I’d had a few days to do my research on him, and from what I’d gathered about him online, I wasn’t too impressed. “He’ll be in the city for a week before the grand opening of his new restaurant in Seven Pines. It’s supposed to be a big red-carpet thing. So, as a part of the feature, I also have to attend that,” I continued.
“You don’t sound too excited.”
“From what I’ve read online, I’m not,” I grumbled.
“Well, I’m sure you’ll do great. Don’t let ‘em ruffle your feathers too much.”
“I won’t. You’re too busy doing that yourself.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m just a little frustrated that you haven’t been around for any of the wedding planning. I know we’re doing this quick and dirty, but I still want to feel like I’m not in this alone.”
He pulled up to the front of my apartment building and parked the car. “Whatever you choose will be beautiful, and I’ll love it,” he said before leaning over to kiss my forehead.
“That’s not the point, and you know it.” Before he opened his mouth to respond, my phone started ringing. I pushed out a loud sigh. “Can we finish this later? Jackson is calling me.”
“Yeah. I’ll call you when I land.”
I groaned. “Have a safe trip, Axel. Wish I could come with you.”
“Me too, but I’ll see you when I get back. I love you.”
“Love you, too,” I replied with a frown before answering my editor’s call. “Hey, Jackson.”
“Hey, so your interview with Chef Elijah Stone is all squared away. I just got the confirmation from his publicist.
“Mmm, great,” I replied with no enthusiasm in my voice whatsoever.
“You’ll meet him at his hotel suite at the Onyx Hotel in Seven Pines at six o’clock tomorrow. I also confirmed that Naomi sent him her questions a month ago, so this should be a breeze.”
“What if I have some of my own? I mean, when you threw this in my lap, you told me that I could make it my own. I’m fine with her questions, but they’re basic. I want to see if he will give me more than he’s given every other reporter over the years since his rise to fame.”
“I don’t know. He’s pretty private and a bit of a hard ass from what I’ve gathered.”
“Yeah, I gathered that too,” I agreed with a nod.
“Well, good luck, and call me as soon as it’s over.”
“Yeah, okay. Will do.”
∞∞∞
The next evening, I showed up at the Onyx Hotel, clad in a fitted lavender pants suit and punctual. Once enclosed in the elevator, I held up my phone to fix my head full of loose, wild curls and lick the crimson red lipstick stain off my teeth. My knuckles collided with the door to suite 621 as I waited for it to open. When it did, I tilted my head up and blinked twice. Standing in the doorway at six-foot-three was Elijah Stone, wearing a fitted V-neck gray t-shirt, black joggers, and retro Air Jordans.
“Elijah?”
His mocha brown eyes peered down at me. “Chef Elijah.”
I nodded, taking a minute to soak him in before announcing myself. Elijah had smooth, milk chocolate skin, full, brown lips with a hint of pink, and a set of shaggy dark eyebrows. A thin mustache rested underneath his wide nose, giving way to a full beard that spread from one ear to the other. There were small diamond studs in both his ears and a nose ring in his right nostril. His jet-black hair was cut into a low, tapered fade on the back and sides with kinky, curly sponge twists at the top.
“My apologies. I’m Isa Lavender with The Muse Monthly. I’m–”
“My publicist said I was meeting with someone named Naomi,” he cut me off.
“Yes, Naomi had to take her maternity leave a little earlier, so I’m here as her replacement. Can I come in?”
“Yeah,” he grumbled before stepping aside.