Chad sliced into a pepper the seeds spilling out as he sliced it straight down. "You ever cooked with these before?"
"I have," Gabriella said as she stood beside him. The kitchen had been transformed, it was bigger, it was covered in all things stainless steel and Gabriella could still not believe it. Even as she stood here with Chad in her kitchen teaching her and Zeke how to make the food from the meal he served her back in Costa Rica. "I don't do it often."
"I advise you reconsider," Chad said holding up a piece of sliced pepper, "if you want that passion you have to go were the sizzle is."
"What about people with heart burn or indigestion," Gabriella said slowly.
"This is how you know you've been cooking main stream for too long," Chad held out the pepper for her, "Take it."
Gabriella looked down at the pepper and took it in her hands looking at it with interest the spicy smell over powered her senses. The color was bright and she could almost sense the heat rising from her hand.
"Think about the color, the taste, the feeling, the expectation in that biting sting. Now mix it up with sweet peppers, onions, minced garlic cloves in hot oil over medium heat until onion are tender," Chad smiled as he offered another pepper to Zeke. "Gabriella when we talked you said you wanted passion, you wanted intimacy and mouthwatering dishes that were different and daring."
"You think these pepper are the key?" Zeke asked holding the pepper to his lips and tasting it a little.
"I think they're an inspiration we shouldn't ignore," Chad said, "Our job over the next few days is going to be figuring out what this final product is. Troy told me you were having problems coming up with a name for the place."
"I haven't been able to find something I like enough," Gabriella looked down at the pepper in her hand and let out a sigh as she touched it pushing the slice open so see the seeds inside.
"You will," Zeke said reassuringly.
"Until then allow us to help you," Chad said with a grin, "It all about creating good food from this point on, we do that and I can bet your ass we can fill this place up on a nightly bases."
"Gabriella," Taylor peeked into the kitchen, "The vendors for the liquor are here, they want to speak with you and Mr. Danforth." Taylor smiled lingered a little longer then needed as she motioned to Chad he lips pulling into a small smirk.
"We'll be right there can you take them up to the office?" Gabriella said with a knowing smile as she looked over at Zeke who was smiling as well.
Taylor nodded and left the kitchen the door swinging shut softly behind her. "She is one fine woman."
"She's single," Gabriella said with playfully. "I happen to know firsthand that she's knew to town and has not been on a date yet."
"Is that so?" Chad said eyeing Gabriella.
"Seems like the charity ball tonight might be a good place to have a first date," Gabriella said with a raising her brow, "Is that right Zeke?"
"Of course," he said with a chuckle as he took a chicken breast from the bowl. "You guys go deal with the vendor I'll start playing with the chicken and peppers."
"When you say it like that it sounds dirty," Chad said with a laugh as he began removing his apron.
Gabriella smiled as she followed suit removing her own apron and placing it on the hook before following Chad out of the kitchen. "Thank you so much for helping us out and for buying the restaurant," she said once she was walking by his side.
"It's okay, Costa Rica is beautiful place to visit but … and I'll deny this if he ask, but Troy was right. I miss being in surrounded by people and walking on paths that don't leave sand in your shoes." Chad said with a smirk as he watched Taylor come back to the bar from the stairs where she was filling out paper work, "I think I'm going to like it here."
Later that night done up in another designer gown, Gabriella sat tucked into the back corner of the limousine, watching the lights and windows pass in a blur. Eyes shifting to the opposite seat, she noted Troy sorting through the work he'd brought along when they picked him up from the office a few minutes ago.
"I can't believe they sent a limo," Troy said as he scrolled through his phone, "We could have driven here." He frowned and then looked back at the spread sheets in front of him. His flawless features intense, and yet nothing like the way he'd looked at her. Was it possible he'd been as deeply affected by the unexpected connection between them as she and it was just too much… too soon? He simply hadn't had a chance to get comfortable with it and had forced a step back? Maybe all he needed was time.
"Everyone was sent a limo, even Chad, Isabella and My mom," Gabriella said gently as she looked out the window again at all the scenery passing them by. He hadn't said I love you. She was liked appreciated, taken care of and adored but was she loved. Her eyes darted across the limousine once more. Maybe she was self-deluding fool. Everything in her heart told her that Troy was worth the risk, and having tasted how sweet it could be between them, she believed it.
"This numbers don't match up," he grumbled as he took out his phone again. It was as if she hadn't spoken.
The idea of the man she married turning off his emotions so suddenly, so completely, was terrifying… but she couldn't accept that Troy was capable of such callous indifference. Maybe all he needed was time to adjust, a little time and space to get his head around what was happening to his heart. She could wait. For him… for them. She would be the wife he wanted, until he realized what it was that he needed. Yes. They were worth it.
Gabriella turned back to the window blinking back tears that had come with her revelation and the certain soul-deep knowledge that everything was going to be fine. Suddenly she felt so much lighter.
"Look we're almost at the hotel, I can get this sorted out, I'll just double back to the office later tonight and crunch some of the numbers," his voice sounded tired. Gabriella looked over to see him rubbing some of the grogginess from his eyes as he spoke on the phone. His glasses were up on his head and he almost looked defeated. He murmured a thank you and hung up the phone letting out a long sigh.
"Troy," Gabriella said calmly as she reaching for his phone gently removing it from his hand. "Try to relax and have a good time." He watched her as she powered off his phone. "Maybe if we have a normal night out for once I wouldn't be so hesitant to consider your proposal," she offered him a small smile.
Troy let out a soft chuckle as he shuffled his paperwork back into his briefcase. "You're right," he said as removed his glasses and tucked them into his inside breast pocket. "This account is driving me crazy," he offered as he let out a sigh, "My father won't admit it but this is costing the company a great deal more then what it should and it's all because he wants the deal to be big."
Gabriella bit her bottom lip as she watched him relax his shoulders. "Maybe your father also has something to prove?"
"And he'll go broke before he admits it," Troy said with frown.
"All the more reason you should quit if you ask me," Gabriella leaned forward a little as she watched him quietly stare at the floor. "You're smarter than you think, stronger than you know and you're not alone."
Troy's eyes came up to meet hers the rush of emotion behind them took her by surprise and she let out a low gasp. He shifted coming to sit next to her and pulled her from the window to him so she was resting on his side. "I'm sorry," he said quietly resting his hand on hers.
"I'm always right," Gabriella murmured as she snuggled against him.
Troy lifted her chin to him so he could look at her, "If you don't stay, I don't know what I'll do."
"Then I suggest you never give me a reason to go," she said looking up at him in wonder and love that she felt deeper than she ever felt anything before.
She was flawless. By now Troy should have gotten use to how smoothly she fit into the fabric of his life. She had the entire crowd eating out of her hand with in minutes of their arrival. Her engaging smile and seemingly limitless supply of information about food, business, worldly issues and just everyday events, the authenticity he'd found so appealing, was a magnet to everyone around them. He didn't want to lose her. He just had to keep his head on straight so he didn't screw this up.
A round of laughter sounded from the group where Gabriella stood, the musical quality of her voice standing out to him above the others. Her slender fingers fanned wide at her neck as she tipped her head back, she was enjoying whatever story Lenny, his step mother's tennis coach, was sharing with the group. She was beautiful.
"I haven't seen you look this happy in all the time that I've known you," Maria's voice sounded as she came to stand next to him.
"Good evening Maria," he said nodding his head graciously as he turned to face her.
"My daughter is quite taken by you," she said looking over at Gabriella, "I haven't heard her laugh like that in years."
"Maybe my mother's tennis coach is really funny guy?" Troy offered looking over to where Gabriella was standing.
"Or it could be that you've made her genuinely happy," Maria protested as she lifted her glass of wine to her lips. "Her hair has a bounce to it that wasn't there before, her eyes have a sparkle that was once a dim shine and her skin looks flawlessly coated in a glow of love and confidence."
"She is quite a woman."
"I could say the same about you," Maria said looking up at him with a raised brow, "You look like a man in love."
Troy smiled as he felt a surge of happiness shoot through him, "I am,"
Maria placed a hand on his arm, "I am happy for both of you."
Troy nodded, "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to ask your daughter to dance." Walking towards his wife he smiled as her eyes glanced over towards him. Her features softened as she looked at him shyly, a faint blush on her cheeks. Once he was close enough he extended his hand, "Can I have this dance?"
Gabriella didn't respond, didn't have to when she placed her hand in his and he lead her away from the group of people with knowing smiles. It was almost like they were the only two in the room, no one else mattered. She came willingly to dance floor without pause, memories of their last dance coming to mind as they moved towards the center of the dance floor. His right hand came down to her waist as he roped her in against him and beginning to sway gently.
"You stealing all the light from the room," he whispered as he held up right hand up in his left.
"Am I?" she said coyly.
"I can only imagine that there isn't a man in the room who didn't wish he was me," he said with a soft laugh.
"You love it, don't you?" she teased as she followed his steps.
"Of course," Troy said spinning her around and wrapping his arms around her as he held her to his chest, "I want you to have fun tonight, just remember that the entire time your laughing it up, dancing with strangers and shyly refusing offers from the many men who will want to take you home," he said giving her a firm squeeze, "that I will be counting down the minutes until I can have you all to myself." His arms loosened enough for her to turn to face him.
"What if I don't want to dance with anyone else?" she said looking up at him as they continued to move.
"Then you're going to break a lot of hearts tonight," he said smiling down at her as he rocked her side to side. Troy leaned down to place a soft kiss on her lips tasting the wine from dinner on her lips. The warm brush of chardonnay on her breathe made her all the more delicious. "Please don't make me wonder about my offer," he said hovering above his lips, "every moment I wait feels like a day and days feel like lifetimes, I need to have you all to myself."
Gabriella's eyes flutter shut as she let out a sigh out of the corner of her eye she recognized David standing off to the side looking through the crowd. Panic laced through her and she quickly stood up straighter. "Troy I have to use the washroom, I'll be right back."
"Alright," Troy said softly a little disappointed.
Gabriella turned her attention back to him, "This conversation isn't over," she said reassuringly before moving away from him.
Troy nodded and just as he was about look up his step mother cut in, "I can I have this dance?"
"Cathy," he said with a smile, "You look amazing tonight."
Gabriella took the out with gratitude and raced over to David who looked mixed between relief and fright to see her. "What are you doing here?" she mumbled as she pushed him into a nearby room. She couldn't risk Troy knowing that he was here. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
"I just really need to talk to you," David said as he closed the door behind them. The room was dark, there was hardly any light than what was coming in from a nearby window. "Gabriella I need to tell you something and it's really important."
"Then what is it?" Gabriella said in a low whisper, "I told Troy I was going to the restroom, but I know him, he'll come looking for me if I take too long. The last thing on earth that I want right now is for him to find us locked in a room together."
"Do you love him?"
Gabriella let out huff as she looked at him with confusion coming over her features, "He's my husband," she said faintly, "Of course I love him."
David nodded as he shook out his hands, "I had no idea this would be this difficult, I just feel like I owe you an explanation."
"David, it's alright, what happened between us is over," Gabriella said as gently as possible, "To tell you the truth I'm relieved to even say it out loud."
"Gabriella I so sorry for all the pain I've caused you and-"
"Hey, it's okay, relax, you look like your hyperventilating," she said slowly, "it's fine I promise."
"It's just that I loved you so much," David said with a sigh of relief.
Gabriella smiled softly looking at him in the dim light, "Look while we're having this moment of clarity there is something I want to get off my chest as well," she said fidgeting a little with the hem of her dress, "Troy and I we have our share of problems, we only got married because he made a deal with my mother to save our restaurant," the room was quiet as she looked solemnly at the ground, "6 months ago if you would have came back and said all this I would have fallen apart completely in some hope that you would take me back but…I don't know something happened and I just fell in love with him."
"Wow," David said his shoulders falling in surprise.
"I know, I mean don't take this the wrong way but now I'm just really sick of the whole you and me thing and I would love it if we could just put it to rest and be friends. Because you were just a big part of my life, so much so that I'd hate to lose you."
"Gabriella,"
"Maybe I can talk to Troy and see if-"
"I slept with your sister."
Gabriella's entire body froze and she was caught off guard by the statement that seemed to topple out from his lips. "I'm sorry?"
"All those years ago, the reason I left." David rocked back on his heels, "I wanted to stay, I would have but I slept with your sister and it sort of just kept happening until we realized it was crazy and morally wrong, so I left."
Gabriella stomach fell in a free fall from her waist into her shoes and what felt like past that down into floor boards where it dripped to the floor below. "Why are you saying this now?" It was almost as if her body were computer system shutting down, her senses failing her until all she had left was the ability to stand and faintly hear him as he continued.
"Well we thought things were over between us, but when I came back we just picked up where we left off and I wanted to tell you, I've been meaning to tell you ever since I saw you that night at the restaurant but you looked so different and Isabella never told me about your marriage." David let out a sigh of relief, "Gabriella when I came back I realized that I'm in love with her and now she's pregnant and if it's alright with you I'd like your blessing because I want her to be my wife."
The room was quite as neither of them said anything for a while, her hand reached out to a nearby chair as she took a deep breath and thought about the last five years, the last heart breaking five years of her life that she spent pining away for this man who had left her because she choose her family over her own happiness when he had actually cheated on her with her own sister. Her hand instantly full to her stomach and she could feel the acid and wine in her stomach pushing its way back up.
"Gabriella, say something please?"
In a panic she ran past him out of the room and into the hall where she bumped right into Troy and surrendered herself into his arms, she didn't know why he was there or how he knew where she was but in that moment she was so grateful, so relieved, so embarrassed by the fact that he'd be right and she didn't care she just wanted him to hold her.
"It's alright," he said in a low voice as he held her tightly.
At that moment Isabella appeared from the bathroom wiping the sides of her mouth with a napkin as she held her stomach with her other hand. Gabriella stiffened the moment she saw her, pushing away from Troy and stepping towards her. In a blind rage all she saw was red as her hand lifted and before she knew it she had smacked her right across the face.
Isabella's body toppled over and Troy was there just in the nick of time to hold her upright before she lost her balance. "What the hell?" she said holding onto her face as she looked from Troy to Gabriella. Suddenly without a second thought Isabella was straighten abruptly as she stared at Gabriella pained expression and then at Troy's, "I can't believe you told her."
Gabriella features shifted as she looked back at Troy, her shoulders falling as hers darted between them while her mind connected the dots. "You knew?"
"Gabriella?" David came out from the room from behind them into the hall stopping at the scene before him. No one took another step as they all just stared at her while she started back at them. Her heart was pounding like a drum that she'd never heard before and her ears were ringing at defining pitch that had her temples beginning to throb.
Troy took the first step towards her, and she took two retreating steps back, causing him to stop. After another moment that felt like a moment to long Gabriella turned away from them making her way down the hall in a sprint that turned into a run as she made her way out through the side door and into a yard.
The darkness made it harder to see as she ran, bushing past the bushes and trees into a clearing. Turning around she seen Troy on running behind her, causing her to slow as she continued to power walk. She didn't know where she was going, couldn't even see the road from where she was or hear the music from the event anymore. It was just cold and dark and her heals were pinching her feet.
"Gabriella?" he shouted.
"Leave me alone," she said crossing her arms, "You knew and you didn't tell me."
"Wait up,"
"I can't believe I trusted you."
"Come on, you gotta stop running and talk to me."
Gabriella let out groan as she turned around on her heals causing Troy to also come to an abrupt stop. "How could you have not told me?"
"What was I suppose to say?" He countered as he tossed his arms up, his breath was labored.
"You let me make a fool of myself, you knew how I felt and you lied to me!" she said stomping her foot into the ground, "but then again why should I be surprised?" Gabriella said as she wrapped her arms around her to shield her from the cold. "It's what you do? You always lie or hold things in because then you can use it to manipulate me."
"I would never use this to manipulate you," Troy let out a sigh, "I know…" A muffled curse sounded as Troy's hand ran over his mouth, "I know you weren't… prepared for that."
Gabriella shook her head. No. Not even a little bit.
"I feel like a fool," she admitted, figuring one of them should offer up the whole truth.
"You're not a fool, they are, trust me if I expected that he was going to do that I would have-"
"What?"She demanded, "Bothered to tell me the truth? Shared the more damning details so I'd have a chance to be prepared if they ever came up?"
"I never lied to you?"
"And you didn't tell me the truth! Honestly how can I be your wife if I can't trust you?"
"Gabriella this doesn't change anything. All the reasons we make sense are still the same."
"I don't want to just make sense Troy!"
"Gabriella," he said trying to be calmer, "you're upset. Hurt. Embarrassed. I get it. But you're too smart to let one night dictate your future."
"You're right. I am too smart to let a single night of discomfort get in the way of something real. Of course, we're not talking about a single night, just like we aren't talking about something real. So don't even pretend we are."
Stiffening he took a step back. "Say it." Say it so that he could start working her back from this place he wasn't going to let them go.
Her shoulders squared. "I can't be the wife you want."
Too late. "You already are."
"Then maybe it's not me at all. Maybe it's you. Maybe you're not the husband I want."
Troy shifted his weight all the argument he'd been planning in his head abandoned him. They were to right together. They made too much sense. It was all this damn emotion he'd made it a point to avoid his whole life that was mucking everything up.
Troy was silent for a moment as he watched her staring at him. This was when he knew it was a lost. They were past the point of reasoning, past the point where she might be able to forgive him. "You know what?" Troy said in a defeated breath, "go ahead Gabriella, hate me," he said extending his arms in a shrug, "I think your running out of steam on this whole David thing anyway, so maybe now you can hang on to this long enough to ruin your next relationship."
Gabriella let out a small sob barely above a whisper as she watched him leave back to the party. The darkness consuming him and leaving her alone. She wanted to shout for his return, she wanted him to come back to her. To tell her that he loved her and would never leave her. The air rushed out from her lungs as she began to breathe faster the sobs tripping over themselves as they escaped her lips. In heavy heap she fell to the floor and covered her face as she let the sob escape.