Page 62 of Between Love and Loathing
“His desserts are—”
“Not as good as yours. And I’ve told him so.”
My knees buckled, and I almost fell over onto my worn kitchen tile. “You what? You didn’t.”
“He knows what I like about his restaurant, and he knows what I don’t like. I disclose that to everyone when I bring them on.” He shrugged like it was normal. “Your desserts would be a phenomenal addition to Valentino’s restaurant, and he knows it.”
My mouth dropped. “Was that a compliment about my baking?”
He cleared his plate before answering. “You’re passionate and good at what you do. You’re an asset.”
So casually he said the words. So honest and sure of himself when he said them.
“Thank you,” I murmured before making a grab at his plate, but he nudged my hand away and got up to wash it himself. Then, he took the pot from the stove and did that too. “You don’t have to clean up—”
“Of course I do. You cook, I clean, Clara.” He smirked. “My mother was dead set on that. Equal households whether we’re fake dating or married.”
The HEAT empire and the Hardy brothers who owned it were in the news enough that I knew they came from Greek immigrants, that their parents were still married, and they didn’t like the limelight. His parents didn’t even do interviews and wouldn’t move from their home in the Midwest. “Guess that must be the key to their happy marriage.”
“Probably,” Dominic chuckled. “They’ve got good hearts on their side too.”
“What do you mean by that?” I leaned against the counter and waited for him to answer.
His shoulders tensed and his back straightened enough that I knew there was more to the answer than he gave me. “It just means my father and mother always wanted what was best for the other person. They’re selfless because they’re in love. To love someone more than you love yourself and risk them not feeling the same.”
Talking about love shouldn’t have seemed so intimate, not with a man I’d despised just weeks ago, and yet I wanted to know… “Have you been in that type of love?”
His eyes cut to mine, forest green layers of so much emotion he never shared with anyone. “You read the magazines, Clara. You tell me.”
“I…” Magazines and the media lied. Instead, I coughed a little, clearing a tickle in my throat and shrugged. “I’m never going to get a whole story from the tabloids, right?”
That low rumble he always did when he was lost somewhere in his head came out.
“Anyway, the market shouldn’t take long. You don’t have to come. I don’t think—”
“Are you still wanting to date him?” His pointed question flew at me so direct and out of nowhere that I didn’t know how to respond.
“Well, I…” I hadn’t even thought about it. “That was never my main goal, Dominic. If we…” I stopped myself just in time. What was I going to say? If we don’t work? If this fake relationship doesn’t turn into something more? This wasn’t real. “If I get my five changes to the bakery, that’s all that really matters. Your resort will be saved from Natya, and I’ll get what I need. Valentino maybe would be an added—”
He frowned and cut me off like suddenly he didn’t want to hear the rest. “Let’s go.”
* * *
The sun was shiningbright and beautiful in the sky when we finally met Valentino, who was already at a vendor sniffing and tasting some mint. He held it out to me, but Dominic snatched it from him and put it near my mouth.
The man kept a firm arm wrapped around me the whole time. Even when a vendor smiled politely my way, Dominic introduced himself and me as a couple, saying we were considering produce for my bakery. Loud and proud. He even snapped a few pictures of me looking at produce, telling me it would be good for the social media pages.
The whole morning, he didn’t say one word about his resort unless it was in reference to my bakery. Or Valentino’s restaurant. He boasted about my bakery instead. He didn’t compliment my design, but suddenly he was adamant that I was the best baker in town and needed all the best produce. He haggled prices, confirmed shipping if I would need it that day, discussed who would be picking produce to make sure it was the very best if he invested.
Gone was my fake boyfriend who was putting on a show and in his place was Dominic Hardy, ruthless businessman that would do right by his resort which now included my bakery. For a second, I felt a part of it all.
And Valentino chimed in a few times, too, even complimenting my truffles while I boasted about his restaurant. After a couple hours of walking around, Valentino told me he was so happy to be working with me. Then, he shook Dominic’s hand respectfully. “I’ll be at the restaurant most of the week if you need me.”
“Have you discussed the lighting changes with Rita?” Dominic asked.
“We’ve agreed upon a few changes. You know Rita’s been accepting of some of my designs considering we both went to school together.”
Dominic nodded but I was shocked. “You did interior design?” I’d never read that about him.
