“Thanks, we will.” Ken turned to Amelia. “But I have no doubt whatever you cook up will be fantastic.”
They talked awhile longer about Ken’s husband, Adam, whom Amelia had met when Ken and Adam had flown up to Portland so Ken could do Amelia’s initial interview.
Amelia gave Flynn her phone number and she got his along with his address. She told him she’d bring the food for tonight.
“If you text me a grocery list, I’ll have the food at the house,” Flynn said.
She shook her head. “If you don’t mind, I’ll do the shopping. It’s important that I choose the ingredients myself. Plus, I need to prepare a few things in advance. So I’ll bring it with me.”
“Isn’t that kind of inconvenient, with you staying at a hotel?”
“I’m actually staying with some people I know, so there will be a kitchen for me to do advance prep.”
Flynn finally shrugged. “Up to you. You’re the chef.”
“Thanks.”
They said their good-byes and she called for a car and left.
“What do you think?” Ken asked.
“Not sure yet. She’s a little quiet. Seems . . . I don’t know.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know what to think about her.”
“Trust me, Flynn. She’s competent, she’s not temperamental and she doesn’t throw pots and pans around.”
Flynn laughed. “You only see those types of chefs on TV.”
Ken slid him a look. “You’d like to think so, but I’ve worked in this business a long time and those kinds of chefs do exist.”
“Really.”
“Yeah. And Amelia is very animated once she gets going on the subject of food. She’s very particular in her kitchen and knows what she wants and how she wants things done. Which is exactly what you need in a head chef. I think once you see her cook you’ll be happy.”
“I hope so. We’ll see what happens tonight.”
“Listen, I gotta run, but I want a full report on Monday.”
“I’ll see you then. You and Adam have a great time tonight.”
Ken grinned. “We will.”
Flynn locked up the restaurant, then walked outside to stare at it. He could already envision the name, the people inside, the kind of food he wanted to serve.
He hoped like hell Amelia Lawrence was the answer to what he was looking for.
She sure was pretty. With mesmerizing, inquisitive hazel eyes that seemed to focus on him an awful lot.
Then again, maybe he was reading way too much into that.
He didn’t need to focus on a pretty woman with gorgeous eyes. The last time that happened he got dumped.
He was always getting dumped.
Food? That he knew. Women? Not a damn clue.
He sure as hell didn’t need a woman in his life right now.
All he needed was a talented chef.
Twenty-Three
Barrett had taken many trips to San Francisco before, and had pretty much seen everything the city had to offer.
But, he had to admit, seeing it through Harmony’s eyes was fun. There was nothing like playing tour guide for someone who’d never been here before.
There was no doubt San Francisco was a beautiful city, so he’d enjoyed every second of taking her to see all the sights.
They stood at the railing at the edge of Pier 39. He breathed in the crisp sea air, making him wish he were out on his boat right now doing some fishing. A large group of sea lions sunbathed on the boat docks.
“This is amazing,” Harmony said. “They’re so cute.”
She got out her phone to take pictures.
“Well, they’re noisy. And they smell.”
She laughed. “They’re definitely noisy. All that barking. What do you think they’re talking about?”
“Probably things like ‘Move over, you’re in my spot.’ Or ‘Hey, that’s my woman you’re hitting on.’ ”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re such a guy.”
“Come on. Look at those two big ones yelling at each other. There’s a ton of sea lion testosterone flying around.”
“If you say so. And in the meantime the lady sea lions are ignoring it all, sunning themselves on the deck, oblivious to all that male posturing.”
“Imagine that. Just like human women, ignoring all our best moves.”
She leaned against him. “We can’t make it too easy for you.”
Barrett’s phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his pocket and read the text message.
“It’s Flynn. The interview went well and he’s bringing the chef—whose name is Amelia—over to the house to cook dinner for us.”
“That’s great news, right? He seemed eager to hire a head chef, and if he’s bringing her to the house to cook dinner, he must really like what she could bring to his restaurant.”
He typed a text message back to his brother, then shoved his phone back in his pocket. “I hope so. I guess we’ll find out at dinner tonight.”
She slipped her hand in his. “In the meantime, how about a ride on a cable car?”
Now that was something he hadn’t done yet. “Sure.”