at the hotel?
“Char?” Melanie ambled over.
Charlotte looked up, her face wan in the moonlight. “Hello, Melanie.”
“What are you doing out here all by your lonesome? Why don’t you go on home?”
“I can’t turn my mind off with everything that’s going on right now.”
The cool February night breeze gusted, and Charlotte pulled her sweater tighter around her shoulders. There was a strain around her mouth that concerned Melanie.
“You want me to make you some warm milk?” She gestured toward the kitchen. “Might help you sleep.”
“No thanks, I’m fine. I’ll go home in a minute.”
“You don’t look fine. You look exhausted.”
“I am a bit. I think everything’s finally starting to catch up with me—Mom’s heart attack, the problems we’ve had recently at the hotel. I’m not as young I used to be.”
“You’re not old.” Melanie plunked down beside her. It wasn’t like her competent, efficient older sister to admit a weakness, and she felt honored that Charlotte would confide in her. “Want to talk about what’s on your mind?”
Charlotte gave a humorless laugh. “I’m supposed to be the one getting you to talk, not the other way around.”
“Talk? What do you want me to talk about?”
“Why you’ve been so on edge lately. Moody. You’re normally a pretty upbeat person, Melanie.”
“I haven’t been moody,” she said automatically, then realized she had and it was all due to this infernal attraction to Robert that she had no idea how to handle.
“You seem distracted. Like you’ve got a lot on your mind.” Charlotte paused and studied her for a long moment. “Is there something you need to tell me?”
Melanie tugged the elastic band from her ponytail, wrapped it around her wrist and fluffed her hair with her fingers. It had been a madhouse in the kitchen tonight. Robert had pitched in during the worst of the dinner rush, working side by side with her at the stove to prepare a new batch of diablo sauce, but instead of being helpful, as he’d intended, he was a major distraction.
She hadn’t been able to stop sending him sidelong glances.
Or noticing how good he smelled. Like food and hard work and treacherous man.
Yeah, she wanted to say. Robert LeSoeur is driving me crazy and I don’t know what to do about it. Fire the guy andI’ll be fine . Instead she said, “How come you and Mom never considered offering me the executive chef position?”
Melanie hadn’t asked the question that had been eating at her for four months because her feelings had been hurt and she’d been too busy pretending that she didn’t care. But this seemed like the right time to bring it up. She would tell her.
“We considered it.”
“And you decided to hire an outsider over family. Why? You don’t think I’m capable of running Chez Remy?”
“It’s not that at all.”
“What is it then?”
Charlotte interlaced her fingers and brought them up to press flat against her lips. Melanie recognized the sign. Her sister was trying to think of how best to phrase her statement.
For some reason, the gesture irritated her. Charlotte was so damn controlled she even rehearsed her words before she let them out of her mouth.
“Egads, Charlotte, just come right out and say what’s on your mind.”
Her sister looked startled. “I was just…”
“I know what you were just doing. You were carefully considering every word. For crying out loud, be spontaneous for once in your life.”
“That’s what you want?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, fine. Mother and I felt the job was too administrative for you. You’re creative and you would feel stifled within a matter of weeks.”
“You’re saying I’m too irresponsible for the job?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“It’s what you were thinking.”
Leave it alone, a voice in the back of Melanie’s head warned. You won’t feel any better when Charlotte confirms what you already believe.
“Mom and I thought if you had the executive
“Char?” Melanie ambled over.
Charlotte looked up, her face wan in the moonlight. “Hello, Melanie.”
“What are you doing out here all by your lonesome? Why don’t you go on home?”
“I can’t turn my mind off with everything that’s going on right now.”
The cool February night breeze gusted, and Charlotte pulled her sweater tighter around her shoulders. There was a strain around her mouth that concerned Melanie.
“You want me to make you some warm milk?” She gestured toward the kitchen. “Might help you sleep.”
“No thanks, I’m fine. I’ll go home in a minute.”
“You don’t look fine. You look exhausted.”
“I am a bit. I think everything’s finally starting to catch up with me—Mom’s heart attack, the problems we’ve had recently at the hotel. I’m not as young I used to be.”
“You’re not old.” Melanie plunked down beside her. It wasn’t like her competent, efficient older sister to admit a weakness, and she felt honored that Charlotte would confide in her. “Want to talk about what’s on your mind?”
Charlotte gave a humorless laugh. “I’m supposed to be the one getting you to talk, not the other way around.”
“Talk? What do you want me to talk about?”
“Why you’ve been so on edge lately. Moody. You’re normally a pretty upbeat person, Melanie.”
“I haven’t been moody,” she said automatically, then realized she had and it was all due to this infernal attraction to Robert that she had no idea how to handle.
“You seem distracted. Like you’ve got a lot on your mind.” Charlotte paused and studied her for a long moment. “Is there something you need to tell me?”
Melanie tugged the elastic band from her ponytail, wrapped it around her wrist and fluffed her hair with her fingers. It had been a madhouse in the kitchen tonight. Robert had pitched in during the worst of the dinner rush, working side by side with her at the stove to prepare a new batch of diablo sauce, but instead of being helpful, as he’d intended, he was a major distraction.
She hadn’t been able to stop sending him sidelong glances.
Or noticing how good he smelled. Like food and hard work and treacherous man.
Yeah, she wanted to say. Robert LeSoeur is driving me crazy and I don’t know what to do about it. Fire the guy andI’ll be fine . Instead she said, “How come you and Mom never considered offering me the executive chef position?”
Melanie hadn’t asked the question that had been eating at her for four months because her feelings had been hurt and she’d been too busy pretending that she didn’t care. But this seemed like the right time to bring it up. She would tell her.
“We considered it.”
“And you decided to hire an outsider over family. Why? You don’t think I’m capable of running Chez Remy?”
“It’s not that at all.”
“What is it then?”
Charlotte interlaced her fingers and brought them up to press flat against her lips. Melanie recognized the sign. Her sister was trying to think of how best to phrase her statement.
For some reason, the gesture irritated her. Charlotte was so damn controlled she even rehearsed her words before she let them out of her mouth.
“Egads, Charlotte, just come right out and say what’s on your mind.”
Her sister looked startled. “I was just…”
“I know what you were just doing. You were carefully considering every word. For crying out loud, be spontaneous for once in your life.”
“That’s what you want?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, fine. Mother and I felt the job was too administrative for you. You’re creative and you would feel stifled within a matter of weeks.”
“You’re saying I’m too irresponsible for the job?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“It’s what you were thinking.”
Leave it alone, a voice in the back of Melanie’s head warned. You won’t feel any better when Charlotte confirms what you already believe.
“Mom and I thought if you had the executive
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