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“It’s cool,” she said, shifting her eyes to Cole’s truck. He had the most massive crowd awaiting a chance to order from the well-known celebrity cook. “I know that chef, and I’m gonna jump on board to help.”
“Really?” he asked. “Cool. You have a way home?”
“Warren, I’m a grown woman, not the high school girl you first met,” she reminded him.
“And you’ve survived a long time without me around,” he said, sounding bemused.
“Same for you. I am so proud of you, Warren.”
“And you’re an executive chef,” he said, looking down at his feet and then up at her. “We both are living our dreams.”
“I think getting out of our nightmare of a marriage played ahugerole,” she said.
“I agree.” Warren chuckled.
Following an impulse, Jillian reached up to pat his chest as she felt the twinkle in her eyes. “Go save lives, and I’ll go cook,” she said, feeling comfortable around him.
Warren gave her another smile before turning to stride away.
Jillian licked her lips as she walked over to Cole’s truck. The smell of food mingled in the air with the music played on the main stage. She didn’t know if she was crazy or not, but she followed her instincts and the road that led back to Cole. Her heart guided her.
“Excuse me,” she said, easing between two women in line to climb the steps and open the door to the polished food truck. “Need some help?”
Cole did a double-take—maybe even a triple—as he paused with a handful of sliced green onions above an open takeout container. He knit his brows as he finished the dish and handed it to his customer with a smile.
It had been so long since he’d beamed that disarming tool at her.
“One moment,” he said to the next person in line.
Jillian’s heart hammered as she closed the metal door and reached for one of the black aprons hanging from a hook.
He walked over to her. “Get out, Jillian,” he said coldly. “I don’t want you here.”
Her ego caused her spine to stiffen and she had to give herself a quick five count.Fight for him. Don’t give up.“But you need me,” she told him, shifting to his left to try to pass.
Cole moved to block her.
She looked up and their eyes locked. She released a little puff of breath to relieve the electricity she felt at being so close to him. Inhaling his scent. Getting lost in his eyes. Wanting to feel his touch.
She craved Cole Cress. It was a profound hunger fueled by love. She had to bite her lip to keep from revealing her heart to him. “You want to waste time arguing with me while your patrons wait,Chef?” she asked.
He turned and moved away from her with strides that revealed his annoyance. “You sure you’reallowedto help me?” he asked as he grabbed a towel and looked down at his hands as he wiped them.
“Allowed by whom?” she asked, stepping to the small sink to wash her hands before quickly surveying the ingredients in his fridge and the items offered on the menu.
The food truck was far more than that. It was a compact chef’s kitchen with all the bells and whistles. She felt excited to play with his beloved toy.
“My mother...andyourman,” Cole grumbled.
He’s jealous.
“Your mother does not own me, and the gentleman you saw me with was my ex-husband, not my current man,” she said, shifting to stand beside him and smile down at a young woman. “What can I get for you?”
At that point, they were off to the races and spent the next few hours splitting the grill to make the orders and trim the order line down. Long after darkness descended and the towering light poles of the park had to bring illumination, the two worked in sync, even helping each other with a particular order and using a shorthand to get the job done, fast, efficiently and, most important, deliciously.
Jillian found it exhilarating.
The close quarters and having to brush past Cole had stoked her desire. At times, she would notice the muscles of his arms as he reached to hand a customer their plate, or the way he used a cloth to dab at the sweat dampening his forehead, or the scent of his cologne mingling with the onion and spices in the air. The fit of his jeans on his buttocks. The small of his back when he reached for something from the shelf above his head.
