Jacquie ’Alessandro - Kiss The Cook

A mechanical voice greeted him. "Good morning. The time is seven A.M. This is your requested wakeup call."

Chris's eyes popped open and he sat up straight. One look at the beside clock confirmed that it was indeed seven in the morning.

She hadn't called him.

He jammed down the receiver. "Damn, damn, damn!"

What the hell time was it in Atlanta? He shook his head to clear it of sleep. Ten A.M. He had to call Melanie right away. He was just reaching for the phone when it rang. He grabbed it.

"Hello?"

"You bastard."

Chris squeezed his eyes shut. God damn it. He was too late.

"Melanie. Let me explain-"

"I'd like to see you try," came her furious voice. He heard her tears and anger and cringed, knowing that she blamed him.

"I tried to call you," he said, "to talk to you before I left."

"That was damn big of you."

"Why didn't you call me last night?"

"The game went into extra innings. By the time we got home, it was late. I didn't think it would matter if I waited until morning to call you."

Her bitter laugh sizzled through the phone wire. "I couldn't call you until now because I've been on the phone for the last hour. First with the bank, then with Glenn Waxman. But I guess you know all about that. After all, you're the reason my bank loan was turned down."

"Melanie, listen to me. This whole thing was an accident. I overheard this guy saying that one of his clients had just signed the lease on the empty store across the street from the Pampered Palate and they planned to open a new restaurant."

"So?" she asked in that same cold, furious voice.

Chris scrubbed his free hand down his face. "So I had to tell Glenn."

"Why?"

"Because I felt it was pertinent to the review. I hated to tell him, but I felt it would have been unethical for me not to."

"So you knew when you told him that he would add it to the independent review? You realized it might mean the kiss of death to my bank loan?"

Chris blew out a breath. "Yes. And yes."

"Did you absolutely have to tell him, or was it a gray area?"

He knew he was sunk. "Technically, it's a gray area, but-"

"I see," she broke in, her voice changing from cold to frigid. "And when exactly did you overhear this conversation?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "The morning we went canoeing."

She was silent for so long, he wondered if she'd just put down the phone and walked away. When she finally spoke and he heard the icy hurt in her voice, he almost wished she had.

"In other words, right after you found out that my loan was as good as gone, you took me to bed. Without ever mentioning it."

"Melanie-"

"But of course you didn't mention it. You knew how upset and concerned I'd be. Certainly not in the mood for sex, and that would have royally screwed up your plans. And how convenient that you didn't bother to say anything about it over the next two weeks. That's what hurts most of all. Damn it, I hate being lied to!"

"I never lied to you. I was going to tell you-"

"But you didn't."

"I had every intention of telling you once the bank made its decision. And yes, I knew you'd be concerned and I didn't want to worry you needlessly. I was hoping as much as you that the loan would be approved."

"That's big of you. Really. Did it ever occur to you that I might be interested in the fact that another eatery was opening across the street?"

"You wouldn't have been able to do anything about it for those two weeks, Melanie, except pace the floor."

"I'm not a child who requires coddling, and I resent you treating me that way."

"I wasn't coddling. I was just trying to spare you unnecessary anguish."

"Well, I don't need to be spared." A bitter laugh rang in his ear. "You said you loved me. I shudder to think how you'd treat someone you hated. I was so worried that you'd turn out to be another Todd, and look at what happened. You make Todd look like a prince."

Chris's anger kicked in. "Damn it, Melanie, stop comparing me to that guy. I'm nothing like him."

"You're right. You're much worse. All he did was break my heart and bruise my pride." Her voice broke. "You've done that and robbed me of my dreams, too. I hope you're happy. Good-bye, Chris."

Before he could say another word, the dial tone sounded in his ear. There was no mistaking the note of chilling finality in her voice when she said goodbye. Muttering an oath, he slammed the receiver back on the cradle.

She hoped he was happy?

No, he wasn't happy.

In fact, he was completely miserable. And pissed-off, too. He realized she was angry, but damn it, why couldn't she give him the benefit of the doubt? And how was he supposed to fix things when he was three thousand miles away from home for three more days? There was too much time and distance before he could talk to Melanie and make her understand.

He dropped his head into his hands and groaned. Damn it, he should have told her immediately. Told her that if this bank turned her down, she could reapply at another bank.

But he knew the futility of that. The information was now disclosed in the independent review, and every bank would require that document. It was unlikely that any lending institution would be any more willing to part with their money than the first bank was.

He flopped back onto the bed and groaned. Cripes, what a mess. The one woman he wanted thought he was sludge. Thought he was worse than that loser Todd.

Damn, that really pissed him off. Todd, the dirt-bag, had screwed up by being a dishonest, lying coward. I, on the other hand, screwed up by being honest and forthcoming. Doesn't that count for anything?

But the realization of what he'd actually done suddenly hit him like a punch in the gut.

He hadn't been honest with Melanie. He'd been honest with Glenn.

His good intentions aside, he'd royally screwed up. Now the jackpot question was: How the hell could he fix this mess?

In desperate need of caffeine, he called room service, ordered a full pot of coffee, and showered while he waited. He was almost dressed and on his third cup of java when inspiration struck with the force of a lightning bolt.

A slow smile spread across his face as he mentally reviewed the ingenious-if he did say so himself-plan that hit him like a cement bag in the head.

It will work! It had to.

It was his only chance.

He ordered up another pot of coffee, then called to postpone his morning meeting until after lunch. Then he booted up his laptop, plugged in his portable printer, and set to work.

* * *

Five hours, four dozen e-mails, and countless phone calls later, Chris blew out a breath and looked at the papers stacked in front of him. All that remained was to fax them to Glenn. After that, it was out of Chris's hands.

He'd done all he could.

He prayed to God it was enough.

Melanie sat at the butcher-block table in the Pampered Palate's kitchen, staring into her empty coffee cup. Another hectic dinner rush was over. All she had to do was turn on the dishwasher and lock up.

She didn't think she had the strength to do it.

Burying her face in her hands, she groaned. What day was it? Thursday? Was it only two days since her world had fallen apart?

It felt like a lifetime.

She'd had no idea she could hurt so bad. Yeah, she knew all about pain, thanks to Todd, but she'd found out that Todd had only been a warm-up to the excruciating agony she would suffer at the hands of Christopher Bishop. Once again she was left with a broken heart.

Only this time her soul was shattered as well.

She didn't bother to look up when she heard Nana scrape out the chair opposite her. At least she had Nana. Nana would never betray her. Nana would always be with her, be on her side. She hadn't told her grandmother about Chris's part in the loan fiasco-only that they weren't getting the money.

"How long are you planning to mope?" Nana asked.

Melanie raised her head and peered across the table through gritty eyes. "I don't know. Why?"

"’Cause I'm gettin' tired of it." Nana's lips thinned with clear annoyance. "When I think of the time you're wasting sitting around with a long face, it makes me mad. I haven't got that kind of time to waste. I'm an old person. Jimmy Cricket, I'm so old I don't even buy green bananas. I've mourned with you for two days, but I'm done. Starting now. I'd suggest you wipe that mopey look off your face and get happy."

Tears filled Melanie's eyes. Get happy? She didn't think she'd ever be happy again.

Damn it, how many times was she going to allow herself to be annihilated before she learned her lesson? Well, never again. She was through with men. All of them. Forever. They were nothing but heartbreaking betrayers. She wondered what the requirements were to become a nun.

"You have to pull yourself together," Nana said in a clipped, no-nonsense tone. "Not getting the bank loan isn't the end of the world. We'll try another bank. And if that doesn't work, we'll figure out something else."

"It's not just the loan, Nana," Melanie said quietly, brushing away a tear with the back of her hand.

"Then I'm confused. What's got you in such a funk if not the loan?"

Melanie shook her head and looked down at her lap.

After a moment of silence Nana asked, "Okay, let me guess. It has to do with your young man."

Melanie's heart pinched. "He's not my young man."

"Does he know that?"

"He does now."

Nana huffed out a breath and made a tsking sound. "So you gave him his walking papers. Why? Two days ago you told me you loved him. And he loved you."

"Things changed."

A look of disbelief entered Nana's eyes. "All right. If you didn't want him, and you let him go, then why aren't you happy? Unless you think you made a mistake."

A wave of weary defeat rolled over Melanie. She simply hurt all over. "I didn't make a mistake, Nana. He betrayed me."

A myriad of emotions flashed over her grandmother's face. Surprise, skepticism, confusion, anger.

"Are you sure, honey?" Nana finally asked, reaching out to squeeze Melanie's hand.

Melanie nodded. "Positive. He admitted it."

Nana whistled softly. "Well, I'll be a son of a gun. If he admitted it, then there's no doubt, but I have to say I'm surprised. And mighty disappointed. I never would have pegged him for a cheater."

"He didn't cheat on me, Nana."

"He didn't? Then what the blue blazes did he do to betray you?"

Melanie took a deep breath and told Nana the whole story. When she finished, she felt better. At least now Nana would commiserate with her. Maybe they'd bake a batch of double fudge brownies when they got home. Yeah. She needed chocolate. Brownies covered with Edy's Grand Gourmet Rocky Road ice cream. Hershey's Kisses on the side. Death by chocolate. Suicide by cellulite.

She needed to languish in a huge dose of her grandmother's love, warmth, and support. But when she looked at Nana, her grandmother's expression made her draw back in surprise.

Nana didn't look loving, warm, or supportive.

Nana looked royally pissed.

"It's a sorry day," Nana said in a disgusted tone, "when a grandmother has to call her own granddaughter a horse's patoot, but that's what you are."

Melanie blinked, stunned. Nana had never spoken to her like this. "Why are you angry? What did I do?"

"Doesn't it strike you as ironic that you dumped Todd, with good reason, because he was a lying, cheating, unethical crumb-bum, and now you've dumped Chris because he's honest, upstanding, and ethical?"

"But… but… he didn't tell me about the other restaurant. Because of him we didn't get the loan."

"Phooey. He didn't tell you the minute he found out because he didn't want you working yourself into a frazzle. That sounds thoughtful to me. We didn't get the loan because we're a new business and another business the bank sees as direct competition is opening across the street. It's a simple case of the bank not wanting to take a risk."

"But the bank only knows about the other eatery because of Chris."

"So? You're going to condemn the guy for doing the right thing? And what makes you so sure one of those other accountant fellas or bankers wouldn't have found out anyway?"

"Technically, Chris didn't have to tell-"

"Maybe from a legal standpoint, but what about his ethical side? You're angry at him for not compromising his principles? Good Lord, Melanie, your last man didn't even have principles."