Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Miles
I walked hurriedly down the street, trying to burn off some of the frustration from my conversation with Kat.
How could she think that I’d gotten what I’d wanted from her?
Couldn’t she feel the attraction that still sizzled between us?
Did she seriously think I’d already had my fill of her and was ready to move on?
I was stewing over things when I heard someone call my name. I turned around and found Luka Fagiolo leaning against the brick wall with a cigarette hanging between his fingers.
“A word, please?” he asked as he pushed off the wall, tossed the cigarette to the ground, and stomped it out with the heel of his expensive designer shoe.
“What’s up?” My tone was more brash than usual, but I didn’t care. People may walk on eggshells around him, but I wasn’t about to.
“Your cooking tonight impressed me.”
“Thanks,” I replied dryly, looking over my shoulder to see if Kat had left yet.
“You’re not much into the compliments, are you?” He laughed and cocked his head to the side. His accent was thicker than I had remembered hearing earlier, though he hadn’t spoken much then either.
“I’m tired, just ready to head home.”
“Well then, I’ll make this quick. I’d like to offer you the position of executive chef of our San Antonio location of The Starling.”
I narrowed my eyes and returned my focus to him.
“Why not Kat?”
His shoulders shrugged with disinterest.
“I’m not looking for someone who can create the same dishes as everyone else fresh out of culinary school. I want someone who cares about the basics. Someone who makes the ordinary taste extraordinary.”
“I think you can find plenty of people who can cook burgers and fries for you,” I snorted, pushing a hand through my hair.
“True. But there’s passion in your cooking. You’re one of the few chefs I’ve met recently who cares as much about a burger as you would your family. There’s soul in your food, and that’s what I want in San Antonio.”
I pushed my mouth to the side, already knowing what my answer was.
“I’m sorry, I can’t accept your offer. Thank you, but I think Kat is the better choice. My life is in Seattle, and I’m not interested in relocating.”
I turned to leave when he stopped me with his sharp tone.
“Then I’ll offer you a position in Seattle.”
I forced myself to take a long, slow breath and then blew it out gently.
“I’m sorry if I’ve somehow given you the impression that I’m interested in pursuing employment with you. I’m happy where I’m at but thank you so much for the compliment. Have a good evening.”
I didn’t wait for him to say anything else before I walked away.
The next day, it felt weird to go straight to the food truck and not to Ambrosia.
Now that the competition was over, it was almost bittersweet that I didn’t have a reason to go in to see Kat anymore.
I’d enjoyed working alongside her in the kitchen, even if she was a flustered mess around me the majority of the time.
But now it was business as usual, so I focused on preparing everything for another busy night. Darryl had shown up at the same time as Anthony, and suddenly, it felt too cramped in the confined space of the food truck.
Today's menu consisted of a repeat of the dishes I’d served last night for the competition. Bacon avocado cheeseburgers with sweet potato fries and caramel cheesecake bars. It was simple and easy, which meant we didn’t need three of us prepping.
I guided Darryl on shaping the beef into patties to make it easier once we got busy and left Anthony chopping the lettuce, onion, and tomato.
There wasn’t anything for me to do, so I left and went to the coffee shop down the street.
I had been struggling all day after a shitty night last night, so some caffeine was much needed right now.
When I first got there, there was a short line of people, but it moved relatively quickly.
I placed my order and then stepped to the side and waited.
The bell dinged above the door, and I didn’t have to look up to know who’d walked in.
My body was automatically pulled to hers by some magnetic force that made it nearly impossible to stay away.
Kat looked down at her phone, barely paying attention as she got in line.
Her curly black hair was down and shielded her face as her fingers flew across her phone.
I was so deeply engrossed in watching her that I didn’t hear the barista call my name until he repeated it, this time loud enough to grab her attention as well.
I swallowed hard, pushing past the lump that had taken up residence in my throat, and grabbed my coffee from him.
Kat’s eyes stayed on me as she made her way up the line. I stalled for a few minutes, grabbing a sleeve for the to-go cup, even though it wasn’t that hot.
I was flinging sugar packets against my finger as if I was going to add all eight of them to my coffee. It was another distraction, but it worked. Soon, Kat had placed her order and stood next to me at the counter.
“Hey,” she said softly.
“Hi.”
I wasn’t sure where things stood between us after last night.
“Look,” she sighed heavily. “I’m sorry about last night. I was out of line.”
“It’s fine,” I assured her, taking a sip of coffee. “Let’s just move forward and put it behind us.”
“Okay,” she nodded and tucked a stray curl behind her ear.
The barista called her name, so she turned and grabbed her coffee, then walked out with me.
“So, I have some news,” she said casually, looking straight ahead of her instead of at me.
“Yeah?”
I stopped walking and gently led her to the side by her elbow.
She blew out a shaky breath, then finally lifted her eyes to mine.
“I got offered an executive chef position at The Starling in San Antonio.”
I took another sip of coffee and allowed the heat from the liquid to burn my throat and force away the tightness from her words.
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
I pulled my brows together and studied the angst on her face.
“What’s wrong? Aren’t you happy about it?”
“I am,” she hesitated, then chewed her nail.
“But?”
She scanned the people on the street as if looking for her answer.
“But I’m scared to leave Seattle. Everything I know and love is here. My work. My friends. You.”
She swallowed hard and blinked quickly to hide the tears that teased at the corners of her eyes.
I reached over and wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her into me.
“It’s a big change,” I acknowledged.
“It is,” she breathed and then looked up at me. “Come with me?
My heart ached at the way she begged with her eyes, desperate for me to say yes. And while I would love to follow Kat through the depths of the world, I couldn’t leave my grandma.
“I’m sorry,” I said softly, feeling her pull away. “I can’t. Seattle is home. This is where I’m meant to be.”