Turning Up the Heat: A Sizzling Modern Romance Novel

24. Kelsey

The restof the weekend was a peek into a happier world.

Oskar and I fell into a comfortable rhythm together. Thursday night we were distracted, so we left the market early. Once back at his house, Oskar made love to me leisurely, whispering in English all the secrets he had promised to tell me. We woke up Friday morning after a very late night.

Our morning was relaxed, spent lingering over coffee and late breakfasts as Oskar got the rundown from Victor and Sophie about the night before. Oskar kept trying to poach my eggs the way I liked, always getting it “almost” right and muttering his frustrations when I smiled and ate them anyway.

By Sunday, he had switched to french toast after I convinced him not to throw his pans in the garbage.

He would go to the restaurant in the early afternoon to oversee the prep; then I walked over and joined the staff for dinner before service started. I loved to hear them chattering about the night before, the new things they were cooking, the everyday teasing of a well-run restaurant.

Oskar was usually the quietest at the staff dinner, but he watched his crew with obvious pride, chiming in when they pulled him into the conversation. Then, when dinner was over, I headed back to his place to write while he worked.

By the time Oskar made it home after dinner, he was either exhausted and ready to fall into bed or revved up and horny. The latter was definitely more fun for me, but even when he fell into bed exhausted, I enjoyed wrapping up whatever I was working on and cuddling against his tired body, scratching his back as he fell asleep.

He liked holding on to me when he slept, as if making up for all the nights we had to spend apart. I didn’t mind one bit. I’d often wake in the middle of the night and pull his arms tighter around me like a blanket.

We hadn’t spoken again about our argument on Thursday, but I could feel it simmering in the background. Nothing had been resolved—we’d just admitted we loved each other and gotten distracted. I knew it was something we had to talk about, but we were both avoiding it.

I woke up on Monday morning to see Oskar staring at me, a slight frown pushing his eyebrows together.

“Hey,” I croaked, my voice rusty and hoarse.

His voice was low and serious. “I’m just going to say it even if it starts an argument: I don’t want you to go. I want you to stay here. I know it’s selfish and self-centered, and I don’t care. I don’t want to say goodbye to you. This weekend has been perfect.”

Tears came to my eyes, and I rolled over, turning my face away from him.

He persisted. “Tell me the truth, Kelsey. Are you really happy there? Don’t you see how it could be? This is so good. We’re so good.”

“Yeah,” I choked out. “I know.”

“It gets harder every time I see you. I love you more every day. I want to be with you every day.”

I whispered, my back still to him, “I want to be with you too.”

Oskar huffed out a breath. “Are you at least thinking about it? Maybe I don’t even have a right to ask, I just want to know: is it something you see in the future?”

Did I see it in my future?

Did I see him in my future? Sometimes I felt like I couldn’t see anything but him. It was hard to see the forest for the Oskar, and I didn’t want to make a decision that I might regret later because my feelings for him were so overwhelming.

I wiped my eyes before I turned around to face him. “Yes, it’s something I’m considering. I was thinking about it before we met, and I’m still thinking about it.”

“I don’t like to see you cry.” He lifted a hand to the corner of my eye. “But you love it here. You’ve worked remotely. You work remotely now most of the time.”

“But I’m still there. I’m still there for the new restaurants and the openings. The pop-ups and the menu reveals.” I sighed. “It’s not a small thing. And I have a life in the Bay Area. I have a job and friends and…” My voice caught in my throat.

He gathered me into his chest and rocked me. “I know. I know. Probably better than anyone, I know how scary it can be to make a move.”

“Which is why you would never consider moving up to the Bay Area?” I leaned my head back. “Your sister is there.”

He blinked. “I can’t move Mesa. Mesa grew from this place. It only exists here.”

I shrugged. He hated the idea—I could see it in his eyes.

“Okay… so if I shut down Mesa entirely and built something new from scratch, tell me how you think I’d do.” He lifted his chin. “I’ve spent two years building my reputation here. On the Central Coast, I’m a big fish in a pretty small pond. And in San Francisco?”

He’d be a big fish in a giant ocean of big fish.

My thoughts must have been evident on my face, because he lifted an eyebrow. “I’m not afraid of competition, Kelsey. I’ve worked with some of the best chefs in the world. But I’m also old enough to know what I want from life. And I like being a big fish in a small pond. I can admit that. I like the small pond.”

I couldn’t stop my sigh. “I understand that.” Beyond the competition, the Central Coast was a very different life than the cutthroat and wildly competitive restaurant landscape of San Francisco.

“Try this,” he said. “Forget about us and think about what you want. Think about all the other people that want you here too. It’s not just me.”

“I know.” I thought about Talia and Kurt. I thought about Josh. I tried to imagine my life in five years, ten. Even if I forgot about Oskar—which, let’s face it, was next to impossible—I could see myself here. This place was a part of me.

I slipped my arms around Oskar’s waist. “I know this for sure: I love you. And this is worth it to me. We’re worth figuring this out. And honestly? Asking me to imagine my future without you is practically impossible, Chef.”

His face broke into a smile, and his eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Really.”I rolled on top of him and smiled down. “We’re not going to see each other for a couple of weeks. You better make sure I don’t forget about you.”

“Is that a challenge, Miss Rankin?”

“It’s a throwdown, Chef.”

Oskar rolled us over so he was on top of me. “Well” —he rocked into me— “I’m pretty sure I have enough skills to rise to the occasion. Is there a secret ingredient I’m working with?”

I winked. “Me.”

He dipped his head down to several interesting places, tasting and licking as he sampled. “I think I can work with that.” He moved up to kiss my lips and nibble my neck as my eyes rolled back in pleasure. “But I better do a more thorough taste test.” He shifted back down my body.

“More thorough?” I squeaked out.

“Mm-hmm,” he mumbled with his mouth full. “Very thorough.”

After a tear-filled goodbye,I found myself once again driving north. This time I didn’t even try to not think about Oskar Olson. After the morning we had together, it would have been impossible and, frankly, a little disrespectful of his efforts.

And it was quite the successful effort.I needed to remember to tap into that competitive side more often because I was pleased with the results.

I heard my phone ring around San Jose. “Hello?”

“Kelsey?” I heard Felipe’s voice over the line, and he was upset. Really upset.

“What’s wrong?”

“Are you on your way home? You need to come home right now. Caroline’s been in an accident.”

“What?” I immediately pulled the car over to the side of the road. “What’s going on? What happened?”

“Calm down. Are you driving?”

“I pulled over.”

“All the doctors say she’s going to be fine. She’s at the University Medical Center in San Francisco—that’s why I’m calling. It’s on your way; just go straight there.”

“Tell me what the fuck happened. I’m not driving, but you scared me to death.”

I heard him sigh over the phone. “Fuck, I’m not thinking straight. I’m so freaked out. You could have gotten in an accident. I’m such an idiot. I just knew you’d want to come straight here, and I wasn’t thinking.”

“Tell me what the fuck is going on.”

“Like I said, the doctors are saying she’s going to be fine. She was hit by a car in the city, Kelsey. She’s still unconscious, but they’ve done all the scans and everything. They think everything is fine with her brain, and they said she should wake up in a couple of hours. She broke both legs, and she’s going to have a hell of a headache and… Fuck, Kelsey.” He let out a rattled breath. “I know I should listen to the doctors, but I’m sort of freaking out. She annoys the shit out of me half the time, but what would I do without her?”

I calmed down, immediately going into soothing mode. “Felipe, that’s the best medical center in the city, right? I’m sure the doctors would tell you if there was anything to worry about. I’m only about an hour away from you. I’ll go straight there. Text me her room information, and I’ll be there as soon as I can, okay?”

I managed to calm Felipe down and then hung up, took a few deep breaths, and pulled back onto the highway. I focused on driving as quickly and as safely as possible into the city, and in a little under an hour, I was pulling into the parking garage at the hospital.

I walked quickly through reception and followed the signs to the elevators. Caroline’s room was on the fifth floor, and though the elevators seemed to take forever, I was soon striding down the hallway to her room.

As I turned the corner, I spotted a figure hunched over in a chair by the water fountain.

“Hanna?”

Her eyes were red and swollen. She stood up quickly and walked toward me, then enveloped me in a fierce hug. “You came.”

“Of course I came. What are you doing here?”

“Caroline and I were having brunch in the city. She was upset about her boyfriend, so I offered to take her to brunch and this truck ran a light. She pushed me out of the way.” Hanna pulled away. “She barely knows me. Why did she push me out of the way?”

“Because she’s Caroline.” And fruity, flighty Caroline cared deeply about people.

“That makes no sense at all.”

“Is she awake yet?” My voice cracked in fear.

Hanna nodded quickly. “She’s talking and everything. The doctors just got done. She woke up almost as soon as Felipe got off the phone with you. Felipe is in with her right now.”

“Can I—?” I motioned down the hall.

“Yes. I apologize for falling apart like that.” She dabbed her eyes and walked briskly down the hall.

I trailed behind Hanna, letting her regain her characteristic composure. I was sure she was already uncomfortable with her tears in front of me.

Hanna knocked quietly on the door and pushed it open slightly. I saw Felipe lean back in his chair by a large bed where Caroline was lying, looking quite pale but very definitely awake and alert. Felipe held on to Caroline’s hand, only glancing briefly at me as I walked in.

Caroline smiled at me, lacking her usual sparkle but definitely warm and happy. “Hey, Kelsey. What a trip, right?”

I laughed a little through the tears that had gathered in my eyes.

“That was not a trip I want to repeat.” Filipe rubbed his thumb along the back of Caroline’s hand.

“Me either.” She looked around the hospital room. “But how cool is this? We’re all together.”

“What do you need?” Hanna asked.

Caroline winced. “Maybe just a drink. I’m parched.”

“Red or white?” Felipe asked.

Caroline laughed weakly. “Maybe just a sherry. For medicinal purposes.”

Hanna nodded. “I can do that.” Then she marched out of the room.

“She’s going to go buy a bottle of sherry and sneak it in,” Caroline whispered, “isn’t she?”

“Possibly.” I glanced at Felipe. “You okay?”

He squeezed Caroline’s hand. “Don’t make me find a new work wife.”

“Awww.” Caroline laid her head back on the pillow. “See? I don’t need a boyfriend when I have you.”

“I’ll kick Russell’s ass later,” Felipe muttered. “Maybe you should take a nap. You look exhausted.”

We fussed over her a little more until Caroline drifted off, and then Felipe took a break to get some air and food while I sat with Caroline.

“Kelsey?”

I had been staring at my friend, contemplating how unexpected and fragile life could be, when Felipe’s voice broke through my silent train of thought.

I looked up. “Sorry, I sort of drifted off. What’s up? What are you thinking about her apartment? I don’t think she’s going to be climbing those stairs anytime soon, do you?”

“Yeah, I agree. Can she stay with you while she’s getting better?”

“Yeah, of course. I’ll put her in my room in the big bed and sleep on the futon in the office. It’s totally comfortable. Who else would she stay with?”

Felipe sighed. “No idea, honey, because after the fight Alan and I had this morning, I might be homeless too.”

“What?” I wasn’t really sure what to say to that. I had a feeling I was going to have a full house for a while. “Well… I have a couch too.”

“I might need it.”

I had an uncomfortable thought. “Has anyone called Russell?”

Felipe raised an eyebrow. “Seeing as Caroline and Hanna were having brunch in the city to take her mind off her nasty breakup after finding out Russell had been cheating on her… I think I don’t really care what that bitch hears.”

My mouth had dropped open about halfway through that explanation. “Wow. I picked quite a weekend to be out of town.”

Felipe stared at Caroline’s sleeping face. “She could have been gone. She could have been gone so fast.” He looked at me. “You could have been gone when I called you on the freeway and freaked you out. Hanna would have been gone if Caroline hadn’t pushed her out of the way.” He shook his head. “Why am I wasting my time with Alan when I don’t love that man and know I never will?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know.”

“Life is… fragile.” He touched Caroline’s temple lightly. “And short. And so precious. Please tell me that you told that wonderful man of yours that you love him when you saw him. It would break my heart if you passed up that opportunity.”

I nodded at him. “Yeah. Remind me to tell you the story sometime.”

Felipe smiled. “Will do. God.” He sighed. “I’m exhausted.”

We heard a knock at the door, and Hanna came back into the room.

“I was eavesdropping for a while, but this seemed like a good point to interrupt. Kelsey, have some water before you dehydrate.” She handed me a bottle of Evian and went to sit on the couch on the back wall, crossing her legs and taking out her phone.

“Yes, ma’am.” I opened the bottle and took a gulp.

Hanna started reading off notes. “I’ve made sure the nurses are too scared of me to put anyone else in this room, so Felipe can sleep in the other bed so Caroline isn’t alone.”

“Oh.” Felipe smiled. “Hanna, that’s thought?—”

“Kelsey, I called my brother and filled him in” —Hanna plowed on— “so he wouldn’t worry when you forgot to call him.”

“Thank you, Hanna.” I hadn’t even thought about calling Oskar.

“The doctor said they would keep Caroline overnight but that as long as all her tests are normal in the morning, they would discharge her. She’ll need to go someplace that is wheelchair accessible.”

“Yes.” I nodded. “We were just saying?—”

“Kelsey, your hallway is too small; Caroline will stay in my guest room. Felipe, you can stay at my place too if you’ve decided to leave Alan. According to Caroline, he’s not good enough for you, so that’s probably a good idea. And my kitchen is much better than Kelsey’s.”

Felipe blinked. “I mean, are you sure?—”

“Caroline saved my life,” Hanna said bluntly. “And you need help. I’m assuming you have a chef friend or two that can help with the restaurant; otherwise, Oskar says he may know a couple of people who might be able to help, or he can send you his sous-chef, who is not an idiot after all. Did I miss anything?”

I sat speechless as Hanna rattled off the details of every problem we had, along with the already-handled solution.

Wow.

After she was done, Felipe let go of Caroline’s hand, got up from the chair, and pulled Hanna up into a tight hug.

I heard him whisper into her ear. “You are gold, Hanna Olson. You know that? You are absolute gold. I love you.”

Hanna’s face softened as she hugged him back. She caught my stare and raised an eyebrow. “Don’t start leaking again.”

Hours later,I was exhausted when I finally pulled into my driveway. Caroline was sleeping peacefully, enjoying some “definitely righteous” drugs, and Felipe had taken over the bed next to her, safe in the knowledge of the nurses’ abject terror of Hanna.

Hanna said she was staying with a friend in the city, and so I headed home to San Anselmo alone. I left my bags in the car and grabbed my purse, stumbling to my bedroom and kicking off my shoes.

I pulled out my phone and called Oskar. “Hey, Chef.”

“Kelsey? Hey, how’s Caroline doing?”

I relaxed into his voice and lay back on my bed. “She’s going to be fine according to the doctors. Should be out tomorrow, and then she and Felipe are staying at Hanna’s for a while.” I took a breath. “Oskar?”

“Yes?”

“I want to move home.”