The phone went dead and Rachel sat, staring at it. She’d done it! She’d said no to cooking for him. If she could do that a few more times, it would be easy to tell him about the pretence she’d managed to keep up. He had plenty he needed to tell her, too, she reminded herself.
***
They entered the restaurant and Rachel was immediately on edge. Their waitress behaved oddly and paid a lot of attention to Henry. She flitted back and forth, making sure he had everything he needed. Henry noticed it, she was certain. He looked uncomfortable several times, and toward the end, he told her he wished they could get a new waitress.
This always happens when you go out with Henry. You’re always fascinated about how people react to him.
He was getting more attention than usual, though, and her suspicions were confirmed when they paid the bill to find the manager had given them a large discount for no good reason. She batted her eyelashes a little too much and Rachel narrowed her own eyes as they left.
Dinner had been pleasant and she was happy to have him back home. He didn’t tell her about his time away, though—didn’t mention a single word about what he’d been up to while he was away in another state. She’d thought he would tell her all about it and regale her with stories, but instead, he focussed on her, wanting to know everything she’d been up to, enquiring about work and the volunteer time she’d spent at the shelter. It was everything except what she wanted to talk about.
As they walked back to the car, his thumb ran across the Band-Aid on her finger and she flinched. “What’s this? I noticed you kept this hand under the table.”
“You’re observant, aren’t you?”
“Always, with you.” He smiled at her in the dark as they reached the car. “So, what did you do? Paper cut?”
“No, I sliced the end with a knife. It’s only tiny.”
“What? You cut it? Did you see a doctor? It could get infected.” His reaction was over the top, even for Henry.
“I did see a doctor. I have two stitches to show for my troubles.”
“What the hell? You must have made a decent cut.” He held her finger up as though he could see through the Band-Aid.
“I did. It was pretty deep. It’s fine, though.” She pulled her hand away and turned to get into the car, but he reached up to turn her face back to his. His eyes told her he wanted to tell her what he was hiding. Instead, he pulled her close and kissed her. She melted against him, happy to have him home.
“I missed you, Rachel—more than you know,” he murmured against her lips.
“Oh, I know Henry. Trust me, I know!”
***
A baby shower claimed Rachel’s attention on Saturday morning. One of her friends from work had a few weeks to go before her baby was born, and she was having chocolate cravings. She’d bought hazelnut tarts for the party when she’d left work on Friday afternoon, and they were now packaged in a pretty container. She’d bought twelve, but only ten had been able to fit in the box, so she’d put the extras on a plate in the fridge. When Henry got up for breakfast, he spotted them sitting there.
“Ooh, could I have one of these? It’s after ten, so technically it’s morning tea.” He grinned at her, as he stood with the fridge door open. She tore her eyes away from his bare chest before she was tempted to let them wander down to his boxers.
I still haven’t seen inside those shorts. He doesn’t believe in waiting until marriage, does he?
Henry didn’t strike her as the type who would be that traditional. She sighed as she gave him permission to eat the treats. She’d thought they would go a little further last night, since he’d been away for so many weeks, but it hadn’t happened.
He made himself a coffee as she got dressed for the party. He would wait for her to be finished and then they planned to drive to Rosebud again to eat the great burgers they’d tried on their first proper date.
She watched him bite into the tart and close his eyes as he chewed. He shook his head and then opened his eyes and looked straight at her. “This may be the greatest thing I’ve ever eaten,” he said.
Damn. Now he’ll think I made those, too.
She laughed at his enthusiasm and turned to get her bag. “They are pretty great—I’m sure they’ll be a big hit at the party. I’ll tell them you had to eat one of them because it wouldn’t fit in the container.” She kissed him on the head, but he was having none of that, and he pulled her down to sit on his lap and rewarded her with a chocolate kiss.
“Don’t be away too long—I’ll be waiting for you.”
“I’ll only be a couple of hours, I promise. She said she’s kicking us out before it turns into an all day affair.”
“Good! I’ll have you all to myself for the rest of the day, then.”
“You will! Feel free to do a little housework while I’m gone, husband-to-be.”
***
The weekend flew by and before Rachel knew it, it was Sunday night and Henry was leaving for the airport. “I wish you didn’t have to go.”
“Me too. It will be over before you know it, though.”
“I guess.” She kissed him at the door. He’d booked the late flight and then insisted on getting a taxi, so she could get an early night. As she closed the door behind him, she prepared herself for another few lonely weeks.
Will he call me every night, this time?
***
Lori threw the newspaper down in front of her. “You’re not going to believe this.”
“What? Why are you in my office?”
“I’m taking you to dinner. Here, turn to the entertainment section. I’ll save you some time: it’s page sixty-five.”
Frowning, Rachel took the paper and flipped to the aforementioned page. From the look on Lori’s face, she figured she wasn’t going to like what she saw. As she reached the right one, she pulled the large pages open. She let out a gasp as Henry’s giant face smiled up at her. He’d been photographed in a kitchen and was holding a dish of pasta—gnocchi, she noted. Her eyes slid to the headline and she could hardly believe her eyes.
“Henry Baxter, chef to the stars, grasps new television opportunity.”
She looked up at Lori, wide-eyed, and her friend was quick to speak. “Yup. That’s exactly what my face said. Did you know he was a celebrity chef?”
“No way! He said he was a chef, but he didn’t mention a thing about how good he was. When I asked him where he worked, he said a club in the city. That devil. I can’t believe he didn’t let on!”
“He never even told you one celebrity story?”
“I swear, I had no idea.” She read the story with a sinking feeling in her stomach.
“Didn’t you make him dinner? I can’t believe he didn’t comment and out himself then.”
“Well, I’ve had him over for dinner a couple of times.” The truth was about to come out. She’d never fully told Lori what she’d done. “I didn’t cook for him, remember.”
“No, you got takeaway, which was lucky—he might not have graced your doorstep again, otherwise.” Lori laughed at the look on Rachel’s face. “Oh, don’t worry. Plenty of couples have one person who can’t cook. You guys can complement each other. Tell him he’s in charge of cooking from now on.”
“Umm... that could be a little difficult.”
“Why?”
She bit her lip and turned to her friend. “He thinks I can cook and he loves my food.”
Lori’s face registered shock and she sat down across from Rachel. “You mean he’s an awful chef? Or he lied when he said your food was great?”
“Neither of those.” She smiled self-consciously. “I didn’t quite tell you the truth about that first night he came over, or about the nights that came after. Remember I said he assumed that I made a curry?”
“Yes.”
“Because I transferred it to a dish of my own and kind of pretended I made it?”
“Yes, hurry up and tell me something I don’t know!”
“Well, it was lame b
ut I pretended I made the cheese naan.
“You did WHAT?”
“There may have been mango chutney involved. Perhaps some pappadums and a raita, too.”
“Oh crap. He thinks you made the whole lot?”
“He does. I didn’t claim it—he assumed. I was so late coming home from work, and he’d said I should cook curry. I had great intentions of giving it a try, but I ran out of time. So, when I got takeaway and put it in the containers it was the whole meal, with all the sides. He went on and on about how great it was, which of course now makes sense!
“The second time he came over, we had gnocchi that I got from Valentino’s and he did the same thing. After that, I was backed into a corner and haven’t been able to confess. My parents even covered for me when we visited them. I’ll seem like a maniac if I tell him now, after all this time!”
Lori snorted. “He won’t be able to say a thing. He’s been keeping this enormous secret from you!”
For Rachel it all made sense. “Wait a minute. This is the secret he told me about on the way to my parents’. Could they be filming this show in Sydney? They do those things in batches, don’t they, like binge filming?”
“Maybe.” Lori looked unconvinced. “Maybe he has multiple secrets… or multiple wives!”
Rachel laughed. “You and I are so different, Lori. Now you’re thinking the worst and I’m happy he’s been working and not fooling around!”
“If they’re filming now and he told you he couldn’t come clean until after Christmas, why is this in the newspaper in November?”
“I have no idea. I imagine he’ll have to tell me about it pretty soon, though. He must know there’s a chance I’d see this. Thank God—that means I can finally unburden myself to him, too.”
***
The next night, she had her answer as her phone rang and Henry’s name popped up on the screen.
“Hey, Rach. I have news.”
“Ooh, exciting.”
“Maybe… I don’t think you’ll like it. I have to stay another month.”
“What?”
“My work has been extended here. It was always in the cards, but I hoped it would be finished up earlier. No such luck, I’m afraid.” He sounded tired, and she imagined him running his hands through his hair and rubbing his chin. Or closing his eyes and leaning back against this chair. His mannerisms were so familiar to her now.
“That sucks. Will you be back for Christmas? My parents invited you, if you don’t have any other plans.”
“I’ll be back for Christmas; please tell them yes from me. Are you okay with this?”
“Of course. It’s just a long time to be away with hardly any trips back—especially since I have no idea what you’re doing.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” He did sound sorry, but she was a little distracted as she did an internet search for the usual time a television series took to film. The general consensus seemed to be about twelve weeks. She had no idea what kind of show he was making, but she made a mental note to prepare for news of another extension. “Rach?”
“Yes?”
“I thought you’d hung up.”
“Nope, I’m here.”
Here and freaking out!
She’d searched the name “Henry Baxter.” The amount of information that came up was staggering, and according to the article she was now scanning, he owned three restaurants in Melbourne.
Three!
Several awards graced the walls of his restaurants and the talk of the town was how he was on the cusp of becoming a well-known face on Australian television.
Damn! Why hasn’t he told me any of this? And why didn’t I search his name sooner?
“Listen, they’re calling me back. I’ll be working late tonight, but I’ll call you tomorrow night, okay?”
“Okay. Talk to you then.” He hung up and she bit her lip. She’d almost said she loved him.
***
On Tuesday night, Lori arrived at her door laden with food. She dumped the bags on the table and smiled.
“What’s wrong?” Rachel asked.
“What do you mean?”
“You have that look about you. The last time you looked like that, you showed me the newspaper with Henry’s article and that was only two days ago.” She started to unpack the bags. “Spill.”
“I will in a minute, but let’s get dinner happening first. I hope you don’t mind—I bought nibbles. I’m too tired to cook and I didn’t want you to have to try.”
“You bought a lot of chocolate—and a cake! How many people did you invite?”
“Very funny. I didn’t invite anyone. I thought I might stay the night, since my house is so crowded.” Lori shared a house with two other women who enjoyed a hectic social life and always had friends around. Chilling at Rachel’s house was one of Lori’s favourite ways to relax.
“Oh, now I know there’s a problem.”
Lori sighed and put the bag she was unpacking on the floor. She turned to her handbag and pulled out a newspaper. Rachel’s stomach clenched—not because of the newspaper and the promise of another article about what Henry was up to, but because of the look on her friend’s face.
“What is it? Please, please tell me there aren’t photographs of him out with someone else.”
Lori laughed. “Are you back to worrying about that? Didn’t I tell you there was nothing to worry about right from the start? He hasn’t been out with anyone else—at least not according to the press. You’re not going to like what you see, though.” She opened the newspaper to an already-marked page and pushed it in front of Rachel. She tapped her finger on the article before sliding it up the page and tapping a photograph.
There, in the state’s largest newspaper, was a picture of Rachel and Henry together. It looked like it had been taken on the jetty in Rosebud, and from what they were wearing, Rachel could tell it had been taken on their last weekend together. The headline screamed at her from the page:
CELEBRITY CHEF LUNCHES WITH MYSTERY BEAUTY
The blood drained from Rachel’s face as she read the story. Over and over, the article talked about her long, blonde hair, her slim figure, and her good looks. In the space of four hundred words, it referred to her appearance more than ten times. She was shocked to see them called a “cute couple.” Everything she hated had been included in this one newspaper article, and she couldn’t believe Henry hadn’t warned her about this.
She was on the celebrity gossip pages of the newspaper. Her thoughts returned to her joking promise to her mother back in October: “If I’m ever in the press or on the news, I’ll let you know first.”
Well, I didn’t manage to keep that promise. At least they didn’t name me.
“It’s not that bad. It’s a complimentary article.”
“Yeah, one that mentions how beautiful I am and how cute we are together. How gross.”
“Well, maybe it’s time to get past your hang-up. It’s one thing for your date to say those things and for you to hate it, but it’s another for a journalist to write that so she can help sell more newspapers.”
“I know you’re right. It’s such a shock to see it here in print, though. I’m not sure I’m cut out for this.”
“I know. That’s why I bought chocolate and cake. So, now we can eat our feelings together.”
“Together?”
“Yeah. I broke up with Nick yesterday.”
“Oh no. What happened?”
“We’d run our course. I could see we weren’t meant for a long-term relationship and he agreed. It kind of hurts when they agree with you.” Her eyes welled with tears and Rachel gave her a hug.
“I feel like I’ve been a bit of a crap friend lately. We’re always talking about Henry and me.”
“It’s okay. You can ask me lots of questions about my next boyfriend when he shows up.”
They laughed together and Rachel closed the newspaper and slid it across the table. “That’s a deal. No more reading the newspaper, okay? Everything in it
is so depressing.”
***
“I know you—you skydived with us back in September!”
“Yeah, I did! Luke, right? What are you doing here?”
“I’m the proud owner of this fine establishment. Are you here for your car?”
“I am. I got a text to say it was ready. I’m Rachel, in case you’ve forgotten.”
He looked through the printed sheets on the desk and found her name. “Rachel Canales?”
“That’s me.”
“Perfect. Sign here.” Rachel signed the form and handed him her credit card. He processed the payment as a dog started barking from behind the desk.
“You bring your dog to work? That’s cute.”
“Actually, that’s Jordan’s dog. I sneak him in here when she’s out.” He grinned as he handed back her credit card. “I’m getting in good with him in the hopes she’ll agree to date me.”
“You two really aren’t together? You seemed like you were that day.”
“Well, I know we should be. She’s taking a bit longer to convince. Rex loves me, though, don’t you, boy?” Rex barked and Luke threw him a dog chew. He turned back to Rachel, “I figure she’ll come around soon. She can’t resist how Rex and I are together.” His grin was infectious, and Rachel found herself laughing and calling the dog to her.
“Oh, you’re a good boy. Yes, you are!” Her predictable baby voice came out as she played with the dog. “Oh yes, give me a kiss,” she said as he licked her face. “What kind of dog is he?”
“Jordan says he’s a Miniature Australian Border Collie. I just know that he’s sweet.”
“He definitely is sweet.” Rex licked Rachel’s ear as she laughed.
“He likes you, too. What a fickle dog. Here I was, thinking he loved me so much.”
“You have dog chews—of course he loves you!”
“Hmm… you could be right about that.” Luke ruffled the dog’s ears and Rex looked up at him with adoring eyes. “Hey, did you and that guy from the skydiving day end up seeing each other? I’ve been dying to know.”
Married This Year 2: Simmering Love Page 10
