Page 5 of Vincent
Chapter 2
"Go away, you're distracting me." She slapped his hand for good measure when he tried to steal a puff pastry.
"As if I could. You're obsessed." Andrew peeped over her shoulder as she dribbled something that smelled like heaven and honey over a delectable looking square with raspberry on top. "Everything is perfect."
"Not yet," his sister muttered, turning to dip her fingers into the pot of warm water. "I'm expecting more than two hundred people-"
"You could have hired help, if you were not so anal about your work. What time did you get up this morning?" He snagged the pastry and popped it into his mouth before she could stop him. "Oh, dear God!" he exclaimed, eyes going wide. "Who needs sex when they can have this? I think I just climaxed."
"Go away!" she laughed without heat, radiating warmth in the backhanded compliment. "And to answer your question, I've been up since four."
"Honey, what do you call this and can I have a dozen?"
"It's called raspberry sensation and no. One more." She handed it to him, and he grabbed it before she could change her mind.
"And that one?" He pointed to a tray loaded with delicate flaky pastries with an orange sauce in the middle.
"Orange Sunshine."
"My God, Thea. I knew you were good, but I never dreamed!" He turned her to face him, his look of admiration giving her a glow. "You have no need to worry; they're going to love every last bit of it."
"Usually I'm very confident in my ability to create dreams, melt in the mouth ones, but I've invited some very powerful people with selective tastes."
"Including the McDermots," he surmised, eyes on her face.
"Yes." Turning away from him, she busied herself squeezing lemons. She had an idea for a lemon zest concoction, something tart and sweet to whet the taste buds and hopefully have them coming back for more.
"Have they accepted?"
"They have, yes." She refused to think about her reaction when she received the RSVP. All three of them would be in attendance. She was hoping she was prepared enough when she came face to face with him for the first time in almost seven years.
"Including Vincent?"
"Yes."
"Sure it was a good idea to invite them?"
She shrugged one shoulder and bent over her task. "Hand me the honey, will you?"
He did and sat down to watch her work her magic. He was fascinated by how well she did her thing. He always knew she was talented and had read the reviews when she was away, but this was something else.
"It's their place I'll be using."
"It's a public place that you're paying through the nose for," he reminded her. The taste of the pastry still lingered deliciously on his tongue and made him want more. He supposed that was the allure.
"I wanted the best."
"Thea-"
"Please, you're really distracting me."
"You're still in love with him," he persisted.
Closing her eyes briefly, she put down her drizzling spoon and looked over at him. He had come straight from the firm to stop by and see her and would be accompanying her later.
"I suspect that will always be the case," she admitted softly.
"And inviting him tonight will accomplish, what exactly?"
