Brenda Jackson - A Madaris Bride for Christmas

Because Mitch’s wife, Gina, grew up with a lot of his older cousins, Lee knew her well. Her brother Trevor was best friend to one of his older cousins, Dex; and for years Trevor had been foreman at Dex’s land-exploration company. Lee liked Gina, always had, and thought she was down-to-earth. It was obvious that Mitch adored his wife.

“I understand your oldest son left this month for college.” Angelo broke into Lee’s thoughts when he addressed a question to Kyle and Kimara Garwood.

Kimara smiled lovingly at her husband before gazing at Angelo. “Yes, and I miss Kyle VI already. He’s attending Harvard.”

“An excellent university,” both sheikhs chimed in to say with huge smiles. Both had degrees from Harvard.

“I agree,” Lee said. He was a proud Harvard alum as well.

“I take it you couldn’t persuade Blade and Sam to join us,” Mitch said, smiling.

Lee chuckled. “No. They drove to Los Angeles. Sam was determined to get some more shopping in.” He glanced over at Peyton. “How did shopping go yesterday?”

Peyton rolled her eyes. “Don’t ask.”

The waiters removed their plates and everyone agreed that dinner had been absolutely delicious and they were all ready for dessert.

“Thirteen is an unlucky number, Lee. Why didn’t you bring a date?” Diamond Swain Madaris asked.

Lee glanced across the dinner table and smiled at the woman who’d made his uncle a very happy man. “The reason I didn’t bring a date is because there isn’t a woman I’m interested in at the moment.”

“Better not say that too loud,” Jake said, chuckling. “Word might get back to Mom. She’ll find you a bride and start planning a wedding.”

Not if I find one first, Lee thought, as the waiter poured more coffee into his cup. He wasn’t interested in finding a bride, and he wouldn’t appreciate his great-grandmother shoving one down his throat either. She was known to try such tactics.

His mind shifted to the woman he’d met a couple of nights ago. He wondered where she was and what she was doing. Why was he still thinking about her? Why had thoughts of her infiltrated his mind all day? When he should have been concentrating on the business at hand he’d instead recalled their dance, their kiss, her scent. Why had she made such a lasting impression on him?

His thoughts were disrupted when waiters came out carrying several plates. Dessert had arrived.

* * *

“Oh, I bet your dessert is a big hit with everyone, Carly.”

Carly smiled. Jodie was definitely a confidence booster, which was really refreshing. During her years at culinary schools and working in various restaurants, Carly had discovered that most chefs were competitive by nature and very few gave compliments to other chefs. In contrast, Jodie didn’t mind bestowing a compliment and she was always in a good mood. That was probably one of the reasons Carly liked her.

“Thanks. We’ll see.”

“I saw one of the owners today when he was showing a group of men around. All the men were extremely handsome but Mr. Madaris stood out,” Jodie was saying.

Carly glanced over at her. “In what way?”

“Where everybody else got an A, in my book he got an A-plus.”

Carly couldn’t help but chuckle. “An A-plus?”

“Yes, doubly so.”

Carly shrugged, not imagining any man looking that good...except that guy she had danced with on the balcony two nights ago. She wondered if he’d checked out of the hotel by now. And that wasn’t the only thing she wondered about him. What was he doing in Vegas alone? Where was he from? She had picked up on a Southern accent.

Did he have a girl back home? Now was a fine time to think about that—after she’d plastered a kiss on him. But then he had plastered one on her as well. He had been the one to take the kiss to another level, not her. But still...

“Your dessert is really good,” Jodie said, interrupting Carly’s thoughts.

Carly glanced over to where Jodie was sitting on a stool at a counter, stuffing her face with Pi-Sky. Carly smiled. “Thanks.”

Chef Blanchard had put a lot of faith in her, and more than anything she didn’t want to disappoint him.

* * *

“Sweet Allah, that was the best pie I’ve ever eaten,” exclaimed Sheikh Rasheed Valdemon.

“Evidently,” his wife, Johari, said, smiling. “You ate three slices. If you eat any more you’ll gain too much to get on the plane.”

Everyone around the table chuckled, but Lee agreed with Rasheed. Even he had asked for seconds. The entire meal had been tremendous, but what topped it off was the excellent dessert. Rasheed and Lee weren’t the only ones who thought so. Others at the table were singing its praises too.

“Who is the chef for this restaurant?” Sheikh Jamal Yasir asked Lee and Angelo. “I’m tempted to sweep him or her off to my country to work in the palace.”

Lee laughed. “Then maybe we need to keep Chef Blanchard under lock and key for the rest of your visit. But it’s only fair for you to meet him.”

He then said to a waiter standing nearby, “Please tell Chef Blanchard that my dinner party would like to meet him.” The waiter nodded before quickly walking off. Lee was glad that things were going so well and that his potential investors were impressed.

Everyone looked up when the tall, lanky man wearing a huge white chef toque and chef jacket approached their table. Lee stood. “Everyone, this is Chef Blanchard, the person responsible for our very delicious meal as well as the outstanding service we received.”

Compliments were bestowed upon the man who beamed at all the accolades. “Thank you all. I’m glad you enjoyed everything. I have an excellent staff whose goal tonight was to make sure your dining experience at Peyton’s Place was first-class.”

“It was,” Rasheed said. “And that dessert...Pi-Sky it was called? It was simply superb. I’ve never tasted anything quite like it. It reminds me of Australia’s pavlova, but the meringue and whipped cream are different, somewhat lighter, with a different taste. And the crust—my goodness. You used King Arthur flour. It’s what the cooks use all the time at the palace in my country.”

Chef Blanchard continued to beam. “I can’t take any credit for the dessert. It was prepared by my pastry chef. It’s her own secret recipe. It’s quite delicious, and I asked her to prepare it just for tonight.”

“Thank you for having her do that,” Mitch Farrell said, grinning. Like Rasheed, he had eaten three slices. Lee figured he would have asked for a fourth if Gina hadn’t slid his plate away. Most likely all the men, including him, would be hitting the gym in the morning.

“Is she still here? Your pastry chef?” Diamond asked. “We would like to thank her personally.”

Chef Blanchard’s smile spread even more. “Yes, yes, most certainly. I think she would like that. She has only been with us for a little over a month.”

“As long as she keeps making desserts like this,” Lee said with a grin, “I can assure you that she’ll be here for a very long time.”

Chef Blanchard turned to one of the waiters. “Please ask Chef Briggs to step out here for a minute.”

* * *

Carly was wrapping up the leftover dessert. It would be served tomorrow morning at the poolside café as a midmorning treat. Not much remained and that was a sign that Pi-Sky had been a big hit tonight.

Several of the sous chefs had joined Jodie at the counter to get a taste of the dessert that Jodie was moaning over with each bite she slid into her mouth. “Thanks to you, I’ll have to get up and go walking in the morning,” Jodie said.

Since she didn’t sound too bothered by the prospect, Carly gave Jodie only a quick glance as she continued what she was doing. “No one is twisting your arm to eat that pie, you know.”