“Maybe I will sell your number on eBay and make some money for Snow Crystal.”
“What’s the going rate for overworked surgeons? I’m probably not worth much.” Handing the phone back, he turned his attention back to the pastries. “Are those for eating?”
“No.”
“You’re cruel and heartless. I knew it the moment I met you. You used me for a night of scorching sex and then discarded me.”
Flirting with him was like dancing with fire.
One wrong move and that heat would burn and leave permanent damage.
Not once had she ever questioned her decision to spend the night with him, but there was no way she would do it again.
“Tell me more about Walter.”
“Feed me first. I haven’t eaten a proper meal since breakfast and that wasn’t a memorable experience.” He eyed the tray of pastries. “They look almost too pretty to eat, but not quite.”
“They’re an experiment.”
“I’m a doctor. I’m a believer in the importance of research in the pursuit of excellence and I’m happy to help you out. I’ll even submit a paper to the New England Journal of Medicine. Relief of anxiety symptoms after ingestion of Élise’s cooking. Don’t make me beg.”
“You don’t need to beg.” She slid her phone back into her pocket, resisting the temptation to delete his number. Just because it was in there, didn’t mean she had to use it. “I’m still working on the menu for the café, even though there is no possibility of us opening on time.”
“How much work is there to be done?”
“Not much. That’s what makes it all the more frustrating. We were so nearly there. But it will open eventually and I’m devising a whole new menu. It will be a different dining experience.”
A cool breeze blew in through the open door and she heard the call of a bird as it flew low over the lake. The stillness of the night added to the intimacy.
She told herself that she could control the chemistry, that she could either act on it or ignore it. Either way she would make the decision with her head, as she always did.
“This particular dining experience smells good. I predict I’ll be a frequent guest.”
“You live a four-hour drive from Snow Crystal.”
“Tonight I did it in three.”
“So you’re going to be driving here for my food?” She reached for a plate but he had already helped himself to a pastry.
He bit into it and moaned deep in his throat. Élise turned away quickly, thinking that all the sophisticated tailoring in the world didn’t disguise the raw physicality of the man.
“If you’re still alive in five minutes, I’ll assume they pass the test,” she said lightly. “For the café the plan is to keep the menu simple and of course, we’ll source as much locally as we already do for the restaurant. Vermont is the most beautiful place. We want to support local agriculture and do everything we can to give our guests locally grown food. Green Mountain ham, local cheeses, fruit from our orchard and salad from our gardens. And our own maple syrup, of course, or Walter would kill me. It’s going to be about flavor and quality.”
“And quantity, I hope. How many of these am I allowed to eat?” His hand hovered over another. “And before you decide I should tell you my last meal was over twelve hours ago and I spent most of the day in the operating room.”
“You’ll eat the next one the way it is supposed to be served, on a plate with salad. In France we believe food is something to be savored, not crammed into the mouth while standing up.” It took her moments to combine various salad leaves and mix a dressing. She plated it up swiftly along with the warm pastry, added bread she’d made earlier in the day and handed it to him. “The bread is sea salt and rosemary. You can tell me what you think.”
“I think I might marry you so that I can eat like this every day.”
Her heart pumped a little harder.
Marriage.
The word alone had an almost visceral effect on her. Even after so many years it turned her cold and made her want to look over her shoulder.
“Then you’d be disappointed. I cook for a living. When I am at home on my own I sometimes just make myself a perfect omelette.”
“When I’m operating I don’t always have time to eat. I take fuel when I can.”