Chapter 12
Adriana
It was once again time for my regular late-night debrief with Landon, and I was more nervous than usual. After talking to Sierra that afternoon, I knew that I had to do something. It was probably going to be easier to set boundaries rather than just ending everything all at once.
I sighed as I knocked at the door and went inside, closing it behind me as soon as I did. Landon was standing by the bookcase as usual, and his face lit up when he saw me.
“What a sight for sore eyes you are,” he said as he approached me, clearly gearing up for a mind-blowing kiss.
I managed to keep control of my hormones and emotions, and caught him by his arms before he could reach me to stop him. He seemed surprised and looked at me curiously. Of course he’d want an explanation, and I had planned to give him one, but now it felt like my mind had gone blank.
I kept holding on to Landon’s arms as if that would somehow help me focus, and I was staring at his shoes. They were perfectly shined as always, with not a single scuff mark or wrinkle to be seen.
“Listen, we need to talk,” I finally said, letting go of him and marching toward the high-back chairs in the corner.
I sat down in one, and waited for Landon to take his seat in the other.
He was still studying me with concern in his eyes, and I desperately wanted to leap across the distance between us and bury myself in his arms. But I couldn’t do that.
Sierra was right. I needed to stick to my ethics. I had to be professional. I couldn’t let any feelings get in the way of my career.
“I’m on the edge of my seat here,” Landon finally said, and I noticed that he meant it pretty literally. “What’s going on?”
“My job is very important to me,” I started, hoping that the necessary words would come as I spoke. “Like, a lot. I don’t want to lose it. I’m good at it. Maybe even great. It’s definitely the best job I’ve ever had.”
Landon didn’t say anything yet. He was simply listening, and I felt completely stupid trying to explain myself. It was like nothing was coming out the way I wanted it to.
“So, I think…” I paused and steeled myself. “I think we need boundaries. Whatever this is. I just… It can’t. You know?”
Landon got up, and I followed, though standing a few steps away from him.
If I got too close, I knew that I would give in to my desires, and then all of this would be for nothing.
He turned to face me, and I could see that there was something conflicting in his eyes. Like he was struggling with something.
“I’ve been thinking the same thing,” he finally admitted, and I was surprised at how much those words stung. “None of this should have happened. It’s… inappropriate at best.”
I nodded slowly. “So, you understand?”
“Except—” He breathed, taking one step closer to me. “I can’t get you out of my head. Every day, I just want to see more of you.”
“Landon,” I tried, but he shook his head and kept speaking.
“What are we supposed to do, Adriana?” he asked, and I simply didn’t have an answer.
I couldn’t argue with him, either. I felt the exact same way. I even saw him in my dreams, reliving that elevator experience constantly. At work, I was constantly drawn to him.
Landon took another step closer. I knew that I should be moving away, but I didn’t. I stayed rooted to the spot. I didn’t have the mental strength to stop him again. The desire was simply too strong.
He reached for me, and I let him. He put his hands on either side of my face, and leaned down.
His kiss was soft and deep, one that held all of those feelings in a single movement. I couldn’t stop him. I didn’t want to. I leaned into it, closing the distance that I had tried to make between us.
By the time I left the office, I had fewer boundaries than I came there with, and I realized that it was going to be harder to let go of Landon than I thought.
In the morning, I woke up early to get ready for the trip to Monterey Bay with Nolan. We’d be there at least until the afternoon, which gave me a bit of time away from Landon to think and to pull myself together.
I walked out to the parking lot, where Nolan was waiting by a shiny black Mercedes Benz.
It seemed like it was only him, which I found slightly odd.
I knew he’d planned a trip, but had no idea what it was actually for.
Still, I had assumed that there would be a whole team from the kitchen that would have joined us.
When I reached Nolan, he was swinging the keys and smiling; an unexpected expression for him.
“You look worried,” he pointed out. “You think I can’t drive?”
“I mean, I’ve never thought of you as existing outside of a kitchen,” I answered, glancing around at the parking lot. “Anyone else joining us?”
“This trip doesn’t need a whole team,” Nolan said as he opened the passenger’s side door for me. “Just one assistant is enough. And that’s you. You’re welcome to complain, but you’ve already agreed to come.”
I waited for him to get in before I replied. “You’re making this sound like it’s going to be awful.”
“Maybe,” he shrugged as he started the car. Soft jazz music filled the air as we pulled out of the parking lot. “Or maybe it’ll be the best time of your life. You’ll find out when we get there.”
That made me curious. I’m sure he wouldn’t be driving out for something personal during work hours, and Landon definitely wouldn’t let me tag along if that was the case.
So this had to have something to do with the kitchen, or maybe with a specific request from a guest. But why would Nolan need an assistant for that?
“Don’t worry, I don’t have any nefarious plans,” Nolan teased, glancing at me as we got out onto the road. “It’s all quite above board. No strange illegal happenings here.”
“Well, I’m glad you clarified that,” I chuckled, already feeling more comfortable. “But why take me? Why not someone who’s qualified?”
“I wanted to show you a few things,” Nolan explained, even though that didn’t really clarify much. “You need to get to know my work better if you’re going to do your job at the level you are expected to. And, while you’ve shown you at least know some of the very basics, that’s just not enough.”
He had a point there. I’d made a point of memorizing the menus that he sent out, but I didn’t know the ingredients particularly well.
And I couldn’t suggest dishes as easily as Landon could.
I’d blamed all of that on not having the kind of palate that the guests at The Pacific could afford, and that was still true.
But it would make my job easier if I knew more. Maybe we’d be able to avoid another problem like the spa guest’s near-disaster with the allergy.
“So, does this count as training then?” I asked, getting myself comfortable in the Mercedes’ decadent seat.
I wondered if it was Nolan’s personal car, or a work vehicle that he was borrowing.
As the head chef, he must have been earning a hell of a lot of money, so I wouldn’t have been surprised if it was his.
“I guess you could say that,” Nolan replied with a quick shrug. “But that’s not the main point of it.”
“Keeping it a surprise,” I said slowly. “I guess I can get on board with that. Though I suppose I don’t really have a choice, do I?”
“You catch on quick.” Nolan’s tone was light and amused, the complete opposite of how he usually was in the kitchen.
I didn’t really blame him for that. He was working in an incredibly high-pressure environment, feeding rich guests who regularly changed their minds on a whim, even when it came to their food. I definitely didn’t envy his position.
We drove along at a brisk pace, and Nolan was actually both funny and nice the whole time.
I’d expected him to be surly all the way to Monterey Bay and back, but I was having a good time with him.
It helped to distract me from Landon, and I eventually managed to relax more than I had in several days.
Maybe I could do this trip more often, just to give my mind a bit of space.
Eventually, Nolan pulled into a parking area at what looked like an upscale farmer’s market. It was still quiet this early in the morning, filled with vendors setting up their spaces and chatting to one another.
“This is where I get a lot of my ingredients from,” Nolan explained after getting out of the car and opening my door for me. “Only the best of the best, fresh from the coast. I like to get here before anyone else, so I can have the first pick of everything they have.”
“At a farmer’s market?” I was surprised. I thought he’d go to some secret meeting behind a deli that only the highest-rated chefs even knew existed, somewhere in a high-rise building in the city.
“If you want fresh ingredients, you get them straight from the source,” Nolan replied in a way that made me feel like I should be taking notes. “And from everywhere I’ve tried, for these specific things I’m looking for, this is the best place. First things first, you need to try the coffee.”
I’d figured that Nolan would want to get caffeinated before he did anything else. His coffee addiction was a well-known fact in the hotel, something he had taken up because he apparently didn’t want to start smoking instead.
I followed him through the bustling market, where a few other people also seemed to be waiting for the stalls to open. At the far end was a food truck converted for coffee, and that’s where Nolan was headed. I stood in line with him, and when we reached the front, the worker grinned.
“Chef Nolan, you’re late today,” he said. “And you brought a friend!”
“Morning, Harry,” Nolan laughed, nodding over his shoulder at me. “She’s our new concierge. I’m teaching her a few things. You can make us both my regular, but just do a dash less strength for her.”
I didn’t argue. The amount of caffeine Nolan usually added to his coffee could start miniature nuclear wars.
After getting our coffees, Nolan took me from one stand to another. Every vendor knew who he was, and most of them had kept items aside especially for him. He was the image of charm when he spoke to them, and it was like he was a completely different person.
“Smell this,” he said to me at one stall, offering me a pouch of open herbs that I didn’t recognize. “What do you think it’s for?”
“Uh, I’m getting… Mint, maybe? Lemon?” I answered carefully, noticing how closely Nolan was watching me. “Is it for tea?”
“It’s called Yerba Buena,” Nolan explained, sounding incredibly excited about getting to explain this to me. “And yes, we do use it in some of our teas. But I personally use it for seafood, mostly fish. It doesn’t overwhelm with its lemon tones, and the mint adds a certain freshness.”
This wasn’t the only explanation I got. Nolan taught me about microgreens, organic honey, grass-fed local meats, and so many different foods that I wasn’t sure I would remember them all. But the food wasn’t really what caught my attention. It was Nolan himself.
He was so passionate about his art that I almost felt like enrolling in chef school myself.
On top of that, in this light, with the way he was turning up the charm; well, I had to admit that he was more than a little good-looking. I couldn’t stop staring at the way the sun caught his red hair, the way his freckles seemed to dance across his face.
This was dangerous. I was already in trouble with Landon. I couldn’t let myself fall for another handsome man at work.
“That’s the last one.” Nolan handed me a brown paper bag with a giant smile on his face. “And we’ve still got some time. You want to see one of my favorite places in the whole world?”
I fought against the redness that was creeping across my cheeks. “I suppose it won’t hurt to make a tiny detour.”
We returned to the car, and I kept catching myself staring at Nolan as he drove. Eventually, he pulled off the main road, and stopped close to a beach in the middle of nowhere.
“Follow me,” Nolan instructed as he got out.
I knew that I shouldn’t. That this was trouble waiting to happen. But I didn’t listen to my instincts. I did exactly as Nolan asked, and walked with him down to a cove, where we were hidden from the world.
“This is beautiful,” I said, staring out across the ocean. “I can see why you like it.”
“Mm.” I suddenly realized how close Nolan was, and how he was looking at me.
Before I could say anything, he was kissing me. And I was kissing him back.