Page 1 of The Chef's Kiss
1
JORGINA
Had I just made the biggest mistake of my life?
Probably.
Did I care?
No one could know just how much I cared. That wasn’t me. Jorgina Ashford was impenetrable, unflappable. I owned the world. It didn’t own me. And yet, here I stood on a lonely ferry, the only soul in sight other than a burly captain, who probably wished I wasn’t here. If I hadn’t shown up, maybe he could have skipped at least one of his stops.
It was Saturday, after all. Amelia wouldn’t be working, and Conrad rarely took the ferry, opting for one of his own boats instead. Because he was an adult who owned things. And me? Still just a child in comparison.
Twenty-two, and it seemed I hadn’t learned a thing. Hence my mistake.
It wasn’t leaving Harvard weeks before graduation without so much as a goodbye to the people I’d spent four years with. And it wasn’t even my last-minute decision to come home.
This was bigger than that.
I pushed a hand through my dark auburn curls, letting them fall into my face as I leaned over the rail. The ocean was as lifeless as I felt. I searched for signs of whales—which would have been a rarity this time of year—but it seemed I was all out of spring miracles.
And I definitely wasn’t ready for this. The last time I was here was for Leyla’s gallery opening just a few weeks ago. And I’d left on good terms without having to see my father, but there’d be no avoiding that now. Or my three brothers. Not to mention all the cousins I’d grown up keeping my distance from, who Conrad now claimed we were supposed to get along with.
Superiore Bay, Maine was overrun with Ashfords. At that thought, I straightened. What was I doing? Why had I come back?
The Corolla Horse Sanctuary loomed closer, and I couldn’t breathe. What would Conrad think of me? Of the decisions I’d made?
I couldn’t do this. Striding across the deck, I took the stairs to the bridge two at a time and burst through the door. “Captain?”
“What is it?” He turned to glare at me in annoyance.
“Unless you’re expecting passengers at the sanctuary, you don’t need to stop. I’ve decided to keep going all the way to Hidden Cove.”
He nodded with a grunt, and I backed out of the room. Decision made; I couldn’t take it back now. As the ferry passed the island my oldest brother called home, breathing came a little easier. My insides unclenched.
I’d have to face Conrad. Soon. Most likely tonight if I could hitch a ride back to the island. But a few more hours of blissful anonymity sounded nice right about now.
As the only Ashford who spent any amount of time in our rival town of Hidden Cove, its familiar shores brought a calm to the storm inside me. Most of the people in Superiore Bay refused to even set foot within town limits, but I'd always thought that was just stupid. Hidden Cove was the chocolate town, and there was nothing wrong with chocolate.
Plus, I’d always done whatever I could to rebel against my small town. That included staying away all four years while in college. I didn’t come home until this last year, barely ever phoning. There were expectations of me, and I’d wanted, needed, a break.
The ferry docked, and I wasted no time jumping onto the boardwalk and hurrying up the wooden planks past a row of shops catering to tourists of all kinds. Hidden Cove was a beach town. In a few short weeks, these streets would teem with people, mostly New Englanders and Canadians who knew how beautiful it was.
“Jorgina Ashford?” someone called out in surprise.
I smiled, knowing I’d recognize that voice anywhere. Turning, I narrowed my eyes. “Well, if it isn’t my least favorite Hillson.” They were to Hidden Cove what the Ashfords were to Superiore Bay. Royalty. Except, instead of wine, they made their bones in chocolate.
“How long has it been?” He walked toward me with that confidence I’d always hidden my love for. Colin and I knew each other in high school, something neither of our families would have approved of. But we were friends, and I’d refused to let petty rivalries ruin that.
“I haven’t seen you since right after high school graduation.” I’d left early for Harvard, thinking it would change my fortunes, make people think of me as more than the socialite daughter of a wealthy man. If I was smart enough, capable enough, they’d let me be my own person.
If only that had been true.
Colin pulled me into a hug. “I’ve missed you.”
“You mean your harem isn’t enough to keep you warm at night?” I laughed against his shoulder, sinking into his embrace. How long had it been since I’d had a friend who truly cared about me other than my roommate? I thought I had plenty of them, but then Jeffrey happened and most of them dropped like the dead flies they were. And said roommate? I’d left her.
Colin pulled back with a carefree chuckle. “Not as warm as you could make me.”
