Recipe for Redemption by Anna J. Stewart

Author:Anna J. Stewart
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2016-12-13T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

JASON PULLED HIS rental into one of the few remaining spaces in front of the Flutterby Inn and stared at his past. The oversize white panel van with a satellite welded to its roof was an upgrade from the last one his former producer had used. The custom hubcaps and silver striping along the sides were a dead giveaway Roger Evans had arrived, probably driving in from San Francisco, where NCN had a satellite office. Early. As usual.

There wasn’t anything Roger Evans liked more than keeping people on edge. Especially in front of the camera. Last-minute script changes, missing implements, even replacing ingredients on a whim or creating conflict between on-screen personalities made for good TV, he’d told Jason and David multiple times.

David had been able to roll with the punches.

Jason had just wanted to punch Roger.

He grabbed the gift bags containing the presents he’d picked up in Monterey that afternoon and imagined the look on Abby’s face when she saw the monogrammed chef’s jacket for her to use during the competition. A graduation present, he told himself. Nothing more. She’d been working hard and deserved it, and, okay, maybe she needed a confidence boost. She might have become more comfortable in the kitchen, but he wasn’t convinced her mind-set was where it needed to be to win. Every little bit would help. But to be safe and to make certain there was no mistake as to his motivation, he’d tempered the gesture with small tokens for both Alice and Lori.

He thought a day away would help clear his mind. Leaving behind the kitchen, the reminders, all those thoughts Calliope had managed to plant in his head. Whether he needed it or not didn’t seem to matter, not when his mind wouldn’t stop spinning around all the ways he could incorporate those beautiful ingredients into various dishes.

He imagined a grilled summer vegetable salad topped with balsamic and a sprinkling of goat or feta cheese. A chilled sangria spiked with apples and oranges. Berry-vanilla shortcake and orange liqueur whipped cream.

He clenched his hands around the steering wheel.

How many endless hours had he and David spent tweaking and finalizing seasonal menus to make the most of whatever was available to them? It didn’t seem to matter David wasn’t helping him this time. His brain was perfectly content to take over the task all on its own, despite Jason’s determination to resist.

Before coming to Butterfly Harbor, he hadn’t had any intention of returning to the kitchen. He didn’t want to be reminded of the life he’d walked away from. The life he didn’t see as possible without his brother by his side.

But now...

Maybe Abby was right. Maybe something different was possible.

Abby with her radiant smile and teasing eyes. Abby and her verbal battles interwoven with a language all her own.

Abby and her desire to do whatever it took to protect her family and her livelihood.

He’d missed her. Not having her with him today felt strange, as if he’d left something behind.

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