The Blackstone Promise by Rochelle Alers

Author:Rochelle Alers [Alers, Rochelle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: (¯`'•.¸//(*_*)\\¸.•'´¯)
Publisher: Kimani Press
Published: 2011-05-26T14:00:00+00:00

Kumi cut a small portion of chicken breast, biting into the moist succulent meat. Chewing slowly, he savored the distinctive taste of buttermilk with a hint of chili, cumin and oregano. He took another bite. The chicken had been dredged in finely ground cornmeal instead of flour.

Closing his eyes, he shook his head. “Unbelievable,” he said after opening them.

Veronica shrugged a shoulder, smiling. “It’s different.”

“No, it’s wonderful,” he argued laughingly. “You fried it in the oven?”

“Yes.”

She watched the play of emotions on his face. There was no doubt he was pleased and surprised with her recipe for spicy oven-fried chicken. It was only one of many recipes she’d inherited from her paternal grandmother.

Kumi took a sip of wine, his eyebrows lifting slightly. Even the wine was excellent. “Would you mind sharing the recipe?” He probably could duplicate the recipe on his own, but only after several exhaustive taste tests.

“Not at all,” she replied after swallowing a mouthful of sweet potato.

“I’m certain it would be a favorite if Debbie added it as one of the selections on her menu.”

“You said they’re opening a bed-and-breakfast. Do they intend to serve dinner also?”

He nodded. “They’re calling it a B and B, but I see it more like a country inn. Of course they’ll offer the customary breakfasts during the week, brunch on the weekends and dinner every night.”

A smile softened her mouth. “It sounds very exciting.”

His smile matched hers in liveliness. “It is.”

The liquid gold in Veronica’s eyes flickered with interest. Suddenly she wanted to know more about the man sharing her table. “You said you’ve been out of the country for ten years. Where were you living?”

For a long moment, he looked back at her. “France.”

She sat up straighter. “Where in France?”

“Paris.”

Her lids lowered at the same time a soft gasp escaped her. “What a wonderful city.”

He leaned forward. “You’ve been there?”

It was her turn to nod. “I spent two summers there studying art.”

Kumi stared, complete surprise on his handsome face. “You’re an artist?” he asked in French.

“No. I always wanted to be an artist, but what I lacked in talent I made up in enthusiasm. I studied drawing for two years, but abandoned it to become an art history teacher,” she replied in English.

She’d taught art history at a college level for five years before she left academia to open her gallery in Atlanta. She’d specialized in showing the work of up-and-coming African-American artists. Two weeks ago she’d sold the gallery to a consortium of artists who’d pooled their meager earnings to display their work.

“Do you paint?” he asked, again speaking French.

“The closest I get to painting is sketching. I must have dozens of pads filled with incomplete sketches.”

“Which medium?”

“Charcoal, pastels and colored pencils.”

Excitement shimmered in his dark gaze. “Do you have anything to show? Because Debbie hasn’t decided what type of art she wants to display in some of the rooms.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.