by Holly Martin
‘I see,’ Aria said, not giving anything away.
She wrote something down on her notebook and slid it over in Skye’s direction to read.
Stop staring at him with puppy dog eyes.
Skye suppressed a smile, but glanced over to see the other candidates watching them. They were probably far enough away not to really hear what was being discussed but they could certainly see Skye having orgasms over the amazing food and staring at Jesse as if she wanted to have his babies – which was true.
She glanced back at Jesse and he was still scowling. ‘Wait a minute, if you’re going to penalise anyone over that, penalise me, not Emile. He didn’t ask for my help, I kind of forced it on him. And the tinned custard was totally my idea, so if I broke any rules by using that, again that’s my fault not his.’
‘Jesse.’ Skye held up a hand to stop him. ‘We were both very impressed that you did that. It was very surprising – neither of us have seen that in an interview before – but if you work in a kitchen, at least in the ones I’ve worked in, everyone pulls together. People have their own areas that they are designated to, but if it goes wrong, which it inevitably does, everyone helps each other out. I’m not looking for someone who can work solo in my kitchen, I’m looking for someone that can be part of my team.’
She glanced at Aria who was giving her a warning look. They still had Meadow and Emile to talk to yet and their food to try. Skye could hardly hand over the job to Jesse right now, no matter how much she wanted to, and she’d also agreed that Aria could have the final say so she wouldn’t be allowed to do that anyway.
Skye cleared her throat. ‘I just want you to know that, regardless of whether you get the job or not, you did nothing wrong by stepping in to help Emile.’
Jesse nodded. ‘Thank you.’
‘Thanks Jesse, I think we have everything we need,’ Aria said.
He moved to take the plates away but Skye stopped him. ‘Don’t you dare.’
Jesse smirked and walked back over towards the waiting candidates.
Skye tucked into the remaining food while Aria stared at her incredulously.
‘Have you got worms or something?’ Aria muttered.
‘I have real cravings for savoury foods lately. I’ve been off my food for weeks and thought I was coming down with a bug last month. I didn’t want to really eat anything but the last week my appetite has returned with a vengeance. I’m permanently hungry.’
‘Well maybe you can rein it in a bit, at least until the interviews are over.’
Skye nodded begrudgingly and Aria whipped the plates away and put them on the table behind them.
‘Are you ready for the next person?’ Aria said.
Skye nodded.
‘Meadow!’ Aria called over.
Meadow came over with her creation but Skye knew it was going to have to be pretty bloody spectacular to top Jesse’s bruschetta and steak which she could still smell from here.
Chapter Eighteen
After talking to Emile, Aria stood up.
‘Thank you all for coming, you can go now. We will be in contact with you later on this afternoon or early evening to let you know the result.’
They all got up and left apart from Jesse but, as he came over to talk to Skye and Aria, Skye shooed him away and he reluctantly left as well.
Skye turned to her sister eagerly. ‘Well?’
‘There was one clear winner for me,’ Aria said.
‘For me too.’
Aria laughed and rolled her eyes. ‘Go and get him, I’m sure he is lurking outside.’
Skye squealed. ‘Really? You honestly think he’s the best?’
‘Yes by an absolute mile, but what did you think of Meadow?’
‘I really liked her,’ Skye said.
‘I did as well, she shined in the practical.’
Skye frowned. ‘What are you thinking?’
‘That Basia could almost definitely do with a hand in the hotel kitchen, although she’d never admit it. And Jesse really wants to make all different foods not just desserts…’
‘Are you poaching Jesse off me?’ Skye said, aghast.
‘I’m suggesting that maybe between him and Meadow we can have some kind of job share between here and the hotel. They both alternate between here and there, doing two or three nights a week in both places, so the nights that Jesse is up there, you’d have Meadow here.’
‘I could live with that.’
‘Right, I have to get back. I’ll leave you to tell him and I’ll contact the others,’ Aria said.
Skye hugged her. ‘Thank you.’
Aria smiled. ‘You don’t need to thank me, Jesse did all the right things. I wasn’t looking forward to letting him or you down but thankfully it didn’t come to that. I’ll see you later.’
She left and Skye couldn’t wait for Jesse to come in so she quickly ran towards the door and slammed straight into him as he was walking back through the door. He steadied her with his hands on her shoulders.
‘Ow!’ Skye said, holding her breasts. They were so tender lately.
‘You OK?’ Jesse said, his eyes clouding with concern.
‘Yes, I’m fine,’ Skye said.
He grinned mischievously. ‘Do you want me to rub them better for you?’
‘I think that will have to wait… Jesse, you got the job.’
He stared at her for a moment, almost frozen to the spot. ‘Really?’
‘Yes! I’m not going to lie to you about something as important as this.’
‘Seriously, I got the job?’ Jesse said. ‘There were lots of very qualified people in here today, Meadow was very experienced and—’
‘Aria said you were the best for the job by a mile. And she wants you to work in the hotel kitchen too so you can make other kinds of dishes beyond desserts. You’ll be working there two or three nights a week and she’s employing Meadow as well to work alternately with you, so she’d be here when you’re up there and vice versa. The fact that you made food that wasn’t a dessert was really good, you took a chance to show us what you were passionate about and it totally paid off, never mind the fact that the bruschetta and steak was the best I’ve ever tasted. You came across really well in the interview and you helping Emile really showed how well you can work in a team, under pressure. You are perfect for this. Although really I never had any doubt.’
A small smile spread until it filled his whole face. ‘I got the job? I got the job! I never thought I’d ever get a job as a chef. This is unbelievable. Thank you.’
‘As Aria said, you don’t need to thank me, you did all the hard work.’
Jesse went and sat down at the nearest booth, letting out a heavy breath. ‘I can’t believe it. And I’m so glad Meadow got the job too. I thought she was very good and she’ll be here to help you while I sort out my visas, which could take a while.’
Skye’s heart leapt. ‘I can’t believe you’ll actually be coming here, to live.’
He frowned. ‘I can’t promise that, Skye. I will do everything I can, but I still don’t know for sure.’
She went and sat on his lap and he wrapped his arms around her. ‘And we will do everything we can to help you. I’m sure Noah knows more about this than we do. He was always moving his staff between his hotels around the world so I bet he’s dealt with this kind of thing before.’
Jesse nodded but he didn’t seem any less worried. She stroked his face and he smiled slightly.
‘I just don’t want to let you down,’ he said.
‘You could never do that.’
He smiled and kissed her.
Skye stared at the list on the computer screen, her eyelids drooping. She was so tired lately and she had no idea why. She always worked such long hours – even when the café was closed she was there making new flavours or experimenting with new recipes. She supposed that all the added work preparing for the parade, and Jesse being here – which meant being awake for most of the night – was taking its toll.
&nbs
p; It wasn’t too late. Jesse had shooed her off home earlier, saying he would make sure everything was cleaned and locked up. She had so much to do with organising the parade but she was dead on her feet.
She was sitting on the sofa in her cottage, working her way through the list of everything she needed to get ready for the parade. She had emailed several local companies, including one that was going to provide a bouncy castle and a few that were going to come with traditional games like a coconut shy and hook a duck. She had also contacted a local firework display company to see if they could fit her in at such short notice. And even though it made her cringe, she was going to contact the navy in the hope they would agree to escort the pie just like they’d always done. She didn’t think they would but she’d promised Bea she would try. And just in case they said no, she had emailed Theo, the island’s helicopter pilot, to ask if he would be willing to do a fly-by. Knowing Theo, he was probably about as likely to agree as the navy were to escort a rhubarb pie, but at least she had asked.
She was now in the middle of making a kind of programme of events, which she was planning to send it out to everyone on the island so they would have an idea of timings and what to expect. She also needed to draw up a timetable of workshops with Jesse for people to sign up for. She was going to offer three workshops to start with, one for pancakes, one for waffles and one for churros (which he had recently added to the menu). If they filled up, she would ask him if he would be willing to offer a few more slots. She wanted him to feel proud of his skills and achievements in teaching himself how to cook. But mostly she wanted him to be a part of the celebrations surrounding Cones at the Cove, because this place was as much his as it was hers. He might not be here all the time but he had helped build it up from the dilapidated shack to the wonderful café it was now. He had come up with new flavours for the ice cream, he had collaborated with her to put new desserts on the menu and he had worked almost every shift alongside her whenever he’d come over. She wanted him to see he was a valued member of the team even if he didn’t yet believe it.
She leaned her head back against the sofa and watched the sea twinkle in the moonlight outside her lounge window.
She let her eyes close just for a second and the next thing she knew Jesse was sitting next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
She opened her eyes to look at him, and saw Bea watching her with concern.
‘You OK?’ Jesse said.
‘I’m fine.’ She glanced at Bea. ‘I promise.’
‘You were fast asleep when we came in, you feeling all right?’ Jesse said.
‘I fell asleep? God, I just feel so tired lately. I don’t know why.’
‘Because you’re working so hard. Or you’re coming down with some bug.’
‘I thought that last month. I was off my food for a while, but now I could eat for England – well, savoury stuff. I’m not that keen on sweet stuff right now, which is a bit of a pain considering where I work. But I doubt I’m sick when I want to eat so much.’
‘Maybe you have worms,’ Bea said, pulling a face.
Skye laughed. ‘Aria said the same.’
‘It wouldn’t hurt to get checked out by the doctor,’ Jesse said.
‘I’m fine. I have so much to do anyway, I haven’t got the time.’
‘For the parade? I can do some of it,’ Jesse said.
‘I can help too,’ Bea said.
‘But I need to—’
‘Let us help. We’re a team, you don’t have to do it all alone.’
She smiled. She liked the idea of being a team. ‘OK, I’ll divvy up some jobs tomorrow.’
‘Right, I’m off to bed,’ Bea said. She leaned over and kissed Jesse on the cheek and kissed Skye on the cheek too. ‘Night, wormy.’
Skye smiled and Bea ran off upstairs giggling.
She closed her eyes and snuggled into Jesse. His shoulder was so comfy.
‘What can I do to help?’ he said.
‘You can contact the navy and ask them to escort the pie,’ Skye said, smiling to herself. There was no way he would do that.
‘No problem,’ Jesse said, easily, and then to her frustration he got up, just as she was getting comfortable.
To her surprise, he gently scooped her up into his arms. She wrapped her arms round his neck.
‘What are you doing?’ she asked.
‘Going to bed.’
She smiled and kissed his neck in the exact place he loved to be kissed.
‘To sleep,’ Jesse said, as he climbed the stairs.
‘Oh,’ Skye said. That was disappointing but right then she probably didn’t have the energy to do much else.
He placed her down on the edge of her bed and then started gently undressing her. She quirked an eyebrow at him and he laughed and he shook his head. ‘Not tonight.’
He helped her on with her t-shirt and gestured for her to get into bed. She clambered in and had the pleasure of watching him get undressed too. He stripped down to his shorts before climbing into bed. She rolled over to face away from him and he immediately curled himself around her, his arms, his legs, so she was cocooned in his embrace. She loved sleeping like this; she felt safe, adored.
She closed her eyes.
‘Tomorrow, I think you should go to the doctor’s,’ Jesse said, kissing her shoulder.
‘Hmm,’ Skye said, noncommittally, and then quickly changed the subject. ‘I can’t believe you’re actually coming here to live. I’m so excited. Are you happy?’
‘I’m thrilled, you’ve given me my dream job. Being a chef was what I always wanted to do – even when I was a boy I was always cooking in the kitchen. You’ve literally made my dreams come true.’
‘I’m happy we were able to do that for you,’ Skye said, genuinely. ‘I want you to see how brilliant you are and maybe now you’ll start believing it.’ She paused. ‘But I meant, are you happy about coming here?’
He paused for just a second too long. ‘Of course I am.’
Somewhere at the back of her mind, doubt crept in. Was he coming here for her or for the job?
But as he continued to pepper gentle kisses on her throat and shoulder, doubt drifted away as she fell into a deep sleep.
Chapter Nineteen
Skye flopped down in the booth with Aria and Clover the next day, ready for their meeting. She had been rushing around all morning trying to get stuff ready for the parade and, true to his word, Jesse had helped too, even contacting the navy to ask them to escort the pie. He’d also helped to draw up the programme of events they were going to send out to all the villagers. Bea had created a poster advertising free ice cream for a month for the person who donated the most amount of rhubarb and another poster with the same prize for the best pudding competition in the hope of encouraging more people to take part in the parade.
Everything was coming together. Except they still didn’t know what the secret ingredient was. Jesse had played around with rhubarb and lavender and Sylvia had pulled a face when tasting it and unequivocally declared it the most disgusting thing she had ever eaten, which Jesse took to mean it wasn’t the secret ingredient they were searching for. Bea had gone off to the village now with renewed determination to find the room that the key opened, in the hope that that would unearth the answers.
‘How’s it going?’ Aria said, distracting Skye from staring at Jesse, who was standing near the kitchen, chatting to Noah and Angel.
‘Good, I think.’
‘Is he happy about the job?’ Clover asked.
‘He’s over the moon,’ Skye said. ‘He’s been singing to himself all morning, he’s visibly happier and, in between helping me with parade stuff, he has spent hours researching Canadian and UK immigration and chatted for ages on the phone to an immigration lawyer. He is determined to get it sorted as soon as possible.’
Aria studied her for a moment. ‘Why do I feel you’re not exactly happy about this?’
Skye sighed. ‘I’m such an idiot, I’ve been wanting this f
or so long and now I have it, I…’
‘You don’t want it?’ Aria asked in confusion.
‘No, of course I do, I just…’
‘You want him to come here for you,’ Clover said, softly.
‘Yes. It’s the most ridiculous thing, because I have everything I’ve ever wanted. I have him and Bea coming to live here, I’ll be working alongside him which I love,’ Skye said. ‘But I’ve been here for over two years now and he has never made any mention about coming here before, and now he has a job, his dream job, he is pulling out all the stops to come here and I just feel… I’m being silly.’
‘You’re not being silly at all,’ Clover said.
‘I’m so ungrateful. He’s coming here, he’s making this big move across the world. It should be enough, shouldn’t it? And I know we’ll get on great, living together, we’re best friends, we have great sex… Why do I want more than that?’
‘You’re not being unreasonable wanting him to come here because he loves you,’ Aria said.
‘You deserve to be loved,’ Clover said. ‘You should never settle for less than that.’
Tears filled Skye’s eyes and she quickly wiped them away with a laugh. ‘I have no idea what is wrong with me lately. I never cry and the last few weeks I’ve shed more tears than I’ve ever shed in my life. But I think it’s just because I’m so tired.’
‘You’re not pregnant, are you?’ Clover asked.
Skye laughed. ‘No, I’m not.’
‘Are you sure? My emotions are all over the place. I burst into tears this morning just because I couldn’t find my favourite pink socks.’
Skye laughed. ‘What did Angel do?’
‘He tore the house apart until he found them. And then I caught him ordering some spare ones from the internet over breakfast. I laughed and told him I’d probably be crying over missing blue ones next week.’
