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“Then you understand how I feel about you.” She grabbed his hands and pulled them away from her face. “Do the show. It’s what’s right for your career.”
“In the past few weeks I’ve decided I’m more than my career. What about you?”
She wouldn’t meet his gaze. “It’s getting late. Shouldn’t you be in the kitchen inspiring your staff?”
Ashton eyed her set expression and wondered what would change her mind about permanently taking over as Fontaine’s CEO. With a tight nod, he gently kissed her forehead.
“I’ll see you in the restaurant later.”
“Good luck tonight.” With those parting words, she was gone.
With the opening of Batouri mere hours away, Ashton should have been completely consumed by what was happening in his kitchen. He wasn’t. Reporters and food critics as well as celebrities and other assorted VIPs would be among the evening’s guests. They were expecting a masterful culinary performance tonight. He needed to score big.
That would be easier if Harper hadn’t shown up in his kitchen this afternoon. Telling himself that keeping her feet to the fire was for her own good didn’t unravel the knot of misery in his chest.
It wasn’t until service was well underway that he had a chance to step out of the kitchen and circulate through the room. Before he’d ever stepped in front of a camera, he’d been a successful executive chef and restaurant owner. He recognized a satisfied crowd when he saw one.
As he schmoozed those who could make or break Batouri with a single negative review, he tried not to make it obvious that there was only one table in the room that held his complete attention. And it was the last one he visited.
“Absolutely fabulous,” Scarlett said, the first to speak up. The vivacious, stunningly beautiful brunette glanced away from Ashton and nudged Harper’s arm. “My sister’s idea to have you open a restaurant in her hotel was nothing short of brilliant.”
“Wonderful,” Violet agreed, a note of concern beneath her upbeat tone. “I think you two make a terrific team.”
“That’s nice of you to say, but I’m sure your sister would disagree.” Ashton had no idea why he felt like baiting Harper on a night where he needed her complete support. Maybe it was the fact that she was looking through him rather than at him. “In fact, the success of the restaurant should be placed squarely at her feet. She smoothed every feather I ruffled in the construction process and probably had to stop the chefs I interviewed from adding arsenic to the food they served me.”
Scarlett laughed in delight.
Violet looked appalled.
Harper glared at him. “It’s your food everyone loves.”
“You were the one who inspired me.” The room fell away as he captured her gaze and held it. For a second he saw past her unhappiness and glimpsed the passion she’d demonstrated in Africa. His heart stopped. Maybe there was hope for them yet. He shifted his attention to her sisters and offered them a smile. “Thank you for coming to support Harper.”
Not waiting for a response, he moved off.
Behind him, Scarlett spoke up. “Do whatever you have to, but don’t let that man get away.”
Harper said something in reply, but it was too faint for him to catch. Still, he was feeling better than he had in days as he reentered the kitchen. Nothing was a done deal. Persuading her to be true to herself would be a lot easier if he showed her how to do it.
* * *
At a little after six in the afternoon the day after Batouri’s successful opening, Harper entered her grandfather’s apartment and found him in the living room, his cell phone in one hand, a glass of Scotch in the other. This is how she imagined he’d go out: running his business while relaxing at home. Working was as much a part of him as breathing. Is this what she wanted for her own life?
Spotting her, he gestured her in. “Sam, I have to go. My granddaughter just arrived, and we’re going to have dinner together.”
As soon as he hung up, she came forward and hugged him. What she’d come here tonight to say wasn’t going to be easy. The urge to blurt it out nearly overpowered her, but that sort of shock couldn’t be good for a man who’d suffered a stroke a little over a week ago.
“I heard the opening of your restaurant was a resounding success,” he said as they sat down at the large dining table.
Only two places had been set. To Harper’s relief, they weren’t at opposite ends of the twenty-foot table. Her mother would be horrified if she discovered that Harper had shouted the tale of her infidelity from one end of the dining room to the other.
“It went very well. The reviews had nothing but wonderful things to say. You were right to suggest I approach Ashton.”
“I had a feeling you two would be good for each other.”
Unexpectedly, Harper flashed back to their two nights at the tent camp and felt heat rise in her cheeks. “How come?”
“He’s a hugely talented chef and the adventurous sort. You’ve always been an armchair globetrotter too focused on the future to have fun in the present. I thought he might benefit from your knack of focusing on the finish line and you might give him an opportunity to surprise you.”
