Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Madison walked down the street around ten o'clock on Wednesday night, eager to talk to Gabe, to find out what he'd thought about her food and the restaurant. And, of course, she wanted to thank him again for organizing their friends to come in for a meal. Everyone had seemed to enjoy themselves, although she doubted they would have told her if they hadn't had a good time.

The truck was shut down, but she could see Gabe in the window. There was no sign of any other employees; they must have already gone home. She was happy about that. It felt like forever since they'd been alone.

She peeked her head in the back door. "Hello? Can I come in?"

"I'll come out," he said quickly, barely giving her time to see the inside of the truck before he came through the door. "It's hot in there."

She nodded, seeing the sweat on his forehead, the heat in his face. She meant to start by asking him how his night had gone, but instead she said, "What did you think of my restaurant?"

Before he could answer, his phone rang. "Sorry, I have to get this. Michael," he said quickly. "What's happening?"

Her brows drew together as she heard the tension in his voice. Michael was his brother. She hoped nothing was seriously wrong, but there was a lot of stress in Gabe's face.

"Okay," he said finally. "I guess that's the best of the worst news. I'll check in with you tomorrow but call me if you need anything tonight."

"What's wrong?" she asked as he ended the call.

"My grandmother slipped in the kitchen. They took her to the hospital. Fortunately, she didn't break anything. But she bruised her hip, and she's in some pain."

"Oh, no. Poor Ana. Is she home now?"

"Yes. Michael was at the house when it happened, so he was able to get her to the hospital quickly."

"I'm so sorry."

"She has pain medication, and she's going to sleep now." He blew out a breath. "She was just starting to feel better after dealing with cancer the last two years. I hate that this happened."

She moved forward and put her arms around him, knowing how much he loved his grandmother, and how important Ana was to their family. "It sounds like she's going to be okay."

"Maybe for tonight. I feel like I should go over there, but it's late, and everyone will be going to bed."

"Is your brother spending the night?"

"Yes."

"Then he'll let you know if there's a problem."

"You're right." Gabe paused as he looked down at her. "How are you doing?"

"Better now," she said, pressing herself to her toes, so she could kiss him.

He was so tense he didn't respond as fast as he normally did, but as their mouths moved together, she could feel his body relax as desire flared between them.

"I missed that," she said as the kiss ended. "I know it's only been two days, but it feels like a year since we were together."

"It does," he agreed.

"I was thinking maybe tonight…" Her voice trailed away as she saw the expression on his face. "Or another time."

He stared down at her. "It's not that I don't want to. I'm just worried…about a lot of things."

She nodded in understanding, feeling stupid for having even suggested they get together when he was clearly upset about his grandmother. "Of course. It's been a long day anyway."

"I'll say," he said, a heavy note in his voice, as he moved away from her to shut the door to his truck.

She wrapped her arms around her body, feeling an unexpected chill despite the warm evening.

When he turned back to her, she gave him a questioning look. "Did you like your dinner tonight? Which entrée was yours?"

"I went with the sea bass. It was excellent. You're a very talented chef, Madison. Every time I taste your food, I'm more impressed."

She was touched by his words, but she couldn't shake the feeling he wasn't being completely truthful. There was something a little off between them. Maybe he was just worried about his grandmother, and she was reading too much into his tense look.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," she said.

"Your plates were very artistic," he added.

"I've always believed people eat with their eyes before they open their mouth."

"I hope that's not true," he said tersely. "No one would ever eat my food if it was."

"Your plating isn't bad, at least not what I've seen so far in the competition. And here, you're operating out of truck. It's a different experience. It's not a lesser experience; it's just different."

"Having eaten in your restaurant, I think I was giving my experience here too much credit." He ran a hand through his hair. "Who am I kidding? I'm selling tacos out of a truck. And I'm one of many people in this area to do that. There is absolutely nothing unique or special about what I'm doing."

She hated the sour note in his voice and was beginning to realize that dining in her restaurant had made him feel bad about his food truck. "You're selling yourself short, Gabe."

"I'm not. And you know that, better than anyone, Madison. Your restaurant ran like a well-oiled machine. The only thing missing was white gloves."

"That's too pretentious for me." She paused, giving him a wary look. "It feels like we're about to fight, and I didn't come here to fight with you. I also didn't want you to come to my restaurant and feel bad about your truck afterward. I wanted you to have a good time."

He frowned at her words, then blew out a breath. "I'm stressed out about things that have nothing to do with you, and I don't want to fight with you either, so why don't I walk you back to your car?"

She didn't know this Gabe. He was angry and frustrated and worried. She suspected some of it had to do with his grandmother. Maybe even more than some of it. He just couldn't express his fear about that situation, so he was focusing on his food truck, which was not where he wanted to serve his food, and she couldn't blame him.

"You don't have to walk me back," she said.

"I do. It's late."

She didn't want to waste her breath arguing, so she headed down the street, and he fell into step alongside her. When they got to her car, she said, "I hope your grandmother is all right."

"Me, too." He let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, Madison."

"For what?"

"For not telling you how great everyone thought their food was tonight. You blew our friends away. It was an experience they won't forget. And I'm sure they'll tell their friends."

"Thank you for saying that, but we don't have to talk about my food. You have a lot on your mind."

"I do. I want to spend more time with you, Madison, but this probably isn't the best week for that."

"It probably isn't," she agreed, but she was disappointed. "By the way, did you talk to that producer again before she left the restaurant? She was gone when I came out to say hello."

"I didn't talk to her again tonight, but I'm seeing her tomorrow morning, so I can ask her what she thought about your restaurant."

She was surprised by his answer. "You're seeing her tomorrow? Why?"

"She actually spoke to me the other day before round two. She might have an opportunity for me to appear as a guest chef on her show. I think it may depend on how well I do in the competition, but she asked me to meet her for coffee tomorrow."

"That's great. Why didn't you mention it before?"

He shrugged. "I talked to her right before you told me about your negative review. It didn't seem like the right time. And then I got busy with other things."

"You don't have to hide your good fortune from me. I can be happy for you and sad for myself at the same time. Two things can be true."

"There's not anything to be happy about yet."

"Anything on TV would be good."

"She's probably interested in you, too. That's why she came to your restaurant tonight. She wasn't at my truck."

"Maybe. I guess I'll see."

He smiled, and it felt like the sun had just come out from behind the clouds. "You did good tonight, Madison. I don't want my mood to bring you down."

"You're worried about Ana and your business. I completely understand. And, honestly, Gabe, I owe you a big thank-you for organizing the dinner tonight. I know people said they wanted to try my restaurant, but you're the one who made it happen, and I appreciate that more than I can say."

"It was nothing."

"It was a lot more than nothing. Maybe one day soon, I can show you how much your effort meant to me."

He smiled again. "I'm going to hold you to that."

She gave him a quick kiss and then got into her car. He waited for her to drive out of the lot before he left, and she was reminded again of how hard he tried to protect people, which was why his grandmother's fall had upset him so much. Thank goodness, Ana would be all right, but she felt bad that the woman was in pain. Maybe tomorrow she'd make her something special to eat and have Gabe drop it off. Or if he was busy, she could do it herself.

A voice inside her head questioned whether she wasn't getting a little too involved with Gabe and his family, but she shut those questions down. Not everything needed to be overanalyzed. Ana had been so sweet to her. She could do something in return without it having to mean something.

As she drove home, her mind shifted to Gabe's meeting with Georgia Marks. She was a little surprised he hadn't told her about it, but she could appreciate that he hadn't wanted to rub the opportunity in her face. A guest spot on a cooking show could be great for Gabe.

It wouldn't be bad for her, either. She really hoped her food had impressed Georgia. But she'd done all she could do. She'd have to wait and see. And a part of her wasn't sure she'd even want to do a TV spot. More lights, more cameras, more stress. None of that was exciting, but the idea of building her brand was, so she'd do whatever she had to do to make that happen.

"We're very interested in having you on our show," Georgia Marks told Gabe over coffee and pastry Thursday morning.

"Why me?" he asked curiously. He'd been feeling off ever since he'd seen Madison's restaurant and realized the level at which she was working compared to how he was working. And Madison wasn't the only one. Every other chef left in the competition was running their own restaurant, so he couldn't quite understand Georgia's interest in him.

"You're self-made. You don't have a traditional cooking school background, and I think our avid home chefs will be able to relate to your story." She gave him a smile. "You also have flair and charisma. And you look great on camera. I think you're going to be a very popular addition to our guest chef lineup. We'll start with one segment and see how it goes. If it does well, you'll be invited back for more. There's really no downside, Gabe."

"Except the travel to LA and the time away from my business," he said.

"You'll be well-compensated."

"How well?" he asked bluntly.

"If you're interested, I'll send you more information this afternoon. You can look at the time commitment and the numbers and let me know." She paused. "Our show is growing in popularity. It may not be at the top of the network yet, but it soon will be, and, frankly, some of the top shows wouldn't give you this opportunity."

"I appreciate your directness."

"Only way I know how to be," she replied with a confident smile.

"Are you inviting any other chefs from the competition to participate on your show?"

"We haven't decided yet. We know we want you. The others we're thinking about."

"Madison is a hell of a chef," he said. "You must have seen that last night."

"Our meal was very good," she agreed. "But the chef herself is a little bland. There's also nothing particularly unique about her story. But it's still a possibility." She gave him a thoughtful look. "Is there something between you two? You're pitching her now. You were in her restaurant last night. Am I missing something?"

"No. She's a friend. She actually moved into my apartment building last week, so I've gotten to know her outside the competition, and I'm impressed with her talent."

"But you can beat her, right?"

"Of course," he said with a laugh.

She nodded approvingly. "That's what I thought. We like winners, Gabe. Bring home the trophy, and you'll be even more attractive to the network."

"That's my plan."

"Good. Now that business is done, tell me more about yourself. Are you single?"

"I am," he said, as images of Madison flashed through his head.

"Have you ever thought about moving to LA? There might be more opportunities for you there."

"My family is here, so I haven't considered that."

"Maybe you'll change your mind. I can show you around when you come up to do your guest segment…if that works out, of course."

"That would be great."

"I'm going to be in town until Monday. Maybe you could show me some of the sights around here," she said with a suggestive and flirty smile.

"I wish I could, but this week is packed."

"Too bad. I have to get going now; I have another meeting. If you change your mind and have time to get a drink one night, let me know."

"I will. Thanks again." He rose as she got to her feet. He was going to shake her hand, but she leaned in for a hug that felt more personal than professional.

And then she said, "Good luck in the competition. I'll be there for the last two rounds. I hope you'll still be competing at the end."

"So do I."

After Georgia left, he sat back down and finished his coffee. The opportunity she was offering was very interesting. While he'd never thought about being a television chef, it would certainly give him more credibility than he had now. Any step he could take that would get him to his ultimate goal of running a restaurant, calling his own shots, was a step he needed to take. But before he could do anything on Georgia's show, he needed to win the competition. And that's really all he should be thinking about.