Love Simmers (9 page)

He looked at me in
confusion.

“
Why?” He
whispered.

“
Nate and I are
together. He’s just gotten over me dating you!” I grabbed his arm
and pulled him towards the door. He laughed warmly.

“
When did you
two start dating?”

“
Like,
yesterday,” I tried to drag his immoveable lump of a body but he
wouldn’t budge.

“
That’s
cute.”

He was looking around at the
restaurant, taking in the place his brother and mine had
created.

“
I’m happy for
you. I always figured there was something special between the two
of you,” he said.

“
Don’t make me
hurt you! I won’t let you fuck this up,” I threatened, ignoring his
resulting chuckle.

“
Sorry to hear
about your attack. But look, don’t worry about it, I’m sort of
seeing someone special myself.”

I sighed in relief and hoped
that would be enough to calm Nate.

Tommy wrapped an arm around my
shoulder, handing me a bag from my favourite chocolate store in the
city.

“
Get well
gift,” he shrugged and I felt bad my reaction to his presence had
been so negative.

“
Thanks and I’m
sorry I tried to send you away like a dirty little secret,” I
apologised and he laughed.

“
I’m always
happy to be your dirty
big
secret,” he winked.

“
Tommy,” Nate
said quietly from behind us. I stepped out from under Tommy’s
arm.

The two brothers’ eyed each
other carefully, their relationship always somewhat strained. These
two took sibling rivalry to a whole new level. Though they showed
up to each other’s events and supported one another there was a
competitiveness that kept them apart.

“
Incredible
place,” Tommy praised.

Nate pulled me under his arm in
a move so territorial we may as well have been on the plains of
Africa.

“
Thanks.” Nate
was a man of few words at the best of times. And this was not the
best of times.

“
I’m happy for
you two,” Tommy appeased him, “Logan said you were together. I
think it’s great.”

I felt Nate relax slightly
beside me as if the fact I had announced the relationship comforted
him.

“
Thanks. I hope
you enjoy tonight. I’ll see you later,” Nate said, giving Tommy a
brief hug before walking his brother out. He was back beside me
moments later.

“
You told him
we were together?” He asked me carefully.

“
Was I meant to
hide it?” I replied.

“
I thought for
the sake of your TV image you might not want it public knowledge
that you’re dating someone from your home town. Your flirty, single
image has to be maintained after all,” he said and I realised he
thought I didn’t want it getting out I was with him. I was proud to
be dating him.

“
I want
everyone to know how smart and sexy my boyfriend is,” I reassured
him, loving the way he pulled me into his arms. “Consider me
rebranded as a woman in a committed relationship.”

“
That’s good
because I want everyone to know that the sexiest chef on TV is
mine.”

We walked into the kitchen
where Ollie stood chopping herbs.

“
Ugh,” he
mocked as he looked up and saw us holding hands and
smiling.

“
I know, it’s
kind of embarrassing,” I admitted, my appetite flaring as I saw all
the delicious foods around me.

“
We almost
ready?” Nate asked, his voice full of anticipation. They’d been
preparing for this night for months. It was almost a year ago that
they’d decided to open a place together. Tonight was the
culmination of all their hard work.

“
We’re on
schedule for the doors to open at six sharp,” Ollie smiled
brightly, his body tense with excitement. I’m sure this moment for
them was like when I stepped onto the set of my TV show for the
first time. It was a sense of fear, excitement and apprehension. I
was sorry that I wasn’t apart of this place like they
were.

“
I better get
home and change,” I said, leaving Nate and Ollie alone to have a
beer in celebration of their achievement. Their bromance was
redic!

The place was at full capacity
for opening night, the bookings having been made weeks ago. There’s
nothing the people of Chester loved more than a new restaurant
opening. Sails had been the most talked about event for the last
few months. Not much happened in Chester. And everybody loved Nate
and Ollie. As a result of recent events the media was present. The
boys couldn’t ask for more.

“
The food is
ridiculous!” Maddie said from across the table.

My mum smiled beside her, her
face radiant as she enjoyed her son’s big night.

“
Both my
children can cook. I have no idea where they got it from,” she
wondered as she bit into a piece of lamb.

“
Ollie and I
watched a lot of Food Network while you were at work,” I sighed in
appreciation as I put a piece of the bread we’d made together in my
mouth. It was as good as when I made it.

“
I wish I could
cook like this,” Maddie joked.

“
I know someone
willing to teach you,” I said as I ate a piece of smoked salmon.
This was the best meal of my life. I’m big enough to admit Ollie
was a better chef than me. I just wasn’t big enough to admit that
to him.

“
There’s
Lawrence. I should say hi.” My mum left the table to mingle. The
woman was a social butterfly on an epic level. There wasn’t a club,
group or event in town that my mother was not part of, including
the gardening society. She didn’t know the difference between a
flower and a weed.

“
How’s
everything?” Nate asked as he walked over to our table, the suit he
wore doing spectacular things to his tall body. I let him catch me
eyeing him up. He winked at me and I almost swooned. This was
getting bad.

“
Amazing, Nate.
This whole place is,” Maddie gave him a hug, her praise making him
uncomfortable I could tell.

“
And you,” he
looked at me expectantly, waiting for my praise.

“
I’d like to
complain to the manager,” I flirted with him, ignoring Maddie roll
her eyes.

“
About anything
in particular?” He played along, kneeling down so that he was at
eye level with me.

“
I think
someone has stolen my recipe.” I gestured to the sauce that came
with my salmon, knowing it was a recipe from my book.

“
Well, you
stole my story so I’d say we’re square.” He gave me a kiss and
subtly whispered what he was going to do to me later that evening.
I was shifting in my seat by the time he left our table a little
while later.

“
Don’t say a
word!” I gave Maddie a stern look. She sat back quietly in her
chair with a smug look on her face.

My phone ringing stopped Maddie
before she could air her thoughts on the little love fest she’d
seen. She gestured for me to answer my call.

“
Hello,” I
whispered quietly, standing up and heading for the deck outside. I
didn’t want to disrupt anyone’s beautiful meal.

“
Logan, it’s
Sarah,” my agent’s voice was an unwelcome reminder of what Nate and
I faced in two days. I had to get back to work. “You got the job!”
She screamed into the phone. I had to pull it away from my ear
before she deafened me.

“
The job? What
job?” It wasn’t dawning on me what job my agent was talking
about.

“
The job! You
got the Japanese cooking contest!”

I froze, my heart plummeting to
the ground.

“
They want you
to be the judge. They’ve sent over a contract. They’re offering $1
million!” I could imagine my agent bouncing up and down in joy.
Part of that $1 million would be hers if I took the job.

“
How long would
shooting be?” I asked, no enthusiasm in my voice. Nate had agreed
to a city a couple of hours away by plane not one on the other side
of the world.

“
Nine months
and then two months of publicity touring,” her excitement was
beginning to cool as she realised I wasn’t jumping for joy with
her.

“
I’ll think
about it,” I said slowly, hanging up the phone before she could
start trying to push me into accepting. I knew I needed a little
distance from her to think things through. I needed to talk about
this with Nate.

I headed back to the table. My
mum was still off doing the rounds, talking to everyone she knew,
leaving me alone with Maddie. I told her about the offer.

“
It’s a huge
offer. You’re career will explode,” she said and I groaned, wishing
I had never auditioned for the job.

“
I know.” I
shook my head, wondering what I was going to say to Nate. I wanted
to at least get his opinion on it. I trusted him.

After Sails had closed its
doors after an incredibly successful opening night, Ollie, Nate,
Maddie and I raised our glasses of champagne in celebration. Ollie
and Nate both looked exhausted from the stress of the last few
weeks.

“
Ollie, I
haven’t been this proud to call you my brother since you set off
the fire alarm when we were fourteen to get out of a math test.” I
hugged him, aware that his eyes never strayed too far from
Maddie.

“
Thank you for
coming to help me. I can always count on you,” he said.

“
I’m your twin.
If you can’t count on me then who can you count on?” We laughed as
Maddie walked over towards Ollie. I left them alone to stare
longingly and awkwardly at each other.

“
What’s up?”
Nate said, knowing something wasn’t right with me.

“
Can I tell you
tomorrow? I don’t want to ruin the night.” I knew the moment those
words left my mouth I would now have to tell him. Otherwise he
would spend all night trying to figure out what I was going to say
imagining far worse situations than the real one.

“
Just tell me
now,” he insisted. I led him out to the quiet deck where hours
before I had received the phone call. I looked up at the stars
before I spoke, admiring their beauty before I told him the
news.

“
I got a huge
job offer to film a show…in Japan. I would be gone almost a year
and the pay is $1 million,” I risked looking at him, watching the
emotions flash through his eyes, anger, hurt, disappointment. I
looked away.

“
What did you
say?” His voice was guarded, like he was afraid to express a
view.

“
That I’d think
about it,” I continued, “I wanted to talk to you about it before
making any decisions.”

He laughed sarcastically. I
reached out to hold his hand but he pulled it away.

“
Talk to me?
You mean tell me your decision. I know you well enough to know that
you’ve already made up your mind,” he turned to go back
inside.

“
I wanted your
opinion because that’s what people do in relationships I think.
They talk big life decisions through together.”

“
It’s for
offers like this one that you left home. You wanted to make it, to
make money, to travel. This is everything you want. I’m not going
to hold you back,” his voice was harsh, the words difficult to
say.

“
Nate -.” I
started but he stopped me.

“
Don’t you dare
ask me to go with you! My home, my business is here. I was willing
to spend half my time in a city for you. You won’t even stay in the
same country for me.”

He walked away, stopping for
split second when he heard my cries before moving again faster than
before. That wasn’t even what I had been about to say.

“
You’re just
leaving.” Ollie still couldn’t get over the fact as he drove me to
the airport the next day. I was leaving because I had a life and
responsibilities to get back to. Also, because I may have once
again been running from Nate and all those feelings. “Einstein said
insanity was doing the same thing over and over again and expecting
different results,” Ollie quoted Einstein at me like it would help.
I ignored the implications of the quote, not wanting to believe I
was driving myself insane. What did Einstein know
anyway?

“
Japan is the
biggest career opportunity I will ever get,” I tried to explain but
I didn’t have the energy too.

“
So?” Ollie’s’
shrug made the offer seem trivial. He’d never been impressed or
jealous of my money or my job, even when I had been partying with
celebs and holidaying all over the world. He measured success
according to happiness. And so, he believed himself to be the more
successful twin. I guess he was.

“
So… I will
achieve everything I wanted,” I replied, Nate’s gorgeous face
drifting into my mind. It made my heart clench painfully in my
chest. I felt nauseous just thinking about him.

“
Will you be
happy?” Ollie asked and I groaned. Now he was a chef, business
owner and counsellor.

“
I’m not happy
now! At least then I’ll be happy and richer!”

“
You’re unhappy
now because you know this is a bad decision. You’re taking the easy
way out,” his words were annoyingly truthful.