Page 15 of The Rules of Their Red-Hot Reunion

‘Talk dirty to me, Aisha,’ Pasco murmured.

Her eyes flew up and connected with his. ‘What?’ she asked, blushing.

He grinned, and Aisha felt as if she were touching the sun. ‘Talk food. Chefs, produce suppliers, menus.’

She leaned back and crossed her legs. ‘For the manor house kitchen, I’m thinking farm to table, seasonal, local, lovely. That’s all I have, right now. The rest depends on who we hire to run the hotel kitchen.’

‘Do you have anyone in mind?’ Pasco asked her, running his finger up and down the edge of his coffee cup.

‘No, not yet. I’ll advertise the position in a month or two, and if I don’t find someone suitable I’ll work through a recruiting agency.’

‘I have one or two ideas on supremely talented people who would jump at a chance to run their own kitchen and who’d be up for the challenge. I can get their résumés to you.’

‘Thank you, I’d appreciate it. Muzi is restoring the cellars and he wants to install a winemaker here. He’s going to focus on producing wine from the rare cultivar he found. Muzi will also be employing the staff needed for wine tastings and cellar tours. The cellar is so old and such an amazing space and I’d like to find a historian who can give me a history lesson of winemaking in the valley and, hopefully, of St Urban itself.’

‘My brother Cam is a winemaker and he’s the area’s local-history nerd. I’m sure he could give you what you need.’

Aisha made another note on her phone. ‘You are proving to be surprisingly helpful this morning, Kildare.’

‘Glad to be of service,’ Pasco replied, amused. ‘Right, let’s get down to business... Ro’s pop-up restaurant. Where are you with that?’

Aisha looked at him and spread her hands. ‘Nowhere because that wasn’t something I was aware of until I got here yesterday.’

Pasco pushed back his chair, extended his long legs, and crossed his feet at the ankles. He looked relaxed, yet Aisha knew that under that lazy-looking exterior was a mind running at a sprinter’s pace and never stopped.

‘The tasting-menu restaurant has been low on her list of priorities. It was an idea we chatted about a little after she and Muzi got together, but never really pursued. Then she fell pregnant and it slipped even further down the list. But a couple of months ago, I told her that I was interested in doing it, but only for a few months. She liked the idea of bringing in different world-class chefs on a rotating schedule.’

So that was how the idea of a restaurant was born. Good to know. ‘So why are you getting involved in designing the restaurant?’

‘Because I’m good at it and have a rep for sky-high standards when it comes to decor, service and, obviously, the food itself. I like to have, at the very least, input into the design of the restaurant and complete control over the food, the menu and whom I work with.’

‘All that and without you putting a cent of your own money into the project,’ Aisha said, impressed by his cool confidence and a little frustrated by his arrogance.

Pasco’s green eyes slammed into hers. ‘I am one of the best chefs in the world and people will book into St Urban just to eat my food.’

Aisha cocked her head and sent him a look from under her lashes. ‘You really need to work on your self-confidence and self-worth, Pasco.’

He picked up a pen from the table and threw it at her. ‘Cheeky brat.’

Aisha looked out of her kitchen window to the sunlight falling on the mountain and nibbled on the inside of her cheek. ‘I’m going to be the point person representing Ro on the project, Pas. Are we going to be able to work together?’

Pasco’s expression remained steady and imperturbable. ‘Why wouldn’t we?’

Oh, let me count the ways.

‘Because you are demanding and bossy and determined to have your way. And so am I,’ Aisha responded. ‘I’m not the person I was before, Pasco.’

‘I would be disappointed if you were, Aisha. People are supposed to grow, you know.’

He wasn’t getting what she was trying to say. ‘But I’m not just going to nod my head and say, “yes, Pasco”, “no, Pasco”, “three bags full, Pasco”. I’m going to argue with you, contradict you, flat out tell you no, occasionally.’

He stared at her, the corners of his mouth twitching. ‘I’m becoming more terrified by the moment.’

God, he wasn’t taking her seriously. She reached across the table and poked her finger into his biceps. ‘You aren’t listening to me, Kildare! My loyalty is to Ro and her vision for St Urban. If you want or do something contrary to that vision, I’m going to put my foot down.’

‘I know that you will try,’ Pasco told her, still smiling. ‘Relax, Aisha, we’ll find our way.’

She knew that he meant that she’d come around to his way of thinking. Insufferable man! She poked him again. ‘Don’t say I didn’t warn you, Pasco.’

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