Nikki felt like she was walking through the pearly gates when she entered Holly Hanson’s. The atmosphere was everything she’d hoped it would be, though she did notice that many of the tables sat empty.

      A smile accompanied her slow steps as she took in the grandeur of the restaurant. The low lighting, the high bar, the swanky music… It all made her want to grab a dish of the chef’s special and curl up in a back booth.

      She took off her coat as she advanced farther into the restaurant, glancing around for Angela. She spotted her after only a few steps.

      “Hey,” Angela said, sidling over to her with a payment billfold in her hand.

      “Hey.” Nikki exhaled, her nerves no calmer now than they’d been hours ago. Apparently, making spicy chicken teriyaki bowls had not given her the distraction she’d needed from meeting Holly.

      “You made it.” Angela tipped a smile at Nikki.

      “I did indeed.” She couldn’t help the awed quality of her voice. “Wow, just look at this place.”

      Angela glanced around but didn’t seem that impressed. “Yep. Listen, give me a minute. Why don’t you go wait by the bar?” She leaned in closer. “And check out the cute bartender. Definitely my type.” She gave the tall man behind the bar a smile as she walked away. Nikki chuckled before turning to hang her coat on a hook.

      Her stomach felt like she’d swallowed a hive of bees, and she ran her palm down the front of her pink blouse, hoping she would be calm once Holly made an appearance. She took a seat near the end of the bar, and the bartender came closer.

      She could see why Angela liked him. Dark cocoa-colored skin. Beautiful eyes. Square jaw. Clean-cut and employed. What wasn’t to like?

      He put a napkin on the bar in front of her. “Hi.”

      “Hi.”

      “What can I get you?”

      “Glass of red wine, please.”

      “House, or would you like to see the wine list?”

      “Uh—”

      Angela appeared in the empty seat next to Nikki, her flirtatious smile set on high. “Maybe you could pick out something special for her from the list? This is my best friend, Nikki.”

      Nikki raised her hand in a friendly wave, but she didn’t look away from Angela. She hadn’t seen her friend this enamored with a man in…well, ever.

      “Nikki, this is Jerrod.”

      “Hi.”

      “Nice to meet you.”

      “Same.”

      Jerrod ducked his head in an adorable way and moved down the bar to get Nikki’s drink. She turned toward Angela, her curiosity spilling over. “How come you’ve never mentioned him before?”

      Angela watched him work. “Oh, because there’s no future there.” She shook her head and met Nikki’s eyes.

      “He has a girlfriend or something?”

      “No.” She lifted one shoulder in a baby shrug. “But apparently, Holly frowns upon her employees dating.”

      Nikki scoffed and laughed. Though Holly could do no wrong in the kitchen, that policy seemed pretty ridiculous. If something like that had happened where her mother had worked, she wouldn’t have met Nikki’s father. She watched Angela go back out onto the floor to drop off a ticket, put on her smile, and get back to work.

      Her mind drifted to little old Cedar Hills, a few hours south of Lakeside. Her mother had been a waitress at a quaint diner, and she’d met Nikki’s dad as he came to the restaurant with their supply of produce. They’d fallen in love, and the rest was history.

      Nikki sighed. She wished all romances were so easy, but the fact that she still hadn’t met Mr. Right certainly testified otherwise.

      Jerrod returned, bearing a lot more than a wine glass. “Here you are. Enjoy.” He placed a red casserole dish in front of her with a roll of silverware inside a black napkin.

      Nikki glanced at the food. “Uh, a cassoulet?”

      “Tonight’s special. On the house.” He grinned at her.

      “Wow, thanks.”

      He moved away, leaving her to experience the food with her eyes and nose first. After unwrapping her napkin, she placed it in her lap, eager to taste Holly’s recipe. Nikki picked up her fork and fixed a delicate bite of pork and beans. She lifted the utensil to her nose and sniffed.

      The smell of salty pork with a hint of garlic made her eyes roll back in her head. It wasn’t every day that she got to eat at such a high-end restaurant.

      She put the food in her mouth, and her eyes snapped open. The smile left her face, and she glanced around, almost embarrassed, to check if anyone had seen her reaction. No one seemed to be paying her any attention, and Jerrod lingered at the opposite end of the bar.

      Glancing down at the cassoulet, Nikki couldn’t believe it had tasted so…bland. It wasn’t good. It wasn’t bad. It was like nothing, which in her opinion, was so much worse. At least bad food tasted like something.

      She put her fork down, utterly disappointed. She hoped when she came face-to-face with the celebrity chef that Angela wouldn’t be right about her being a diva.

      But no matter what, she couldn’t take another bite of that cassoulet. She lifted her wine glass to her lips to wash down the little bit she’d consumed.

Chapter Four