The Wedding Gift

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FOUR

Julie cleaned up the dining room, carefully stacking the plates and putting them in the dishwasher, each movement precisely controlled. She was not going to end up breaking a plate on top of everything else that had happened this afternoon.

And she was definitely not going to wallow in thoughts about Andrew Kyle.

Admittedly, that was easier said than done. There were those dimples, for one thing. Not to mention the way he had just come in here and high-handedly dismissed Julie's best efforts as if they were nothing-exactly the same way he'd dismissed her restaurant. Julie knew her food was good and she had done a good job, too. Yet Andrew hadn't even bothered to come up with a better word than bland to describe everything.

Who did he think he was?

A successful celebrity chef, obviously, but other than that? Where did he get off, taking apart her carefully constructed menu in front of Rose? Now she would have to work twice as hard to convince her temporary boss that she was the right choice to be The Rose Chalet's permanent head chef.

Julie's best guess was that Andrew enjoyed the power. He could make or break careers. What an ego trip that had to be. Julie couldn't believe the casual way Andrew had suggested that he should come in and "help" her. In other words, stand over her and criticize everything she did. The nerve of the guy!

Unfortunately she knew his type only too well. Men who were too sure of themselves-utterly certain that all they had to do was to snap their fingers and women would come running. It was one of the main reasons Julie didn't date these days.

But to be completely honest, Julie had to admit that wasn't precisely the impression she'd gotten from Andrew while he was busy critiquing her wedding menu.

In truth, he'd seemed like a pretty nice guy. Serious about food, but not nasty. Or a jerk.

She took a few deep breaths. Yes, she reminded herself, people sometimes weren't what they seemed. Julie had learned that lesson more than once. No matter how nice Andrew Kyle might be, she wasn't going to make the mistake of trusting a man who had already played a major part in ruining her life.

"Hi, Julie."

Julie spun around and found Phoebe, The Rose Chalet's florist, looking as elegantly beautiful as ever in a dark dress and heels. Her hair was perfect in a way that made Julie-after a few hours in a hot kitchen-feel distinctly self-conscious about how frizzy hers must be.

Instead of replying with a simple hello, all she could manage was a heartfelt groan.

"Rough day?"

"Sorry," Julie said, "it's just this guy..."

She snapped her lips shut, knowing if Rose walked in and found her bad-mouthing the groom's brother, she'd be booted off the property.

Phoebe was a lot more laid-back about life than Rose was, but they were still at work. Besides, it seemed that she'd already said enough, because Phoebe reached out to put a reassuring hand on her arm.

"You shouldn't let some guy get you so upset," Phoebe said. "No man is worth that."

Julie knew that if Andrew were anyone else, if he didn't happen to be one of the greatest chefs in the city, and if she hadn't eaten a couple of the best meals ever in his restaurants, his complete dismissal of her food wouldn't hurt as much.

What a loser he must think she was. Not just because of her failed restaurant, but because she'd let him run roughshod over her food, not once, but twice!