Read Online Love in the Morning by Meg Benjamin - Free Book Online Page A

very good things about the food. Somebody told me your muffins were out of this world.” Nona glanced at Clark again. “No offense, Clark, but Clarice was tapering off a little. Her muffins were sort of meh. ”
    â€œClarice had other things to be concerned about.” Clark’s jaw was back to tight. “She was busy finding another job.”
    Nona patted his hand. “She was a bitch about it, that’s for sure. She should have given you warning, and at least stuck around to make sure the kitchen was okay before she left.”
    â€œLooks like she got you a replacement before she took off.” Dick raised an eyebrow in Lizzy’s direction.
    â€œClarice had nothing to do with bringing a replacement in,” Clark said shortly. “Lizzy walked in looking for a job, and I was the one who hired her. Clarice just got lucky there. Or I did.”
    Nona’s forehead furrowed slightly as she turned to Lizzy. “You just walked in off the street looking for a job?”
    Lizzy’s throat tightened, but she managed to keep her smile in place. Keep it light. “Right place, right time, I guess.”
    Nona’s forehead stayed furrowed. “But you’re an experienced chef, right?”
    Lizzy nodded. “I’ve worked in kitchens before.”
    Dick watched her with hooded eyes, then his lips spread in a faintly unpleasant smile. “And you just took the first job you found? You didn’t even check around to see who else was hiring? Denham must have offered you a prime employment package.”
    Lizzy met his gaze head-on. “It was a good job. I didn’t need to look for anything else.” And the owner doesn’t watch reality TV. Or read the tabloids.
    Ronnie swept up to the table, pitcher of beer in hand. “Here we go. I brought four glasses. I hope everybody wants beer.”
    Nona smiled up at her. “Just put everything down here, sweetie. Some people at this table need to concentrate on drinking instead of talking.” She gave Dick a pointed look, which he ignored.
    Lizzy took a swallow of the beer Clark handed her, trying not to gulp it down. Although she’d have loved a nice beer buzz after the past week, she needed to keep a level head.
    Dick Sonnenfeld’s eyes were way too bright when he looked her way.
    *****
    Clark wasn’t sure exactly why he felt uneasy as he escorted Lizzy back to the hotel. It had been a pleasant evening overall if you ignored Dick’s baiting. He had a tendency to do that with new people—just his way of finding out how far he could push without getting pushed back. Lizzy had more than held her own with him.
    But Dick and Nona between them had managed to raise a few questions in his own mind. Questions he might have asked himself before the crisis in the kitchen.
    Why had Lizzy been so desperate for a job? She clearly had the chops in the chef department. Why had she grabbed the first thing that came her way? What was she doing in Salt Box, Colorado, anyway, with a car that had run dry, and no place to stay?
    Not that it mattered in the long run since she was doing a terrific job of saving his ass.
    He glanced at her, walking silently at his side. Maybe too silently. He suddenly realized he hadn’t said anything since they’d left the Blarney Stone. Oops. “Nice night. Not too cold.”
    Lizzy glanced up at him, pulling her sweater a little more snugly around her body. “How cold does it get around here?”
    â€œIn the winter? Twenties and thirties usually. Sometimes a little colder or warmer, depending on where we are in the season.”
    She shivered. Well, she was from California. Apparently. “So how long will this weather hold?”
    â€œWe’ll probably get our first snow in October, but it won’t stick around long. Maybe a day or so. The real stuff starts in November or December. If we’re lucky.”
    â€œLucky?” She raised an eyebrow.