Recipe For Seduction (A Madewood Brothers Novel) (Entangled Brazen) by Gina Gordon Page A

returned.
    That shut Cal up pretty quickly.
    Finn went into the usual new-hire spiel. “We have a team meeting every day at four o’clock, one hour before the doors open.” He walked over to the grill where Richard was watching over a batch of red peppers. Their skin bubbled and blackened.
    Cal trailed reluctantly behind, eyeing the peppers.
    “At our meeting we discuss the specials, any preparation issues, and we have a meal. Nothing elaborate, it’s more to keep us fueled for the night.”
    Cal’s eyebrow lifted in surprise. But his gaze was still fixated on the peppers. Finally, he asked, “Aren’t you burning those?”
    “The more burned the skin, the more smoky the flavor. We use roasted red peppers for a few things on the menu.”
    “Well, if burning menu items is a good thing at this restaurant, you should have hired Veronica, not me.”
    Finn laughed, and so did Richard. Erin snorted from her spot tending a pot of boiling water. They were all familiar with Veronica’s cooking skills—or rather, lack of them.
    “Everything you learn here, Cal, you’ll be able to take with you into the real world.” A man needed to know how to take care of himself first, before he could even think about being able to care for a family. A lesson his mother had taught him. “Besides, all women love a man who can cook.”
    Cal straightened and preened. “I can cook some stuff.”
    “Oh, yeah? Like what?”
    “Spaghetti. French fries and chicken fingers.” He listed the items off on his fingers.
    “Very gourmet, kid,” Chris said drily as he butterflied a piece of veal.
    “Sounds like something Veronica would make.” Finn chuckled. “You’ve been living with your sister for too long.”
    Cal shoulders instantly tightened and he froze in place. “I’m not leaving her. You can’t make me.”
    “Whoa, there.” Finn raised his hands in defense. That was not the reaction he’d been anticipating. He’d merely been commenting on Veronica’s love of quick and easy meals—mainly of the frozen variety. But Cal had taken his joke to heart.
    “Well, I’m not!”
    “I didn’t say you have to leave,” Finn assured him, “but if you don’t find something productive to do with your time, Veronica might have other ideas.”
    It took all of ten seconds for the kid to change his tune as he lowered his eyes to the floor and his voice cracked as he said, “Fine. What do I have to do?”
    Finn pointed to the dishwasher. “There is a sink full of dirty dishes for you to start with.”
    The thought of leaving Veronica obviously scared this kid to death. But Cal wasn’t really a kid any more. He was a man. Eighteen years old and struggling to make his way in the world. And Finn was going to do everything he could to help him find…whatever it was he was looking for.
    Witnessing Cal’s little outburst, it now made sense why Cal’s relationship with Mark was strained. Mark had left him behind, and Veronica was the only person Cal felt he could rely on.
    Finn wondered if she knew the extent of her younger brother’s separation anxiety. It was something she would have to nip in the bud. Otherwise, her plan to start pursuing her own dreams was going to be severely hampered.
    …
    Veronica made her way to the dining room of Bistro, where Penn and Sterling were already waiting for her. Bistro was Cole’s French-American fusion restaurant.
    She rushed past the bar and checked her appearance in the mirror behind it. She was a little disheveled, but still presentable. She joined the ladies at their table at the back of the dining room, and hefted her bags onto it. “I’m so sorry I’m late.”
    As a wedding planner, she made it an unbreakable rule always to be on time for her appointments. Always . But not today. It had taken a full twenty minutes to get Cal off his ass and into the car to go to work. Just one more example of why her little brother needed discipline and firm direction. Something to keep him from plummeting