Fire In the Kitchen (25 page)

“Yummm. I made lemon curd yesterday. It will go perfectly with them.” She could never sit still for long. “I’ll go downstairs and get it.”

“How about a cup of your famous coffee, too?”

“I’ll grab some and make it on the stove. It’ll take too long for the machine to warm up.”

“You’re getting more Italian every day. Don’t be too long.”

Cassidy took the steps two at a time and stumbled down the last few. She was relieved she’d been holding the handrail and she hadn’t been caught tripping over her own feet again.

Giggling, she ground coffee into a bowl and grabbed her lemon curd from the fridge. She looked around the café, taking in the spectacular view. She enjoyed it, but a piece of her heart was always whispering it wasn’t the same as what she’d planned for her own café before it had burned down. She loved Dante, but maybe this was
his
dream.

She made her way up the stairs, more slowly this time so she wouldn’t fall up them, and saw Dante beating egg whites into stiff peaks by hand. It took strength to do that for a long period of time, but he appeared unfazed. Only Dante could make such a simple kitchen task look sexy.

She put the fragrant lemon mixture in a small pot to heat up and, in another saucepan, put the coffee in water to bring to a boil.

Her stomach grumbled when Dante sizzled butter in the pan and used a ladle to pour in the pancake batter. He soon had a small stack of pancakes next to him, and in his usual style, everything was ready at the same time. Cassidy poured her accompaniment for his dish into a jug and strained the strong black coffee into two cups. She handed the curd to him, and he sampled it and nodded his approval. Then, with a flourish, he poured it over the pancakes and tumbled fresh raspberries over the top.

“Let’s eat it in the restaurant,” he said.

Cassidy agreed and reached for plates and cutlery.

“Just the cutlery,” Dante said, shaking his hand at the plates. “I want to share everything with you. We’ll feed each other. It always tastes better that way.”

As they made themselves comfortable in front of the beautiful view of the Indian Ocean, Cassidy’s lips curved in amusement at the man who’d just cooked her brunch to her heart’s content. He’d admired her hair earlier, and now she noticed he’d changed his appearance, too. He was dressed in a casual sky blue T-shirt and board shorts, a much more laid-back style than he would have once worn. Casual dress seemed to relax his mind and soul.

Cassidy tasted the lemony ricotta pancakes and moaned as she allowed the delicious tartness to complement the sweetness and tease her taste buds.

“Mmm, mmm, mmm.”

“Worth the wait?” Dante leaned forward. They looked at each other and then the expanse of an ocean that seemed to go on forever with endless possibilities. Their lips met and Cassidy allowed herself to feel her love for him envelop every part of her. The kiss that had started as a gentle pillow soon became as firm as granite. Much to her delight, he no longer shaved on his days off, and the faint stubble on his chin grazed her delicately, making her feel even closer to him.

When she finally answered his question, she wasn’t talking about the pancakes anymore.

“I would have waited longer if I’d known what I’m experiencing now was in my future.”

“Cassidy…” Dante’s voice was husky, as if speaking were a chore. “I’m afraid I haven’t been completely honest with you.”

Unworried by what he’d just said because of their mind-blowing kiss, she decided she couldn’t let such good food go to waste by allowing it to go cold. She took another few bites and then left her fork dangling in the air.

“What have you done this time? There’s no competition left to throw. We’re still in this together, aren’t we?”

“That’s the thing.” Dante reached for her utensil and put it down, holding her hand instead. “I think you’ve been trying to please me by running the café, but it’s not what you really want, is it?”

“Don’t be silly, Dante. I’m really happy, and what I really want is to be here with you, working alongside each other. You know that.”

“You wanted to run your father’s café your way, but instead you’re running my café my way.” Dante coughed. “Why don’t you use your prize money and put a down payment on your own place?”

Cassidy dropped his hand and watched a seagull fly past the window until it was out of sight. “If that was what I wanted, I would have done it. What are you really trying to tell me? What am I missing?”

Although it was a warm day and the sun streamed through the window, she suddenly felt a chill that seemed to blow cold air on her bones. Was everything she thought they had just an illusion? Did he think it was time to go their separate ways with their careers? Was this his way of letting her down gently?

“Cassidy, look at me.”

She turned to face him again, trying not to hold her breath, but it was impossible.

“You don’t want me here anymore?” Her voice sounded miniscule. “I’ve changed things too much? You hate the way I don’t follow the rules? Please, just tell me.”

Dante groaned. “It’s not that. I’m doing a terrible job of explaining this to you.” He stood and walked behind Cassidy’s chair to massage her shoulders. “I’ve sold the café and restaurant and my house is on the market.”

Cassidy swung around, knocking his hands off.

“Excuse me?”

“I decided to put it on the market a week ago to gauge if there’d be any interest.” He grinned. “I got an offer the same day that I couldn’t refuse.”

“But why?” Cassidy put her hands over her face. “This place is your life. Why didn’t you talk to me about it first?”

“Because I’ve done something quite mad and I think you would have tried to talk me out of it,” Dante said. “And I know how persuasive you can be.”

“Whatever happened to no more secrets?”

“You need more than I can give you here.” Dante swung his arm around in a half moon to indicate their surroundings. “You need to work in a place that has your indelible mark on it. A bit
out there
, a bit
exciting
, and a helluva lot of just you.”

“But I thought I’d made a few changes around here that made a difference and introduced new things to the menu that people have been coming back for.”

“Sure you have, which got me thinking about all the things you haven’t been doing that you could be doing to reach your full potential.
Our
full potential.”

“But…”

Dante held out his finger to put their conversation on hold and walked over to the bar. He returned with a bottle of sparkling Western Australian wine and two crystal champagne glasses.

“I’m hoping this was a secret you will forgive me for.” He put them down on the table and continued. “I want you to look at a property in the Swan Valley that has a house and restaurant on it. As much as I love our current living arrangement, I was hoping you’d be interested in living there with me and helping me run it. It doesn’t have to be there, it can be anywhere—we can decide together.”

Her interest was piqued. “What sort of restaurant?”

“A training restaurant for budding chefs and cooks.” Dante’s features lit up and he looked the most carefree she’d ever seen him. “We’d be teaching students how to buy and prepare local food…start a new cooking revolution. Our food, our neighbors’ food, our recipes.”

“Sounds terrible.” Her eyes lit up with excitement. “Don’t forget my barista courses. I wouldn’t mind having my own roasting house either. And I want the kids’ menu to also be available for grandparents.”

Dante laughed. “They’re great ideas. I’ve even talked the local TV station into giving us a go at our own weekly segment, and they’ll come to us to film it on-site.”

“Will
Celebrity Chef
let me do that? I’m still endorsing their products.”

“Yes, I read the contract. It shouldn’t be a problem.”

“You read the contract?” Cassidy laughed.

“You know we both did this time. In minute detail before you signed it.”

Cassidy’s mind swirled around and around with possibilities. “Fresh food, fresh vegetables, homemade bread. Who gets the say on the décor?”

Dante laughed and swung Cassidy around in the air. “My wife does.”

“You call that a proposal?” She laughed. “Whatever happened to getting down on one knee?”

“Well, my clumsy fiancée, you’d trip over it.”

When Dante finally put her down, she wasn’t sure if she was dizzy from being swung around, dizzy with love, or dizzy with excitement.

“I’ll take that as a yes?” he asked her, and she knew he could tell the answer from the look in her eyes.

As she popped the cork and poured them each a glass of sparkling happiness, she answered her husband-to-be, just to make sure he knew her answer was yes without a doubt. “I’ll drink to that,” she said. Her gaze wandered to the food they’d both had a part in preparing on the table. “And eat to it, too. Together.
Always together.
”

Dante’s Ricotta Pancakes with Cassidy’s Lemon Curd

Dante’s Ricotta Pancakes

1 ¼ cups self-rising flour

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

3 large free-range eggs

½ lemon

250g ricotta cheese

1 cup milk

1 tbsp sugar

5 tsp vino cotto *

butter for frying

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

2. Separate the eggs and place in separate mixing bowls.

3. Squeeze the lemon. Add directly to the egg yolks.

4. To the egg yolks and lemon, add the ricotta, milk, sugar, and vino cotto. Beat until smooth.

5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat until just mixed and moistened.

6. Using an electric beater or a hand whisk (and perseverance) if you want to be like Dante, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.

7. Heat a large frying pan to medium. Grease the surface with about 2 tsp butter per batch of pancakes. Dollop or pour batter into the pan using a small jug, about ¼ cup per pancake. Cook until bubbles form on the top and edges appear dry—about 2 minutes. Flip and cook the other side to golden brown—about 1 minute.

*Vino cotto (also known as vin cotto) can be replaced with 1 tsp pure vanilla essence

Cassidy’s Lemon Curd

4 free range eggs, beaten

¾ cup caster sugar

2/3 cup lemon juice (or to taste)

1 tsp finely grated lemon rind

125g butter, melted

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and beat until well combined. Pour into top of a double saucepan. Stir continuously with a wooden spoon over gently simmering water until mixture thickens. Pour into hot sterilized jars and seal. Keep in refrigerator until required. Makes 3 cups.

To serve:

Drizzle pancakes with Cassidy’s lemon curd and top with seasonal berries. Raspberries go great with these…and maybe a glass of Western Australian sparkling if you are feeling naughty.

Enjoy.

The End

Publisher’s Note

Please help this author's career by posting an honest review wherever you purchased this book.

Donna Allen is a contemporary romance author who loves calling Australia home. A self-confessed foodie, she is addicted to cooking shows and cooking up a storm for family and friends with her winemaker husband and gorgeous son by her side. She believes combining food and romance is a recipe to heaven. She has had several short stories published in popular magazines and won her place in three romance anthologies. Follow her culinary writing journey on Twitter at @donnaallenbooks.