The Wedding Gift

CHAPTER TWO

It wasn't easy trying to finish off the main courses and desserts, knowing all the while that Andrew Kyle was probably out there telling Rose exactly how awful Julie's food was. And Rose would listen, of course, because what else would she be able to do in the face of a triple whammy: celebrity chef, the groom's brother and great dimples?

Enough about the dimples, Julie ordered herself. Just remember what he did.

It was pretty hard to forget. One review from the city's most prominent TV chef, and her business had come crashing down around her ears. The faint trickle of new customers Julie had hoped would widen into a stream dried up completely. Her entire dream had gone south in a matter of weeks, all thanks to the man who was currently sampling Julie's seafood platter.

Well, she couldn't let him ruin this dream, too. Which meant Julie couldn't do anything horrible to his food, even if a small part of her wanted the revenge.

The truth was, the best revenge would be to show him just how wrong he had been. All she had to do was to present him with the best plates of food in her life, and then force him to eat his words.

Easy.

Though if it was that easy, why was her hand shaking while she finished the duck? She needed to focus, take her time and-

"Is everything okay?"

Julie jumped at the sound of Andrew's voice, almost slicing a finger open in the process.

What was he doing in her kitchen? Had he finally realized who she was? Had he come to gloat?

Or, maybe, to apologize for what he'd done?

Knowing anything she really wanted to say to him would get her instantly fired by Rose, Julie responded with a clipped, "I'm not sure you should be in here."

"No, it's fine-"

"Julie," she reminded him in an even more clipped voice this time, hardly able to believe that he'd already forgotten her name. "Julie Delgado."

Was there a flicker of recognition in his eyes?

Then again, why would there be? He was a famous chef. She was a nobody who couldn't keep her own restaurant kitchen open and was now cooking for scraps at a wedding venue.

"I asked Rose's permission to see the kitchen where the food for the wedding might be prepared."

"Might be?"

"My brother and his fiancée deserve the best. I promised I'd cast my chef's eye over the food. Which is why I'd appreciate it if you would bring the desserts out with the main courses and then stay with us as we go through everything." He flashed that brilliant smile of his. "After all, I'm sure the two of us will have a lot to talk about."

For a moment Julie wondered if he was referring to the damning restaurant review, but those darn dimples of his were turning her brain to mush so that all she could manage to say was, "Will we?"

"Sure," Andrew replied with another smile.

Oh, my God, after all he'd done, was he actually flirting with her?

Julie just barely resisted the urge to hit him with the nearest thing on hand, but only because it happened to be a saucepan full of steadily reducing plum sauce. Of all the arrogant...

Again, Julie took a deep breath and reminded herself that since she obviously wasn't important enough for the big star to even remember her name, why wouldn't he pull out the charm to cover his tracks? The same charm that had everybody else fooled.