Читать книгу Ultimate Romance Collection - Rebecca Winters, Amalie Berlin - Страница 110
ОглавлениеLAST NIGHT TUCCIA had wished Cesare had stayed. But if she’d asked him not to go, she would have given him the wrong idea. She had a problem because she knew she’d fallen in love with him and was more attracted to him with every passing minute. When the limo pulled away, she’d closed and locked the door, fearing she wouldn’t get to sleep for a long time.
At four this morning, an exhausted Tuccia had turned off her watch alarm and got out of bed to do her homework. It was one thing to cook while Cesare had stood there directing her every step. The trick was to do it while he wasn’t watching.
She knew there were enough ingredients for her to make one more batch of the tarts on her own. But with no big shallow pan, she’d had to improvise with two small round pans with higher sides she’d found in the cupboard. As a result, she still had half the batter to cook.
If she failed miserably, then she’d be the first to ask him to drive her to the train station. It would be the last thing he would ever have to do for her. Before she threw herself at him, she realized it would be better if she never saw him again.
Tuccia had thought her initial physical attraction to him would fade, but the opposite had happened. His underlying goodness as a human being had opened her eyes to the other qualities in his nature that had nothing to do with his striking male looks. Everything about him from his intellect to his humor stimulated her. So much, in fact, that she was breathless as she waited to see him again today.
The knock on the door came sooner than she had expected, sending her pulse racing as if she had a sickness. She put down the cup she’d been using to add the final lemon glaze to the tarts she’d made. There were still three to be coated and decorated.
After wiping her hands on a towel, she hurried to answer the door, knowing flour still dusted part of the same blouse she’d worn last evening. There was even some on her forearms.
When she opened it, their eyes met for a quiet moment. His were smiling, if there was such a thing. She got a fluttering in her chest as his gaze wandered over her.
“I bet you didn’t know there’s flour on the tip of your nose.” Before she could blink, he removed it with his thumb. His touch sent an electricity-like spark through her body. “If I don’t miss my guess, I would say you’ve already been hard at work this morning.”
She was worried yet excited to show him. “Come in and find out.”
Cesare walked through to the kitchen with another bag of food and the empty pan. He put them both on the counter and pulled a phone out of his pocket.
“This is for you. All programmed.” He put it at the end of the counter.
Tuccia thanked him, but she had no idea where the batch of tarts he’d left with had ended up. She didn’t think she wanted to know.
Without asking her permission, Cesare took a finished product from one of the small round pans. He examined it first. Then he bit into it. An anxious Tuccia waited while he took another bite and another, until it was all gone. Uh-oh. Here it comes.
“Why are you closing your eyes?” he asked in a quiet voice.
“I don’t know. So I can handle the bad verdict better?”
“On your fourth try, you’ve achieved perfection. The cinnamon balance is just right. As for the shapes, my mother wouldn’t know them from her own. If I didn’t have a knowledge of your upbringing, I’d think you came out of the same nunnery.” This time he brushed her mouth with his own.
She opened her eyes, trying to contain her joy. “Thank you, Cesare, but you don’t have to overdo it.”
He ignored her comment. “I’m even more impressed you found something else to cook them in. This apartment is ill-equipped for a chef. When Mamma told me you were resourceful, I don’t believe that even she understood the scope of your abilities.”
Tuccia scoffed. “She was only quoting my zia who thinks I can do no wrong. She and my zio wanted babies so much. What they got was me when my parents didn’t know what to do with me. Bertina was the one bright light in my existence.”
“As you still are in hers,” he came back, seemingly deep in thought. “Otherwise she wouldn’t have risked everything to help you.” His blue gaze swerved to hers, sending more darts of awareness through her body. “That includes using my mother who happens to have the same favorable opinion of you.”
“I’ll never be able to thank her enough for what she’s done. But right this minute I want the honest answer to one question. After talking to your partners, should I be getting ready to leave for Catania?”
He lounged his rock-hard body against the edge of the counter with his arms folded. “I’d like your honest answer to another question first. Why did you get up at the crack of dawn and go to all the effort of making another batch when you could have stayed asleep?”
She took a deep breath. “Because I needed to find out for myself if I was capable of following that recipe on my own.”
“Which you’ve demonstrated beyond all doubt. Would it interest you to know my partners devoured the tarts you made?”
“No, they didn’t,” she said with an embarrassed chuckle.
“One bite told them everything they needed to know. They stuffed themselves and took the few uneaten mounds with them when they left my room.”
“Now you’re just trying to make me feel good because...because that’s the kind of man you are,” she said, her voice faltering.
“You don’t have to compliment me back.” Yes, she did. She owed him her life right now. “Let me prove it to you.”
Tuccia watched him pull out his cell phone and make a call to Vincenzo, the present Duc di Lombardi. They talked for a few moments before he hung up.
“Vincenzo’s wife, Gemma, will be arriving within the hour. Shall we eat the breakfast I brought now? Then I’ll clean up the kitchen while you get ready for our guest.”
A slight gasp escaped her lips. “Why would she be coming here?”
He reached for the bag of food and set it on the table. “You’ve passed your first test by baking a dessert the castello ristorante would be proud to serve. But this is only the beginning if you decide to accept the daunting challenge facing you.”
She averted her eyes. “You’re right. It’s so daunting, I’m terrified.”
“Be frank with Gemma and see what happens.”
“What’s she like?”
“Only a few years older than you and one of the nicest, kindest women I’ve ever known.”
“Besides being a master pastry chef.”
He nodded. “A chef who’s about to become a mother. She can’t wait for their baby to arrive and is anxious to let someone else take on her former mantle.”
“Which no doubt you will be doing before the day is out, Cesare. Please forgive me if I skip breakfast. That was very kind of you to bring it, but I’m afraid I can’t eat anything right now.”
She rushed to the bedroom to take a shower and change into jeans and a knit top. Tuccia had only packed a few understated clothes at Bertina’s because she knew she would have to travel light on her trip to Catania and didn’t dare stand out.
After being sheltered at Lina Donati’s villa for one night, she could never have known she would end up here in Milan to face a situation undreamed of.
Be frank with Gemma.
Tuccia interpreted that to mean she must put the princess part of herself aside. For once she had to dig down to her core and decide if she thought she could pull this off.
This could all end in a second if she asked Cesare to call Vincenzo back and tell him not to bring his wife to the pensione. Within a few minutes Tuccia could be driven to the train.
That would leave Cesare to take on the exclusive role of executive pastry chef until he found someone else exceptional, or until Signor Fragala recovered.
But for Tuccia, it would mean never seeing him again. Her heart told her she couldn’t handle that. He’d become too important to her.
Sucking in her breath, she reached for the brush to style her curls. Once she’d applied some light makeup and lipstick, she left the bedroom to face what was coming.
* * *
Cesare walked outside when he saw Vincenzo’s Mercedes pull up in front. While his friend came around from the other side, Cesare helped a blonde, very pregnant Gemma out of the front seat and kissed her cheek. “Thanks for coming.”
“It’s my privilege. How à propos that the princess is staying here in the same apartment I did.”
“I thought it the safest place to conceal her.”
“You’ve found the perfect spot tucked out of the way. It takes me back to those first days when I left the pensione to meet you for the first time. I was shaking in my boots to be interviewed by the internationally famous restaurateur owner of the Castello Supremo Hotel and Ristorante di Lombardi.”
“I would never have known it, Gemma. When you told me your mother’s pastry would always be the best, I felt an immediate affinity to you since I felt the same way about my mother’s Sicilian cooking. Your desserts were divine.”
She kissed his cheek. “Little did I know I would come face to face with Vincenzo when I thought he’d disappeared from my life forever.”
Her husband put his arm around her nonexistent waist. “None of us will forget that day. I too thought I’d lost the love of my life. Grazie a Dio we found each other.”
While his friend chose that moment to kiss Gemma thoroughly, Cesare went back inside the apartment. Tuccia had come in the small living room looking so appealing he’d have liked to do the same thing to her. He was in serious trouble because he knew he couldn’t hold back much longer in showing her how he felt.
“They’re coming,” he said, after answering the question in her misty gray eyes, which were more noticeable because of her black fringed lashes and black hair. She had the most remarkable coloring and light olive complexion. With her oval face and alluring mouth, she looked so irresistible he had to force himself to look away or he’d make her uncomfortable.
He heard the others file inside. “Princess Tuccianna, allow me to present two of my dearest and closest friends, Vincenzo Gagliardi, the Duc di Lombardi, and his wife Gemma.”
“It’s a real honor for me.” Tuccia shook their hands.
“We’re the ones honored, Princess,” Vincenzo declared. Cesare could tell his friend was bowled over by her beauty, a feat that didn’t happen often.
“Please, just call me Tuccia. Won’t you sit down? I feel a fraud inviting you into this pensione Cesare not only found for me, but is paying for until I can reimburse him.”
Cesare noted she was always grace itself. The spoiled princess as reported in the news wasn’t the same person he’d pulled against his body a few nights ago for fear she would fall.
“Your desperate situation has called for drastic measures. I had a similar experience in my late teens and was anxious for any help I could get.” Leave it to Vincenzo to make her feel comfortable.
“Nevertheless I’ve put all of you in a dangerous position simply by being here and want you to know I’m ready to leave after we’ve talked.”
Gemma got up from the couch. Cesare noticed that she was a little slower these days. “Tuccia? Before there’s any talk like that, why don’t you and I go in the kitchen where we can be private and let the guys talk business in here.”
Cesare nodded. “That’s a good idea.” He watched Tuccia follow Gemma into the kitchen. She might be nervous now, but before long she’d realize she couldn’t be in better hands than Gemma’s. His gaze swerved to his friend.
“How does your wife really feel about this?” he asked in a quiet voice.
“She ate one of the tarts I took back to our room. When she’d finished, she said, ‘I know this was Cesare’s recipe, but if Tuccia can make all his Sicilian desserts as exquisite as these, the castello is going to gain a new following.’”
“That’s high praise, Vincenzo.”
“Gemma is nothing if not truthful.”
“If by any chance this works out, I’ll insist Tuccia live here and make each dessert in the kitchen first. It will help her feel confident before she leaves for the castello every morning to manage her assistants. But I’m afraid that without the right disguise, someone will recognize her and the police will descend.”
Vincenzo flashed him a subtle smile. “Meeting her explains a lot. She’s a genuine knockout, Cesare. Gemma will be hard-pressed to come up with something that hides her beauty.”
“Tell me about it.”
“I don’t think I have to, amico.”
No. And the second Takis laid eyes on her, Cesare was in for it. “Was there anything on the morning news I should be concerned about yet?”
“Nothing. The police are at a standstill. Her parents have offered ten million euros for the person who finds her.”
“Only ten for their precious daughter?” he bit out in disgust.
“No doubt the comte’s reward will be forthcoming before the day is out.”
Cesare looked over his shoulder at Tuccia who was deep in conversation with Gemma. “I wonder how much he’d be willing to pay for her safe return. But it won’t matter when he gets her letter explaining why she ran away.” Cesare confided that he’d couriered it to his attorney in Barbados who would send it on.
“That was excellent thinking.”
“She’s been suffering terrible guilt.”
“Understandable.”
“But that part is done. When I arrived here this morning and saw that she’d already been up three hours making the recipe again, I knew for a fact that no amount of money would ever induce her to go back to him.”
Vincenzo’s brows lifted. “How did she do?”
“Hold on. I’ll show you.”
Cesare got up and walked into the kitchen. “Scusa, ladies.” He plucked one of the round pans off the counter and took it into Vincenzo.
His friend reached for an iced tart and ate it in two bites before nodding in satisfaction. “After Gemma and I leave here, we’ll drive into Milan and take the rest of these to my cousin and his wife to taste. Dimi will be in shock when we tell him what has happened.”
“Who will be in shock, mia cara?” Gemma had just come back in the living room with Tuccia. Both men stood up.
“I thought we’d visit Dimi before we go back to the castello and let them sample Tuccia’s nun buns. Did you get your business done?”
“We’re off to a good start, aren’t we, Tuccia?”
“Your wife has encouraged me to give it a try for which I’m very grateful.” The relief on her face was tangible.
“Meraviglioso!” Vincenzo picked up the pan and helped his wife out the door to his car. Cesare knew how happy his friend was that someone else was going to be doing the work Gemma had done for so long.
He shut the door and turned to the woman who was transforming his life in ways he couldn’t have imagined days ago. “I’m sure you have a great deal to discuss with me.”
She nodded. “Thankfully Gemma is going to work two more days while I keep cooking desserts here at the apartment. Then it’ll be my first day in the castello kitchen. She’ll acquaint me with everything and stay long enough to introduce me to the staff before I’m on my own.”
“You won’t be alone. I’ll be there in the background until you get your bearings. But tell me what it is that concerns Gemma the most?”
“A disguise for me, especially for my hair.”
Her crowning glory was a dead giveaway. “Why don’t you freshen up. Then we’ll drive to the uniform shop in Milan used by the kitchen help. We’ll find something that works. You’ll have to wear your scarf and sunglasses.”
“It’ll be wonderful to get out for a little while.” He could imagine. “I’ll hurry.”
After she disappeared, he reached in the fridge for a soda. Their shopping spree would include a stop to the grocery store. Once that was done they’d pick up some takeout and bring it back to the apartment for a meal. Toward evening they’d get busy working on a couple of new desserts. He loved being alone with her.
* * *
Tuccia hurried out to his sports car. Once again she had that sensation of being spirited away where nothing could hurt her. But this time she wanted Cesare to be more than her protector. Though he’d kissed her several times, she wanted... She wanted the impossible.
He drove them into Milan with expertise and parked in front of a shop labeled Uniforme di Oggi. “Remember to keep your head mostly down.”
“I will.”
She couldn’t get over the huge selection of chef apparel at the back. While she was taking it all in, Cesare seemed to know exactly what he wanted.
“Here. Try this on.”
Cesare handed her a short-sleeved white lab coat that fell above the knee. After she put it on, he shook his head. “It needs to be larger to cover a T-shirt and chef’s pants.” He handed her a coat two sizes bigger. She tried it on.
“That will do fine. We’ll take six of them. Now for six sets of pants and T-shirts that fit. Everything white.”
Once she’d pulled the clothes off the racks and handed them to the clerk, they walked over to the counter to look at the chef hats and beanies of all kinds. Again, Cesare already had something in mind and reached for the traditional white floppy hat.
He handed it to Tuccia. “Go in the changing room and try it on where no one will see you. If it’s not the right fit, call outside the door to me and I’ll get the right one.” They walked down the little hall. “Don’t get any ideas about slipping out the back way, or you’ll be on your own, Principessa.” He said it with a slow smile that sent a river of warmth through her body.
Once inside, she removed her scarf and tried on the hat. It was too big. She told him as much. He returned in a minute with a smaller version. This one was just right. It would keep her hair snug inside and prevent any strands from slipping.
She put the scarf and glasses back on before emerging. “This one is the right size.”
“Good. We’ll take six of them.”
He walked her over to the counter and before long they left the shop for his car with her new clothes. Talk about fun. Being with Cesare like this was turning out to be the happiest day of her life. To know the two of them would be working together for months and months was her idea of heaven. She didn’t care how hard she had to work.
He drove her around to another store featuring eye glasses. “Stay in the car. I’ll be right back.”
With his brown hair and tall male physique, he made every man walking along the street look pathetic in comparison. When he came out of the store a few minutes later and flashed her a smile, she couldn’t breathe. He handed her a bag with several sets of eye glasses for her to choose from.
“I have an idea,” he announced. They’d already left the city for the village. “I’ll pick up a meal and ask Takis to join us. My other partner needs to meet you. When he walks in the apartment, I want you to be wearing a complete chef’s outfit. Of course he knows what you look like. If you can pass his inspection, then we’ll know we have a chance that your identity will remain a secret.”
“It has to,” she whispered.
For a second time in several days Cesare reached for her hand and squeezed it. “This is going to work, Tuccia.” She got the feeling he wanted this to work as much as she did. Soon they reached the grocery store and he let go of her. “I’ll try not to be too long.” He turned on the radio. “In case you want to listen.”
While he was gone taking his warmth with him, she moved the tuner and heard the top-of-the-hour news. Her disappearance was still the lead story and a reward was being offered for help in finding her.
How odd that she felt so removed from the princess they were describing. In just a few days she felt like she’d turned into someone else. People were walking around the village and here she was, right in the middle of them with no one the wiser.
Cesare’s energy was something to behold. He came back to the car loaded with more groceries and their dinner. She smiled at him. “That was fast. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of help.” She would adore shopping for groceries with him. Anything where they could be together.
He started the car. “One day all this will be behind you. Let’s go home. I gave Takis a call. He’ll be here at five which doesn’t give you much time to work on your disguise.”
“I have an idea about what to do with my hair. If I pull on a nylon stocking first, it will help keep it in place.”
“That ought to work. Do we need to buy you some nylons?”
“No. I have a pair with me. Do you think it will be all right if I wear my leather sandals?”
“If they’re comfortable, I don’t see why not.”
When they reached the pensione, she got out and helped carry in the bags. “I’ll put the clothes in my bedroom.”
“Don’t come out until you’ve morphed into a chef. I admit I can’t wait to see what you look like.”
Neither could Tuccia. After a quick shower she put on a pair of white semi-baggy drawstring pants. Next came the short-sleeved crew neck T-shirt. Now for the tricky part. She took off the scarf and rummaged in the dresser drawer for a stocking.
She fit it around her head so no hair could escape and pinned it to the crown. After grabbing a chef’s hat and sack of eye glasses, she dashed in the bathroom. First she pulled out a pair of the clear lenses with neutral brown frames. Very professional looking. They fit over her ears just fine. Then she put on the hat, slanting the floppy part. The whole thing actually worked. She didn’t recognize herself.
Tuccia normally wore a melon colored lipstick. She decided that wouldn’t do and wiped off all traces. Pleased with the effect, she went back in the bedroom and pulled on the lab coat. It had pockets and seven buttons down the front opening, leaving the top of the T-shirt exposed. Her figure was non-existent, but that was the whole point.
Still dressed in her sandals, she felt ready for the fashion show. With pounding heart she tiptoed in the living room and found Cesare putting the groceries away. He’d laid the table for their dinner.
“Signor? May I have your attention, per favore?”
He wheeled around with a sack of flour in his hand. But when he saw her, it dropped to the counter, reminding her of the night in his mother’s kitchen. She burst into laughter at the shock on his painfully handsome face.
She moved into the kitchen. “Perhaps you don’t recognize me. I’m the new executive pastry chef at the Castello Supremo Hotel Ristorante in Milan, Italy. I can see by your expression that I’ve achieved a certain amount of success in that department, signor.”
Loving this, Tuccia turned around like a model on a runway. “If you’ll take a closer look, you’ll see the detail of the stitching on the pockets of this stunning creation.” His eyes played everywhere, as if trying to figure out where she’d gone.
“Pay attention to the large puffy hat, the latest in chic chef wear. This designer was chosen by the world famous five-star restaurateur Cesare Donati. He features nothing but the best in his kitchens, whether here or in New York. It’s the greatest privilege I’ve ever known to be working for him.”
His hand rubbed his chest as if he were in a trance. “I saw you go into the bedroom a little while ago,” he began in a deep voice. “But I still can’t believe it’s you underneath all that white.”
“Then you think I’ll do?”
A knock on the door prevented him from responding. “Come on in, Takis.”
Tuccia watched his dark-blond partner walk inside and shut it. Here was another incredibly attractive man who she’d been told had come from the island of Crete. His hazel eyes narrowed on her before he turned to Cesare. “I thought you said that Princess Tuccianna would be here.”
“Did you hear that?” Cesare asked her.
“Yes. If the signori will excuse me, I’ll tell her your guest has arrived for dinner.”
She darted back to the bedroom so excited, she had trouble taking off all of her disguise. In a few minutes she returned to the living room with her hair brushed and lipstick on her mouth, wearing the same clothes she’d worn to town with Cesare.
His eyes pierced hers. “Princess Tuccianna, may I present my friend and partner, Takis Manolis.”
“I’ve heard a great deal about you, Signor Manolis. It’s a real pleasure to meet you.”
He looked taken back. “It was you dressed as a chef.” A grin broke out on his face. “After knowing what you look like, I would never have guessed. I’m honored to meet you.” He shook her hand warmly.
“Even though I’m a wanted fugitive who’s putting all of you in jeopardy?”
“Last night Cesare filled us in on the details. After I ate half of those nun buns you made, I told him I believe you’ll make an excellent chef. And now that I’ve seen you in your uniform, I’m convinced no one will recognize you.”
“I agree the transformation was miraculous,” Cesare murmured. She couldn’t wait to hear more about it once they were alone. “Let’s eat, shall we? I’m afraid all the shopping we did has worn me out and I’m ravenous.”
They sat at the kitchen table where Cesare treated them to scallops, beef tagliati, parmesan aubergine and pasta con le sarde. Tuccia could hardly believe she was sitting here with these two amazing men, chatting and enjoying the take-out food as if she didn’t have a worry in the world. She’d entered into another realm of existence and never wanted to be anywhere else.
“Gemma told me her meeting with you went very well.”
“She’s a lovely person who answered a lot of questions for me.”
“I’ll tell you something honestly. She’s convinced your Sicilian pastries will create a new sensation with our clientele.”
Tuccia put her wine glass down. “You mean Cesare’s.”
“In time they’ll become yours, too.”
Takis had a charm almost as lethal as Cesare’s. “One dessert does not make a chef, but I’m going to do my very best not to let you down. This evening Cesare will be assigning me a new recipe to cook.”
“That’s right.” Cesare smiled at her. “Cassateddi.”
She took a deep breath. “Those half-moon-shaped pastries were a favorite of mine growing up, but I never dreamed I’d learn how to make them.”
“I loved them, too. So will Takis and Vincenzo. But they’re only the beginning. Tomorrow you’ll be making testa di turco, followed by sfingi di San Giuseppe, casstelle di Sant’Agata and Sicilian chocolate torte.”
Cesare had just done an excellent job of frightening her to death.
“I think you’re overwhelming her, amico.”
She leaned toward Takis. “His mother told me he drove her crazy growing up. No matter what she cooked, she’d find some of it missing the second she turned around,” Tuccia confided.
Immediately Takis burst into rich male laughter. But Cesare didn’t join in.
Too soon their visitor announced that he had to leave and said good-night. She was sorry to see him go because she’d gotten a little carried away with her out-of-school tale where Cesare was concerned. She’d been having too good a time and feared she’d crossed an unmarked boundary in their relationship.
While Cesare walked him out to his car, she hurriedly cleaned up the kitchen. When he came inside, she was already seated at the table with her bible, ready to write down the recipe for what she hoped would turn out to be a worthy chef d’oeuvre.
He washed and dried his hands, then he sat down, eyeing her with an intensity that made her squirm. “Tuccia,” he began, “I—”
“I know what you’re going to say,” she broke in on him. “I apologize for saying something so personal in front of your friend. It was wrong of me to overstep like that. I promise it won’t happen again.”
His brows met in a frown. “I wasn’t going to say anything of the sort. Before Takis drove off, he told me you were as sensational as your nun buns and we should keep you at all costs. Takis would never say anything like that unless he meant it.”
She looked down because emotion had caused her eyes to smart.
“Before you interrupted me, I was going to tell you the disguise is perfect. I have no doubt you’ll be a new trendsetter for the kitchen assistants. They’ll take one look at you and want to be just like you, but they’ll fail because there’s only one Princess Tuccianna.”
Tuccia was afraid her cheeks were on fire. She wanted him to forget she was a princess. She wanted him to see her as a woman he could love heart and soul. Looking up she said, “That’s absurd, but thank you. Don’t you think we should get started on the cassateddi? I’ll need half the night to make it several times.”
Those blue eyes narrowed on her features. “I thought I was the slave driver around here.”
“Would you rather leave and come back tomorrow morning? I’d understand if you have another engagement.”
“I have no plans to meet another woman.”
Maybe not tonight. But it didn’t mean there wasn’t someone who loved him and was waiting anxiously to be with him. She couldn’t bear the thought and was ridiculously jealous of any woman he’d been with.
“You’re wrong, you know, Tuccia.”
“What do you mean?”
“I can read your mind. There’s no room in my life for any woman until the castello’s new pastry chef can create masterpieces without my help.”
Just like that he’d drawn a sharp line in the sand. Meaning she shouldn’t get any ideas about him for herself?
She sucked in her breath. “Since I’d hate to see you deprived of that kind of pleasure too long because of me, I’ll work day and night to achieve that goal.” She tapped the notebook with her pen. “I’m ready when you are.”
