Chapter One
“And this last dish is called Chicken Italiano. It’s organic
chicken breast with olive oil, chicken stock, roasted red peppers, hot cherry
peppers, onions, garlic and red bliss potatoes.”
Gigi set the plates in front of Rex and Quinn then stepped
back. She tried not to stare at them as they ate, but it wasn’t easy. This job
meant everything to her. If they hired her to be their personal chef on the
road, her dream of launching Some Like It Hot catering would finally become a
reality.
If they didn’t? It’d be another year or more before she
could secure the loans she needed to move forward, and that was if she even got
approved. She clenched her hands together to keep them from shaking.
Relief swamped her as, for the fourth time in less than an
hour, Rex groaned as he swallowed the first bite.
“How can it be healthy and that good? I still can’t believe
you managed to make this kind of stuff in that tiny little kitchen,” he said
with a shake of his head.
Quinn chimed in with a sigh of pleasure as she set her fork
down. “If we didn’t still have desserts to get through, I would totally gobble
down this whole plate.”
Rex chuckled and reached out to pat her rounded belly. “Hey,
if my boy’s hungry, I say feed him as much as he wants.”
She let out a snort. “Yeah. If I do that for the next three
months I’ll never get back into my real stage clothes.”
“I think your maternity clothes look great on you.”
“Well, what looks cute when you’re six months pregnant
doesn’t look so cute once you’ve given birth. Come on, Rex, the whole reason we
wanted Gigi to come in is so that I can eat healthy for the baby while we’re on
the road. Don’t encourage me to be a glutton!”
Gigi watched their interaction with a pang. They were an
amazing-looking couple. Rex was dark and a total bad boy, complete with tattoos
and a faux hawk. He had this brooding air about him, until he looked at his
wife. Then he lit up as if he was the happiest guy in the world.
She shifted her gaze to Quinn. Rex was right, she did look
great in her maternity clothes. She wore a stylish baby-doll dress in black
with white stripes. It was short enough to show off long, toned legs that any
woman would envy. Her black hair was adorable in a pixie style.
Gigi quelled the urge to run a hand over her own sloppy
up-do and wipe the flour off her apron. It wouldn’t matter anyway. With or
without the trappings, she would never look like Quinn Myles.
She watched as husband and wife bonded over their baby,
Quinn pressing a hand over Rex’s as they tried to get their son to kick. They
were obviously crazy about each other.
What would it feel like to have someone look at her that
way? As if she was the most important thing in the world to him?
Didn’t matter, she reminded herself. After more than a
decade of busting her ass, she was within arm’s reach of her dream. She wasn’t
going to get distracted now with silly notions of romance. She needed to stay
focused on what was important—getting these potential clients to love her and
her food so she could make her dream a reality.
“I’ll take these away and get the desserts lined up. And by
the way, I brought some carryout containers with me. I’ll pack the leftovers up
so you can heat them up later if you’re hungry.”
“Did I hear leftovers?” a silky voice drawled.
Gigi set down the dishes on the countertop and turned to
face the newcomer with a smile. Her smile froze in place as she tried to keep
from keeling over. A towering Adonis with honey-blond curls had just stepped
into the miniscule kitchen of the tour bus.
“Howdy, ma’am. Beau Trudeau.” He stepped closer and held out
his big hand.
She swallowed hard and tried to find her voice. “Gigi
Somerville. Nice to meet you.” Her hand was dwarfed by his and she tried to
ignore the sizzle that snaked up her arm at his touch.
“Gigi catered that benefit Rex and I went to last month
“And this last dish is called Chicken Italiano. It’s organic
chicken breast with olive oil, chicken stock, roasted red peppers, hot cherry
peppers, onions, garlic and red bliss potatoes.”
Gigi set the plates in front of Rex and Quinn then stepped
back. She tried not to stare at them as they ate, but it wasn’t easy. This job
meant everything to her. If they hired her to be their personal chef on the
road, her dream of launching Some Like It Hot catering would finally become a
reality.
If they didn’t? It’d be another year or more before she
could secure the loans she needed to move forward, and that was if she even got
approved. She clenched her hands together to keep them from shaking.
Relief swamped her as, for the fourth time in less than an
hour, Rex groaned as he swallowed the first bite.
“How can it be healthy and that good? I still can’t believe
you managed to make this kind of stuff in that tiny little kitchen,” he said
with a shake of his head.
Quinn chimed in with a sigh of pleasure as she set her fork
down. “If we didn’t still have desserts to get through, I would totally gobble
down this whole plate.”
Rex chuckled and reached out to pat her rounded belly. “Hey,
if my boy’s hungry, I say feed him as much as he wants.”
She let out a snort. “Yeah. If I do that for the next three
months I’ll never get back into my real stage clothes.”
“I think your maternity clothes look great on you.”
“Well, what looks cute when you’re six months pregnant
doesn’t look so cute once you’ve given birth. Come on, Rex, the whole reason we
wanted Gigi to come in is so that I can eat healthy for the baby while we’re on
the road. Don’t encourage me to be a glutton!”
Gigi watched their interaction with a pang. They were an
amazing-looking couple. Rex was dark and a total bad boy, complete with tattoos
and a faux hawk. He had this brooding air about him, until he looked at his
wife. Then he lit up as if he was the happiest guy in the world.
She shifted her gaze to Quinn. Rex was right, she did look
great in her maternity clothes. She wore a stylish baby-doll dress in black
with white stripes. It was short enough to show off long, toned legs that any
woman would envy. Her black hair was adorable in a pixie style.
Gigi quelled the urge to run a hand over her own sloppy
up-do and wipe the flour off her apron. It wouldn’t matter anyway. With or
without the trappings, she would never look like Quinn Myles.
She watched as husband and wife bonded over their baby,
Quinn pressing a hand over Rex’s as they tried to get their son to kick. They
were obviously crazy about each other.
What would it feel like to have someone look at her that
way? As if she was the most important thing in the world to him?
Didn’t matter, she reminded herself. After more than a
decade of busting her ass, she was within arm’s reach of her dream. She wasn’t
going to get distracted now with silly notions of romance. She needed to stay
focused on what was important—getting these potential clients to love her and
her food so she could make her dream a reality.
“I’ll take these away and get the desserts lined up. And by
the way, I brought some carryout containers with me. I’ll pack the leftovers up
so you can heat them up later if you’re hungry.”
“Did I hear leftovers?” a silky voice drawled.
Gigi set down the dishes on the countertop and turned to
face the newcomer with a smile. Her smile froze in place as she tried to keep
from keeling over. A towering Adonis with honey-blond curls had just stepped
into the miniscule kitchen of the tour bus.
“Howdy, ma’am. Beau Trudeau.” He stepped closer and held out
his big hand.
She swallowed hard and tried to find her voice. “Gigi
Somerville. Nice to meet you.” Her hand was dwarfed by his and she tried to
ignore the sizzle that snaked up her arm at his touch.
“Gigi catered that benefit Rex and I went to last month
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