Soul Sweet (3 page)

“That’s hardly helpful.”

“Well, I didn’t get a strong ‘don’t date him, girl’ vibe from Robert.” Ava crunched her bacon thoughtfully while the rest of them waited for her to finish the bite. “I didn’t want to be the bearer of bad news if there wasn’t any. I knew eventually you’d realise he wasn’t your best match all on your own.”

“Ava, the date whisperer,” Serene teased and the ladies laughed.

“Hey, I’ve got a gift.” Ava straightened her back. “Passed down generation to generation to most of the Torres women.”

“Too bad your gift of knowledge is only limited to potential dating disasters.” Misha glanced at the clock on the wall. She pushed her plate away as the feeling of butterflies fluttering in her stomach increased. It was hard to believe that in less than forty-five minutes, she would be getting on a plane to fly to a city they’d never been, to participate in one of the country’s most popular cooking competitions.

“Nervous?”

Misha looked at Josie. “Can you tell?”

“It’s written all over your face. You’re going to do great.” Ava took hold of her hand on one side and Josie did the same on the other.

Josie gently squeezed her hand. “Yes, you are and we’ll be cheering you here the entire time. All of us already know how fabulous you are. Chef Ryan, you’re too good not to share your culinary gifts on a much grander scale.”

Tears welled up in Misha’s eyes. “Thanks, guys. You know, I’m not used to being addressed that way.”

“Well, you’d better get used to it.” Serene sniffled. “Now, you all are going to make me cry. C’mon, one more toast before we clean up and get out of here.” Her sister waited for everyone to lift their glass. “Team Ryan!”

“Team Ryan,” they all repeated as Misha smiled.

She was nervous as hell, but so excited about the challenges she knew awaited her. Ready or not, she was on her way to the Emerald City to find out if she had what it took to become a Celeb Chef.

Chapter Two

Cameron walked onto the
Celeb Chef
set and was greeted with cheers from the audience. He gave a good-natured wave to the excited fans before heading over to the judge’s table, smiling at the other three judges already seated. He knew only one, Rowen Gallagher, pastry chef extraordinaire.

She waved at him as he approached. “You finally made it.” Rowen handed him a folder. “Phyllis Kine, meet Cameron Banner.”

Cameron shook the other lady’s hand, recalling an article written about the health-conscious chef opening the ultimate foodie restaurant dedicated to serving all dishes eight hundred calories or less.

Phyllis shook his hand with a warm smile. “Welcome. I hope you packed antacids.”

Cameron chuckled. “That bad, eh?”

“I guess I’m just not used to eating a lot of butter and sugar.” Phyllis took a sip from her glass of iced water. “There is some real talent here, though.”

“Excellent. I’m looking forward to this.” Cameron assessed Phyllis’ long, willowy form and imagined that most foods probably caused the woman some kind of gastro distress. He averted his attention from her to the other male judge, who was already offering his hand.

“Don Mackey.” The portly judge pumped his hand vigorously. “Nice to meet you.”

Cameron grinned. “Likewise, Don.”

“The producer told me we’ll be getting started in about five minutes. Well, we’ve got seven potential finalists for the show left.” Rowen smiled at him. “You joined us just in time for the final preliminary round, Cameron.”

“I’ve been watching the show.” Cameron took his seat behind the table facing the huge hall that had been transformed into ten mini kitchens. “You guys have had to make some tough decisions regarding the contenders.”

“Well, today they should all do well.” Don placed his hands on top of his round belly. “How hard is it to mess up breakfast?”

Phyllis snorted. “We’re about to find out.” She shook her head as Rowen and Cameron chuckled.

“We have to decide which three chefs to cut today and which four to move forward.” Rowen passed a score card out to each judge. “Now, we’re officially ready.”

Don leaned further into Cameron’s personal space than he liked. “You got to miss out on all the cooking nightmares.”

“That’s what I’ve heard.” Cameron watched Don take a sip of what appeared to be iced coffee with whipped cream and sprinkles. He opened the folder Rowen had given him, jet lag still kicking his ass and he was hungry. Hunger always sharpened his taste buds and he was looking forward to tasting and judging each dish the contenders made.

“What bad timing for Scott Marks.” Don slurped his coffee treat. “He told me he wanted to be one of the celebrity judges for this show two seasons ago, but I’m sure his wife is happy he decided to leave early and come back on next season, so he could be there for the premature birth of their son.”

“I’m sure she is.” Cameron thumbed through the profiles of the contenders, ignoring memories and the flash of dull pain twisting his gut. He’d lost his wife Jess, not physically, but emotionally when she’d miscarried six months into her pregnancy. Their loss had created a gap between them he’d never been able to bridge and their subsequent divorce almost a year later had been at her request. Time had helped him see that the dissolution of their marriage had been for the best—they’d never been fully in sync with one another, not even after almost two years of dating. Heartbreak had proved to be too much of a strain on their tenuous union.

“Mark gets to enjoy the sunshine in California while we deal with this rain,” Don said, bringing him out of the past. “Have you ever been there?”

“Nope. I’ve always wanted to get out that way to visit Mark’s restaurant. I’ve heard nothing but good things about the place.”

Don nodded. “I’ve been. He’s a bad ass in the kitchen, just like you.”

Cameron grinned, pleased by the compliment. He’d worked hard to earn his reputation in the culinary world. “Look who’s talking, man. Your desserts were served at the White House.”

“I still can’t believe that.” Don beamed as he leaned in towards Cameron. “Rowen’s so jealous about that too. She’s wants a pastry bake-off. Her favourite cake up against mine. I told her if her fave chef wins I’ll do it, but if mine wins, she has to design and name a cake after me.”

Cameron shook his head, amused by the dessert chef. He knew Rowen well enough to know she had no intentions of losing their bet. “I’ll offer to be a judge for that.”

“Only if you vote for me.” Don looked around him. “Here they come.”

Cameron shifted to see the chef contenders entering the hall.

“We’ll finally find out what the mystery ingredient for today’s competition will be.”

Cameron quickly counted four male and three female chefs as they made their way to their respective mini kitchens. Their faces reflected an interesting mixture of excitement and trepidation as shrimp, the mystery ingredient, was revealed. The giant clock behind the contestants started to tick down the minutes the moment Shannon, the host for
Celeb Chef,
announced that the final round had begun with her usual flair for the cameras.

A flurry of activity commenced and Cameron divided his attention between sharing observations quietly with the other judges and studying the chefs moving about their kitchens with their personally selected crew in high octane energy. His gaze rested on one particular female chef. She stood out in a sea of white coats with her smooth mocha skin and the twisted ebony strands barely concealed beneath her chef hat. Even from his vantage point, Cameron could see her effortlessly commanding her team as she sautéed something on the stove.

Don stood up. “This is the time we are supposed to get up and observe the contenders in action. Truth be told, I think the producers just like to see which cook gets rattled by our presence.”

“Cool.” Cameron got up, glad to stretch his legs. “I’d like to take a closer look at their prep methods.”

He walked with Don and the other judges towards the mini kitchens where they broke off and observed different cook stations. Cameron could easily see which chefs were more confident than they should be given the time and their lack of finished dishes. Name tags allowed him to greet each chef personally and he noticed the ones more concerned with greeting him than continuing to guide their staff. He made his way to the final station and realised subconsciously that he’d been saving the best for last.

“Nicely done, Chef Ryan.” Cameron admired the way she hand-tossed a skillet of sizzling shrimp while barely glancing up to give him a polite smile.

“Thank you, Chef Banner.”

She quickly returned her attention to her food, but not before he’d taken in every inch of her beautiful face. He continued to observe her instructing others while mincing shallots, mesmerised by the way she worked the knife in her hand. Her gaze lifted unexpectedly to meet his again and Cameron wished he could watch her until the very last second passed in the competition.

“You’re welcome. I look forward to tasting your dishes.” He hoped his voice sounded professional, because sampling her dishes was the last thing on his mind when her luscious lips curved up into a sweet smile.

Misha merely tilted her head in his direction before turning away to take the pan her assistant was handing off to her. Cameron walked on, amused by his level of interest in a woman he’d just met. It had been a while since any female had stirred up such a reaction within him. His painful divorce, at least in his case, had destroyed his optimism in the opposite sex. He wasn’t sure if he even believed true love existed and was no longer keen to find out.

When the mood struck, he sought out female companionship. He always made it clear that he was only interested in a physical relationship and made sure that’s all it was by ending things as quickly as they usually had begun. His restaurants kept him busy and occasional loneliness was easier to deal with than any emotional entanglements.

Cameron glanced at the huge digital clock on the wall behind the contenders, glad that there were only fifteen minutes and thirty-seven seconds left. He was ready to move on to the next part of the competition. The other judges engaged him in conversation about the chefs, possible disasters and audience favourites. He expressed interest in sampling the varied dishes he’d just seen coming together in the final moments of the contest, keeping quiet about the one chef he was particularly interested in. Misha was obviously as capable as she was sexy, and his mouth watered at the enticing picture she presented.

Hell, yes, he wanted a taste.

Misha placed her hands behind her back when Shannon announced their time was up, confident her shrimp breakfast was as delicious as it looked. She glanced at her sister seated in the audience, giving her a thumbs-up sign, and smiled tremulously in return. Her heartbeat reacted to the uncertainty of the moment, thumping wildly against her chest.

Everything had gone smoothly.

Maybe too smoothly.

“I’m thrilled to introduce the newest edition to
Celeb Chef
, Cameron Banner!” Shannon clapped along with the audience, waiting a few seconds before she continued. “We’re delighted he agreed to step in for Chef Marks who we just found out has a new baby boy! All of us here at
Celeb Chef c
ongratulate you and your wife.” The hostess smiled as the audience went wild. She held up one hand and the set quieted. “I’m sure you all are enjoying Chef Banner here on the show.” More applause carried through the building. “Both of his restaurants are consistently listed as one of the best places to dine in the country.”

“Thank you, Shannon.” Cameron acknowledged the crowd with a wave of his hand. “I’m excited to be a part of the show.”

“Let’s get started.” Shannon began and Misha’s anxiety level rose as the judges sampled the dishes of her competitors.

Applause arose as their votes were shared and Vivian, one of her female counterparts, beamed. So far, only one of the seven contenders had got unfavourable reviews for their version of the seafood breakfast. There were still no clear-cut winners with only four spots left for the live television show. Misha’s gaze drifted to Cameron Banner and she found herself looking right into his gorgeous green eyes. Once again, her heart skipped a beat in his direct line of sight. She’d almost burned her shrimp when he’d come over to her station.

What was it about him that messed with her cool?

Misha offered a slight smile then quickly averted her eyes while suppressing an unidentifiable tremor that rippled through her body as she acknowledged that it wasn’t just his eyes that were gorgeous. Everything about Cameron Banner was sexy as hell.

He stood out sitting at the judges table with his surfer good looks, perfect smile and easy charm. Already, Misha could tell he was an audience favourite. He needed no time to get acclimated to speaking his mind as a new judge—he had a knack for complimenting and breaking down mistakes in the fewest words possible. His presence seemed to invigorate the other judges, as well.

Her stomach flopped with another swirl of nerves as Shannon moved gracefully towards her station in a beautiful yellow dress and five-inch purple stilettos with the cameras in tow.

“Last, but not least, Misha Ryan presents her dishes to our judges,” Shannon said in her characteristically dramatic voice. Her British accent made each word she uttered even sexier. “Chef Ryan, are you ready for the judges to taste your shrimp breakfast?”

Misha smiled. “Absolutely.”

She hoped she looked as confident as her voice sounded as her dishes were placed in front of each judge.

Shannon looked directly into the camera. “Chef Ryan’s ready, but will the judges like what she’s cooked up for them?” The host tossed her auburn locks over her shoulder and focused back on Misha. “Why don’t you tell us a little bit about what you and your team have prepared this morning?”

“I prepared shrimp and cheddar grits, adding maple cured bacon as a delicious little twist.” Her voice was surprisingly steady compared to her quivering insides as the judges started to taste her food. “I paired it with shrimp toast, using bits of mango in the cream cheese to set off the flavours.”