A Dash of Love by Liz Isaacson

Author:Liz Isaacson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hallmark Publishing
Published: 2018-06-21T00:00:00+00:00

Paul spent his days being tormented by Nikki’s proximity and doing nothing, saying little, and wondering if she felt different about him since learning his parents were the owners of the bakery. She’d seemed fond of them and genuinely sorry that Paul didn’t get along with his father.

Paul was sorry about it, too, but he didn’t know what to do. The idea to create a new dish for Valentine’s Day hadn’t left him. In fact, it gnawed at him, never leaving, until he finally decided to do something about it.

Last time he’d gone in early to cook, both Holly and Nikki had been there. He didn’t want that. He craved the empty kitchen, with nothing between him and his creativity. So he went through his day as normal, listened to Jerrod’s whispers about asking Angela out, and went home to his sterile apartment at night.

But he didn’t head to bed like normal. Oh, no. Tonight, he was returning to the kitchen, an idea percolating about pork and blueberries.

When he arrived back at the restaurant, he noticed the light in the kitchen was still on. Just a splash of it fell around the corner and into the dining room, but it was enough to put Paul on alert.

He knew he’d turned out that light, and it was too early for the cleaning crew to be here. Had Holly come back?

He slowed, not wanting to run into her. He didn’t have the mental fortitude to argue this late at night—or early in the morning, depending on how he looked at it.

The scent of butter and sugar met his nose. Someone was in the kitchen cooking. His kitchen.

He moved forward with more speed now, not bothering to be quiet. A few steps from the corner, the light went out, causing his heart to skip several beats. Did they really think they could hide from him?

His next thought was about the many and varied tools in the kitchen the other person had at their disposal. Pans, sheet trays, knives…

He rounded the corner and flipped on the light anyway. No one jumped out at him, but someone had been here because the stove was still on, a pot still boiling on the burner. “Hello?” he called.

Nikki half-stood from behind the end of the counter, a huge cast-iron skillet in her hand.

Paul’s heartbeat went nuts now, and only a little bit because of the way she wielded the skillet like a baseball bat.

She wore that beautiful red shirt, as if she hadn’t gone home yet, and she seemed as perky and lively as she had twelve hours ago. He liked seeing her—but what was she doing here? Now?

He swept his eyes along the counter covered with ingredients, the stove with the bubbling pots. When he looked back at her, she was still only slightly raised from behind the counter.

“Hi! Paul!” Nikki straightened and came out from her hiding place.

He frowned at the same time he smiled, unsure of how to greet her.

She edged around the counter, that cast-iron skillet still clenched firmly in her hand.

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