Her gaze caught on a spill on the counter. She frowned. "That needs to be cleaned up," she said.
Jeannie, one of the salad chefs, rushed to do her bidding. "Sorry, Chef," she said.
The title resonated down deep. She'd worked long and hard to become a chef. She'd earned it. And she wasn't giving it up.
"Welcome back, Chef," Lindsay said with a broad smile and eyes that looked suspiciously moist.
The others followed suit with welcoming greetings. These people were her family, and this was her home. Why the hell had she ever been scared to come back to the place where she belonged?
"Adrianna?" Stephan said from behind her.
She whirled around to see the question and hope in his eyes. "I'd like to accept your job offer," she said.
Pleasure filled his gaze. "I am so happy to hear that. Are you starting now?"
She laughed. "No, I'll start Monday. I need to wrap up a few things. But I am coming back. I've missed this place."
"And we have missed you. Monday is good." He stepped forward to hug her. "I'm very happy with your decision. And our customers will be excited, too."
"I'm sorry I took so long, Stephan."
He grabbed hold of her hands and squeezed. "You suffered a loss. We all did. But together we move forward. We're family."
"Yes, we are family." She drew in a deep breath and then turned to the kitchen staff. "Before I leave, I have some ideas to share with you regarding the dishes I tasted the other night. So gather around."
Two hours later with new sauces underway and dinner prep almost finished, Adrianna said her goodbyes. Instead of leaving through the back door as many of the staff did, she made her way through the front of the restaurant one more time. The dining room was filling up now. There were families, and singles, and couples in love. Everyone was looking forward to a lovely dinner, an evening out, a break from their lives, and that's the way it was supposed to be.
Lindsay followed her out the door and onto the sidewalk. "I'm incredibly thrilled you're coming back to work. The food tonight is already going to be ten times better. I don't know how we got so far off track."
"I'm not sure Roberto will be happy that I'm taking over his position."
"Roberto was drowning in a job he wasn't qualified for. He might not admit it, but he knew it. We all did. So what changed your mind – or should I say who?"
"It was just time," Adrianna said.
"And the hot cop had nothing to do with it?"
"He did give me some good advice."
"Where is he anyway? You two have been attached at the hip the last few days."
"He's taking care of some business. I actually didn't realize I'd stayed so long," she said, realizing it was almost six. She pulled out her cell phone. There were no messages.
"Something wrong?" Lindsay asked.
"Just wondering why Wyatt hasn't called me. I thought he might have more news by now."
"Any more sightings of his daughter?"
"No, and Ben took off earlier, so I don't know where he is either."
"You're getting really involved with this guy and his problems."
"He needs my help."
"And what do you need?"
"To help him," she said, deliberately avoiding the question in Lindsay's eyes.
"Come on, Adrianna. Wyatt is a very attractive man, and I can totally see why you're hot for him, but he seems to have a lot on the line with his daughter and his ex-wife, and I don't want you to get caught up in his problems. You've had enough darkness in your life, and you're just coming out of it. I don't want to see you dragged down. You should have some fun, so maybe a guy who isn't so intense is a better choice right now."
"Wyatt isn't dragging me down. In a strange way, he's lifted me up. I can't explain it, but he made me look at my life differently, and it was kind of an eye-opener. Besides that, we're not involved in the way you mean. We haven't slept together."
"I suspect that's coming."
"We're friends."
"Kissing friends."
"I'm leaving and you need to go back to work. And while I appreciate your warnings, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."
"You're a little naïve when it comes to love."
"We're not talking about love," she said, although her heart skipped a beat at the thought. Wyatt in love would be something to see. But after his experience with Jennifer, she doubted he'd be going down that road anytime soon. "I'll see you later, Lindsay."
"Call me if you need any more unsolicited advice," Lindsay said.
She smiled and said good-bye, then headed home.
* * *
Adrianna had hoped that Ben might be waiting at her apartment building, but there was no sign of him. No sign of Wyatt either, and he wasn't answering his phone. Once inside her apartment, she checked her mail and email, tidied up the bathroom, made a snack and then started to worry. Where was Wyatt? Why wasn't he calling her back?
By eight o'clock, she had the feeling something was very wrong. At nine, she hopped in her car and drove to Wyatt's condo. His car was out front, and there was a light on in the living room. Maybe something wasn't wrong. Maybe he'd found Stephanie and taken her home and was just too busy reuniting with his daughter to call her back.
Her hope faded a few moments later when Wyatt opened the door. He looked horrible. His button-down shirt was hanging out of his jeans, his eyes were bloodshot, his hair was standing on end, and his breath reeked of liquor…
"What happened?" she asked, preparing herself for the worst and praying it wouldn't be that bad. "Did you find them? Did you get into their apartment?"
Wyatt moved away from the door and headed over to the couch where a half empty bottle of vodka sat on the coffee table next to a dirty pink blanket.
Her heart turned over at the sight of that blanket. It had to be Stephanie's. "Wyatt, talk to me," she ordered.
He poured a shot of vodka and threw it down his throat. "Nothing to say," he finally got out, putting the glass down.
"Is this Stephanie's blanket?" She reached for it, but he grabbed her arm.
"Don't touch it," he bit out.
"You're scaring me. Is she all right?"
"How the hell would I know? This is all I have of hers." He drew in a ragged breath. "I found the blanket by the dumpster at the apartment building. Stephanie wouldn't have left it behind. She had this blanket since she was born."
"What else did you find?" she asked, worried about his answer.
"Nothing," he replied, pouring himself another shot.
"Wyatt, stop. Tell me what happened."
He ignored her plea and took another drink. Then he said, "I waited around for the manager. He finally showed up. He told me that the last time he saw Jen she was wasted, and some guy – some guy," he repeated, "was putting her and two little girls in the back of a cab. When he went up to the apartment, all their stuff was gone. Apparently, she skipped out on the rent. I checked the dumpsters to see if she'd thrown away any clues. That's when I found the blanket." He sank down on the couch, reaching for the bottle.
She snatched it away from him. "You don't need any more to drink."
"It's over, Adrianna. She's gone again, and I'll never find her. I can't keep looking. It's not getting me anywhere."
"No," she said firmly, sitting down next to him. "You don't quit. You told me that, and I believed you."
"Well, I lied."
"No, you didn't. You love your little girl. This is just a setback." She had to find a way to convince him. She couldn't stand seeing him so defeated.
"They could be anywhere, Adrianna. We're back to square one."
"We're not. They got in a cab. So call the cab company, find out where they went."
"I already did that. The cab took them to the airport. They're not in the city anymore."
She was beginning to understand the depth of his despair. "What airline?"
"United," he said dully, leaning back against the couch. "That's where th
e trail ends."
"Did they pay the cab with a credit card?"
"No that would be too easy."
"Did you talk to Josh? Does he have any ideas?"
"He's fresh out," Wyatt said. "And so am I. It's hopeless. It's done. Jen won. She beat me."
"She did not beat you," Adrianna said. "And I'm not done. I'm going to help you find her. I never should have left you alone earlier."
He gave her a weak smile. "You smell like garlic. You cooked today, didn't you?"
"Yes, but I don't want to talk about that right now."
"We might as well. It really is over, Adrianna. She left town."
"What about the passenger lists? Can you access those?" she asked.
"Josh couldn't find her name, but who knows what I.D. she is using now."
Adrianna got up and paced around the room, desperately wanting to help him. She had to think, because he was too exhausted and too sad to do it for himself.
"You said she was with a guy. Maybe it was that Brad guy – the music promoter."
"Brad Pennington. He moved out of his apartment two weeks ago, probably about the same time Jen did. I can't find any record of where he went."
"But someone knows him. He's a music promoter. He sounds like someone every club in town would know how to get a hold of." She sat down next to him. "We are not done fighting, Wyatt."
He leaned his head back against the couch. "You're amazing. Beautiful and strong and everything a woman should be."
"Thank you, although I suspect I owe that compliment to all the vodka you drank. I'm going to make you some coffee."
"Did you get the job?" he asked.
"Yes. I did what you said. I looked down. I faced the memories head on, and after a few minutes all I saw was the floor and not Will's body. And then I went into the kitchen and everyone was there, and I remembered why I love it so much. I helped with dinner prep and then I told Stephan I'd start work on Monday."
He gave her a nod. "That's good. You should get back to work. You have too much talent to waste."
"Are you hungry? Did you eat anything?"
He shrugged. "I don't remember."
"Okay, I'll make coffee and something to eat from whatever I can find in your kitchen, and then we're going to come up with a plan of attack."
"I'm not hungry. Just thirsty," he said pointedly, as he tried to grab the bottle.
"That's why I'm making you coffee." She took the vodka bottle into the kitchen and drained what was left down the sink. She started coffee but didn't see much in the fridge to turn into a meal. She'd start with toast. At least it would soak up some of the alcohol. She was sorry that she'd waited so long to come over. She'd known something was wrong; she should have acted sooner.
When the coffee and toast were ready, she headed back into the living room, surprised to find Wyatt off the couch. She really hoped he hadn't left the apartment. Venturing down the hall, she found him lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. She sat next to him. "I made you toast. It's in the kitchen. Do you want me to bring it in here?"
"I'm tired," he told her.
"You should sleep."
"Can't. When I close my eyes, I see her face – Stephanie's sweet little face, her trusting blue eyes. I was supposed to protect her."
"Don't run from the memory," she said, "take your own advice. Close your eyes and let yourself see her."
"I love her so much, Adrianna."
"I know."
"When she was born, it was like this huge flood of feeling. It overwhelmed me. I wasn't even sure I wanted to be a father, but the second she was born, something clicked inside of me. Her tiny finger curled around mine, and I was lost. I'd never felt so much emotion. I wanted her life to be perfect. I did everything I could to make that happen. But her life wasn't perfect. Because I gave her a rotten mother." He paused, a bitter smile playing around his lips. "It used to drive Jen nuts that Stephanie would always run to me, instead of to her. But why would she run to a woman who wasn't there half the time or the other half of the time told her to go away?" He shook his head in confusion. "Stephanie and I had such a bond. We were in sync. I knew what she wanted before she did. Now…"
"The bond is still there," she said, wanting to reassure him.
"I don't know if I'll ever see her again."
"You will. This is just a temporary setback, Wyatt."
"You said that before."
"And I'll say it again until you believe it."
"You asked me how I could keep going –"
"And you told me it was by looking at Stephanie's picture." She pointed to one of the framed photographs on the dresser. "She's right there. Look at her."
"I can't," he said. "Every time I think I'm close, it turns out to be another dead end."
She needed to find a way to convince him that he would rebound. She wasn't surprised he was reeling from the latest piece of news. It certainly was going to be more difficult to start looking for Jennifer in a new city. But she couldn't think about that right now, and neither could he.
"You'll bounce back, Wyatt," she said firmly. "Because no matter how bad you're feeling right now, come morning, you will be on your game, on the attack. You'll have a new plan, a fresh point of view."
"Just because you say it doesn't make it true," he said cynically.
"Oh, come on, Wyatt," she said a little more harshly. "This isn't you. You stay positive. You keep moving forward. You don't quit."
"I quit on Jen," he said candidly. "I gave up on her long before the separation or the divorce, even before the first rehab. I don't know when it actually happened – when we stopped giving a damn about each other, but I think it was early on."
"Well, she wasn't worth fighting for."
"Maybe if I had fought for her, things would be different."
"Why? Because then she wouldn't have gotten depressed when she got pregnant? She wouldn't have abandoned her daughter when she needed her? She wouldn't have taken painkillers after a car accident? I know you want to control everything around you and that you think you have infinite power over people, but you don't. You can't make someone do the right thing. Trust me on that, I know," she added, thinking about all the people she had desperately wanted to change into someone better. Eventually, she'd had to face the fact that she could only change herself. "Why don't you eat something?" she said again. "If toast isn't good, I can go to the market or the nearest restaurant and pick you up something."
"I'm not hungry," he said. "And you don't need to take care of me."
But she wanted to take care of him, and she was shocked by how much she wanted to ease his pain. She'd closed her heart down a long time ago, and while she tried to help people, she also tried not to get personally involved in their lives. She had enough of her own issues. But she had gotten incredibly involved with Wyatt. She knew more about him than she knew about people she'd been friends with for years. She was heavily invested in his search, in his pain, in his need. It was a little scary. But it was too late to back out, to pretend she didn't know what she knew or felt what she felt.
"What about the television?" she said as the silence went on too long, as Wyatt's direct stare was beginning to rattle her. She looked around. "Where's the remote?"
"I don't want to watch TV."
"You can't just brood. You have to do something. What about a swim? You said it was your therapy. There must be a pool open around somewhere."
"On a Saturday night?" he asked with a small smile. "Most people have better things to do than swim." He let out a sigh and held out his hand to her.
After a moment, she took it. His fingers wrapped around hers in delicious warmth.
"I shouldn't be your problem, Adrianna."
"I want to help."
"I know you do, but you can't."
A slow minute ticked by.
"Maybe I should go," she suggested.
His grip tightened. "Or – you could stay."
The plea in his eyes was born of so many
dark and swirling emotions that she was afraid to say yes and afraid to say no.
He reached out with his free hand and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "You're so beautiful, Adrianna, so honest and courageous, full of heart. Why didn't I meet you first? Why didn't I find you before I got my heart ripped apart?"
How could she answer that question? "I don't know, Wyatt. Maybe we were meant to meet now. This is the right time."
"You said it was the wrong time, the wrong place, and that I was the wrong man," he reminded her.
She had said that. She'd been trying to convince herself that any kind of relationship with Wyatt was out of the question, but now she wasn't so sure.
"You were right," he continued. "I don't have anything to offer a woman."
"I think you have a lot to offer," she said. "You have an amazing amount of love inside your heart for your daughter, and I know that extends to everyone in your life, your family, your friends. Any woman would be lucky to be a part of your circle, to be the person that you care about."
He ran his finger down the side of her face, blazing a trail of heat that ignited all of her nerve endings. "Prove it," he said, his eyes glittering with desire.
"I don't have to prove anything."
"Then you should go," he said, but his hand still held tight to hers.
She wanted to get up, to break the connection, but his gaze, the lightness of his finger as it ran across her jaw, made it impossible for her to move. The attraction between them had been simmering since their first meeting. And now it was starting to burn.
She didn't play with fire. She was cautious in relationships. She protected herself.
So why did she suddenly want to jump off a cliff with Wyatt?
"You're not moving," he said.
"I'm trying to," she said with a helpless smile.
His fingers cupped her chin. "You have the prettiest mouth."
"I always look better after a couple of shots of vodka."
"Stop making this about that. You know I like you. You know I want you."
She caught her bottom lip between her teeth. Hearing the words said so boldly, so bluntly, sent a jolt of desire through her. She'd never had a man state himself so clearly. And she found it both heart-stopping and terrifying.
When Wishes Collide Page 17
