Read Online And He Cooks Too by Barbara Barrett - Free Book Online Page A

wear these. I, uh, couldn’t find any the other day when you saw me.”
    Right . At least Trudy had taken to the suggestion with little argument. Reese didn’t care if she’d embarrassed her. Chefs made sure their kitchens ran efficiently and safely; they couldn’t afford to apologize every time they stepped on someone’s toes.
    “You’d be surprised where some people look while they’re in the midst of chopping. Your eyes have to adopt a sort of rhythm that balances the location of the knife with the condition of the food item so the one doesn’t slip and the other doesn’t move.”
    Better keep these sessions short. Not only was Trudy proving to be an impatient student, but it wouldn’t help if any of the crew discovered what they were up to. Everyone was already treating her differently since word of her being a chef had leaked out. That information couldn’t go beyond the studio or her already suffering reputation would suffer even more
    While she continued to make small, tentative cuts in the peppers, Trudy said, “I saw Nick in here talking to you earlier. Looks like you’ve piqued his interest.” Though her focus stayed on the chopping block, a coaxing, conspiratorial tone underscored her words.
    Reese shook her head. “I doubt that.”
    “What did he want?”
    It was becoming increasingly clear that Trudy was a mega-sized snoop and wasn’t afraid to ask questions. And she was also persistent. When one question didn’t elicit the information she sought, two or three more followed.
    While Trudy tidied up their work area, Reese cleaned the knife and put it away. “I’m not sure what he wanted. At first, I thought he might be going to ask me out, but that didn’t happen.”
    “That’s not like Nick. He usually hits on a new woman her first week on the job.”
    Reese grabbed a wipe and began swabbing down the counter Trudy had just cleaned. Trudy relieved Reese of the wipe and flung it in a nearby waste container. “He may not actually date them, but he likes to serve as unofficial greeter.”
    “Guess I’ll consider myself unofficially greeted then.” Was that what he’d been up to?
    Trudy undid her wraparound white apron. “Don’t underestimate Nick. He’s not exactly what they called a cad in the old time movies, but he’s definitely a charmer. Comes naturally to him. Don’t mistake it for interest.”
    Reese unbuttoned her jacket. “Not to worry. I don’t mix business with pleasure.”
    “Good idea.”
    When Reese shot the other PA a perplexed expression, Trudy said, “Leonie has already made you Public Enemy Number One. If she thought her boy was taking a shine to you, there’d be hell to pay.”
    Trudy headed back to their office area before the rest of the crew and other staff filtered in after lunch, leaving Reese alone on the set. She had deliberately not mentioned the restaurant review she’d agreed to participate in. Her new student was a gossip and, after what Trudy had told her about Leonie’s possessiveness, Reese didn’t want news of her having dinner with Nick to get back to the woman. It was time to get herself off the Public Enemy list.

Chapter Six
    On Saturday night, Reese dashed into Ocho’s, an upscale southwestern restaurant in SoHo. “Sorry. Traffic,” she apologized to Nick. Gone was the white chef’s jacket, replaced with a knee-revealing, cleavage showcase of a red dress sure to stop every fork in the restaurant mid-air.
    He gulped, dropping the menu he’d been perusing. His expression melded into a smile he hoped said he’d happily wait for hours if it meant seeing her look like that at the end of his vigil. “Hadn’t noticed. Just got here myself.” He rose, took her hand in his, nodded to the maitre d’, who signaled for the headwaiter to escort them to their table. Heads turned their direction as they made their way to the best seats in the room.
    “You look sensational,” he told her after they were seated.
    “I hope I didn’t