Kitchen scandals, p.1
Kitchen Scandals, page 1
Kitchen Scandals
Brooke Cumberland
DEDICATION
To my amazing family who are always within arms reach when I need them. Without you, none of this would be possible. A huge shout out and thank you to my friend, Stefani for always willing to read whatever I send her way and giving me amazing advice. To my husband–for not feeling neglected when the computer got more attention than he did. And to my readers for keeping me inspired. Thank you for all your feedback and appreciation.
OTHER BOOKS
By Brooke Cumberland
KITCHEN AFFAIRS
The Riverside Trilogy #1
Table of Contents
AUTHORS NOTE
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
EPILOGUE
SPARK – CHAPTER ONE (SNEAK PEEK)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
To my readers who inspire and support me to keep going. Your kind words and messages mean more to me than I could ever say! I love interacting with all of you on a daily basis on Facebook and Twitter! I truly from the bottom of my heart appreciate it! Thank you!
And a quick acknowledgement to all my Facebook Authors & Bloggers/Reviewers who continuously share and post on my behalf. I love being in our Author/Blogger community where we can talk about books & reading!
Thank you to my cover designer, Steph, for making me a mouthwatering cover! And to my editor, Rogena, for always working her butt off to get my pages back to me on time.
There are too many blogs/FB pages to mention them all, but please know you make a difference and are amazing!! There are some I do want to mention that are always promoting me, guiding me, and sharing my posts!
Novel Grounds
My Fictional Boyfriend & Book Whore Page
Say What? Savannah Mae
Kayla the Bibliophile
Maria’s Book Blog
Just Booked
Turn the Page
Book, Babes and Cheap Cabernet
Bookaholics Blog
Stephanie’s Book Reports
All Romance Reviews
Sarah’s Book Blog
Mary Elizabeth’s Crazy Book Obsession
Up All Night Book Addict
Shh Mom’s Reading
Talkbooks
Who you callin’ a book whore
Love Between The Sheets
Swoon Worthy Books
I Feel the Need, the Need to Read
Twinsie Talk Book Reviews
A Book Whore’s Obsession
Bridger Bitches Book Blog
The Book Bellas
I Heart Books
Seductive Romance Reviews
Book Bitches
Nose Stuck in a Book
Inside the Pages of a Book
2 Chicks and a Blog – Book Soul mates
Romance Book Worm
Hook Me Up Book Blog
…and any others I forgot to mention!
Also, a quick thank you to the blogs that were in my blog tour! Thank you for loving this series as much as I do!
Brooke xo
AUTHOR’S NOTE
I wanted to give my readers a more intimate story, so I’ve included multiple exchanges of Molly & Drake’s point of view. I hope it brings the story together well and you all get a better understanding of their love story.
PROLOGUE
Drake
From the moment I walked into the conference hall, which was large enough for a social gathering, I spotted her from across the room. She was wearing a gorgeous red knee length V-neck dress with black stilettos. Simple, but stunning. Her long brown hair lay beautifully on her shoulders with loose curls at the end. She was casually standing near another woman, holding a drink in one hand, twirling the straw with her other hand. She looked bored at best. I didn’t blame her. These orientation gatherings normally were. They were the official meet-and-greet of the new interns for the semester.
I stood there and stared at her for a moment, taking her in completely. I studied her as if she were a painting. I couldn’t help myself. She stood with such grace you would have never guessed at how clumsy she was. I lost all track of time staring at her that I barely noticed it was my time to speak.
I cleared my throat and fixed my tie before heading to the stage. I always welcomed the new interns at orientation seeing as I was the one who oversaw the program and looked through the applicants. I needed to know her name. Somehow, I needed to hear her voice.
“Welcome. Thank you all for coming tonight, showing your pride as you enter a new stage in your career. Riverside is excited to have you become a part of our family! You will struggle, you will fail, and better yet, you will succeed. If you don’t struggle and if you don’t learn to fail, you will never know what it feels like to succeed. So, before you get down on yourself, remember that. This program is hard, time-consuming, and will mentally drain you, but I promise you, it’ll all be worth it.” As I was delivering my speech, I tried my hardest to scan the room and keep eye contact with the other interns and staff, but it was hard to peel my eyes away from her. Just as I was telling a joke and ending my speech, it happened. She laughed and smiled so big it made her cheeks turn pink. She had the most beautiful smile I had ever seen. She looked so carefree and full of life. I wondered if she had ever had any heartbreak in her short life. I certainly hoped she hadn’t.
By seeing her big, bright smile, you would have never known the pain she had been through. I would have never guessed her fights and struggles. She made it look easy. Too easy.
“Excuse me? Mr. Moon, I need to know that woman’s name.” I said to my assistant, nodding my head in her direction. It wasn’t anywhere near an odd request on my part. My assistant was used to my strange requests. After being with me for six years, he never questioned anything I asked.
I decided to keep my distance from her that night knowing I wouldn’t be able to keep myself composed around her. I didn’t even know her name, and I wanted to sweep her away and kiss her until our lips were bruised. I decided to stay as close to her as I could without being too obvious. I continued to hear her laugh as she spoke with the other woman standing near her. It refreshed my heart every time. Then I saw it. The ring on her left hand.
I was in denial the second I noticed it. She didn’t look any older than twenty-three, maybe twenty-four. Most interns in the program were not married. For some reason, deep down, I felt as if it just couldn’t be true. Engaged? Perhaps. But I was determined to find out.
“Mr. Stagliano?” My assistant tapped me on the shoulder taking my attention away from her. “I have the information you asked me for.” I could see a manila folder under his arm. Her portfolio. Finally.
“Let me have it, please.” I reached out and took it from him. “Thank you.” I walked away so I could look without being distracted. At events like these, I rarely had a free moment to spare, but tonight I was making time.
“Molly Woods,” speaking aloud to myself. “Twenty-three, scholarship applicant, lives in Chicago, graduated high school with honors.” I continued talking to myself in hopes of getting the information I needed. And then, there was a little box checked with her marital status. “Single.” I smiled as I read that. Perfect.
I handed my assistant the folder back, sneaking back into the conference room. A staff member was now going over a power point presentation on basic “dos and don’ts.” Orientation was a bore, but it at least gave me one hell of an excuse to watch her. She playfully twirled her hair around her finger and sipped on her drink. I noticed a guy walking up to her, and my face flattened as I saw him sit next to her. She began playing with her ear as she nervously looked down trying to avoid the man’s eye contact. I could tell he was making her nervous and uncomfortable. I flinched as I told myself not to get involved. Not here.
As the orientation ended, I noticed she was getting ready to leave. Hopefully by herself. She waved to her friend as she walked out the door. And just like that, my heart sank. I felt drawn to her as if we already had a connection somehow. It was a feeling I’ve never felt before, and I wasn’t sure how to handle it. Come on, Drake. Shake it off!
Deep down I knew I was crazy for feeling like this. It could never turn into anything, at least while she was interning at the Riverside. That would break so many rules of staff dating, especially the owner’s son dating an intern. But I also knew deep down that I really didn’t care. Nope, don’t care. I would risk it for her. If she wanted me, to...
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The following week dragged on as I went to meetings and worked in my office. I knew the following Monday would be her first day here, and I couldn’t wait to see her again. She was on my mind the entire time. I wondered what she was doing, who was she with, or where she ha
Monday finally arrived, and I had planned to introduce myself to her, but I was scared as hell. Would I scare her off or make her uncomfortable? I wanted to ask about the ring, but I couldn’t let on that I knew she wasn’t married. Thoughts of her flooded my mind all morning until I finally found an excuse to go into the kitchen.
Since this was the first day for my interns, I decided I would go down, speak with Mr. Cooper, and see how his students were doing. Yeah, that was a valid excuse. I walked through the doors with confidence and casually searched for her. She was at the back counter station looking much different from the first time I saw her. She wore a white button-up chef’s coat with perfectly smoothed-out black cuffs and collar. She had a white apron wrapped around her waist, and tied in a knot in the front. Her hair was pinned up this time and tucked underneath her chef’s hat. Her face had less makeup than before, but just as beautiful. She was chewing her lip as she remained focused on what she was doing.
I fidgeted with the change in my right pocket before getting the nerve to walk up to her. She had just turned around to grab something up high, so I took this opportunity to approach her. After asking her if she were married, she quickly spun around, clearly shocked by my straight-forwardness. Way to freak her out!
I couldn’t stop gazing into her beautiful green eyes. When she wasn’t looking, I eyed her lips. They looked soft and plump. I had imagined kissing those very lips for the past week. I was unsure how much longer I would be able to wait.
I chuckled as she told me her ring was to keep danger away. I knew exactly what she meant, but I was still determined to find out more about her. I could tell I was making her uncomfortable with my questions about her ring, so I knew I would have to resort to plan B.
As I walked away, I heard the pot she was grabbing drop to the floor. I smiled as I hoped I had rattled her. In a good way, of course. I had plotted my next move, and I wasn’t going to wait long to see her again.
After only a few hours I was anxious to see her. I wanted to ask her to dinner so we could spend some time alone together. I just needed some time with her so she would feel what I felt. It was inevitable that we belonged together. I just knew it.
I came up with another excuse to walk through the kitchen. I searched for her again, but I didn’t see her. I walked to the back and noticed the freezer door open. Peeking my head in, I saw she was putting something away. She had her back toward me, so I walked in, slamming the door behind me. Shit, a little too loud, though.
I startled her as she jumped at the sound of the door slamming. She turned around, and her eyes grew big as she saw me standing there. I wanted to come off charming by asking her to dinner, but I could tell she was alarmed by my forwardness. Denied. As she passed me, and exited the freezer, I inhaled her scent. Cucumber Melon.
Fucked it up again. Moving to plan C.
Molly remained on my mind for the rest of the day. I had made two attempts already having been shot down both times. This was unusual for me. I never had to go chasing a girl before. Molly was different. She made me want to be different. I was simply infatuated with her. Even her turning me down was sexy.
I went through her file again and found her address. Perhaps she would be more comfortable in her own home, and I could ask her out that way. Yeah, that would work. I convinced myself to go to her house that night.
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The moment she opened the door, and was stunned to see me, I felt like running away. Shit, this will for sure scare her off. I tried to act nonchalant as she greeted me and gestured me in. Her place was beautiful, and I secretly wondered how she could afford something in downtown Chicago. Most interns were broke while living with their parents. It didn’t cloud my mind too long before she handed me a glass of wine. I suspected she was curious as to my unannounced visit.
Seeing her in her natural form was more beautiful than I could describe. She wore yoga shorts and a sweet V-neck tee, clearly without a bra. It was a little sexy since she was trying to cover her hard nipples up. After all, it wasn’t cold in the room.
I didn’t have much of a reason as to why I was there except for the fact that I just wanted to see her again. I wanted to know her, learn about her, and mostly just look at her. After failing miserably once again, I convinced her we could be friends. For now at least.
The moment I saw her little girl, everything about her made sense. She was not only single, but she was a single mother. Knowing that she wasn’t married and not knowing about the father, left many unanswered questions. Now I could understand why her guard was up, and why she was so reluctant to get to know me.
Leaving her for the third time had damaged my heart. No other woman has ever made me feel like this. I attempted three times in one single day to get her attention, and each time she denied me. I wasn’t mad. I just had to get more creative next time.
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I had been sitting outside in my limo when I spotted Molly and a few others exiting the Riverside. She's laughing and chatting with them, so I tell my driver to follow closely behind to watch where they go. Just a couple blocks down, they entered inside an old tavern that I had never been to before. I waited a few minutes before going in.
I noticed Molly right away and I knew she spotted me. Her eyes grew big as I winked and smiled at her. I sat at the bar and ordered a beer, casually pretending that it was my normal ritual. Within a few minutes, Molly exited the bar and I stood wondering if she left on my account. Not giving her much time to get too far, I quickly left the bar after her.
I stayed my distance so she didn’t feel me walking behind her. As Molly is flagging down a cab, I waved to my driver to leave. He nodded and put his turn signal on. I caught up to Molly just in time, as she tripped reaching for the handle. I smiled to myself as I realized she was quite the klutz.
My heart raced as she thanked me, not realizing who I was yet. As she turned around, I am slapped in the face by her scent again. I closed my eyes for a split second as I stabled her, taking it all in. I took the opportunity and slid into the cab with her, which took her by surprise.
After she climbed out of the cab, I realized her wallet was on the floor. Instead of chasing her down the street, I thought of another way to give it back to her. It needed to be different this time – a way she couldn’t say no. If she would just give herself the opportunity to let me in, I was positive she wouldn’t regret it.
CHAPTER ONE
Molly
I TOSSED AND TURNED as I tried to find the right position on my side of the bed. No matter what I tried, I could not get comfortable. Drake had been passed out for at least two hours while I laid there wide awake. I was reflecting back on the past twelve months of our time together. I couldn’t believe, at the beginning of the year, I was just a chef intern, and now I was working at The Riverside amongst remarkable chefs. There had been a huge turn of events in my life once I started my internship. Drake had changed my life – for the better.
“Kendra…” My eyes shot open as I heard Drake mumbling in his sleep. I turned towards him for a moment, waiting to see if he were talking in his sleep again. “Kendra… don’t.”
Apparently he was.
I cringed at the thought of him dreaming about her. We hadn’t spoken of Kendra in a long time, so it was surprising he would be mumbling her name now.
Most nights I would debate whether to wake him up or let him sleep. Usually he mumbled about work, or moaned my name, but never had he said Kendra in his sleep. My body twitched at the thought of her being in his head. I continued to stare at him, waiting to see if he said anymore. Suddenly, his eyes popped open staring directly into mine. He looked around baffled as he realized it was still dark out.
“Are you alright?” I asked, as I noticed he was sweating, and his eyes had a look of fear.
He rubbed his hands over his face. “Yeah…I just had the weirdest dream, that’s all.”
