Falling for Her Rival

“She makes a good point,” Finn said while several of the other chefs nodded. “I’ll be damned if I want to go home because some college intern didn’t know how to pick out decent broccoli rabe.”

Lara appreciated his solidarity.

“I can assure you, everything used on this show is carefully selected. We shop the same sources as high-end restaurants do and that includes the Chesterfield. Sometimes we shop directly from local growers. The same goes for our seafood, meat and poultry. Buyers for the show are at the seaport before dawn on weekdays picking out the best catches. Quality will not be an issue.” He eyed Finn before adding drily, “At least not the quality of the ingredients.”

Rather than being offended, Finn merely smiled. “Touché.”

It was interesting. The man could be intense, but apparently that didn’t prevent him from also having a sense of humor or poking fun at himself. Lara found it an appealing trait. God knew that neither her father nor her ex-husband had been able to laugh at themselves.

“One thing to keep in mind, chefs.” Tristan held up a finger as he revealed the troubling caveat. “Although the pantry items will be restocked after every round of competition, once they are gone during a round, they’re gone.”

“First come, first served. Sounds good to me. Get used to seeing me at the front of the line,” Ryder said to no one in particular as he folded a pair of tattooed arms over his massive chest.

Lara offered up a silent prayer that he would be the first in line for elimination, as well. Less than an hour in his presence and his unflagging superiority had grown tiresome. She really didn’t want to have to put up with it for the show’s duration.

“This is a competition intended to test your skills, Mr. Surkovski.” Ryder’s last name, Lara assumed as Tristan continued, “Sometimes even the best kitchens run out of an item and have to make adjustments on the fly. You’ve got to use your head. In other words, brain trumps brawn here. You’ll have to rely on what can be found between your earrings.”

Where Finn had taken Tristan’s teasing barbs in stride, Ryder’s skin flushed a deep scarlet and his eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. Lara figured it was only Tristan’s position with the network that saved him from a scathing comeback. Or worse.

“The first kitchen I worked in ran out of hot dogs. It was a disaster since it was at the ballpark,” Finn quipped to no one in particular.

Lara got the feeling Finn had only said it to lighten the mood. Sure enough, Tristan and the other chefs laughed. All except for Ryder. He was stone-faced.

“You’re making an enemy,” Lara whispered as they followed Tristan to another area of the set.

“You mean Ryder?” Finn shrugged, apparently unconcerned. “It’s not like I’m here to make friends.”

Adversaries. The word rang in her head. Right.

They could be friendly, but they were competitors, each with an agenda that ran counter to the others’. Under such circumstances, true friendship or relationships of any kind weren’t likely.

So it came as a surprise when, after they finished with everything for the day, Finn turned to Lara as they headed outside and said, “Hey, do you want to go for a cup of coffee or something?”

God help her, but it was the or something that had her attention.

FOUR

Add a dash of spice

“I thought you told me you weren’t here to make friends, Finn,” Lara said, raising one eyebrow.

“I’m not.”

“But you’re willing to make an exception in my case?”

Was he?

One side of her mouth rose in a smile that had a decidedly unsettling effect on his heart rate. No, Finn wasn’t after friendship. But he couldn’t deny his interest in Lara Smith. It had been there since the get-go.

“Well, if you looked like Ryder, I wouldn’t be offering,” he replied truthfully.

“And if I looked like Angel?”

“What do you mean by that?” he asked.

“Smoky eyes and Angelina Jolie lips?” Lara pouted and batted her eyelashes for effect. “Not to mention a pair of legs that start at the chin.”

“There’s nothing wrong with your legs.” Or any other part of her anatomy, from what Finn could tell. And, yeah, he’d been looking. “Besides, she’s not my taste. Too...obvious.” His gaze lowered briefly to Lara’s mouth and more naturally proportioned lips before flicking away to gaze up at the busy street. “I prefer subtlety, complexity.”

“Are you talking about women or are you talking about food?”

“Both, I guess.” He laughed.

She nodded, as if processing that. Then, “I’m still not clear on why you want to have coffee with me.”

Why indeed? He wasn’t quite clear on that himself. So, what he went with was “Ever hear the saying, ‘Keep your friends close and your enemies closer’?”

“Gee, you know how to make a girl feel special.”

He laughed at her deadpan delivery. He’d always found a good sense of humor attractive in a woman.

“Actually, I’ve got a job in this neighborhood in a couple of hours. It doesn’t make sense to go home, and I don’t feel like sitting alone while I kill time.”

“Kill time,” she repeated. He nearly winced. Had he really just said that? “That’s a lukewarm invitation, you know. You need to work on your people skills, Paper.”

She had a point. He was a little rusty when it came to flirting with women. The ink on his divorce decree might have been dry for a couple of years, but Finn hadn’t gone out much. He’d been too busy. And, yeah, too bitter.

He wasn’t feeling bitter now. Oh, no. The emotions pinging around in his head were a lot more palatable than that.

“Is that no?”

“I should go home,” she told him. “I mean, I have laundry to do.”

“Laundry?” He placed a hand over his heart. “You’re turning me down to go home and throw in a load of dirty clothes?”

A smile lurked on her lips when Lara added, “Well, my refrigerator needs to be cleaned out, too.”

“Yeah. That makes me feel better. What? No game of Candy Crush calling your name?”

“How did you know?” Her full-on grin had his heart doing a funny thu-thunk. “But I can multitask and do that while I’m waiting for my clothes to dry.”

“Who needs to work on people skills now?” he asked sardonically.

“Fine.” Her grin made a mockery of the sigh that followed. “I’ll have a cup of coffee with you.”

Finn nodded, more pleased than he wanted to be that she’d accepted his invitation.

“I know a coffee shop not far from here that makes excellent biscotti.”

“You’re not talking about Isadora’s, are you?”

“That’s the one.” He blinked in surprise. “You know it?”

“Best biscotti in all of Manhattan. And the coffee is pretty good, too.”

Together, they headed off in the direction of the café. The rain had stopped. In fact, little evidence of the earlier downpour remained except for errant puddles in places where the sidewalk dipped. He watched Lara widen her stride to step over one. Her legs weren’t as long as the aforementioned Angel’s, but they were slender, which gave them the illusion of length. And he’d bet they were toned, too, based both on the way her pants fit and the lithe grace with which she moved.

Although she was petite, she hadn’t worn dangerously high heels to compensate. Her footwear choice on this day was a sensible pair of flats whose only bow to femininity was a row of flirty ruffles that crossed the toe. They were a practical choice for the kitchen, although he’d noticed that Amazon-sized Angel had gone with spikes and even down-home Flo had opted for a wedged heel that added a couple of inches to her otherwise average height.

Lara was saying, “I’m at Isadora’s at least twice a week, although I limit my biscotto intake to one piece once a week.”

Disciplined, he thought. But what surprised him was the fact they hadn’t met before now given their affinity for both the hard Italian cookie and the place.

“I’m there most weekday mornings. I bring my laptop, clear my email, that sort of thing. I can’t believe I’ve never run into you.”

“I know. What time do you arrive? I usually show up around seven, and then I’m in and out pretty fast. I get my order to go.”

“Seven?” Finn whistled through his teeth. “That explains it. I’m still in bed at seven. In fact, I rarely throw back the covers before nine.”

She blinked as if trying to clear away an inappropriate visual. Or maybe his ego just wanted to believe that was the case.

“Night owl?” she asked.

“I didn’t used to be, but...” He shrugged. “I work as a private chef now, so I’m a night owl if my client is, and lately, she is.”

“She?” Lara’s eyebrows rose.

“I signed a confidentiality clause, so that’s about all I’m allowed to say.”

“Ah. Someone famous, then. Got it.” She nodded before asking, “Do you have a lot of freedom to plan the menu or does your client tell you what she wants and how she wants it?”

Finn couldn’t stop his laugher. He didn’t try, even when a blush stained Lara’s cheeks.

“You make me sound like a gigolo,” he responded once he’d managed to catch his breath. “I know food can be a sensual experience, but...”

“Sorry. I—”

He shook his head and waved off the apology. Then Lara did it again, put her foot right back in that very appealing mouth of hers.

“It must pay pretty well. Otherwise, why would you...? I mean, obviously, you’d rather run a restaurant kitchen.” She squinted through one eye. “That came out wrong.”

“That’s all right.” Hell, sometimes Finn felt as if he’d sold out, but a guy had to make a living and at least he was still able to do so with his cooking. “To answer your first poorly phrased question—” He laughed again. “I plan the menus, but sometimes she makes a request. And she likes to have dinner parties, so...”

“Late nights.”

“Exactly. Tonight included. I’ll be lucky to plant my face in my pillow by three.”

“It’s Wednesday.”

“Yeah. Welcome to the life of the idle rich.”

Isadora’s was just ahead on the other side of the street. Finn swore he could already smell the coffee on the stale afternoon breeze. They stopped at the curb. While they waited for the light to change, he asked, “What kind of coffee do you drink?” He tipped his head to one side. “You’re not one of those half-caf-with-skim-milk women, are you?”

“And if I say yes?”

“I’d have to turn you on to the beauty of a plain old cup of freshly brewed French roast.”

Her brows notched up.

Now who was guilty of poor phrasing? Finn thought. But she didn’t call him on it.

Instead, she agreed, “Simplicity is underrated.”

“Yep. Everyone wants to complicate things, thinking that somehow makes the end result better.”

Finn wasn’t only talking about coffee now, but the direction his kitchen—and he still considered Rascal’s kitchen his—had gone under Sheryl’s and Cole’s leadership. Rascal’s, named for the classic Our Gang reruns he’d watched as a kid, had featured traditional food with fun, funky twists. These days the menu was more classical than classic, heavy with French influences that ran counter to the eclectic decor and irreverent name.

“Personally, I like Colombian and I look for organic beans harvested and sold under Fair Trade. Does that make me high maintenance or too trendy?” she wanted to know.

“Even if it did, at least it would be for a good cause.”

“So, it’s okay to be picky or demanding if you’re doing it for a good cause?”

Finn laughed. “Something like that.”

They arrived at the shop and he held open the door for her. At this hour of the day, the place wasn’t very busy. Most people already had reached their daily caffeine quota. A few professional types in business suits stood in line at the take-out window. In the dining room, trendily dressed girls whom he guessed to be high school age sat laughing at one table. Two other tables were taken by preoccupied twentysomethings tapping away on their laptop keyboards.

“Counter or table?” she asked.

“Your choice.”

Lara turned and started toward a table that was wedged against the window. It was the one he often sat at so he could watch the foot traffic file past. As he sat down, he could hear the slight buzzing of the neon Open sign overhead. A waitress was over almost immediately to take their orders.

Lara went with Colombian. He went with French roast. They both took their coffee black. Another reason to like her, he decided. Food required seasoning. But a good cup of coffee didn’t need to be doctored up with cream, whether flavored or plain. Nor did it need sweetener of any sort. Especially if one was going to be dunking cookies in it.

“I’ll have the macadamia-nut-and-dried-cranberry biscotto,” she told the waitress.

“Make that two.” It was what he always ordered, as well.

After the waitress left, Lara quipped, “We made her job easy.”

“We can always send the biscotti back and complain about the coffee to test her patience and make her earn the tip we leave.”

“I’m sure she’s already waited on more than a couple people like that today. I’ve worked in enough kitchens to know that some people make special requests or send back food just to be a pain in the rear.”

He cocked his head to one side and studied her. “I thought you were a food stylist.”

Lara pointed at his mouth. “Did you know that your lip curled when you said that?”

“It did not.”

She nodded. “Afraid so.”

“Okay, maybe a little. It just seems like a poor use of your talent.” And obviously she had talent or she wouldn’t have made it on to the show.

Tone dry as dust, she replied, “Says the man who pimps out his cooking to the highest bidder. What’s the story behind that?”

“We’re talking about you right now. We’ll get to my story later.” He wasn’t sure what he would share with her. But right now he wanted to know more about her, so he asked, “Do you enjoy styling other people’s food?”

“I’m very good at it.”

“But that’s not what I asked.”

The waitress returned with their coffees and biscotti. Lara picked up one of the hard Italian cookies and dunked it into her cup. Stalling?

Finn prompted, “Well?”

“Sure. I enjoy it. I wouldn’t do it otherwise. Appearances are important.”

“Appearances can be deceiving,” he shot back.

That was true both in the case of a roasted turkey that had been brushed with oil to make it look moist and a fresh-faced woman with secrets brimming in her eyes.

“Yes. And no. I’m willing to go out on a limb and bet that Ryder does not sing in a church choir.”

But did Ryder have something to hide? Finn didn’t think so. He was an in-your-face kind of guy. Lara Smith? The way she sometimes acted, Finn wondered.

“All right, I’ll come clean,” she said only to end with, “I like cooking more.”

Not exactly a revelation, but it was a start.

“Where did you go to culinary school?”

She named off the very institution that he had attended, although he’d graduated a few years ahead of her. When she mentioned training abroad under a couple of world-renowned chefs, Finn was duly impressed and whistled through his teeth.

“How did you manage that? As far as I know, neither of those guys hires anything but seasoned veterans to work in their kitchens. Even their prep chefs and line cooks have been around the block a time or two.”

Yet Lara had scored an internship.

“My father’s doing.”

“Your father?”

Rather than answer right away, she bit into the biscotto, leaving Finn with the impression that she was using the time it took to chew and swallow to formulate a response.

“He knows both men. I guess you could say he traded on friendship.”

“Lucky you.”

She glanced out the window. “Yeah. Lucky me.”

Now he was really curious. But he asked, “How did a chef with a degree from one of the best culinary schools in the country and who trained under a couple of Europe’s finest chefs wind up making food look pretty on a plate for the camera?”

Her gaze snapped back to his. Her tone was mild, but her eyes held a bit of heat when she told him, “That’s rather derogatory.”

“The phrasing might be a little harsh,” he allowed and took a sip of his coffee. “But it’s a fact.”

She was quiet a moment. Insulted? He didn’t think so. But he’d definitely struck a nerve.

“Okaaay,” she said slowly, drawing out the a as well as the suspense. He leaned forward slightly in his seat, drawn in and all but drowning in those green eyes. “Short answer?”

Finn found himself far more interested in the long version, but he nodded. He’d settle for that...for now.

“I sort of fell into it.” She picked up her coffee.

That was it?

“You weren’t kidding about offering a short answer.” He took a sip from his mug before continuing, “I feel a little cheated. Come on. You can share more than that.”

She made a humming noise. “I don’t know that I should.”

“Why not?”

“I’d rather be an enigma. A bit of mystery is good for...competition.”

Funny, but competition was barely a blip on Finn’s personal radar at the moment. He leaned forward. The neon sign wasn’t the only thing buzzing right now.

“I have a proposition,” he told her.

“Oh?” She appeared aloof, sitting there with her elbows on the table, both hands holding the coffee cup, which obscured his view of her mouth. But she leaned forward, too, bringing with her the appealing scent of vanilla and sweetness that he wasn’t sure could be attributed to the hard Italian cookie. “What kind of a proposition?”

“The kind that involves physical contact,” he replied. One of her elbows slipped off the tabletop, causing coffee to slosh over the rim of her mug. His ego fully stroked, he added, “I’m challenging you to another game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Are you up for it?”

She sat back on a laugh. “Maybe. Depends.”

“On?”

“What exactly does the winner get this time?”

Finn knew what he wanted, and it had nothing to do with spilling secrets or speaking at all. It did, however, involve her mouth. He swallowed.

“The long version.” He coughed for effect. “I’m referring to answers.”

“Gee, glad you clarified that.” She grinned and looked away. “But I’m not sure what’s in it for me, other than I get to keep a little of my mystique.”

“You get to ask me a question of your choosing.”

“Any question?”

Her eyes narrowed in a way he found worrisome. But Finn nodded. Being an enigma wasn’t all that important to him. His name already had been dragged through the mud publicly. If she hadn’t put it together yet, she would. Eventually.

“Sure. Any question. Well?”

“Deal.” She clinked her coffee mug against his before setting it aside. Then she put out her hands. “On the count of three?”

This time when they finished, her fingers were curled in a fist for a rock. He’d gone with paper. Again. This time, he’d won.

“Paper covers rock.” He cupped his palm over her fist, kept it there. The contact was warm, inviting.

“What do you want to know?” she asked quietly.

Finn thought about the questions he would like to have answered, including the one that she’d already evaded.

But what he asked was, “Are you seeing anyone?”

* * *

Are you seeing anyone?

That was what he wanted to know?

Was she flattered by Finn’s interest? Check.

Turned on by it? Ditto.

Worried? Ding! Ding! Ding!

Concern topped the list, which was why she replied with a mood-killing “This...isn’t a good time.”

“For what?” he persisted. “I’m just trying to get the lay of the land. If you’re seeing someone...” He put up his hands as he slouched back in his chair.

It was more for her own benefit than his that she told him, “I think we got off on the wrong foot.”

“How so?” He looked genuinely confused, genuinely contrite. “Have I done or said anything to offend you?”

“No. Nothing.”

In the very short time they’d known one another, Finn had done everything right, coming as close to perfect as any man ever had when measured against Lara’s exacting post-divorce standards. And that made him dangerous. Especially right now.

“Here’s the thing, Finn. I know where I stand with Ryder and Angel and the rest of the chefs in the competition. They’d poach my liver if they thought it would help their cause. But you...”

“My motives are suspect.”

“No! Yes. I don’t know.” And she couldn’t afford to find out.

“Well, at least you’re sure.” His accompanying grin took the sting out of his otherwise sarcastic reply.

She sighed. “I’m not making sense.”

“It’s okay. I think I know what you mean, Lara. The timing is wrong.”

The timing was definitely wrong. How could she start a relationship with a man when she couldn’t even be truthful with him about her last name?

She tried a second time to put into words what she herself barely understood.

“I really need to win.”

“I know. I need it myself.” He swallowed. “Nothing can...nothing will stand in the way.”

They were on the same page, quoting practically the same verse. Leave it at that. But she didn’t. Couldn’t.

“I’m not seeing anyone, Finn. I haven’t been seriously involved with anyone since... Well, in a long time. And I’d be lying if I claimed I don’t find you attractive. But...let’s just skip ahead to the bottom line.”

Lara’s fingers squeezed the ceramic mug until she wondered that it didn’t shatter into tiny pieces. “I think it would be best if we stopped whatever is going on between us before it starts.”

With her gaze glued to her half-eaten biscotto, she waited for him to argue with her. In fact, she found herself hoping he would.

But what Finn said was “You’re right. Too much is at stake.”

“Yes. For both of us.”

After reaching that conclusion, they spent the next fifteen minutes awkwardly tripping over the elephant in the room as they attempted polite conversation and finished their coffees.

Finn picked up the tab. Lara plunked down a tip. Outside the shop, they stood in the muggy late-afternoon heat while she waited for a cab. When one finally sidled to the curb, they both reached for the handle. It was déjà vu, except for Finn’s expression. His smile held no humor or bemusement. Only regret as oppressive as the humidity.

“Let me get the door for you,” he said.

After she slid onto the seat, he didn’t kiss her, but he did lean inside. “Rain check?”

“What?”

“If...when one of us is eliminated... What do you say? Rain check?”

“I... Okay.” Holding back her grin, she added, “I’ll take you out for drinks to commiserate when you’ve been voted off the show.”

FIVE

Let marinate

“How did the other night go with your client?”

It was Friday and nearly time to knock off after a second long day of taping interviews that would air both on the television program and the show’s website. Other than a couple of hellos, these were the first words Lara had said to him since coffee on Wednesday.

Finn didn’t think she was ignoring him. The contestants had been kept extremely busy the past couple of days. And some of the taping they’d done had taken them away from the studio for several hours with their own camera crews.

Besides, after that bit of awkwardness at the coffee shop two days before, they’d left things on a friendly, flirty note.

He still wanted to give his forehead a thump over the question he’d asked her. Of all the things he could have had her clarify for him, her single status had topped the list?

Way to be subtle and smooth, Westbrook.

He wouldn’t claim to be recovered from his divorce, even if he had moved on personally and was trying to do the same professionally. He doubted a person got over a betrayal like the one Sheryl and Cole had dealt him, first with their affair and later by cheating him out of his business.