Page 42 of Things We Need to Say (Second Chance Love Stories #2)

‘How are things going?’ she whispered to the head chef. Since asking him to provide that last-minute vegan requirement at the afternoon-tea birthday party, they had developed a good working relationship. In fact, Emma was one of the few people Chef didn’t shout at.

‘It’s going well so far and they’re not disturbing the rest of my kitchen too much.’

‘That’s good, then.’

‘Yes, and they all seem to get along with each other. They certainly help each other out.’

Emma looked across to where Jay was working next to a dark-haired woman who she could only guess was Chloe.

As she watched, Chloe called Jay’s name and he instantly looked up and rushed to her side.

She was stirring something in a large pan with a forlorn expression on her face.

Jay stood so close to her that it was almost intimate.

Then she moved to one side and Jay began to beat the contents of the pan with vigour.

When he finished, he looked at Chloe and smiled, and she put her hand on his arm.

Emma felt the blood drain from her face.

She could feel her heart beating frantically in her chest and she felt sick.

‘Are you okay?’ Chef asked.

Emma replied on autopilot. ‘Yes, I’m fine. Well, I’m glad everything is going well. Now, I must get back to the function room. Make sure everything is going as planned there too.’ And with that she fled from the kitchen.

For the rest of the morning, Emma tried to focus on her work and not the scene she had witnessed. She chivvied the staff into getting everything done on time, while checking and re-checking that once the function started everything would run smoothly.

But no matter how hard she worked, she couldn’t forget how Jay and Chloe had looked together.

Chloe was incredibly beautiful with shining dark hair that hung down her back in a thick plait, huge green eyes and high cheekbones.

Emma would defy any man not to fall in love with her.

Jay had been spending so much time with Chloe recently, it was hard not to imagine that he had fallen for her.

And the way they had stood so closely together had screamed intimacy.

Was there something going on between them, even though he had sworn they were only fellow competitors?

Or was she overreacting and jumping to conclusions, just like he had done with Nick?

But then when she thought about how distant he had often been with her recently and how much he had kept her away from the competition and the other competitors, it all suddenly made so much more sense.

Jay had said he was thinking of employing Chloe while Liz was on maternity leave, and with a sickening dread she couldn’t help wondering where that might lead.

* * *

Once Jay had overcome his initial nerves he had got stuck into the cooking, and so far everything was going amazingly well.

Even though he’d had to make it in batches, the chocolate tempered correctly each time and the moulds were now resting in the fridge.

Even the mousse had come together perfectly.

It was light, fluffy and most importantly hadn’t split.

‘Oh, shit!’

Jay looked up at the sound of Chloe’s voice next to him. ‘What’s wrong?’ He was instantly on alert.

‘It’s this sauce — it’s gone lumpy. What is it with sauces at the moment? I just can’t seem to get them right. And today of all days.’

‘Here, let me have a look.’ Jay moved to her side and manoeuvred the pan onto the worktop, peering into it. ‘It is a bit lumpy.’ He took a whisk out and began to beat the sauce vigorously. ‘Let’s see if we can’t sort that out.’

Chloe stood close to him and peered into the pan. ‘I’m not used to working with such big volumes. And I don’t have the same strength in my arms that you do.’

For a moment he stopped beating to look down at her. The last thing he needed was for her to panic, so he tried to make light of the situation. ‘Who needs to go to the gym when you’re catering for a hundred people?’

She smiled back and their gazes locked. Jay was startled for a moment at the way she was looking at him. Confused, he turned his attention back to the sauce.

‘Here, it’s much better now. But it might be wise to pass it through a sieve before serving, just in case there are any hidden lumps.’

‘Thanks, Jay. You’re a life saver.’

‘No problem,’ he replied before quickly moving away.

When he got back to his own workstation, he found that his hands were shaking.

* * *

Liz was impressed by the Rosemont Hotel. She’d never been here before. Although she’d heard a lot about it from Emma, it was a different experience being a guest. She was looking forward to being the one waited on for a change, and was glad that her appetite appeared to be back to normal again.

Emma greeted them by the door with a smile.

‘It’s lovely to see you both. I’m glad you could make it.’

‘I’m only sorry that I’m here with your ticket,’ Alex replied. ‘It’s such a shame you’re working.’

‘Oh, it doesn’t matter. At least I’m here,’ Emma said.

‘How’s it all going?’ Liz asked. ‘Jay must be a nervous wreck.’

‘He certainly was last night. I don’t think either of us got much sleep as he was tossing and turning so much. But I popped into the kitchen earlier and everything seemed to be going well.’

‘At least after today it will all be over,’ Liz said. She was all too aware that Emma’s cheerfulness seemed forced.

‘Yes, I suspect it will,’ Emma replied. ‘Anyway, let me show you to your seats. I think you’ll be pleased. You’re on the same table as Roberto and your old friend, Lord Weatherton.’

‘Oh, good, Henry’s here. He’ll keep us all entertained.’ Liz tried to match Emma’s enthusiasm, but she was puzzled by her friend’s response. She had a horrible feeling that Emma’s reply hadn’t just been referring to the competition.

The food throughout lunch was divine and the conversation light-hearted. Liz was thoroughly enjoying herself. But the star of the meal was Jay’s apple dessert. It looked exquisite and so lifelike, but she knew that what was inside would taste even better.

‘Oh, my.’ Liz stared at it in awe. ‘Jay has outdone himself. It almost looks too good to eat.’

‘Oh, I wouldn’t go that far,’ Lord Weatherton said, cracking the outer shell of chocolate with his spoon and diving inside.

He lifted a full spoon to his mouth and closed his eyes in delight as he tasted it.

‘My word,’ he eventually said. ‘That is simply exquisite. You’ll have to get Jay to put this on your menu. ’

‘I definitely will,’ Liz replied. ‘Although how he’s managed to make this for so many people, I don’t know. They all look identical.’

‘It certainly is a triumph,’ Roberto said. ‘He’s come on leaps and bounds since he left La Emporium and started to work with you, Liz. I’m so proud that both of you started out under my wing.’

Liz smiled back at him. ‘Which just goes to show how good a teacher you are.’

‘It’s a shame that as Jay’s friends Liz and I are precluded from voting for the best dish. Because I’d definitely be voting for him.’

‘I’m going to vote for him,’ Henry said. ‘Even though I’m acquainted with him, his dessert is definitely the dish of the day.’

‘I completely agree,’ Roberto said as he picked up his form.

The forms were collected by the servers, and then coffee was served. Liz poured herself another glass of water. Coffee was still something she couldn’t tolerate.

Henry turned to her. ‘You’re going to have to watch Jay. Everyone’s going to want him to cook for them after today.’

‘As long as they’re willing to pay for us to cater for their functions, that’s fine. But he’s promised to cover my maternity leave, so he can’t go anywhere else just yet. I need him too much.’

They all laughed, but Liz was conflicted. Jay had promised to cover for her, but she didn’t want to hold him back if someone offered him something wonderful. On the other hand, she didn’t know how the business would survive if he decided he wanted to work elsewhere.

‘It certainly won’t do the reputation of Diva’s functions any harm either,’ Roberto said.

Liz and Alex exchanged glances. He and Roberto hadn’t managed to sit down with Tia yet as she was away on a buying trip for her interior-design company, and Roberto had no idea that she and Jay were thinking of not renewing their contract when the time came.

Fortunately, further conversation was prevented as the competition sponsors stood up to make a speech about the reasoning behind the competition and how successful it had been in showcasing the food that London and the south-east had to offer.

After that they handed over to the two judges, Angela and Philip, who explained how the competition had been run and how the final four chefs had been selected.

The four chefs were still wearing their chef’s whites, which were no longer pristine but clearly showing the toils of the day.

Liz felt a presence behind her and turned to see Emma standing behind her chair.

She nodded a silent hello as Angela continued.

‘I think I can speak for both of us,’ Angela said, ‘when I say that this has been a very challenging but rewarding process. The level of talent we have witnessed has been incredible. However, today has confirmed to us that our selection of the final four chefs was absolutely the right decision and that all four of them have brilliant futures ahead of them. I’m also absolutely delighted to announce that the final judging, on who the overall winner is, is not down to Philip and me, but to all of you.

The votes have been counted and we are now in a position to reveal your decision. ’

Philip took over. ‘And the winner is . . .’

* * *