Notorious (NeXt Book 1)

by K. M. Scott

  My misery makes Alex laugh. “It’s not that bad for me, actually. My father and Kane don’t really hang out in my kitchen, so I only see them when they pop in or when I go into the restaurant after my shift is over. And Kane is my uncle, and you know how he is. I swear there are some nights I don’t hear him speak a word to those of us in the kitchen.”

  I blow the air out of my lungs in frustration. “Too bad I’m not the son of Cassian March or Kane Jackson.”

  “It’s not bad for me, but Cash gets most of the grief from my dad like you do from your father. I’m guessing that’s why my brother’s going to be a lawyer and not a chef, like me. He never liked hearing about how the kitchen worked, and remember the first time he saw me making a meal? He laughed in my face.”

  “If only I loved something as much as you love doing what you do. I still don’t get the whole loving cooking food, but at least it’s something you’re passionate about. I have nothing like that.”

  Alex smiles and gets that look of pure happiness on his face like whenever he talks about his job. “It’s an art form. You take something that’s a raw material and you create a masterpiece. Even better, people then eat it and gush about how delicious it tastes. I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

  “An arteest, like that Hailey girl, huh? You should be interested in her. You have that whole food thing in common.”

  “I love how committed she is to making what she creates so beautiful, but she’s not my type,” he says like he’s thought about getting together with her.

  From out of nowhere, jealousy rears up in me. That’s never happened before when it comes to him. We’ve dated sisters, friends, cousins—you name it, and never once have I thought he might be a rival for any woman.

  But now with Hailey, he seems perfect for her compared to me. They both do that chef thing and they both love food for something other than putting it into their faces and eating. I doubt she’d run away from any conversation with him.

  “What do you mean she isn’t your type? She’s gorgeous, talented, everything a guy could want. Why wouldn’t she be your type?”

  “I don’t date women in the industry,” he answers flatly.

  What the hell is he talking about?

  “Who are you? Some big movie star? You don’t date in the industry? What kind of bullshit is that? I can’t count the number of servers you’ve been with.”

  Still, he shakes his head with a definite no. “Servers are different. Fellow chefs? Never. You don’t want to date someone just like you.”

  Now he sounds like a diva. I roll my eyes and shake my head at the nonsense coming out of his mouth. “That’s ridiculous. I thought having things in common was what you need for a relationship.”

  He seizes on my use of the word relationship, practically leaping out of the chair when he asks, “So now we’re talking about relationships? First you have to get a job, and now you’re talking about settling down with someone? I’m guessing you’ve decided you want Hailey Canton. She’s definitely got it all.”

  Under my breath, I mumble, “Which she ran away with while I tried to talk to her.”

  Alex leans forward and gives me a strange look. “What did you say?”

  He’s been my best friend from practically the minute we were born, so I guess I can confess the truth of what happened to him. “I stopped by to talk to her yesterday afternoon. You know, to chat her up and see if she wanted to go for a ride or something.”

  “No need to explain your methods, Cade. I’ve seen every move you have. So what happened?”

  Blowing the air out between my lips, I sit back in frustration. “Nothing. Well, nothing good. We talked for about five seconds. She sort of looked like she was happy to see me. At least I think she did. Well, after she got over being surprised that I had stopped into that diner again. I asked her if she wanted to hang out, and she said no. She actually thought I had come back for more of those cookies. Wild, huh?”

  He hums at the memory of that chocolate lace cookie. Typical Alex. “That cookie was pretty fucking good. She has a gift.”

  “Yeah, I guess, but I didn’t go there to talk about desserts. So I’m trying to talk her up and feel the situation out, and she suddenly said she had to go and ran away. No kidding. She just ran back into the restaurant, even though she was on her way out when I caught up with her. I waited around for a few minutes, but she never came back out. What the hell was that about?”

  My cousin’s eyes grow wide for a second and then he throws his head back and laughs. “She ran away from you? Dude, you are totally losing your touch. I can’t remember a single time a woman has run away from me while I was talking to her. Too funny.”

  So much for having a best friend you can confide in.

  I take a swig of my beer and then chug the rest of it. Slamming the empty bottle on the coffee table, I whip him off. “Fuck you, Alex.”

  Still laughing, he waves off my irritation. “Okay, my bad. I didn’t mean to laugh at your humiliation. You have to remember she’s someone who’s creative, so maybe she saw your moves coming from a mile away and wasn’t having them. Maybe you’ll have to do more with this girl than just show up as you with that great car as your calling card.”

  “Dude, I wasn’t standing there in the middle of the Comfort Food parking lot showing her all my moves. I was just trying to have a conversation to get to know her and she…”

  I can’t bring myself to say she ran away again. I’ve replayed the scene in my head a hundred times since yesterday, and then every time I checked my phone to see if she texted or called when I was asleep. I may not be the world champion in seducing women, but even I know when one runs away, it’s not a good sign.

  “She bolted,” he says in a serious voice I know is taking every bit of strength he has because he probably wants to continue laughing in my face.

  “So what are you going to do? Maybe she’s not your type?” Alex asks, giving voice to something I’ve wondered more than once.

  No. I don’t know if Hailey is my type, but I want to get to know her before I cross her off my list. Maybe she really is just a shy girl. Nothing wrong with that. I can work with shy.

  As long as she doesn’t keep running away when I try to talk to her.

  “I don’t know if she is or isn’t, but I’m not ready to throw in the towel quite yet. She’s a beautiful woman. I’m me. I don’t see why we can’t get together and have a good time, right?”

  “You’re one of a kind, Cade. I can’t decide if you’re funny or just way too fucking cocky. Either way, you’re okay, man. So are we going to sit around talking about your failure with women all day or head out and get this day started? I have to be at work by six, so time’s wasting.”

  He doesn’t give me a chance to answer his questions before he grabs my bottle off the table and walks into the kitchen. Alex is one of those creative types. He and Hailey are a lot alike in that way, especially since they both like to create with food. Maybe she’s a lot like him, which would be great since he’s my best friend.

  Sounds like the best of both worlds in one beautiful woman. How could I not take a chance on that?

  Chapter Eight

  Hailey

  My phone vibrates against my side, tearing me from my thoughts about how I acted with Cade yesterday. I grab it and see it’s Meadow calling me. She must want to talk about the interview again, but I’m probably not the best cheerleader at this moment.

  “Hey, Meadow! What’s up?” I say into the phone as I pretend not to be miserable.

  “Hailey, I got it! I got the job! Oh, my God! I can’t believe it. Can you believe it? Durkin and Chestnut offered me a position in their firm. I’m going to be designing for the best firm in Tampa!” she squeals into my ear.

  I sit up in bed, finally excited about something after the last twenty-four hours of regret and recriminations I’ve beat myself up with over running away from Cade like some scared rabbit. “That is so great! I knew you’d get it. They’d
be crazy not to hire you with your experience. Ten to one they decided after your work on the Tamsin project.”

  She sighs into the phone at my mention of her favorite achievement since she started designing homes. “I loved working on that house. It will forever be the best time I ever had. Tamsin.”

  “The best until now.”

  “True. So we have to celebrate. Sabrina made reservations for us tomorrow night, so get out your best dress, girl, because we are celebrating.”

  “Okay. Sounds good!”

  That part came out forced because while I love Meadow, her sister Sabrina can grate on my last nerve sometimes. She’s like every Barbie doll, supermodel, and overachiever all rolled into one when she gets going after a few drinks.

  Too perky, too perfect, and too much.

  “She’s going to send me all the particulars, so I’ll text them to you when she gets them to me. Oh, Hailey, I’m so excited. The best design firm in the city wants me. I can’t get over it. I keep pinching myself to see if it’s really real.”

  “It’s really real,” I say with a chuckle at how adorable she is. “You deserve this. Twenty-five and on your way to the top. Will you remember us little people when you get there?” I tease.

  “Of course,” she answers, giggling. “How could I forget my friends who’ve always been there for me?”

  “Make sure you mention us in your speech when you win designer of the year.”

  “I will. I have to go now. I feel like all my clothes for work look like rags, so I’m going to splurge on some new skirts and tops. Maybe even a suit to replace the one I’ve had all this time since I started. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow night. As soon as Sabrina texts me the details, I’ll send them along. Do you want to grab a ride with us, or are you flying solo?”

  The thought of being trapped in a car with Sabrina to and from the restaurant, in addition to sitting at the table with her for dinner makes that answer easy. “I’ll drive my car. Just let me know when and where and I’ll be there with bells on.”

  Meadow is so delirious with happiness she’s forgotten how her sister and I get along. That’s okay, though. It’s her night, so we can behave for a few hours and celebrate her success.

  At least I can. As for Sabrina, I can’t say.

  “Great! It’s going to be so much fun!” she squeals.

  “Congratulations, Meadow. You deserve this. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

  I lay back on my bed and try not to let my jealousy get the better of me. I love Meadow like I love my sisters. She’s been like a member of my family since we were kids in elementary school. I’m happy for her.

  Really.

  Meadow deserves everything she’s getting. She’s worked her ass off to make a name for herself in the design business around town. She’s talented and disciplined.

  Then why is it that all I feel as I lie here staring up at my bedroom ceiling is jealousy?

  All day, I wait for her text as I try my hand at making rose cupcakes for the restaurant. They turn out better than I expected, and no sooner do I put the pink, white, and peach colored cupcakes out in the case, I finally get word from Meadow where we’re going and what time.

  Be at CK at six. Can’t wait to see you!

  CK. That’s the restaurant Cade’s cousin said he worked at. I stare down at my phone and wonder if I should text her back for the address or if she’ll realize she forgot to send it. A second later, another text from Meadow makes my phone vibrate in my hand, and I see she did remember.

  Money must be no object for Sabrina tonight since CK is one of the best restaurants in town. Definitely not in my usual price range, but for Meadow, I’ll swing it.

  Catching a glimpse of myself in the glass window of the display case, I grimace. I might be able to afford CK for one dinner, but with the way I look, I’ll stick out like a sore thumb at a place like that.

  Unfortunately, I don’t have enough time to go shopping for a new outfit, so I’ll just have to muddle through with that dress I bought last summer before everything happened. I close my eyes and try to push away the negative thoughts that immediately pop up in my mind.

  So things went horribly wrong and your boyfriend cheated on you. It happens. At least you’ll get to wear that dress you were supposed to wear to the rehearsal party.

  I repeat those words over and over for a few moments, just like Dr. Thorpe always says to, and for the first time ever, it actually works. I take a deep breath in and let it out slowly—also a trick she swears by—and open my eyes to see my reflection staring back at me.

  Still not great, but with some makeup and my trusty hair straightener, I’ll look good enough for Meadow’s celebration dinner. It doesn’t really matter what I look like anyway. With her sister there looking like Miss Florida, who’s going to notice?

  “Is this place not the most gorgeous place you’ve ever seen?” Sabrina gushes as Meadow and I scan the menu.

  Normally, her exaggerating gets on my nerves, but tonight she isn’t overstating how incredible CK is. Dimly lit by lights in the ceiling, sconces on the dark colored walls, and lamps on end tables scattered around the restaurant, the bank of windows that takes up the entire wall facing out toward the water provides not only enough light but a breathtaking view.

  Gorgeous is the least CK is.

  “I feel like I’ve died and gone to heaven,” Meadow whispers as she leans over toward me. “This menu has so many things that look so good. What are you thinking of getting?”

  My eyes roam over the large parchment menu in my hands for a moment before I turn to face her. “I have no idea. Maybe the shrimp risotto?”

  “You have to get the steak, Meadow,” Sabrina says, interrupting us. “I’ve heard people say it’s the best they’ve ever had. Something about the way they treat it or where they get it from. That’s what I’m getting.”

  Meadow stifles a laugh and points at the steak section on the menu. “Steak with rosemary chimichurri? I can do rosemary, but I’m not always a chimichurri fan, Sabrina.”

  Her sister waves away her concern about the spiciness of the dish. “It’ll be fine. Places like this never go full-tilt on the spice anyway.”

  I roll my eyes behind my menu, and as Meadow leans away to sit back in her seat, she says, “I’ll think about it, but I’m really feeling salmon tonight. The only thing is I like it well-done. Do you think that will be a problem?”

  Before I can say she’s the guest of honor so she can have her salmon any way she likes, her sister leans in toward the center of the table shaking her head. “That’s like blasphemy to chefs at a restaurant like this. You can’t ask for that, Meadow. What’s wrong with salmon like it’s usually done?”

  Meadow get a sheepish look and shrugs. “The texture is too soft. It makes eating it almost impossible.”

  “Then you have to get the steak. That’s it. Steak it is.”

  We’ve been here fifteen minutes, and already I want to stick a fork through Sabrina’s forehead. I promised I wouldn’t say anything to make anyone uncomfortable tonight, but before I can stop myself, I mumble, “Why don’t we let the woman who just scored the job of her dreams choose what she’s going to eat and how she’s going to eat it?”

  Despite the fact that every table around us is filled with other people, I swear I can hear a pin drop when those words come out of my mouth. Meadow pulls her menu so close to her face that she can’t possibly even see the words to read them, and I glare across the table at Sabrina with a death stare since I’ve already gone back on my promise to not get into it with her.

  The entire scene feels like someone’s put the world on slow-motion speed. Nobody seems to be moving around us, and all I can hear is the sound of my heartbeat pounding in my ears.

  Sabrina glares back at me from across the table, her perfectly made up eyes with her fake lashes ever so slightly narrowed to let me know she didn’t appreciate my little comment. Well, too bad.

  “Meadow, you do what you want. Tonig
ht is your night, so you don’t have to listen to anyone.”

  Typical Sabrina. She gets bossy and then makes it seem like everyone else is pressuring people to do things.

  Lost in my disgust with how easy it is to predict Meadow’s sister would act like this, I don’t see the man approaching our table until he’s right next to my elbow. I look up and see it’s none other than Cade’s cousin himself.

  He smiles, showing off perfectly white teeth and lighting up his face so even his dark brown eyes seem to sparkle. I hadn’t noticed how stunning he was that day, but now as he’s standing over me looking down like he’s happy to see me, I’m taken aback by how he looks, even in his chef uniform.

  Oh, my God! I can’t remember his name! What was it? Damnit, I can only remember Cade’s name. He’s going to think I’m so rude. He said such wonderful things about my cookies, and I can’t even remember his name.

  “Hailey, isn’t it? The woman who makes the incredible desserts at Comfort Food?”

  I give him a smile I hope hides the terror racing through me as I try to recall what his name was. Cade and… Oh, God. How could I have forgotten?

  Finally, after a pregnant pause that surely must be making him wonder if I’m suddenly a mute, I say, “Hi! Yes, that’s me. Thank you so much for remembering…”

  His smile grows broader, and he finishes my sentence, mercifully. “Alex. It’s great to see you again, Hailey. I don’t remember if I mentioned where I worked, but I happened to look out and saw you sitting here, so I thought it would be only right that I came out to say hello to return the professional courtesy.”

  I smile and open my mouth to introduce everyone at the table to Alex, but Sabrina chimes in with, “Professional courtesy? Did you get a promotion, Hailey? I thought you made desserts at your parents’ restaurant.”

  Every cell in my body screams for me to lash out at her for that little swipe at what I do, but I don’t get the chance to even give her a nasty look before Alex says, “What Hailey does at her job is very much the same as what I do. If you can’t see that, you need to look again at what she creates. She and I are equals when it comes to our professions.”