I stopped in the entrance to the dining area. “Mona wants to do the interview at Mack’s Place?”
“And that’s not all. She wants to include Natalie.”
“No,” I said flatly. “No way.”
Nat came through the door, moving in front of me with a questioning frown.
“Mona will pay her a fee for appearing,” said Billy. “Why don’t you ask your girlfriend if she wants to make some money?”
Nat lifted her eyebrows. “What?” she mouthed.
I pulled the phone away from my ear. “On Saturday, I’m doing an interview on the Morning Show. I was supposed to fly to LA, but now Mona wants to do the interview here. She wants you to be part of it. I said no.”
Surprise flashed across her face and then I saw doubt and apprehension. She walked over to the front counter, turned, and leaned against it.
“Tell her about the money,” bellowed Billy, loudly enough that Nat could probably hear him.
Before I could say anything, her jaw firmed, and she gave me a nod. “If it’ll be good for your career, I’ll do it.”
My own misgivings weren’t as easy to dismiss. “It’s a bad idea,” I said.
“Why?”
“Because they think we’re engaged, and Mona’ll ask us all kinds of questions about it. It’ll be a live interview. No room for mistakes.”
She looked worried, but didn’t drop her gaze. “Still, if it’ll help you, I’m in. It’s the least I can do considering all you’ve done for me.”
“It’ll help Kade’s career,” shouted Billy.
“I’m not asking you to lie on TV,” I told her, holding the phone against my jeans to muffle it.
“Why not? You lied for me. And everyone already thinks we’re engaged, so it won’t make things worse.”
I caught the faint sound of Billy yelling something else and put the phone back to my ear. “What did you say?”
“I said, I like your fiancée. She makes excellent points.”
I dropped the phone again. “Nat, you don’t need to do this.”
“Tell her about the money!” Billy thundered.
I could tell Nat had already made her mind up to do it. Her jaw was set, and though she was chewing her lip, her eyes had a determined look.
“You’ll get a fee for appearing on the show,” I said reluctantly. “And Billy will make sure it’s a big one.”
“I already said I’d do it.”
“Atta girl!” yelled Billy.
I lifted the phone. “You’d better negotiate a huge fee for her, Billy. Make it an eye-watering number.”
“Will do, buddy,” said my agent cheerfully. “She sounds great. Hey, you said you weren’t actually engaged, right? Does that mean she’s single?”
“Watch it,” I growled.
His booming laugh was loud enough that I had to lift the phone away from my ear again.
When I hung up, Nat shot me a smug smile. “I heard him ask if I was single,” she said. “Your agent sounds nice.”
Though I knew she was teasing, I still had a sudden urge to send Billy to the Arctic Circle to set up an interview with a polar bear.
“He’ll be here on Saturday. I have to warn you, he’s the biggest flirt in the world.”
Quirking her lips, she rested an elbow on the counter at her back. “Oh really? I could have sworn that title was already taken.”
I pretended to be shocked. “You’re not implying I’ve ever flirted?”
She laughed, shaking her head. Her eyes were warm and full of affection. I’d always liked how accepting she was of all my quirks. She’d never seemed upset that other women had sometimes hit on me. And she’d understood I could smile at a stranger or share a joke without it meaning anything.
Though Nat used to tell me she wasn’t confident, it was only because she didn’t recognize her own strength. Just because she doubted herself didn’t mean she wasn’t brave.
Like subjecting herself to a live television interview for no reason except to help my career.
“What will the interview be like?” Nat grew serious again. “Will Mona ask lots of questions?”
“Maybe. Let’s make sure we have the same answers. Get our story straight.”
“What about your past? I don’t know much about it.”
I shrugged. “Don’t worry about that. It’s not something I talk about in interviews.”
“I’ve only heard you say it was your mother’s boyfriend who inspired you to become a chef.”
“That’s what I tell nosy interviewers who can’t stick to the rules.”
Her eyes sharpened with curiosity. “Is it the truth?”
I opened my mouth to say it was, and heard myself say, “Mostly.”
She pushed herself off the counter and walked over to me. “What’s the full version?”
I hesitated. What was the point in talking about the past? Nobody liked a depressing story.
“Please.” Nat reached for my hand as though it were perfectly natural for her to hold it. “Tell me.”
I stared down at her fingers cradling mine. For some reason it seemed important to her to know. And she deserved something from me. Even if it was a shitty memory that should stay buried.
“Mom dated a chef for a while when we lived in Mexico, that part’s true.” It came out slowly. Reluctantly. “But what I never mention is sometimes my brothers and I didn’t have enough to eat, except the one night a week he’d come around and cook us a meal. We’d all sit around the table together, smiling and pretending our family was normal and Mom wasn’t mentally ill, while we tried not to bolt down so much food that we’d make ourselves sick.”
Her face fell. “Really? That’s so awful.”
“Don’t worry, it was a long time ago.”
She squeezed my hand. “Why didn’t you tell me this before? Like when we were dating?”
I shrugged. “It’s ancient history. Why drag it back up?” And the last thing I needed was her pity. The bad days of Mexico were over. I wasn’t a hungry kid locked in an apartment anymore, hoping Mom would decide to come back.
Now I had a successful career and was a part owner of Asher’s new building development. I’d become wealthier than I’d
