Page 56 of Chloé

“You got it.” Chloé all but floated back into the kitchen. “Coming up next, grilled yellowfin tuna, crème fraîche, and English peas…”

How they were going to have any room for pasta later that night, Ethan had no idea. But he wasn’t going to pass up this meal, not when he could be one the first people to ever taste the first Michelin-star meal created by Chloé Thornton-Priestley.

CHAPTERTEN

Never trust a redhead with a blender.

~Ethan

“HELLOOO, IS ANYONE home?” Chloé pushed through the front door of her old house, with Ethan and Zayne hot on her heels. “We’re about to come upstairs. Make sure you’re decent.”

Zayne chuckled, and Chloé glanced back at him.

“You can laugh, but you weren’t the traumatized fifteen-year-old bringing home a friend only to find her fathers shirtless and pretty close to—”

“Chloé…” Her dad’s voice at the top of the stairs cut off her story midway. He headed down and kissed her on the cheek. “Are you trying to scandalize these young men before we’ve even opened a bottle of wine?”

Chloé snorted. The idea of anything she said to Ethan and Zayne scandalizing them, after what they’d done last night in the cabana, was downright laughable.

Not that she was going to tell her dad that.

“I suppose you’re right. We should save the many ways you three have embarrassed me for when we’re a few glasses in.”

“Or bottles.” Her dad waggled his brows at them, and Ethan and Zayne laughed.

“Speaking of wine…” Ethan held out a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. “I grabbed this from our cellar before we headed over. I’m told it’s a wonderful year.”

Dad looked at the label and whistled. “Impressive. We had some at the restaurant lately. Julien will be thrilled.”

Chloé rolled her eyes. “In other words, we’ll be lucky if he lets us have any.”

Dad grinned at Ethan. “Oh, he’ll share with the one who brought it.”

“Looks like I’m in luck, then.”

Chloé eyed Ethan’s smug smile and shook her head. She had a feeling he would’ve been in luck withorwithout the bottle of wine. Herpèrehad a soft spot for stoic, controlling types.

“Is everyone here?” And by everyone, she meant Justin. If he’d punked out on her tonight, she just might kill him.

Right on cue, Justin’s loud laughter filled the air and Dad nodded.

“They sure are. We were just waiting on you, so come on.”

He turned for the stairs, and they followed him up. When they reached the main living floor, she spotted Papa,Père, and Justin in the kitchen. Her fathers were seated at the counter and Justin was standing on the opposite side of the island, beer in hand—and suddenly the nerves kicked in.

It was ridiculous, she knew, to be nervous about her brother meeting Ethan and Zayne. But she was one of those people who wanted everyone in her life to get along, especially those she loved.

She took in a deep breath and reminded herself that if she was calm then everyone else would be too. Hell, they’d made it through meeting her papa, and he was the scariest man she knew—though also one of the most loving.

“Look who’s finally here,” Dad announced, sashaying his way into the kitchen. “They might be a little late, but all’s forgiven—look what Ethan brought us from their cellar.”

He presented the bottle of wine like it was the Ark of the Covenant, andPère’s brows rose. “You just happen to have a bottle of this in your cellar?”

Chloé didn’t have the heart to tell them that he had several. Hell, for all she knew, Ethan might own the winery that produced said bottle of wine. It wasn’t that outside the realm of possibility—after all, he owned the store that most of the items and food in this kitchen came from.

Holy shit. Nowthatwas a mind trip.

“We did, and I have it on good authority it will pair brilliantly with what we’re cooking tonight.”

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