Forbidden: An Older Man Younger Woman Romance

It could be incredible. It could also be a disaster. But I was willing to jump in and see where it took me. I believed in Derek and his vision. And working with him on this new concept would give me far more opportunity than where I already was. All I could do was hope for the best.

“What are you working on?” I asked, watching him chop through another set of vegetables.

Derek looked at what he’d already done, his expression telling me I’d been right on target with my assessment of what he was doing.

“I was going to make up a tasting of some of the menu items I’ve been planning,” he said. “Test your chops a little bit.”

“Oh, really?” I asked. He was ribbing me, and I knew that wasn’t going to let up any once the real work started. If anything, I was just in for more. “So, that’s what this is, is it? An ambush skills test dressed up to look like a tour of the facility and a talk about the position?”

“You found me out,” he said. “It was all a ruse. Now—” He slid the random assortment of chopped vegetables toward me with the blade of his knife. “—take this and make something.”

I looked at the counter, then at him. “You do realize you have one burner that almost works in this kitchen, right?”

“I’m sure you can figure something out,” he said. “Go.”

He stepped to the side, and I looked at him for a couple of seconds, trying to figure out if he was being serious or if he just thought he was in his own cooking competition show. He didn’t move from where he was standing with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Alright,” I said, realizing he actually was serious.

Whether this was planned from the beginning, which I highly doubted, or not, he was all in on it now. I looked over everything he’d prepped, then went to the cooler to see what else he had. There wasn’t much. The kitchen wasn’t in good condition and needed to be totally overhauled in order for the restaurant to actually be functional. They only had a few basic things there, likely just so that Derek could test equipment and feed them while they were working.

I managed to put together a few tasting portions for him over the next forty minutes. He tasted each of them, nodding and making sounds like he was deeply contemplating what I’d put in front of him. I knew it was for show. He was the one who recruited me and was doing everything he could to convince me to leave my current restaurant and help him here. But that didn’t stop me from being nervous.

He finally relented and smiled. We chatted for a little bit longer before I realized I needed to get going so I could get ready and get to work on time.

“So, you’re with me?” he asked.

I nodded. “I’m with you. A few weeks from now, I will be your official sous chef.”

Derek grinned, and I saw the hope flicker in his eyes. I knew how much this place meant to him. His grandparents raised him and his brothers after their parents died, and the vineyard was their legacy to them. It was in terrible condition now, but it used to be gorgeous, and Derek believed with everything in him it could be again. He wanted to honor his grandparents and give himself and his four brothers something real to depend on, by transforming it into a destination.

I believed in him. Derek was the type of person who put his mind to something and got it done. All that was standing in his way at the moment was the work it would take to bring this place back. And maybe his brothers. But he would figure out a way to handle them.

I left the vineyard and made my way home. I would see Holly at work that night, but I wanted to talk to her before I went in. As much as I wanted to share the news with my best friend, I didn’t think being at my current job was the right place to discuss my new job.

My boss didn’t even know I was leaving yet. I wanted to be able to tell Holly about it and be excited rather than just having the heaviness of leaving my current position pressing down on me.

As I got ready for work, I called Holly and asked her to meet me at our favorite coffee shop. She agreed, and I headed over. There was a worried expression on Holly’s face when she walked in the door. She rushed over to me, and I stood to give her a hug.

“What’s going on? Are you okay?” she asked.

I let out a short laugh. “I’m fine. Why do you think something’s wrong?”