by Cat Schield
“You’re going to do the show?”
“It means we can be together in New York.”
She avoided his gaze. “You know you’ll hate being stuck in the city.”
“I don’t know that.” Her lack of enthusiasm for their upcoming proximity left him questioning whether she wanted him in her life. “New York has a lot to offer in terms of culinary experiences.”
“Did you agree to cut your hair?”
“It’s part of the rebranding.”
“Don’t do it.” She reached up and swept her fingers into his hair, tugging his head down. “Promise me.”
“I can’t. They’re right. In order to appeal to a wider audience, I need a different look.”
“You won’t look like you.”
“It’s just hair.”
“It’s not. It’s part of your image. You are the daring adventurer. The guy that charges into dangerous locales and bravely eats whatever exotic fare the population considers typical.”
“I can’t be that guy the rest of my life.”
“Why not?” She stared at him intently. “That’s the man I fell in love with.”
Her words hit him square in the breastbone. Living without her these past few days had been hell. He couldn’t face a future apart from her. But telling her that he loved her wasn’t going to make the problem between them go away.
“Because I realized after meeting your father that the traveling I do keeps me apart from people I care about. I don’t want to be alone the rest of my life. I want you.”
“You can have me and all the adventures you could ever want.”
“A part-time relationship with you isn’t what I had in mind.”
Then her lips were on his and his arms went around her slim body. The kiss was frantic and tasted like goodbye. Ashton’s heart was a bowling ball in his chest by the time her lips peeled away from his.
“We’re good together,” she said.
“The key word is together.” He cupped her face and kissed her lightly on the lips. “Tell your grandfather the truth and we can go adventuring together.”
“I thought you wanted the Lifestyle Network show.”
“I’d rather have you happy and whole.”
“Then you understand how I feel about you.” She grabbed his hands and pulled them away from her face. “Do the show. It’s what’s right for your career.”
“In the past few weeks I’ve decided I’m more than my career. What about you?”
She wouldn’t meet his gaze. “It’s getting late. Shouldn’t you be in the kitchen inspiring your staff?”
Ashton eyed her set expression and wondered what would change her mind about permanently taking over as Fontaine’s CEO. With a tight nod, he gently kissed her forehead.
“I’ll see you in the restaurant later.”
“Good luck tonight.” With those parting words, she was gone.
With the opening of Batouri mere hours away, Ashton should have been completely consumed by what was happening in his kitchen. He wasn’t. Reporters and food critics as well as celebrities and other assorted VIPs would be among the evening’s guests. They were expecting a masterful culinary performance tonight. He needed to score big.
That would be easier if Harper hadn’t shown up in his kitchen this afternoon. Telling himself that keeping her feet to the fire was for her own good didn’t unravel the knot of misery in his chest.
It wasn’t until service was well underway that he had a chance to step out of the kitchen and circulate through the room. Before he’d ever stepped in front of a camera, he’d been a successful executive chef and restaurant owner. He recognized a satisfied crowd when he saw one.
As he schmoozed those who could make or break Batouri with a single negative review, he tried not to make it obvious that there was only one table in the room that held his complete attention. And it was the last one he visited.
“Absolutely fabulous,” Scarlett said, the first to speak up. The vivacious, stunningly beautiful brunette glanced away from Ashton and nudged Harper’s arm. “My sister’s idea to have you open a restaurant in her hotel was nothing short of brilliant.”
“Wonderful,” Violet agreed, a note of concern beneath her upbeat tone. “I think you two make a terrific team.”
“That’s nice of you to say, but I’m sure your sister would disagree.” Ashton had no idea why he felt like baiting Harper on a night where he needed her complete support. Maybe it was the fact that she was looking through him rather than at him. “In fact, the success of the restaurant should be placed squarely at her feet. She smoothed every feather I ruffled in the construction process and probably had to stop the chefs I interviewed from adding arsenic to the food they served me.”
Scarlett laughed in delight.
Violet looked appalled.
Harper glared at him. “It’s your food everyone loves.”
“You were the one who inspired me.” The room fell away as he captured her gaze and held it. For a second he saw past her unhappiness and glimpsed the passion she’d demonstrated in Africa. His heart stopped. Maybe there was hope for them yet. He shifted his attention to her sisters and offered them a smile. “Thank you for coming to support Harper.”
Not waiting for a response, he moved off.
Behind him, Scarlett spoke up. “Do whatever you have to, but don’t let that man get away.”
Harper said something in reply, but it was too faint for him to catch. Still, he was feeling better than he had in days as he reentered the kitchen. Nothing was a done deal. Persuading her to be true to herself would be a lot easier if he showed her how to do it.
* * *
At a little after six in the afternoon the day after Batouri’s successful opening, Harper entered her grandfather’s apartment and found him in the living room, his cell phone in one hand, a glass of Scotch in the other. This is how she imagined he’d go out: running his business while relaxing at home. Working was as much a part of him as breathing. Is this what she wanted for her own life?
Spotting her, he gestured her in. “Sam, I have to go. My granddaughter just arrived, and we’re going to have dinner together.”
As soon as he hung up, she came forward and hugged him. What she’d come here tonight to say wasn’t going to be easy. The urge to blurt it out nearly overpowered her, but that sort of shock couldn’t be good for a man who’d suffered a stroke a little over a week ago.
“I heard the opening of your restaurant was a resounding success,” he said as they sat down at the large dining table.
Only two places had been set. To Harper’s relief, they weren’t at opposite ends of the twenty-foot table. Her mother would be horrified if she discovered that Harper had shouted the tale of her infidelity from one end of the dining room to the other.
“It went very well. The reviews had nothing but wonderful things to say. You were right to suggest I approach Ashton.”
“I had a feeling you two would be good for each other.”
Unexpectedly, Harper flashed back to their two nights at the tent camp and felt heat rise in her cheeks. “How come?”
“He’s a hugely talented chef and the adventurous sort. You’ve always been an armchair globetrotter too focused on the future to have fun in the present. I thought he might benefit from your knack of focusing on the finish line and you might give him an opportunity to surprise you.”
Her grandfather had nailed what had happened between her and Ashton. “How did y
ou know?”
“You don’t think I’m this successful in business because I’m a lucky devil, do you?” Her grandfather offered her a crafty smile. “Did you ever wonder why, after you worked so hard to learn the business, I still went ahead and created the contest between you, Violet and Scarlett?”
Since her grandfather was laying his cards on the table, she might as well play hers, as well. “Because you weren’t sure I was the best choice?”
“I knew you were the best choice. I just wasn’t sure you knew it.”
Harper had little trouble following his logic. “I never really believed I was going to be CEO. I wanted it very badly and worked hard to make sure you approved of me.”
“I more than approve of you, Harper. I want you to succeed me.”
She had to state the obvious even though it exemplified the lack of confidence her grandfather had just criticized about her. “I’m the only one left standing as far as the contest goes. Scarlett has returned to acting part-time. Violet intends to stay in Las Vegas with JT.”
“And what do you want?”
His question surprised her. “To be CEO.” But she was not as confident as she’d been a month earlier.
“Do you?”
A better lead-in to what she had to confess wasn’t going to present itself. “A week ago you asked me what I was doing in Africa.” She gathered a steadying breath and tried to calm her agitated pulse. “The truth is, I went looking for my father. My biological father.”
Now that she’d made her shocking revelation, she braced herself for her grandfather’s outrage. When he continued to eat his steak without reacting, she frowned.
“Why aren’t you asking me anything?”
“Did you find him?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“What do you mean, and?”
“I’m assuming you didn’t travel that far without some idea of what you expected out of the encounter.” He gave her more credit than was due. “Was he pleased to meet you?”
“Not really.” She set her fork down and picked up her wine. “He had no idea I existed.”
“Your mother never contacted him.” A statement. Not a question.
“Why are you so calm about this?” And then it dawned on her. “You knew about my mother’s affair and the fact that I wasn’t your biological granddaughter.”
“Yes.”
“You never told me.”
“Why should I? You’re my granddaughter.”
“Not by blood.”
“I love you, Harper. You have been my joy for every single one of your twenty-nine years.”
“I had no idea you’d feel that way. You went to such lengths to find Violet and Scarlett and make them part of the business. I worried that you didn’t have faith in my ability to succeed you.”
“Scarlett was unhappy in Los Angeles and her career was sinking fast. What she lacked in business experience she made up for in intelligence and people savvy. Violet deserved better than Tiberius Stone’s small-time casino. She knows Las Vegas inside and out and it shows. Her hotel is the most profitable of all three.” He grinned. “You’re surprised.”
She really wasn’t. “Would you have picked her if she hadn’t taken herself out of the running?”
“No. She might know Vegas, but you understand our entire organization. I need you as CEO.” When she didn’t immediately speak, he regarded her solemnly. “Unless you decide you no longer want the job.”
“In truth, I’m not sure. One of the reasons I went to Africa was because when I learned I wasn’t a Fontaine, a part of me was relieved.”
“I can understand that. You’ve put a lot of pressure on yourself.”
“Then I met Greg LeDay and I didn’t have an aha moment. He wasn’t happy to meet me. He had no interest in starting any sort of relationship. There are a whole bunch of people I’m related to that I’ll never get to know.”
“Give him some time to think about it. He may change his mind.”
“I doubt it.”
The epiphany she’d expected upon meeting her biological father hadn’t happened. She’d been no closer to discovering who she really was. What had changed her was the time she’d spent with Ashton, seeing Africa through his eyes. Those days had given her a deeper understanding of what made her happy.
“All my life I’ve wanted you to be proud of me,” she said. “It’s why I worked so hard.”
“And I am.”
“From things my father said, I knew you wanted a Fontaine to be at the company’s helm.”
“Now you’re thinking that if you take over one won’t be?”
“Actually, I’m not sure I’m as ready to be in charge as I thought.”
“You want to stay in Las Vegas?”
“No, I think Violet should take over Fontaine Ciel.” That would surprise her very capable sister. “I’d like to spend several years consulting in the area of development.”
“Let me guess. Traveling the world to determine the best places to expand?”
“Something like that.”
“And you think I should stay on in the meantime?”
She smiled. “You and I both know you’re not ready to stop working. Maybe you could try slowing down a bit. Let your staff handle more.”
“You’re asking a lot of an old man.”
“I trust that you have it in you.”
* * *
At eight in the morning, Batouri’s kitchen was a peaceful place. Surrounded by stainless steel, alone with his thoughts, Ashton did the one thing that had saved him for the past twenty years. He cooked.
The five days since Batouri had opened had been hectic ones. He’d been tweaking the menu daily, using the specials to experiment, finding the perfect blend of traditional and unexpected.
He hadn’t seen Harper since the night Batouri had opened. She’d gone to New York City and hadn’t yet returned. Each day Ashton grew less confident that he’d made the right decision. He’d turned down the Lifestyle Network show, deciding if he wanted to prove how committed he was to her happiness, he’d have to demonstrate it in a big way. Now his hopes that she’d choose traveling with him over living a lie were dwindling.
Despite how things turned out, he was glad he hadn’t pressed her to join him. She’d wanted him to. But for him to make such an important decision for her would have brought her back full circle to her current dilemma. What was it Harper wanted for herself?
Almost as if thinking about her had compelled her to find him, Harper stepped into his kitchen.
“I thought I might find you here.”
“Where else?”
She looked exactly the same as the first day he’d met her. The unflappable executive with her hair smoothed back into an elegant French roll. Expensive but understated jewelry adorned her slim neck and delicate earlobes. The hem of her designer power suit sliced her kneecaps in half and showed off her toned calves.
Polished. Professional. Perfect.
His heart sank. She’d obviously chosen her future.
“I spoke to my grandfather about taking over as CEO.”
“You didn’t tell him the truth then.”
“No, I told him.” She shook her head in bemusement. “Turns out he’s known all along.”
“Smart man, your grandfather. But I don’t know why that surprises me. Look how you turned out.”
“I hope you’re going to be okay with my decision.”
/> “I will get behind whatever you choose.”
“You’re going to take the job with the network then?” She looked disappointed.
He decided not to leave her feeling that way for long. “No. I turned them down.”
She brightened. “You’re going back to The Culinary Wanderer. That’s wonderful.”
“No to that, as well.”
“What? I don’t understand.”
“You were determined to take the CEO job, which meant I couldn’t continue traveling with The Culinary Wanderer if we were going to be together. But at the same time, you were right about going with the network. They wanted me to become something I’m not.”
“What are you planning to do?”
“You suggested that I work on a cookbook. With the success of Batouri, I was considering opening another restaurant in New York, and Vince is exploring opportunities with other networks.”
“You’ve given up your television career to be with me?” She regarded him in confusion. “But why?”
“I realized something these past few days. I no longer feel invincible. Before I met you I had nothing to lose. That’s changed.”
Harper stood perfectly still while her mind raced. “I don’t understand. You had a great deal at stake. The Culinary Wanderer. A brand-new cooking show. Batouri.”
“Television shows and restaurants will come and go. The only irreplaceable thing in my life is you.”
“Me?”
“The woman I love.”
“You love me?”
“Hadn’t you guessed?”
“When it comes to love, I’m not too well versed on the ins and outs of romance.”
“You haven’t had much experience.” He took her left hand and placed her palm over his heart. “Neither have I, so you’ll have to excuse me if I’ve bungled a few things.”
“I suppose it’s something we could work on together.”
“I’m glad you said that.” He reached into his pocket. “Because I want to spend the rest of my life working on it with you. Marry me?”
His eyes were the most brilliant blue she’d ever seen as he gazed down at her. Harper’s mouth went dry. Spinning through her head were all the reasons why it would never work between them.
