strength, she pushed through the swinging kitchen doors, ready to present her family’s pastries to the world. She had meant what she said yesterday. Her grandmother had entrusted her with these recipes; they were her legacy, and she would spend every penny she earned tonight fighting for them.
Lexi rounded the beverage prep station and was headed toward the main dining room when she came to a stop. Because there, just two feet away and on the other side of the pass-through window, stood Marc and his three brothers, deep in discussion with an older man she didn’t recognize. All the DeLucas were dressed in tuxes, all looking beyond handsome, and all exuded so much male swagger that the tall silver fox, who in any other circumstance could have doubled for the Most Interesting Man in the World, seemed to be suffering from DeLuca intoxication.
Lexi felt for the guy. Those brothers packed a powerful punch. In fact, they looked like a sexy group of Italian mobsters, giving the poor man a choice between a single gunshot to the head or concrete shoes. And he’d be so dazzled by their charm that he’d say yes and yes.
A month ago, Lexi would have gone for the gunshot to the head. Quick, painless, and, if done right, wouldn’t ruin her clothes. The new Lexi, the one who streaked down Main Street screaming the theme from Rocky at the top of her lungs, the one who wasn’t ashamed of the woman she had become, would go for the concrete shoes. Because concrete might be heavy, but she would rather go standing up than just lie there.
She should move on, deliver her tray to the tribunal table, and then disappear back inside the safety of her kitchen. Eavesdropping was wrong and rude, which was why she stashed her tray on top of the ice machine, pressed her body against the wall, and squatted down low enough that she could peek over the ledge of the pass-through but remain inconspicuous.
“That’s it?” Silver Fox said, flipping through some papers.
“Yes, sir. And this is a one-time offer,” Marc said. He sounded so confident and so sure of himself that Lexi felt her traitorous heart stand up and cheer. His brothers flanked him, letting him run the discussion but making it clear that they had his back. It was what Marc had worked so hard for. His parents would have been proud.
“You will get the distribution rights for all DeLuca wines,” Marc went on, “in the markets that are specified in the contract. They will be paired exclusively with Pricilla’s pastries, if Lexi and her grandmother agree, so I suggest you make this deal so sweet that they can’t say no. Because understand, if they say no, or if you bring in another supplier to pair with DeLuca products, the deal is off.”
“What about Jeffery and Pairing?” the man, who she assumed was Montgomery, asked, obviously stunned by the turning of the tables.
“He is no longer an approved partner for DeLuca Wines,” Gabe said. “Any company that deals with him will find getting partners in the valley difficult.”
Lexi almost fell over.
Montgomery played it cooler, and just nodded. “And I have until when to decide?”
“If we don’t hear from the Moreaus that you have reached a deal that works in their favor by next Friday, then we will start negotiations with Hunt Foods and Distributions.”
Lexi didn’t know who this Hunt was, but by the way Silver Fox straightened when Marc mentioned his name, she assumed he was the Baudouin to Silver’s DeLuca.
“You guys play hardball,” Montgomery said.
“That is not our intention, sir,” Marc said, respect clear in his voice. “You chose DeLuca because of the food that was served to you at Pairing.” He did? “Those dessert recipes as well as all of the desserts served here tonight belong to Alexis Moreau and her grandmother. It’s only fair that they benefit from their hard work.”
“I didn’t know,” Montgomery said, and Lexi wanted to find Jeffery and shove him in a tub of curdled cream. That’s why he’d wanted her to make Pricilla’s desserts several months ago. The first time he’d asked for a few desserts, he said it was for an investor, and another time he’d claimed they were for poker night, but she’d bet her éclairs that it had all been for Montgomery. The rat-bastard sneak had been cheating on her and using her for her recipes.
She stood up, momentarily forgetting she was eavesdropping, then dropped back down, this time