“Thank you, but don’t wait for me. Eat up while it’s hot.”
It was the dessert that got the most response from the three men she’d set out to charm. Alaska bomb, Cherry Lake style. An old-fashioned dessert but still one of her firm favorites.
Of course Bella had put her spin on it. Chocolate sponge instead of plain, vanilla bean ice cream with amaretto soaked cherries covered in soft-peaked meringue, topped with scattered toasted crisp coconut flakes. The rich nuttiness of the toasted coconut made even her mouth water. A small amount of work for maximum impact.
“I think I’ve died and gone to heaven.” Jake licked the last morsel of cherry juice from his spoon and smiled across the table at her. “You, Bella, are one amazing cook. No wonder you’re so popular.”
“Don’t let her get away, Son, unless you want to go back to frozen pizza.” Woodsie winked at her, glanced at the empty serving platter with a frown. They’d managed to polish it all off between them.
“Why, thank you, kind sir.” She tried to ignore the pained expression on Jake’s face and instead shared a glance with Cory. “Happy with that one, Cory?”
“Heck yeah. That was so good.” He dropped his spoon in his plate, pushed his chair back from the table and rubbed his hands over his belly. “Even better than the cherry cobbler.”
“You can wash up, Cory.”
“Aw, Dad.” He rolled his eyes as only a teenager could.
It was all Bella could do not to laugh out loud.
“You wash and I’ll wipe.” Woodsie stood up and collected the empty bowls. “Let your dad take Bella out for a walk along the shore. Get some fresh air while we clean up and then I’ll make coffee.”
Chapter Seven
“Thank you for letting me use you guys as guinea pigs.”
The way she said it made Jake question his sanity. He didn’t mind being used by Bella. Certainly not after that meal but it was the woman herself that had made the biggest impression on him. She had him as soon as she took the lid from the sauce. Watching her make it was amazing but when he got a sniff of the sweetness of the caramelized onions and brandy he was lost. All of his self-talk about staying single after failed blind dates and raising his son seemed to flitter out the door when Bella walked in.
“It’s no hardship after what you produced tonight.” He looked out across Flathead Lake and wondered where this friendship could possibly go and should he even try? Why did he think there could be anything between them other than being friends? The idea had snuck in when they were eating dinner. It’d been so long since a woman had sat at their dinner table and, if he was honest with himself, he liked it. But that didn’t mean a relationship was a good idea. She was from another world and he had commitments here. “Were you going to tell me you had the top cooking show on television?”
She stopped, looked out over Flathead Lake and pulled her sweater closer around her throat to ward off the chill that came blowing across the water. A frown nestled on her forehead and he had the urge to wipe it away, feeling as though it was his fault it was there.
“I thought you understood that. When those women noticed me at the café, you could tell, surely?” She turned toward him. “I never hid it from you, Jake, but then again, it’s not something I go shouting about. If people don’t recognize me, it’s not the end of the world. I actually prefer it that way some of the time. It can get very tiring being a celebrity, even though I love what I do.”
“No, you didn’t hide it but nor did you say exactly how famous you really are. I guess I was shocked when I found out the extent of your fame.” Seeing her in action on her show took it all to the next level.
Bella Moore was a household name and he’d only barely scratched the surface. It seemed everyone else knew more about her than he did. He was sure if he went looking he’d find more. Why did it matter anyway? They’d only just met. It wasn’t like they were dating or anything, not even in a casual relationship. So why did it feel as though they were setting out the ground rules for a long-term commitment? It didn’t make sense. Guess that was what he got for living like a monk these days. The first pretty girl to turn his head made him into a lovesick fool. He couldn’t believe how quickly she’d affected him.
“Please don’t make more of it than it is. It’s a job, plain and simple. It’s what I do. The same as you’re brilliant at what you do.” She knelt down, picked up a flat rock and attempted to skim it across the water past the frozen edge. She watched it bounce twice before it sank, gave a constrained laugh. “I was never any good at that. There were lots of things I was never good at. I can’t draw or design gorgeous jewelry like Dakota does. Mari is the organizer of the family with a flair for decorating and our youngest sister April has a way with words that leaves me breathless.” She sucked in the cool night air, gave him a wobbly smile. “But I can cook. I can take an ingredient and make it sing on a plate, Jake. It’s always been that way for me. Food talks to me in a way that nothing else ever did.”
He watched her, loath to interrupt the flow of words.
“My sisters
