Blaze (Heat #3)(5)

I stand as well, edging past him. "I've already made up my mind. I'll have my chef's jackets sent to Nova. My knives were destroyed in the fire so there's nothing for me to pick up."

"No." He crosses his arms over his chest. "You're not going anywhere. I won't let it happen."





CHAPTER 5


I take a deep breath as I walk into the living room. "I've made my decision, Tyler. My time at Nova is done. I won't come back."

"You're going to let a misunderstanding stall your career, are you?" He grabs hold of my elbow. "You have a bright future at Nova. You can't throw it away because of what happened last night."

I jerk my arm free of his hand. I can't stay on course if he's touching me. I still feel that same need when he's near me. That hasn't changed even though I'm seething inside right now. "I'm not throwing anything away. I'm doing what's best for me, for my career."

"You said you're taking a job that isn't in a restaurant." He rounds me so we're standing toe-to-toe. I'm wearing heels so the height difference between us is marginal. "Where are you going to work, Cadence? What are you going to do?"

I gnaw on my lower lip, debating whether I should share the news about the offer Barbara made me with him now or not. He's been so focused on trying to get me to stay at Nova that he skimmed over the fact that he told me we were effectively done last night. Simply saying he didn't mean it isn't going to mend that fence.

"I need to go to a meeting about it now." My hands drop to my hips. "I don't want to discuss the details until I have the job."

"You haven't accepted it yet?" His voice is laced with hope, his eyes filled with optimism. "Turn it down, Chef. You belong at Nova."

Chef.

It's the one word I've used to define myself for as long as I can remember. My drive to be the best I can be in the kitchen isn't going to disappear just because I'm not cramped into a tight space during a chaotic dinner service each night. I can reinvent my own vision of myself. I'm going to forge a new path and control my own destiny.

"You can't change my mind," I say calmly. It's a reflection of what I'm feeling inside. "I'm not coming back to Nova."

He scowls. "I won't argue with you, Cadence. I trust you to do what's best for your career, but I need to know that you didn't make this decision because of what happened at my place last night."

"I received the offer days ago." Absentmindedly, I play with the bracelet on my wrist. "I was leaning toward taking it. It's a great opportunity for me."

His gaze sweeps over the living room before it locks on my face. "If it's what you want, I'm happy for you."

I know he's being sincere. It's there in his eyes. I see the way his lips curve up into a smile. "Thank you, Tyler."

"That doesn't change us though, does it?" He tilts his head back. "I don't want what happened last night or this new job to come between the two of us."

I don't want that either. I want us to figure out how to recover from last night. I want him to take back what he said so I can clear it out of my thoughts. It's not that easy though. He was ready to toss me out of his life without hearing my side of things.

"I don't have time to talk about this now." It's true. I want to get my job situation ironed out before I deal with us. We're on shaky ground and as much as I want us to work, I have to be realistic. My career is a part of my life for the long term. I can't say the same for Chef Monroe.

He steps away from me, his hand raking through his dark hair. "I don't want to f*ck this up more than I already have. I want you to take the job. If you need to go to do that now, I'll leave."

If he's waiting for me to offer to meet up with him later to replay what happened last night, I'm not up for that today. I need to decompress. I'm still reeling from the fact that my dad is in Manhattan. I can only deal with one temperamental chef at a time.

I start toward the door of my apartment, hoping Tyler will take the not-so-subtle hint and follow me out. He doesn't. Instead he strides to the coffee table.

Out of the corner of my eye I watch him bend down to pick something up.

"This is for me, isn't it?" He turns to me. "Is this my birthday gift?"

I wince when I see that he's holding it. I'd taken my time to wrap the frame yesterday before I left for his birthday party. I'd chosen simple silver paper and white ribbon. I finessed each of the corners, taping it carefully so when I presented it to him, he'd understand the care that went into every facet of the gift.

"I was going to invite you back here after your party so you could open it and eat cake with me."

His expression softens. "My birthday is today and all I want is to be with you."





CHAPTER 6


I rest my right hand against my stomach, my fingers splaying over the fabric of my dress. I should wish him a Happy Birthday but I tried to do that last night and it was a prelude to a clusterf*ck so I'm going to skip over the well wishes.

"I had the gift made over a week ago." I sigh.

He grins. "You had this made for me?"