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“Nick, what about Sammy? He could get home any minute.”
“He won’t,” Nick said softly, stretching his arms above his head. “I called him earlier. He was already halfway down the canyon on his way to the beach.”
“I should have guessed,” she said with a sigh, slowly propping herself up on an elbow. “He’s a walker.”
“I told him where my house was and where the spare key is hidden. We’re meeting him there later.”
“He’ll love that place,” she said with a smile. “I hope he can find somewhere by the water. He’ll be able to wander along the sand for miles.” Then pausing, she quietly added, “Uh, Nick, what you said about finding my passion… I, uh, I already know what it is.”
“That’s great,” he replied, quickly sitting up. “Tell me.”
“Only if you promise not to laugh.”
“Why would I laugh?”
“Because I don’t exactly know my way around a kitchen.”
“I’m not sure I understand.”
“I want to learn how to cook, really cook. I’ve been addicted to the food network for years.”
“Bianca, that’s fantastic.”
“You think so?” she asked, her pulse suddenly ticking up.
“Hell, yeah, but why haven’t you done anything about it? Never mind, I can guess. Your parents didn’t approve.”
“That’s an understatement,” she replied, rolling her eyes. “When I tried to talk to them, they’d say things like, why do you want to cook when you can eat gourmet meals made by the best chefs in the country?”
“That must have been very hard,” Nick remarked, wondering if the abduction she’d planned had also been a form of revenge.
“It was hell. I tried to tell them how it is for me, but they weren’t interested.”
“I’m very interested. Explain it to me, I want to know.”
“When a person listens to music, they hear the collective harmony of all the instruments, but a musician can detect them separately. That’s what it’s like for me when I eat something. I taste the herbs and I know what they are. I often think, too much of this, not enough of that, and I want to cook it myself and make it perfect.”
“That’s amazing. How did this come about?”
“I’m not sure, but when I eat out, especially when I’m with Sammy or by myself, I ask a lot of questions. I have for ages. I was dying to try that sauce with the Dover sole at Henri’s.”
“We’re going back and we’ll stay overnight,” he said firmly, “and after dinner, when the place is quiet, I’ll ask Henri to introduce you to the chef.”
“Really? That would be incredible!”
“And as soon as you’re settled we’ll find you a culinary school,” he continued. “I’ll be your guinea pig, and one of these days, you’ll invite your family to the opening night of your very own restaurant and blow their minds.”
“Yes!” she said vehemently, almost breaking into happy tears. “Wow. Nick, thank you! I haven’t felt this excited since—”
“About five minutes ago,” he declared, cutting her off with a chuckle. “Now you can use all that energy to clean up the kitchen, then you’ll strip the beds, make them up with fresh sheets, and do the laundry. If you have any questions, ask me.”
“Yes, Sir, I will. By the way, why did you make me put on the T-shirt?”
“I liked the idea of seeing your nipples poking against the fabric, but mostly, so I could lift it up and slap your naked ass if I needed to, which I will in about five seconds if you don’t get to work.”
“Can you make that ten seconds? There’s something I need to do first,” she murmured softly, and moving her arms around his neck, she pressed her lips against his.
EPILOGUE
