve never been engaged like Claud has–”

Claudia cleared her throat and, if I wasn’t mistaken, kicked Hadley under the table. “How about we don’t talk about that?” she muttered, teeth clenched. “I’m trying to enjoy this cheesecake.” As if to prove her point, she slid a mouthful between her lips, drawing my focus the way she’d done throughout our courses. I had never wished I could be a fork until tonight.

The sudden glance she threw my way damn near made my heart burst out of my chest. A jolt ran through me, something close to what I’d imagine an electric shock felt like. There was no embarrassment over being caught staring. No, I wanted her to know what she did to me. That, out of the two women seated at this table, it was her I wanted to take home.

Something in my face sparked something in hers. She set down her fork with a trembling hand. “Excuse me,” she murmured, standing, her head swinging in all directions before she spotted a narrow hall in the back corner, where discreet signs announced the restrooms.

“I’ll make sure she’s okay.” Hadley moved too fast, swaying after popping to her feet. “Oh, shit. I’m dizzy.”

“Have some water,” Lucas suggested, sliding her untouched glass closer.

“I’ll check on her,” I offered, already out of my chair before the sentence was complete. I couldn’t bear the thought of her suffering. Something in me demanded I do something, anything, to ease the pain she was so clearly in.