Dear Reader,
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be somebody differentsomeone more exciting? I love my life, but there are days when driving my big blue minivan just doesnt seem that glamorous.
Daydreams about spicing up my own life led to Miriam Scott, my chef heroine. Her occupation gave me a great excuse to drool over the pictures in food magazines and look up new recipes! Miriam is about to find out what its like to reinvent herself, with the help of sexy PR consultant, Dylan Kincaid. I hope you enjoy watching them fall in love as much as Ive enjoyed writing for the Flipside romantic-comedy line!
Ive been very grateful for the opportunity to share my stories with Flipside readers. And Im happy to announce that I will soon be writing for Harlequin NEXT, the dynamic new series of womens fiction that launches in July. For more information on my upcoming books, please visit me on the Web at: www.tanyamichaels.com.
Wishing you much love and laughter,
Tanya Michaels
You think I could be sexy?
Absolutely, Dylan said. We just need someappropriate wardrobe selections. Like a, er, push-up or lightly padded bra.
Ah. I experienced a moment of dreamlike panic that, if I looked down, I might actually see my unample breasts shrinking. And maybe Ill be wearing something lowcut to display this new and improved cleavage?
This is simply about body lines and what presents the most photogenic form. I wasnt stating a personal opinion, Miriam. Er, criticism. Youre
Of the two of us, Dylan was definitely the more unstrung now. Im sorry, I know I said meeting tonight would be a good idea, but maybe I overestimated my Dont say stamina. It wasnt a word I wanted to think about with him assessing my breasts. Energy level. I dont think Im a good subject to work with right now.
He nodded. Perhaps Im more knackered than I realized, as well.
Knackered? I assumed from the context that it meant tired. Unfortunately I did know it wasnt the effect I wanted to have on this man.
Spicing It Up
Tanya Michaels
www.millsandboon.co.uk
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For Jane Mims,
who shares my appreciation of good food and has always appreciated my sense of humor
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tanya Michaels has been reading books all her life, and romances have always been her favorite. She is thrilled to be writing for Harlequinand even more thrilled that the stories she makes up now qualify as work and exempt her from doing the dishes after dinner. The 2001 Maggie Award-winner lives in Georgia with her two wonderful children and a loving husband whose displays of support include reminding her to quit writing and eat something. Thankfully, between her husbands thoughtfulness and that stash of chocolate she keeps at her desk, Tanya can continue writing her books in no danger of wasting away.
For more information on Tanya, her upcoming releases and periodic giveaways, please visit her Web site at www.tanyamichaels.com.
Books by Tanya Michaels
HARLEQUIN FLIPSIDE
6WHO NEEDS DECAF?
28NOT QUITE AS ADVERTISED
HARLEQUIN DUETS
96THE MAID OF DISHONOR
HARLEQUIN TEMPTATION
968HERS FOR THE WEEKEND
986SHEER DECADENCE
1008GOING ALL THE WAY
Dear Reader,
For the past twenty months, its been our pleasure to bring you fun, witty and amusing stories of love gone wrongand right!written by some very talented authors. But all good things must come to an end, and were sorry to announce this will be the last month of Harlequin Flipside.
We want to thank everyone who has written to say how much they enjoy the novels, and hope youll continue to follow these authors careersand find new lines to enjoythrough our Web site at www.eHarlequin.com.
So please pick up a few other titles, grab a latteor tea, soda or milkshake as you prefer!and curl up with some wonderful stories about womens eternal quest to find the perfect man. And how she settles on the one whos perfect for her!
Keep on reading and enjoying stories on the funny side of life.
All the best,
Mary-Theresa Hussey
Executive Editor
Wanda Ottewell
Editor
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
1
Its too easy to fall into a familiar routine that eventually turns stalewhether the routine is in your kitchen, your bedroom or other areas. Sometimes, we gotta spice life up.
from the foreword to Six Course Seduction by Chef Miriam Scott
SINCE THAT MOMENT in junior-high home ec when I first realized, Hey, I kick ass at something, through all the family gatherings where my sanity had been preserved by sautéing in solitude while boisterous relatives drove each other nuts elsewhere in the house, the kitchen has been my refuge. Thereve been nights on the job when Ive actually had the urge to shuffle from the walk-in freezer to the pastry station proclaiming, Sanctuary! Sanctuary! But why scare the line cooks?
Tonight, I was using the after-hours serenity for a moment of private victory in the silent, stainless-steel surroundings. Wed wowed one of Charlestons pickier restaurant critics, and the crew had all left for a round of triumphant drinks. Id taken a rain check, claiming the need to work on a test recipe. From their winks and nudges, it was clear theyd interpreted my excuse as code for clandestine celebration with Trevor. Truthfully, while I dont have one of those chefs temperaments you hear about, I had enough ego to want to savor the accomplishment alone.
But I wasnt alone long. Miriam?
Startled at the interruption, I glanced up from the pan of ginger consommé I was stirring at the stove. Trevor Baines, whom Id expected to be working on bookkeeping for another hour, stood shadowed in the doorway. When he stepped into the light of the kitchen, I smiled at how miraculously unrumpled he was in his dark-blue dress shirt and black slacks. The handsome owner of Spicy Seas, Trevor is technically my boss but also my long-term boyfriend. Hes tossed around the description fiancé once or twice, but weve been too busy with our business plan to discuss wedding plans.
I doubted that was why hed sought me out now, though.
We need to talk, he said. Despite our doing a great nights business, his expression was medium dire with a side of pity.
In fact, his features were arranged in what I think of as his Poor Baby face, the one that secretly makes me want to smack him in the head with a spatula. Dont get me wrong, Trevors a great guy, but from time to time he can be unintentionally patronizing, especially when giving bad news. As if I need to be handled delicately. He should know better than anyone how staid and dependable I am.
My creative culinary bent and occasional errant thought about spatula violence notwithstanding, I was the one who calmly dealt with the behind-the-scenes crises that almost always arise when launching a restaurant. Trevor contributed family moneywhich secured us the placeand his sweet-talking ability to charm vendors, prospective clients and the staffs of food magazines. His people skills and my fabulous recipes have made Spicy Seas one of Charlestons most successful new dining spots. I have as many insecurities as the next vaguely neurotic twenty-eight-year-old American woman trying to have it all, but my cooking isnt one of them.
I turned off the burner, sensing that whatever he had to say needed my undivided attention. Whats up?
First of all, let me just say you did a great job tonight. He ran a hand through his wavy black hair. You always do, but that critic really liked the wreck-fish and spicy fruit salsa.
Wreckfish is a recent South Carolinian delicacy; the salsa, based on tamarind, is a specialty of mine.
I think the write-up is really going to help us, he continued. Which was all to the good, but his smile had the same ring of insincerity as a doctor who says, This shouldnt hurt, just before jamming in the hypodermic needle.
Thanks, Trevor. You know I appreciate the praise, but if theres something wrong, you dont have to soften me up first.
He chuckled. Nervously. Such a pessimist. What makes you think somethings wrong?
Certain symbols throughout history have been universally recognized as Bad Signsa skull with cross-bones, for example. And the words we need to talk. He had to have been really nervous to make such a rookie mistake.
Oh, God. Was Spicy Seas in trouble?
Profits had been promising, particularly for a restaurant less than a year old. Promotion had been well planned, and the critics had been kind thus far. The recent change in seafood suppliers was costing us a bit more, but our new providers strict attention to conservation principles would benefit restaurateurs up and down the coast.
Dont panic. Whatever the problem was, we would deal with it. My friend Amanda had commented once or twice that she didnt see the sparks between Trevor and meand wed subsequently decided that maybe it was better just not to discuss our respective love livesbut sparks or not, Trevor and I made a good team.
Just tell me what happened, I prompted.
All right. His hazel eyes were full of anxiety, and he glanced away. The truth is, I dont think this is going to work.
The restaurant? My worst fears, realized. I was certain my face had gone the same white as my discarded toque, the chefs hat Id removed at closing.
No, not the restaurant, Miriam. Its doing great. I meant us.
Spicy Seas was doing greatrelief bubbled up inside me like milk at a fast boil. Wait a minute, cancel that order. Us? As in, you and me?
He nodded, suddenly looking haggard in a way that was rare for him even after a double shift. I think the world of you. You know that.
Well, Id inferred it, based on our discussing eventual matrimony. Maybe that had been presumptuous.
Youre a talented chef, too, he continued, his Poor Baby expression firmly back in place as he oozed flattery, no doubt meant to temper the blow. And a, um, lovely person. These months with you
While were young, Trevor. I sounded as impatient and demanding as the most dreaded culinary professor, but allowances for snippiness should be made when a girls gettingdumped? For a moment, confusion beat out all the other emotions swirling inside. What was going on, and why hadnt I seen it coming? Is there someone else?
I had no idea when he would have found time to cheat on me, but Id watched him charm dozens of women. Women who showed up at the restaurant in little black dresses and the latest haircuts. The combination of hours spent in a hot kitchen and unflattering, boxy chefs whites dont exactly create a Vogue cover look.
Trevor shook his head. Its not anyone else. Its you.
Me? I blinked, indignant. Although I could objectively admit he dealt nightly with more attractive women, I still thought he had a lot of nerve to announce that whatever problem we had was my fault. My right hand felt along the countertop for a spatula.
Not that youve done anything wrong, he hastened to add. I talk about us during publicity interviews, and its really made me think about our relationship. You and I together, we dont make sense. Take a rack of lambit goes so perfectly with a cabernet sauvignon.
I was too caught off guard by this conversation to point out that the entire concept of Spicy Seas was more imaginative combinations.
You wouldnt pair it with a cheap beer, right?
I managed to find my voice. A hoarser, angrier version of it, anyway. Youre calling me a cheap beer. Youre breaking up with me and insulting me? In my kitchen? He probably had hot plans to crash a convent and harangue nuns next.
Forget whacking him with a spatula, this called for something cast-iron.
Our kitchen, he corrected with a surly tone no customer would ever hear. My reputations on the line with this place. Im somebody in the restaurant community, among the movers and shakers of Charleston. I want you to stay, of courseyoure part of what makes Spicy Seas workbut you arent the woman people expect to see on my arm.
Trevor, I Have no idea what to say. This man who had ardently pursued me now thought I didnt fit his image and should be cast aside like a freaking cuff link that didnt look right with his jacket?
He sighed. I know theres such a thing as being too blunt, but you deserve the truth. Inside the kitchen, you make some of the spiciest, most creative dishes Ive ever tasted. But everywhere else, Miriam, youre a little too bland for me.