LITMIR.BIZ

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the twinge of guilt he felt. So what if he was a soft touch for the occasional sob story? He still wasn’t hiring her. He supposed he could let her down easy, though. He blew out a long sigh and tried on his kinder, gentler voice.

      “Listen, I have two weddings and a communion to cater in the next ten days, along with an annual street festival to prepare for. If I don’t get this order called in by three this afternoon, I’m going to have an angry mother of the bride on my hands, as well. I simply don’t have time to train anyone right now. I’m sure you’ll find something somewhere else. There are plenty of people hiring these days.”

      He thought he’d done pretty well under the circumstances, but one look at her told him she didn’t appreciate his kind and gentle routine. So much for the easy letdown.

      Somewhere between the angry mother-in-law and the no-time-to-train-you part, her chin had come up, showing off the rope of matched pearls adorning her neck, and her slender shoulders had squared beneath the designer blouse she wore. He should have gone with his original instinct and hauled her out bodily. But she was talking, and he found himself listening. Her teeth were white and straight, her lips exactly the right width and curved just so. He should have been turned completely off, as perfection rarely called to him.

      He was drawn more toward the slightly offbeat, the woman with that one crooked tooth or a smile that was a bit too wide, eyebrows a bit uneven. A woman with a bit of the Windy City or the old country in her voice. With hips a bit too wide, breasts on the luxurious side and hair…lots of hair. Thick, wavy hair made to sink his fingers into. That was the kind of woman who got his attention without even trying.

      Not this cool, blond, slim drink of imported water with a twist of lemon, please.

      And yet, he was all but hanging on her every word.

      “Actually,” she said, with just the right amount of defensive posturing, “my experience is more Continental. French cuisine. Mama Bennie agreed to give me a one-month probationary period. Surely you can give me that much of a trial. If I don’t pull my weight, you can give me the ax. Fair?”

      No, he thought, it wasn’t fair. He didn’t have time for this. And he certainly didn’t have time to figure out what it was about her that got his complete attention. He had zero time for that. Less than zero. So why in the world he opened his mouth and said, “One month. I want that in writing, so when I fire you, you won’t bring in some fancy suit and sue me,” he had no idea.

      She smiled with satisfaction, which irked him all the more. She might not have wanted to trade on her good looks, but Nick could think of no reason other than his unreliable hormones for what he’d just gone and done. She stuck out her hand, and he actually had to think about the consequences of touching her.

      He almost laughed. Damn if she hadn’t reduced him to the level of a gawky teenager, sweating out his first kiss. Only he’d never been gawky, as a teenager or any other time. He’d always been a natural with women. At twenty-eight, he could certainly handle this one.

      He took her hand and pumped it once, then let it drop. Warm. He hadn’t expected that. He’d expected cool, finely boned, impersonal. He’d gotten two out of three right, but that one wrong had been critical.

      Warm, huh? He found himself glancing into those blue eyes. Ice princess? Or blond temptress?

      He shook the thoughts from his head. She was an employee now, he reminded himself. He did have some boundaries, and that was one of them. No dating the boss.

      “So, where do I begin?” She asked expectantly.

      He cleared his throat. “There is some paperwork to fill out. Don’t you want to discuss salary?”

      It was her turn to look momentarily nonplussed. “Oh, uh, right. I suppose so, yes. I guess I assumed I’d just start out at the standard rate for new employees.” She forced a smile to cover what they both knew was a lame attempt to sound like an everyday new hire.

      Which he knew she was not.

      “So, you don’t care about the money? Why do you need this job? Really.”

      “I always care about the money,” she corrected. “It’s bred into the Chandler DNA.”

      “Chandler?” He recalled Bennie’s introduction. Sunny Chandler. Understanding dawned. “As in Chandler Enterprises?”

      “I’m related, yes. You’re not going to fire me now, are you?”

      “Why should I give this job to you instead of someone who really does need employment?”

      “There are plenty of jobs out there. No one will go jobless because you hired me. So why not? I’m available.”

      “And why is that?”

      Her smile slipped a little, but she caught it on her chin, which lifted just enough to save it. “I’d rather not go into the details.”

      “You told Bennie.”

      She opened her mouth, as if to deny it, but shut it and nodded. “You can ask her if you want. I didn’t swear her to secrecy.”

      Nick swore under his breath. If Bennie considered Sunny one of her worthy causes, he’d have a hell of a time getting rid of her. “And she thinks I’m a soft touch,” he muttered.

      “I hardly think of you as a soft touch.”

      “I hired you, didn’t I?” he retorted, briefly enjoying a look of surprise, then dismay, on her face. He’d bet his last dollar she was not remotely used to being a pity case.

      “I agreed to a short trial period after which I can be fired, no questions asked. Isn’t that enough?”

      He was dying to know what was really going on here, and damned if he’d go running to Bennie to find out. One way or the other, he’d get her to spill the real reason she’d invaded his life. Right before he fired her and got back to business. “Rather argumentative for someone who wants a job here so badly.”

      He could see her grit her teeth, but she remained outwardly calm. “I’m simply being logical.”

      “Logically I should hire someone with experience.”

      “In one month, if I don’t fit the bill, you can.”

      “You’re a tough negotiator. Is that also in the Chandler DNA?”

      “You bet.” She rubbed her palms gently on her pants. Nervous? He wouldn’t have thought it of her. “Where are the papers for me to sign?”

      “Anxious?”

      She grinned at him. “I only have one month to impress the boss. I don’t plan on wasting any time.”

      Despite the chaos this escapade of hers was likely to create, his responding smile was remarkably natural and relaxed. He’d just realized she hadn’t met her co-workers yet. This might be the shortest trial period on record.

      “I’ll get to them after I finish my order. Bennie will take you to the kitchen and introduce you to the head chef. For all intents and purposes, he will be your immediate boss.” His smile spread at her look of alarm. She’d begged for this job. He wasn’t going to apologize for the working conditions. “Just consider me the CEO.”

      “The head chef…that wouldn’t be—”

      “Carlo.” He nodded. “I see you’ve already met.”

      “Not exactly.”

      Nick shouldn’t be enjoying this so much. Really. But she was so damned cool and competent. Competent—at least in her world—he had no doubt. He remembered her warm palm brushing his. The cool part was still in question.

      He reminded himself that if she walked out today, he wouldn’t go in search of the answer. She was from another world, another stratosphere, really. It wasn’t that he thought her better than himself, but there were some cultural bridges too exhausting to span just for the fun of

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