Page 54 of Chloé

She looked at home in the kitchen, and his mother would’ve loved seeing her there.

Ethan pulled up on that thought, all these memories of his family resurfacing after so many years having buried them. He knew the cause—she was standing right in front of him. It had been the same way when he fell for Zayne. That innate desire to introduce them to his family, the other people he loved.

The only problem was they were no longer here. At least, not in person. So the memories came instead. They snuck up on him, reminding him of how much his mother loved cooking in here or how tall she wanted the magnolias to grow.

“Are you sure we’re allowed in here? She did say we were forbidden.”

Ethan turned at Zayne’s question to see a smile playing at his lips. “True. But that was hours ago.”

“But you know how some chefs are about stepping inside their kitchen while creating.”

“Do I?”

“Yes. You’ve seen those shows on TV. The chefs are always mean.”

Ethan looked over to the beautiful woman in the pink frilly shirt and jeans, then back to Zayne. “Somehow, I don’t think that’s going to be a problem. Plus, we’ve been in the kitchen with her back in France. She wasn’t mean then.”

“Yes, but she wasn’tcreatingthen. She’s thinking right now, ruminating—”

“Ruminating?”

“You know, trying to decide which way to go. She might not appreciate being interrupted.”

Ethan chuckled. “Would it make you feel better if I was to go first?”

Zayne looked back to where Chloé was now using her wooden spoon like a microphone, and nodded.

“Yeah, you go first. That way if she gets mad, it’s at you.”

“Gee, thanks. It’s good to see how comfortable you are at throwing me to the wolves.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Zayne waved him forward, and Ethan crossed the kitchen to where Chloé stood. Once he was behind her, he gently touched her waist first to not give her a fright, and when she glanced over her shoulder, a stunning smile hit her lips.

Ethan reached for one of the headphones and pulled it up, then placed his mouth by her ear.

“How’s it going in here, gorgeous?”

“Good,” she said a little louder than needed, with her music still playing. “I’m just working on some different sauces to see what I like best.”

Ethan nodded and put the headphones back in place, then wrapped his arm fully around her and looked over her shoulder.

From what he could see, she had four pots simmering on the stove in front. She switched off the two final burners that were on, then pulled her headphones free as she turned around and greeted him with a kiss.

“Sorry, I was just finishing up.”

“No problem at all. In fact, this greeting is much better than Zayne thought I would get.” Chloé pulled back to look at Zayne standing in the doorway, and Ethan whispered, “He thought you were going to be mad we interrupted.”

“Mad?” Chloé grinned. “Why would I be mad?”

“I’ve seen those cooking shows,” Zayne finally said, walking over. “Chefs don’t like people in their space.”

She laughed. “You’re not wrong, actually. Mypèrewasonone of those shows. He was dubbed ‘the Prick.’”

“See?” Zayne eyed Ethan. “I know what I’m talking about.”

Chloé reached for his cheek and patted it. “Don’t worry, I only use my wooden spoon on you if you want it. So…wanna taste?”

Zayne’s eyes brightened. “Damn right I do.”

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