would know the effort I’d made and understand its significance. He would feel cared for. Loved.
Gerard’s voice interrupted my musings. “You have your lists?”
I held up the stack of papers.
“Your timelines?”
“Yes. Dessert first. Then I’ll make the sauce and salad, set the table, and when Byron calls to say he’s almost there, I’ll cook the pasta and heat the bread.”
“And?” he prompted.
“Garnish the brûlée!”
“Excellent. Don’t melt the sugar on the brûlée too early, or it will get soft. Forty-five minutes will chill it again the way Byron likes it. Don’t garnish it with the fruit until you’re ready to serve.” He pointed to two small containers. “I did make you some of Byron’s wafers and the spiced fruit. He loves them with the brûlée, and they take practice to get right.”
“Not too early. Right. And thank you, Gerard.”
He waved away my thanks. “Are you sure you’re okay to use the torch? The broiler will work as well.” He frowned. “I don’t want you to burn yourself.”
“Nope. I’ve been practicing with you. I think I have it under control.” I had eaten a lot of brûlée lately during our experiments.
“Okay. Good. It’s a simple menu, and you have all day. It’ll be perfect, and Byron will be thrilled.”
I felt a small flutter of nerves in my stomach. “I hope so.”
Gerard snickered. “If things go badly, text me. I’ll send dinner over from the restaurant. As long as you’re there, Byron will be happy.”
I nodded gratefully. It was good to have a backup plan, although I hoped I wouldn’t need it.
He glanced at his watch. “You’d better go. Your class starts soon, and I know Byron is looking forward to seeing you later.” He grinned with relief. “It’ll be good not to have to pretend I haven’t just seen you after tomorrow. I’m afraid neither of us are good liars.”
I had to laugh with him; he was correct on that. Both of us had slipped a couple times, but luckily Byron hadn’t become suspicious.
I kissed Gerard’s cheek. “Thank you again.”
He smiled warmly. “My pleasure.”
I slipped through the back door of the restaurant, glancing around the still-busy kitchen. Business was better than ever, the waiting list long, and dinner service was packed every evening. Still, all the chefs and kitchen staff waved and called out hellos, used to my appearance by now. Gerard was talking to one of the chefs and came over, looking concerned.
“Are you all right, Julia? You’re late this evening. Byron was getting quite worried.”
I nodded wearily. My professor had been on a tear and kept us all late. When I dropped by my rooming house to pick up my bag, my cranky landlady had been upset over something and yelled at me. She informed me she’d decided no longer to rent to students and I would have to find another place to live at the end of the month, which meant I had to be out before the term was even done. I had tried reasoning with her, but she said she was giving me a month’s notice and that was more than fair. She was always grumpy and rigid, but this time, she wouldn’t listen to me. Never mind that with the school year now partway through, the chances of me finding a place as reasonable were slim, or the fact that I had been an excellent tenant for two years. She was, apparently, “done with housing irresponsible people.” I had no idea what set her off, as I wasn’t irresponsible, but it had been an unexpected, unwelcome ending to my day.
I had to put those thoughts aside, though. I would deal with them after this weekend. I didn’t want anything to spoil Byron’s birthday.
“Long class. Is he upstairs?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. I’ll go up.”
I paused outside the door to Byron’s office. I could hear his muffled voice through the door, and he didn’t sound pleased. I was unsure if he was alone or if I should interrupt him, but Gerard said Byron was concerned. I gently rapped on the heavy wood, stepping back when it was flung open almost immediately by Byron himself. The phone was pressed to his ear, and he looked upset, his facial expression changing when he saw it was me.
“Never mind,” he muttered into the phone and tossed it behind him. Reaching out, he dragged me into the office and kicked the door shut. He wrapped his arms around me, his mouth on mine immediately. He kissed me deeply, his tongue delving and possessive. Unsure what