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She turned away from him, knowing it was pointless to argue then. To give herself time to calm down, she tried to focus on responding to her emails. Not that she was really seeing anything as she looked at her screen. She was grateful when he got up and walked outside, giving her some space. She’d think about the situation and try again later to persuade him. There had to be a convincing argument.
By dinnertime, nothing had come to her mind, and they’d barely spoken a word to each other. They went to the main lodge to eat, sitting next to each other with the tension between them. When they were almost through, Luna plopped down across from them.
“Hey, guys. I thought your pool session went well for you.”
“It seemed to,” Sophie admitted. Their almost-kiss still fluttered around in her head, making it hard for her to focus. Unfortunately, the case had come between them, and everything had changed, becoming more tense. She understood and appreciated his protectiveness. He was taking his role as her bodyguard seriously. Once, she wouldn’t have thought him capable of that. She knew better now, knewhimbetter. And liked him, too. But him being good at his job shouldn’t mean that she wasn’t allowed to do hers. She wanted to find a compromise, but she refused to shut the door on an interview that could crack the case wide open. Yes, it could be risky. But she truly believed that risk was worth it. If she’d wanted to be completely safe all the time, she wouldn’t have gone into investigative reporting in the first place.
Luna’s eyes shifted between her and Owen, clearly picking up on the tension. Sophie wasn’t going to try to explain it, but she was looking for an out so when Luna, after a few minutes of idle chit-chat, suggested she help out in the kitchen, she jumped at it. She wasn’t much of a cook and never volunteered to do the dishes, but she’d do anything to put some distance between her and Owen for a few minutes. Because if she stuck around, she was either going to pick a fight with him or convince him to pick up where they’d left off poolside.
The fact that Luna was probably trying to throw her together with the chef occurred to Sophie, but she didn’t care. She got up and walked away without bothering to say anything to Owen, heading for the swinging doors that led into the kitchen.
With dinner service over and the last of the desserts going out, the kitchen was relatively quiet. She found Eduardo at a small desk in the back of the kitchen with handwritten notes covering the surface.
“Hi,” she said, trying to find her cheerfulness. “Luna suggested that I help out, but it looks like the work’s done in here for the night.
“Hello.” Eduardo smiled at her. He had a nice smile, the kind that would make a lot of women melt a little. That and his warm, brown eyes. “The work is never done. Here.” He pulled out a stool for her. “You can help me decide on the menu for tomorrow and the next day.”
“I thought you’d have it all planned out,” she said, taking the seat.
“Much of it, yes, but I like to work with what I can get on the local market and fine tune it.” He put before her several index cards with recipes written on them. “My supplier is dropping off newly picked asparagus and strawberries in the morning.”
“I love strawberries,” she said.
“Do you? I’m thinking a version of strawberry shortcake with shortbread and Chantilly cream for tomorrow night’s dessert. Would you like that?”
“Sounds delicious.” It really did. And she liked how seriously he took his job, putting so much thought into making every meal a good experience for the guests. “Luna said you used to work at a resort in Myrtle Beach. Are you enjoying the change of pace?”
“I am. I had little control over the menu there. Here, Luna lets me make all the decisions.”
“I can see the advantage of that. Like having your own restaurant.”
He leaned forward, like he was sharing a secret. “Actually, that is the goal.”
He smelled good, too. So why was she feeling nothing for him? She knew the answer to that.
Owen.
“How exciting! Where?” She tried to convey interest in what he was saying even if she didn’t feel it.
“Most chefs would say New York or San Francisco, but I like the attitude of the south. I think Charleston would suit me. It’s a foodie town, so the competition is fierce, but that would make success all the more rewarding.”
“I’ve never been. I hear it’s a lovely place.”
He nodded, looking genuinely excited. “I’ve picked out a few possible locations and have my sights set on achieving my dream within the next two years.”
“You’re ambitious,” she said. In that way they were alike. He knew what he wanted and was going after it, making careful choices to grow his career and improve his skills as a chef. Yes, she could understand why Luna thought they might hit it off. She should have been interested in Eduardo, but the truth was that while she wished him well, she wasn’t at all interested in him.
What was wrong with her? She was driven, ambitious, and liked that quality in others. The fact that Owen didn’t seem to possess those traits was a disconnect between them. Or it had been. She’d been wrong about him. She had to admit that.
For whatever reason, she’d much prefer arguing with Owen to being in a kitchen looking at recipes with Eduardo. When Owen came through the swinging door, she felt her heart rate pick up—and it wasn’t because of the tension over the interview. It was all about a different kind of tension that was simmering between them.
“I came to see if there was anything I could do,” he said, smiling pleasantly at Sophie and slipping his arm around her waist. “I don’t think we’ve actually met. I’m Owen.” He shook hands with Eduardo.
“A pleasure to meet you,” Eduardo said. “As you can see, the work here is nearly done. You two should go enjoy the evening. After all, you are guests.”
Sophie doubted that Luna had confided in Eduardo about her ruse with the fake husband, so he likely assumed that Owen and she were married—in a troubled relationship, but married.
“Good night,” Sophie said. “I’ll look forward to dessert tomorrow evening.”
