Helen frowned. “Excuse me?”
“That pie you tossed in my face,” he reminded her.
“You deserved it,” she said.
“Maybe you deserved that kiss,” he said. “Maybe I should take back that apology. After all, it could happen again.”
Helen gave him a hard look. “Don’t even think about it.”
There was a daring gleam in his eye as he took a step in her direction. She backed up and nearly tripped over a crack in the sidewalk.
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry about the damn pie,” she said hurriedly. “Now I really do have to go.”
She spun around and took off in the direction of her office as fast as she could, given the three-inch heels she wore. Viewed from Erik’s vantage point, her haste probably wasn’t a pretty sight, but impressing him wasn’t real high on her priority list right now.
“Women!” Erik muttered as he watched Helen cut across the grass in an awkward gait and run up the front steps to her office.
But it wasn’t women in general who made him nuts. It was this woman. He needed to stay as far away from Helen as humanly possible. Maybe he could figure out some way to get Dana Sue to ban her from the kitchen at Sullivan’s. No, that was impossible, given Dana Sue’s apparent matchmaking scheme, which, now that he thought about it, had probably kicked into gear months ago, when Helen had first been drafted into kitchen duty. If he suggested now that Helen didn’t belong in the restaurant kitchen, he could all but guarantee that’s where she’d turn up. Better to keep his mouth shut.
When he got back to Sullivan’s, Karen and Dana Sue both avoided looking at him. He figured that wouldn’t last, either. Dana Sue’s curiosity would eventually get the better of her. When it came to cross-examining, she came in a close second to her attorney pal.
Thankfully he still had to finish the preparations for tonight’s dessert special, an apple bread pudding that had become a customer favorite. It was on the menu every Friday night. Working quickly, he assembled the ingredients, filled two large baking pans with the bread-and-apple mixture, then poured the blended liquid ingredients over the top and popped both pans in the oven. After baking, it would be cut into squares, then served warm with a caramel sauce, whipped cream or cinnamon ice cream, according to the customer’s preference.
Just as the pans went into the oven, he noticed Dana Sue studying him intently, but before she could accost him with questions, her husband walked in and her attention immediately shifted to him. Erik figured he owed the man a beer for his excellent timing.
“Hey, Erik, Karen,” Ronnie said as he made a beeline for his wife and pulled her into his arms. “Hey, you. How’s my favorite chef?”
Dana Sue glanced pointedly in Erik’s direction. “Actually I was about to suggest to Erik that we take a break before the dinner rush.”
“Too busy,” Erik said, heading toward the pantry in search of the ingredients for walnut brownies he could make now and freeze for later.
“Doing what?” Dana Sue asked, regarding him suspiciously.
“I thought I’d get a head start on next week and make up some brownies,” he told her.
Dana Sue beamed at him. “Sounds like an excuse to avoid talking to me.” She linked an arm through his. “Let’s take a break. Ronnie, how about bringing some iced tea out for all of us?”
Ronnie regarded Erik with sympathy. “Sorry, pal. She’s the boss.”
“At home, too?” Erik asked.
Ronnie grinned. “At home there’s a delicate balance of power that’s ever-changing,” he replied. “Unfortunately, for your sake, we’re in her restaurant now. I have zero standing here.”
“Pitiful,” Erik said. “I thought men were supposed to stick together.”
“Normally, yes,” Ronnie agreed. “But in this instance, I have to admit to being a little curious myself about why the prospect of talking to my wife has you as jittery as a june bug.”
“Are you two through yet?” Dana Sue was impatient. “At this rate, there won’t be any time left for a nice long chat.”
“Now there’s a reason to celebrate,” Erik muttered.
Across the kitchen, Karen giggled, then buried her face in a paper towel in a futile attempt to smother her laughter.
“Another traitor,” Erik noted. “Okay, let’s get this inquisition over with.”
Dana Sue frowned at him. “It’s hardly an inquisition,” she said, leading him to a booth in the dining room. “Just one friend catching up with another one.”
Erik smiled despite his deteriorating mood. “How much catching up can we possibly have to do?”
“You were gone half an hour,” she said. “A lot can happen in half an hour.” She sat and patted the seat beside her. “Sit right here.”
“I think you should reserve that spot for your husband,” Erik said. “I’ll sit over here.” He sat on the edge all the way around on the other side of the table, as far away as he could possibly get and still be in the same booth.
Dana Sue regarded him with amusement. “How did your chat go with Helen? Did you two kiss and make up?” she asked just as Ronnie joined them.
Ronnie’s eyebrows shot up. “You and Helen? Now that’s something I never would have imagined.”
“Be quiet,” Dana Sue ordered.
“There is no me and Helen,” Erik assured him. “It’s all in your wife’s imagination.”
“I did not imagine that kiss last night,” Dana Sue told him. “That kiss was hot enough to solder steel.”
“How much do you know about soldering steel?” Erik asked.
“Beside the point,” Dana Sue retorted. “You get the picture. Now, answer me. Did you kiss and make up when you walked her back to her office?”
“We walked. We talked. End of story. May I go now?” Erik said. “My bread pudding is probably burned to a crisp.”
“It’s not due out of the oven for another ten minutes and you know it,” Dana Sue said without hesitation. “I want details about what happened between you and Helen.”
Erik slid out of the booth. “Then call Helen. The doors of this place open in less than an hour and I have work to do, something I would think that you, as the owner, would remember.”
He walked away without looking back.
“I won’t forget about this,” Dana Sue called after him.
Sadly, he knew that was the truth. Like most women, Dana Sue had a long memory. Worse yet, she had a streak of determination that could rival a wartime general’s. Something told him her full-throttle campaign to get him hooked up with Helen had just begun.
4
Helen hadn’t been able to forget the way her evening had ended at Sullivan’s a few days earlier. Nor had she been able to forget the speculative glances Dana Sue had given her and Erik during their tense meeting with Karen the next day. She knew that kind of look. Her friend thought there was something going on between Erik and her. Or maybe she just wanted something to be going on so she could feel good about her matchmaking skills. Either way, Helen was not looking forward to her next encounter with Dana Sue and the questions that awaited.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t put off seeing her any longer. She, Dana Sue and Maddie were scheduled for one of their morning get-togethers at The Corner Spa today. Since Helen had been all for these regular meetings to discuss spa business, she could hardly skip one. Her absence