The Vineyards Of Calanetti. Rebecca Winters

the words while looking into his silver-gray eyes, the simple sentence took on a totally different meaning.

      The room grew quiet again. She felt her face reddening. Rafe held her gaze for a good twenty seconds before he finally pointed at the door. “Go tell that to customers.”

      She walked out of the kitchen, licking the remains of the fantastic food off her lips as she headed for the podium. With the exception of that crazy little minute of eye contact, tasting the food had been fun. She loved how proud the entire kitchen staff seemed to be of the delicious dishes they prepared. And she saw the respect they had for their boss. Chef Rafe. Clearly a very talented man.

      With two groups waiting to be seated, she grabbed menus and walked the first couple to a table. “Right this way.”

      “Any specialties tonight?”

      She faced the man and woman behind her, saying, “I can honestly recommend the chef’s signature ravioli.” With the taste of the food still on her tongue, she smiled. “And the minestrone soup is to die for. But if you’re in the mood for beef, there’s a beef brasato that you’ll never forget.”

      She said the words casually, but sampling the food had had the oddest effect on her. Suddenly she felt part of it. She didn’t merely feel like a good hostess who could recommend the delicious dishes because she’d tasted them. She got an overwhelming sense that she was meant to be here. The feeling of destiny was so strong it nearly overwhelmed her. But she drew in a quiet breath, smiled at the couple and seated them.

      Sense of destiny? That was almost funny. Children who grew up in foster care gave up on destiny early, and contented themselves with a sense of worth, confidence. It was better to educate yourself to be employable than to dally in daydreams.

      As the night went on, Rafe and his staff continued to give her bites and tastes of the dishes they prepared. As she became familiar with the items on the menu, she tempted guests to try things. But she also listened to stories of the sights the tourists had seen that day, and soothed the egos of those who spoke broken Italian by telling stories of teaching English as a second language in Rome.

      And the feeling that she was meant to be there grew, until her heart swelled with it.

      * * *

      Rafe watched her from the kitchen door. Behind him, Emory laughed. “She’s pretty, right?”

      Rafe faced him, concerned that his friend had seen their thirty seconds of eye contact over the ravioli and recognized that Rafe was having trouble seeing Daniella Tate as an employee because she was so beautiful. When she’d called him amazing, he’d struggled to keep his gaze off her lips, but that didn’t stop the urge to kiss her. It blossomed to life in his chest and clutched the air going into and out of his lungs, making them stutter. He’d needed all of those thirty seconds to get ahold of himself.

      But Emory’s round face wore his usual smile. Nothing out of the ordinary. No light of recognition in his eyes. Rafe’s unexpected reactions hadn’t been noticed.

      Rafe turned back to the crack between the doors again. “She’s chatty.”

      “You did tell her to talk up the food.” Emory sidled up to the slim opening. “Besides, the customers seem to love her.”

      “Bah!” He spun away from the door. “We don’t need for customers to love her. They come here for the food.”

      Emory shrugged. “Maybe. But we’re both aware Mancini’s was getting to be a little more well-known for your temper than for its meals. A little attention from a pretty girl talking up your dishes might just cure your reputation problem. Put the food back in the spotlight instead of your temper.”

      “I still think she talks too much.”

      Emory shook his head. “Suit yourself.”

      Rafe crossed his arms on his chest. He would suit himself. He was famous for suiting himself. That was how he’d gotten to be a great chef. By learning and testing until he created great meals. And he wanted the focus on those meals.

      The first chance he got, he intended to have a talk with Daniella Tate.

       CHAPTER THREE

      AT THE END of the night, when the prep tables were spotless, the kitchen staff raced out the back door. Rafe ambled into the dining room as the waitresses headed for the front door, Daniella in their ranks.

      Stopping behind the bar, he called, “No. No. You...Daniella. You and I need to talk.”

      Her steps faltered and she paused. Eventually, she turned around. “Sure. Great.”

      Allegra and Gio tossed looks of sympathy at her as the door closed softly behind them.

      Her shoulders straightened and she walked over to him. “What is it?”

      “You are chatty.”

      She burst out laughing. “I know.” As comfortable as an old friend, she slid onto a bar stool across from him. “Got myself into a lot of trouble in school for that.”

      “Then you will not be offended if I ask you to project a more professional demeanor with the customers?”

      “Heck, no. I’m not offended. I think you’re crazy for telling me not to be friendly. But I’m not offended.”

      Heat surged through Rafe’s blood, the way it had when she’d nibbled the ravioli from his fork and called him amazing. But this time he was prepared for it. He didn’t know what it was about this woman that got him going, why their arguments fired his blood and their pleasant encounters made him want to kiss her, but he did know he had to control it.

      He pulled a bottle of wine from the rack beneath the bar and poured two glasses. Handing one of the glasses to her, he asked, “Do you think it’s funny to argue with your boss?”

      “I’m not arguing with you. I’m giving you my opinion.”

      He stayed behind the bar, across from her so he could see her face, her expressive blue eyes. “Ah. So, now I understand. You believe you have a right to an opinion.”

      She took a sip of the wine. “Maybe not a right. But it’s kind of hard not to have an opinion.”

      He leaned against the smooth wooden surface between them, unintentionally getting closer, then finding that he liked it there because he could smell the hint of her perfume or shampoo. “Perhaps. But a smart employee learns to stifle them.”

      “As you said, I’m chatty.”

      “Do it anyway.”

      She sucked in a breath, pulling back slightly as if trying to put space between them. “Okay.”

      He laughed. “Okay? My chatty hostess is just saying okay?”

      “It’s your restaurant.”

      He saluted her with his wineglass. “At least we agree on something.”

      But when she set her glass on the bar, slid off the stool and headed for the door, his heart sank.

      He shook his head, grabbed the open bottle of wine and went in the other direction, walking toward the kitchen where he would check the next day’s menu. It was silly, foolish to be disappointed she was leaving. Not only did he barely know the woman, but he wasn’t in the market for a girlfriend. His instincts might be thinking of things like kissing, but he hadn’t dated in four years. He had affairs and one-night stands. And a smart employer didn’t have a one-night stand with an employee. Unless he wanted trouble. And he did not.

      He’d already had one relationship that had almost destroyed his dream. He’d fallen so hard for Kamila Troccoli that when she wasn’t able to handle the demands of his schedule, he’d pared it back. Desperate to keep her, he’d refused plum apprenticeships, basically giving up his goal of being