Page 35 of 40 and (No Longer) Fighting It
He chuckled as he went to let the journalist in.
“Linc!” Shel’s lips, coated in bright red lipstick, made a beeline for his mouth. At the last second he managed to turn his head, catching the kiss on his cheek. Hopefully the lipstick was the non-smear kind.
“Shel, nice to see you again. I appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to talk to me about the resort.”
Shel’s smile was the slightest bit greedy. “An exclusive before the big day? Why wouldn’t I say yes. Besides, I always have time for you, Linc.”
Something about the way she said his name—the shortened version, not his full name like Claire did—made him itch under the collar. “Come through here and let me introduce you to my partner in crime.”
“JD is here?” Shel asked.
She’d followed his career, so Shel had met JD more than once. “Not JD. Claire.”
“Claire?”
He led Shel through the kitchen door. “Claire Taylor.” They entered the kitchen, where Claire was kneading bread dough. “Claire is the owner of Gimme Sugar and the pastry chef who’ll be working with me at the resort.” He walked up to Claire, placing his hand on his favorite spot on her lower back. “Claire, this is Shel Blanchard, the food journalist I told you about. She has a regular column inFood & Wine Magazine.”
“Nice to meet you, Shel.” Claire focused in on Linc, and he couldn’t tell if her heightened color was from working the dough or nerves. “Why don’t you take Shel through to the coffee shop, and we can chat in comfort. I’ll just be a minute. The dough needed working before it rests again.”
Linc nodded. The coffee shop was closed on Sundays as well, but being empty hadn’t changed its homey atmosphere as Linc led Shel to the seating area near the front windows. They chatted for a few minutes about mutual acquaintances, where Linc’s next appearances would be, whenCooking Network Chef Challengewould begin filming again. Linc had a commitment for one more season of the show before he moved on to other opportunities, like the one that had brought him here.
“So tell me about Black Wolf Resort,” Shel finally said.
Claire joined them before they got far. With Shel in the armchair to his right, Claire took the seat next to him on the couch. Linc appreciated the fact that she was close enough he could feel her warmth, reach for her if he wanted to. Not that he would. He wanted Claire’s accomplishments to stand on their own, not appear as if he were showing favoritism to someone he was close to.
As he discussed the resort’s location and amenities, he felt Claire gradually relax next to him. Soon she was her usual self, throwing in one-liners, teasing him about his perfect reputation. Linc talked about the Southern fusion focus they might take for the new restaurant, what that entailed, what type of dining experience the resort would provide. Then Shel moved to questioning Claire.
“So, did you two know each other before now?”
Something in her tone pricked at Linc’s brain, but he wasn’t certain what. “We did, although I wasn’t aware of who JD had hired until I came down to Tennessee last week. Claire happened to intern at the Prime when she was a culinary student at ICE. She’s an excellent pastry chef, one I’m proud to work with.” And he meant that, every word. “We’re lucky Black Wolf’s Bluff is her hometown; the resort is the perfect opportunity to showcase the skills that had her graduating at the top of her class.”
Shel’s eyes narrowed on the hand he hadn’t realized he’d rested atop Claire’s on the sofa between them. Trying not to be obvious, he slid his hand away.
“What kinds of desserts will you be making for the resort?” Shel asked Claire.
“Not just desserts,” Linc pointed out. “Claire will be responsible for all the baked goods, and she’ll also run her own store inside the resort.”
Claire gave him a faint smile. “My focus here at Gimme Sugar is more hometown, everyday treats. What I’ll be doing at Black Wolf will be a little higher scale, hopefully more wide-ranging and unusual. The pastry shop there will include a wide selection of offerings in that same vein. Let me get my portfolio to show you some possibilities.”
Claire returned to the bakery side to retrieve her portfolio. When she turned down the hall toward the kitchen, Shel zeroed back in on him, her eyes glittering. “I never thought anything would take your attention away from Prime. Even your film schedule accommodated you being back in New York every weekend.”
“I’ll still be focused on the Prime, but I do want to give the resort its fair share of attention.”
“How long do you plan to be away?”
He shook his head. He didn’t know the answer to that question, wouldn’t even take a guess at this point. “For right now JD wanted to give me a longer break than just a weekend.”
“JD?” Shel arched a brow toward the hall. “So there’s nothing more…personal…keeping you here?”
Why did she want to know? “My friendships are personal. You know JD and I have been friends for years, since Columbia.” He sounded defensive and he hated it. “I needed a vacation, and this was the perfect opportunity to work with JD in a fantastic location.”
“Hmm.” She eyed the glittery manicure that graced her fingernails, then laid her perfect fingers atop the bare skin of his forearm. “I’d hoped maybe we could get together this evening, just the two of us.” She stroked his bare skin, and he couldn’t ignore the instinct to pull his arm away.
“I’m sorry, Shel, but I’m not available.” In any way. He’d made that clear last year when they’d spent a single night together, but he wanted to emphasize it now, with Claire here. No one else could come close to distracting him from her.
Her eyes darkened. “I’m sorry too.” She gave him a smile as Claire returned from the kitchen, though he struggled to read how sincere it was. Something about that smile made him uneasy, but he ignored the niggling at the back of his brain and returned his focus to Claire and a discussion of the ground-breaking ceremony for the resort. Both far more important things than whatever Shel had in mind.
Sixteen
