Spark (Heat #2) (3 page)

My heart still feels like it's stuck somewhere in my throat when I walk into my place to find Sophia on her knees in the living room surrounded by three different fabrics, each a slightly different shade of green.

"It's about time." She darts to her feet. "I've been waiting for hours for you. That was the longest meeting ever."

I nod. I decided on the subway that I wouldn't blurt out everything that happened with Tyler the second I got home. I need to decompress and the quickest way for me to do that is to allow Sophia to pull me into her world.

Without fail, she's always got something on her mind that she wants to discuss when we see each other. Tonight, it looks like it's a new garment design that, no doubt, I'll be wearing within the week.

"I chose green for this because of your eyes." She claps her hands together. "Which shade do you like best?"

I walk over to where she's standing. She's turned on virtually every light fixture in the room but it's still not enough to distinguish the unique color of each fabric. We'd need to do that by the window, in the morning when the sun rises.

Judging by the nervous energy flowing from Sophia, she's got her sewing machine primed and ready to go so I'll need to make a decision on the spot.

"Can I see the design?" I struggle to focus on what she's asking of me.

I can't think straight right now. I'd left Tyler's feeling so bereft that I almost missed my subway stop. I could have eased some of that by answering when he called me, but I didn't. I turned the ringer off on my phone and buried it at the bottom of my purse instead.

"This time it's a surprise." She giggles. "You don't get to see the design until your first fitting."

"When's that going to happen?" I smile at the way she's bouncing in place. "Have you been drinking coffee all night?"

"No." She slaps her hand against my arm. "I'm just so excited about this design. It's my best yet, Den."

I envy her right now. Sophia made a promise to herself that she wouldn't date anyone seriously until her career is exactly where she wants it to be. I don't have as much self-control when it comes to men as she does, obviously.

"I think you should choose the fabric, Soph." I drape my arm around her shoulders. "Pick the one you think will best highlight the design."

"You're sure about that?" Her gaze darts up to meet mine.

"I'm positive." I lean my head against hers. "You're way better at this stuff than I am."

She can't know that I'm not just talking about choosing fabric. It's life. Sophia's life is as uncomplicated as mine is complex and at this moment, I'd give anything to trade places with her.

***

"I had a job offer." Maribel sips on the glass of lemonade she ordered after she arrived at the outdoor café.

I didn't hesitate at all when she called me an hour ago asking if I'd meet her for a cold drink. We're not friends, yet, but she's definitely someone I like being around.

I was looking for something to do for the afternoon. I'd spent all morning perfecting a chicken recipe. I took the results to Sophia for lunch. I knew she could use the food and my company. I heard her sewing machine running when I got up to use the washroom early this morning. A few hours later she was racing through the apartment, hurrying out the door without eating any breakfast.

I stare down at the almost empty glass of sparkling water I ordered when I first sat down. I'd walked here from Sophia's office. It was a hike but I wanted the exercise and since I'm dressed in navy shorts and a white tank, the heat hasn't bothered me. The only evidence of the trek here is the sole blister that's now forming under the leather strap of my left sandal.

"Where?" I ask quietly, not sure if she'd even be willing to share that with me.

"You won't say a word to Tyler about this, will you?"

I'm not about to say any word to Tyler. I know I'll need to talk to him soon. When I do, Maribel's job offer isn't high on the things I want to discuss. "I won't say a thing."

"It's in Brooklyn. It's a brand new place. They want me there from the get-go."

The obvious question is what position she's going to hold. I know that she wants to move up the ladder at Nova but she knows, as well as I do, that the chances of that happening are slim to none. Her career has stalled there and if she's going to leave a mark on the culinary landscape of New York City, she needs to do that now.

"It's a head chef job, Cadence."

"Have you accepted it?" I slide the plastic straw between my lips and take a drink.

"I haven't." Her eyes linger on mine for a second before they focus somewhere behind me. "Since they're just starting out, the pay isn't great. They're not planning on offering a lunch service so my hours would be a lot less too."

"Is that a deal breaker for you?"

"My hubby owns a clothing store. Sales aren't what they used to be so he took on a job at a courier a year ago. The money isn't bad but we're using most of it to keep the store afloat. We depend on what I make to keep our heads above water."

I smile softly. She's looking for advice. I don't know that I'm qualified to offer her any but I want to try. "You're really talented, Maribel. I think you have to consider the fact that if this place wants you, there's a good chance that other restaurants will too. Maybe before you make a decision, you should put out more feelers to see what's out there."

She nods. "I thought the same thing. Have you been doing that too? Are you looking for something new or are you going to hang around and wait for Nova to reopen?"

Before last night there wasn't a single doubt in my mind about my career. I envisioned spending my days next to Tyler, working on recreating Nova in a new space and my nights in his arms and his bed. Now, I'm not certain if either of those visions is anything more than a pipe dream.

"I'm not sure about my future either," I say evenly. "I have no idea where I'll end up.

"You have no reason to be here, Brendon," I say the words harshly as soon as I know he's within earshot.

I noticed him the second I rounded the corner. He was leaning against the mailbox in front of my building with his eyes cast down on his phone.  I considered turning around and walking away but I'm tired after my self-initiated marathon walk around Manhattan today. The blister on my foot has reached '
impossible to ignore'
status. All I want is a glass of wine and a warm soak in a bathtub filled with fragrant bubbles.

"I love you, Den. isn’t that enough of a reason to be here?"

Cue the violins and rose petals.

"You're so full of bullshit." I stop directly in front of him. "I don't want to talk to you ever again, Brendon."

"You know that's not true." He shakes his head. "We were good together."

"Were," I repeat back with a wave of my hand in the air.

"We can be again." He reaches to touch me, his fingertips brushing my bare elbow. "I gave you space because you asked for it. I'm tired of waiting for you to come back to me. I want you back. I need you at Axel."

I laugh. It's impossible not to. "I'm never coming back, Brendon. I'll never be part of your life again and there's no way in hell I'm ever coming back to Axel if you're there. You need to accept that."

He doesn't back down. On the contrary, he steps toward me so I retreat the same distance, bumping into a woman hurrying past us on the sidewalk. I murmur a half-hearted apology under my breath to her.

"I wish I could go back in time. I wouldn't mess things up between us," he says the words with enough sincerity that I'm tempted to believe him. I know him better than that though.

I know that this isn't about me at all. He wants me because I'm sleeping with Tyler. Before I landed the position at Nova, I hadn't heard from Brendon in months.  This is about male pride. That's it. He sees me as the prize in a battle of ego between him and one of his culinary rivals.

"What we had is over." I sigh as I rest my hand on my chest. "It was good and then it wasn't. There's someone better out there for you. You'll find her."

"You're only saying that because you think Monroe is better for you." His shoulders tense. "You actually think you have a future with him? You're a fool if you think that, Den."

Maybe he's right. Maybe I am a fool but I know, with little doubt, that going back to him would crown me the Queen of Fools. I'm trying to avoid owing that title.

"I'm saying that because it's the truth." I fish in my bag for my keys. "I cared about you once Brendon, I don't anymore. We're done. The sooner you can accept that, the better for us both."

"I kept your secret," he blurts out. "I didn't tell Tyler because I love you."

I'll forget regret confiding in Brendon. When I did it, I thought I could trust him. He'd told me a secret and in my haste to reciprocate, I confessed something I vowed I'd never share with anyone I worked or slept with, unless I knew they were my future. In the post orgasmic haze after an afternoon in bed together, I broke that vow.

Now, he has intimate knowledge about me that I wish I could take back. I can't though. I have to accept that sooner or later, he'll renege on his promise and tell whoever will listen, every detail about my past. 

"If you loved me the way you say you do, you wouldn't keep throwing my past back in my face." I look him directly in the eye. "You've held it over my head for too long."

"I haven't held it over your head." He steps forward, his eyes searching my face. "You confided in me and I'm honoring that. I only bring it up to remind you that you trusted me once."

"That was a long time ago." I pause as I search for the right words. "One day you'll realize that what we had is nothing compared to what you can have with someone else. You have to let me go to find that, Brendon. If you want to really be happy forget I even exist. "

***

"Your life is so much better than anything I would have watched on Netflix tonight."

I smile at that. I have to. Sophia was waiting for me with a glass of wine and a willing ear when I turned my back on my ex-boyfriend and came up to my apartment. She listened keenly, without interrupting me, as I told her about Brendon and then Tyler.

"I wish my life was boring," I admit. "I should have taken your advice and sworn off men."

She finishes the last of the wine in her own glass. "I didn't actually tell you to stay away from men, did I?"

It might not have been in so many words, but the meaning was there within the message. She knew that when things ended with Brendon, I needed time to heal. She warned me to watch out for my heart when I started dating again. There's no advice that could have prepared me for meeting Tyler Monroe.

The attraction was strong. The desire to be with him was unyielding. I wanted him and now that I've had him, it's going to impossible to work with him. I have to seriously consider looking for another job.

"You told me to be careful."

"You are careful." She reaches for the almost empty bottle of wine. "Do you want any of this or can I finish it?"

"Be my guest." I tip the glass in my hand toward her. "I'm going to start looking for a new job."

She tucks her bare feet under her. We're sitting next to each other on the couch. There's a warm breeze flowing into the room through all the open windows. Dusk is falling and I'm hanging out with my very best friend. This is exactly what I need to feel calm and relaxed.

"Talk to Tyler first, Den."

"Why?" I wrinkle my nose. "It's my life, Soph. I don't need his permission to look for another job."

"Whoa." She pushes her shoulders back into the soft leather. "I'm not implying that you do. All I'm saying is that from what you told me tonight, your conversation was plum full of misunderstandings. Give him a chance to explain before you sprint out of his life."

"I don't owe the man a thing," I say defiantly. I don't. I worked for him, we slept together a few times and beyond that there's nothing. What happened the other night extinguished any sparks between us.

She finishes the last of the wine before she yawns. "There are always two sides to every story, Den. If he wants to talk, hear him out. It can't hurt to do that, can it?"

I run my finger over my top lip. She has a point. If Tyler still wants to talk to me, I'll listen and then I'll tell him exactly where he can shove his righteous, judgmental attitude.

"I'm not sure why you asked me to come here." I look toward the bank of windows and all the pedestrian traffic on the sidewalk. "I thought it was about the documents we need to fill out to get our wages paid until Nova reopens."

"Have some of your co-workers told you that they've filled those out already?" Mr. Reynolds cocks his head to the side.

I nod. "I was wondering why I hadn't gotten a call and then when you called this morning, I connected the dots."

He turns toward me again. "We're actually handling those on an alphabetical basis based on surnames. You're a Sutton so you should get a call regarding that in a day or two."

That clears that up. Unfortunately it doesn't explain why he called me earlier to ask me to meet him at this place. "Why did you want to see me, sir?"

"It's Hunter, and this is Nova's new home."

I scan the open space again. When I first walked in I hadn't stopped to take notice of anything. I was looking for a table or a desk. Maribel was the one who told me that she'd been ordered down to a building in Greenwich Village to fill out some documents so she'll get paid. It makes sense now given that her surname is Arturo.

Since Hunter gave me the address of a building in Greenwich Village, I thought I'd be filling out forms too. That's the main reason why I'm wearing worn jeans and a plain white blouse. I didn't even bother applying a stitch of make-up.

"This is where Nova is going to be?" I freeze, my eyes riveted to the back of the space. I see Maribel round a corner, quickly followed by Tyler.

My first instinct is to leave the same way I came in, through the front door. I fight off the urge because I refuse to be intimidated by Chef Monroe.

"What do you think of our new location, Cadence?"

I turn toward the sound of Tyler's voice. "It's great."

"It's enormous, Cadence," Mirabel says excitedly. "We'll be able to seat more. We're going to hire more staff. Nova is going to reopen bigger and better than ever."

If the restaurant needs a spokesperson, my vote goes to Mirabel. She's pumped. I guess the job in Brooklyn has fallen right off her radar.

"Do you want to tell Cadence or can I do the honors?" Hunter turns his attention to Tyler.

In that moment my gaze drifts to Tyler's face. He's staring at me. I can tell that he hasn’t slept. He looks exactly the way I feel, worn out and exhausted.

"We want to do an announcement about the new location on the morning show." Tyler curves his finger over his left brow.

Hunter's face lights up as he steps forward. His blue eyes are a striking contrast to his short black hair. "We're going to do that here next week after our designer has finished the renderings. I'd like both you and Maribel to be on the show with Tyler when we unveil the restaurant's new location and design plan."

My eyes flash to the wide grin on Maribel's face. It's obvious that she knows about this and that she's completely on board.

"You three have become the unofficial faces of Nova," Hunter continues, "and we've already spoken to one of the producers. She'd like to see you appear together to talk about the impact of the fire and the rebuilding process."

There are a million things I'd rather do than appear on national television again with Chef Monroe. "I watched when Maribel and Tyler were on. I thought they were good together. I'm not sure I need to be here."

Tyler sighs so audibly that I turn to look at him.

"I'm asking you to do this as a favor, Cadence." Hunter brushes his hand across my shoulder. "I understand if you'd rather not, but it would mean a lot to me if you'd share the spotlight with Tyler and Maribel."

"All right," I say even though I'm not sure why I agree to it. "I can do that. Let me know when to be here and I will."

***

"Do you want to get a drink somewhere, Cadence?" Mirabel asks as we exit the building and step onto the busy sidewalk after saying goodbye to Hunter. "There's a cute place just a block over. They make a wicked mojito."
As much as I want to join her for a cocktail, I can't bring myself to do it. I hate saying no. I know she's just trying to make an effort to spend time with me, and with Tyler, for that matter. I'm not in the mood and I don't have the emotional energy to paste a smile on my face and fake it for the next hour.

"I have plans," I half-lie. Binging on ice cream and watching Sophia sew a new dress qualify as plans in my book. Granted, Sophia won't be home from work for at least another two hours but the ice cream, rum raisin to be exact, is patiently waiting for me in my freezer.

Tyler's gaze glides over my face. "I'd like to discuss something with you before you leave, Cadence. It won't take more than a few minutes."

"Does that mean you're not coming for a drink either, Tyler?" Mariel whines. "I thought we could toast to new Nova."

"Not today, Maribel." His voice is etched with frustration. "I have to take care of some things. I want this place up and running as quickly as possible."

"I can help," she says with exuberance. "Give me a list of things to do and I'll get it done quicker than you can say, '
I'll have a mojito with you, Maribel
.' "

I manage a smile.

"I'll treat you to lunch one day next week," Tyler offers as a concession. "You pick the place. I'll pick up the tab."

She chuckles. "You drive a hard bargain but it's a deal, Chef. Lunch next week it is."