Guilty Pleasures Read Online Free PDF

in this particular instance, she latched onto the emotion and held tight. “I didn’t want to create another bourgeois restaurant, with a bunch of pretentious-sounding items and weird flavors just for the sake of being creative,” she said, more vehemently than perhaps she’d intended. But it was a familiar rant. “I wanted to create foods that people liked, but couldn’t get on the menu at any of the other trendy restaurants. That’s how we came up with the name—Guilty Pleasures.” She smiled now, remembering the debate that had taken place between herself,Lindsay and Mo when they’d chosen the name. “It’s a place where you go to get what you crave, but which isn’t necessarily en vogue.”
    He stared at her. “Feel pretty passionately about that, huh?”
    She felt a little blush start up, and laughed at herself. “Sorry. You hit a hot button. But everybody who works here knows my stance on this.”
    â€œSo that’s why you cook what you do…pan-fried chicken with sweet Meyer lemonade, mashed Yukon Gold potatoes with gravy, ice cream sundaes.” His voice was contemplative. “Favorites, but nothing really trend-setting.”
    She glared at him for that one, and now it was his turn to look uncomfortable. “That wasn’t an insult,” he said quickly. “That was just an observation.”
    â€œAt any rate, I’m going to be working on it,” she said, ignoring the sting that his “observation” wrought. “It should be an easy day—we close early, at nine. We don’t get a lot of business on Sundays.”
    She got the feeling he realized they didn’t get a whole lot of business on the other days, either. “I could help with the menu,” he suggested. “I developed several at Le Chapeau Noir, after all.”
    She picked up her notepad. “Thanks, but I think I can manage.”
    â€œSometimes it helps to have someone to brainstorm with,” he said, his tone mild. “That’s all I’m saying.”
    Maybe she was being unreasonable, but she knew men like Nick—ambitious, go-getters. Especially thwarted ones. If she gave the man an inch, he’d takeher whole kitchen. Her whole restaurant. At least, that’s what he’d act like.
    â€œI’ll manage,” she reiterated. “But thanks for offering.”
    She tried to start sketching again, but she couldn’t with him staring at her…and she could feel his gaze like a touch. “What?” She finally asked, turning to look at him.
    His arms were crossed, making his pectoral muscles flex a bit. “Is it just me you have a problem with, or do you not accept help from anyone?”
    She put down the notebook with a slap. “For your first day on the job, don’t you think it’s unwise to start off by pushing my buttons?”
    â€œI don’t mean to,” he said, his eyes lazy and low-lidded. “But you hired me to help your restaurant…and now you’re turning my help away. I was just wondering if this was another trust issue, or if you’re like this with everyone.”
    She started to let out a sharp retort, bit back on it. Then she let out a low, impatient breath. It really wasn’t his fault. Well, the fact that she was on edge was definitely his doing, granted…but this was a little different. “I had a bit of a bad experience, a while back,” she said slowly. A brief memory of Le Pome flashed across her mind. “Let’s just say it was like menu by committee. And in trying to please everyone, I betrayed myself. So from here on out, I create the menus here.”
    He nodded, and from the look on his face, it seemed like he really understood. She felt the tension betweenher shoulders relax a little bit. “Nothing personal,” she said, finally.
    â€œGotcha.” He glanced again at the top sketch, and tapped it.