Page 52 of A Billionaire for Christmas
‘Actually, I was just about to change into some clean chef’s whites and?—’
‘Nonsense. You look fine,’ said Valerie. ‘Besides, who have you got to impress here?’
Was no one in this family ever going to let her finish a sentence?
Molly ground her teeth. ‘I’d rather not. I’ll let you eat alone seeing as it’s your first…’
‘Join us,’ boomed Armand LeRoux. ‘Sit down. Can’t have you sitting in the dark on your own.’
Lucca scraped out a chair and sat down. ‘Well, I’m starving. I’d be happy to eat that pile of chocolate horse muck any day of the week, Freeds. I say, Molly, this looks spectacular.’ Lucca’s gaze roamed the table, back and forth, before settling on one of the silver platters. ‘Are you responsible for these amuse-bouches, or did you have them sent up from the resort before the avalanche?’
‘She made everything from scratch. I watched her. She’s very clever.’ Freda slung her arm around Molly’s shoulder, causing her to stiffen. She hated being the centre of attention.
Lucca picked up one of the hors d’oeuvres and inspected it. ‘These are like those aphrodisiacs everyone was raving about at the Cigar Lounge.’ He popped it in his mouth and groaned. ‘Merde!They’re delicious.’ Then, as though a penny was dropping, his eyes widened. ‘Do you work for the catering company that my brother has been looking into buying?’
Everybody turned to her.
‘It’s not just a catering company. We have Le Petit Ange restaurant too. We cater lots of different events as well as for the ski resort.’
‘Who trained you? Who’s in charge? Who is the executive chef?’ Valerie demanded.
Molly looked at them. They all assumed she was the hired help.
‘I don’t work for anyone. I am the company. I own it.’
‘Wait. YouownLe Petit Ange?’ Lucca asked.
‘Yes.’
‘My brother has been after that restaurant for years. It’s where he earned his nickname, Angelo. Mother, do you remember?’
‘I used to take you all there every morning during the holidays,’ Valerie mused. ‘They called him Little Angel, after the place, because he always helped tidy up. In fact, when he was ten, he promised to buy it for me when he was rich enough.’
Molly was struggling to see the angelic side of Levi. So far, he’d turned into more of a devil.
‘It’s the only restaurant in the whole of Val D’Amore he doesn’t own.’ Lucca looked beyond her, to Levi approaching. Molly sat up straight. This was not what she had anticipated. Especially not looking such a mess.
‘Just in time, Levi.’
‘Just in time for what?’ Levi gave Molly a cold, hard stare. He was probably wondering why she was there when he’d specifically instructed her not to be.
‘You owe me a finder’s fee.’
‘Do I?’ Levi was still glaring at Molly.
‘You know how you were struggling to track down the owner of the restaurant who makes all that yummy food and these delicious canapés? Well, you’re looking at her.’ Lucca tore his gaze from Levi back to Molly, a frown creasing his brow. ‘You’re also looking at her in the same way I would look at someone punching a dolphin in the face or trampling a baby kitten.’
Silence.
‘Levi,’ Freda injected. ‘What on earth is going on between you two?’
‘Nothing,’ Levi and Molly replied in unison.
Levi shook his head slowly, giving Molly a sour look. ‘And you didn’t think to mention this to me, even though I spent an awful lot of time at the hunting lodge asking about your catering business? You let me divulge sensitive information and didn’t think it appropriate to tell me you’re its CEO? In my world that’s very underhand.’
Molly bit her lip. She would find it hard to come up with an excuse under normal circumstances, never mind with the entire family watching her like a hawk.
‘You told me you never mix business and pleasure. I was… I was waiting for a good time.’ She had other things on her mind during her stay at the hunting lodge, or had he forgotten?
