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intensified by caramel sauce so dark Lila was sure it must be burned, but no whiff of the
devil lingered on her tongue. The chocolate curls provided a crunch the dessert had been
lacking, and the lightly-sweetened whipped cream eased the decadent richness. In a
word, it was perfect.
Nothing Lila had made this week was perfect. She sighed and shoveled cake into her
mouth. After spending the week chatting with his staff, she d deduced the best way to get
to Jack would be to exploit his insecurities. His menu and his father were obvious sore
spots, but she couldn t torture him if she never saw him. If Inferno was so important to
him, why hadn t he spent more time there this week?
She glanced up at Emily. The pastry chef had dropped several more pro-Jack hints, and
Lila didn t want to encourage her, but enough was enough.
 Have you talked to Jack? Lila tried to sound casual.
 He s tied up at Breeze huge fire yesterday. I also heard a rumor about a grease trap
leak at Elements. Jack s been pretty busy taking care of everything while his dad is out of
town.
 Is everyone okay at Breeze?
Emily nodded.  Just a scare and some toasted wiring. It happened before service, and
my husband said they got everything cleaned up in time to open the doors.
Lila could understand how a fire could pull Jack s focus, but he could have at least
called. Maybe he figured Inferno was her problem now. If so, they were both screwed.
A wave of frustration killed her appetite. She pushed her half-finished cake away from
her. She should have known the minute she d first seen Jack s menu there was nothing
she could do to improve it. Soon, they d know she was a fraud. Did she really want to be
around when they figured it out?
No, she decided, getting to her feet.  Thanks for the cake, Emily. Best one yet. She
picked up her plate.
 You re not going to finish it? Emily looked shocked.
 I just lost my appetite. She stepped out of the bakeshop.
Her heart pounded in her throat. All she had to do was walk out that back door and
Inferno wouldn t be her problem anymore. She wouldn t get the money or Personal Chef,
but she also wouldn t have to face Jack and feel like a failure. That felt like a fair trade
right now.
She set her plate in a bus tub, hoping no one would ask her why she was getting her
purse. Maybe they would assume she was taking a smoke break, even though she didn t
smoke. The cooks were working on specials today and didn t even look at her. She
walked through the dish room and out the back door.
She paused to take a deep breath filled with relief and regret. Jack was going to be
furious. Why did she care? She wanted to hurt him, and this would hit him hard.
Strangely, the thought inspired sadness, not glee.
The door opened, and she jumped, startled.
Emily stepped out, carrying a bag of garbage.  Hey Lila, I m starving. I don t suppose
you d be willing to make me dinner? She didn t notice Lila s purse, or if she did she didn t
mention it.
 Uh& I was just going to, uh& get some fresh air, she finished lamely, unable to admit
her true intentions to the woman who had been working so hard this week.  Are you
hungry for something in particular? she asked, surprising herself. For the first time that
week, she felt the spark of inspiration and realized she would love to make dinner for
Emily.
 I d kill for some of the seafood I saw in the walk-in.
 You got it. Spicy Asian? Creamy Italian? American regional? What kind of food do you
like? Ideas began to spin in her head. Mentally, she reviewed the contents of the walk-
in, reach-ins, and storage room as Emily described her favorite dishes.  I m all over it.
As Emily tossed the garbage into the dumpster at the end of the alley, Lila noticed the
bag was light, barely half-full.
She raised an eyebrow as Emily held the door open for her. The pastry chef s smile was
serene.  After you.
Lila stepped through the doorway, laughing softly as the idea for a rice dish that would
make Emily swoon took shape.
She headed for the line, grabbing cooked saffron rice, seafood, and fresh ginger from
the walk-in on her way. She could taste it now, paella, redolent of the earth and the sea,
with extra garlic, ginger, and just a kiss of fish sauce. She worked swiftly, filled with a
sense of purpose, glad Perry was taking his break so she could have the sauté station to
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