swallowing nearly impossible. Okay, the “interview as a way to dig for personal information” was a cheesy technique, but what was he
With a little tremble in her hand, she scooped up another spoonful of soup, letting the delicious flavors of avocado and lemon linger on her tongue. If Lacey tasted this soup she wouldn’t care if he was hiding the Holy Grail. She’d hire him in a heartbeat.
“Did he bolt?” Marcus asked, nearly launching himself next to her the minute John was out the door.
“He really couldn’t answer the most basic questions,” she said.
Marcus grabbed another spoon and practically stabbed the soup, slurping some noisily, then grunting with pleasure. “But he killed the most basic of soups. Shit, that’s good.”
“He’s not right for the job,” she said, as much to convince herself as Marcus. “We can’t count on a guy like that. In fact, I think we dodged a bullet.”
Marcus took some more soup. “No kidding. What the hell kind of loser has a bug on his neck? What was that, anyway?”
“A scorpion.”
Marcus lifted his eyebrows as he sucked in another mouthful. “Dude’s inked up pretty good.”
“I saw the thorns on his arm and that swirly black thing down to his hand and God knows what else on the rest of him.” Well, God might know, but Tessa wasn’t going to find out because she was too smart and mature and together to look twice at an evasive, deceitful, tattoo-covered—
“Damn.” Marcus thumped his chest on the next swallow. “I don’t suppose you caught the recipe before he left.”
“Nothing special. Avocado, lemon, dry vermouth.”
Marcus grabbed the bottle of booze. “Who would have thought of—” He caught himself. “Hell, yeah. Who can’t make soup?”
“Exactly. We’re really better off without him.” And his secrets.
“We sure are,” Marcus agreed. “You think Mrs. Walker’ll give me the job?”
She could encourage that thinking and then he’d support her position that they were lucky to lose this chef, but she knew better. “You know you need more time.”
He exhaled softly. “She hates me because I’m a dropout.”
“She does not,” Tessa assured him. “She wouldn’t let you work here if she had an issue with you not finishing school.” She didn’t mention that the chef who’d just left was a dropout, or so he said. Who could believe anything that came out of that sexy-as-sin mouth?
“Why’d he blow out, anyway?” Marcus asked.
“I don’t know,” she said vaguely.
Marcus gave her a slow smile. “I know why he left, Ms. G.”
“Why?”
“He couldn’t take the heat in the kitchen.” His grin widened. “Sparks were flying even though there wasn’t a flame, if you know what I mean.”
Was it that obvious? “You were in the dining room, Marcus.”
“Actually, I was around the corner.” He tipped his head toward the back pantry. “You were so busy jonesing for his life story that you didn’t even hear me come back in.”
Oh, Lord. Yes, it was really better John Brown was gone. “Then you heard him dance around anything personal. Fact is, we don’t need someone working here who can’t be honest about the simplest things.”
Marcus looked down, concentrating on the soup. “What are you going to tell Mrs. Walker?”
“The truth,” she said quickly. “I’ll go find her now and tell her we ferreted out a phony.”
Outside, Tessa took a minute to regroup and look around for any sign of John Brown. But there was none, giving her heart an unwanted dip. There were a few more people on the beach and a woman sitting in the chaise right where the shell had been.
Still, Tessa took a few steps closer, just to check. But there was no shell.
“Hey, where’s lover boy?”
She pivoted at the sound of Zoe’s voice, her disappointment at losing the shell mixing with a splash of irritation. “Don’t call him that,” she said, walking away from the shore to reach Zoe. “And the fact is, he’s gone. Out of the running, and we should all be glad for that.”
“Why? Lacey said he really knew what he was doing in the kitchen. What did he make?”
Zoe flipped a stray curl over her shoulder. “You’re such a craptastic liar.”
“I’m not…”
Zoe gave her an elbow. “I came through the kitchen and talked to Marcus. He was inhaling what was left of chilled avocado with caviar and vermouth. Or, as some call it, green soup. But between spoonfuls, Marcus told me you two basically started a kitchen fire.”
“Marcus has a colorful imagination. Fact is, I asked Mr. Brown a lot of questions that he evaded and avoided and twisted and refused to answer.”
“Bet you loved that, Queen of the Secret Haters.”
“Precisely. I can’t work with someone who isn’t honest or hides his past.” Tessa brushed her hands as if she were ridding herself of the pesky, lying chef.
“Maybe he didn’t want to get personal in his interview. That’s understandable.”
Not to her. “Either way, he bolted mid-interview. He’s gone and that’s good.”
The low hum of the electric golf cart stole their attention, the sight of Lacey at the wheel talking animatedly to three women passengers bringing their conversation to a halt.
“Who’s that?” Zoe asked.
“Must be the group booking she went to talk to.” Tessa started to walk away, but Lacey slowed the golf cart and waved wildly.
“Hey, you guys, come here for a second.”
Zoe eyed Tessa. “Lucky you. A governor’s reprieve.”
Not much of one. “I have to tell her sometime.”
“Not now,” Zoe said through a smile, waving back at Lacey. “She probably wants us to impress the potential guests.”
Tessa glanced at the three young women chatting animatedly in the golf cart.
“You are not going to believe who’s here!” Lacey’s voice was unnaturally bright, a forced enthusiasm edged with high-strung nerves. “The AABC board members!”
Tessa slowed her step as one crisis melted into a new one. The American Association of Bridal Consultants represented possibly the most important group booking they’d ever had. Except they weren’t due here until July, eight months from now.
Lacey scrambled out of the golf cart, turning so the three women passengers couldn’t see her face but Jocelyn and Tessa could. Her eyes were wide, her jaw open, and her whole expression screamed for help.
Then she gestured for Tessa and Zoe to come closer and the women to climb out of the golf cart. “Ladies, I want you to meet two of my partners and closest friends, Tessa Galloway and Zoe Tamarin.”
They were younger than Tessa had imagined, a blonde, a brunette, and a…
Tessa took her hand and accepted the powerful handshake that screamed a Type-A alert, the woman’s demeanor reminding her very much of her mother when she was in all-business mode. “Hello, Willow.”
“This is our VP, Gussie McBain.”
Pink Hair gave a sly grin and a wink. “Place rocks. We’re already in love.”
“And Arielle Chandler, the AABC treasurer.”
“Sorry for the unexpected arrival,” she said as they shook hands.
“Do
“Absolutely,” Zoe agreed. “We didn’t think you were coming until this summer.”
Willow brushed back some hair. “We didn’t think so, either, but we’ve had a significant change in our
