Page 77 of The Chef

“Good. I don’t want to be the center of any silly rumors.”

“Well, you’ve caused quite a stir, Bay.”

“A stir? How?”

“It’s a rare person to tame a Finn, especially someone like Cliff.”

I snort at her comment. I can’t believe it. Me? Cliff? Tamed? “I haven’t tamed him,” I reply.

“You sure? He seems much happier with you than he has at any time since I’ve known him, including when he dated that supermodel.”

“You mean Cleo Dash?”

Ripley rolls her eyes at the name. “Ah. So, you’ve heard about that?”

“Yeah, he told me about her.”

“Well, he’s kept that a pretty close secret from everyone else, including his own family.”

“Yeah?”

“He doesn’t talk about it, not at all with any of us.”

“Really?”

“But he’s told you,” Ripley replies with a smirk. “See, as I said. Tamed.”

I laugh again. I like this American girl. She’s sassy and witty, with a clever glint in her eye. She’s smarter than she lets on. “I don’t think Tamed is the word I would use.”

“Trust me, I’ve been in your position before with a Finn boy. I know a fellow lion-tamer when I see one.”

“Ha.”

I really like her.

“How about a drink?” I ask. “Away from the boys. I keep a very nice bottle of wine hidden in the kitchen if you’d like a glass.”

Ripley clasps her hands together in joy. I think she likes wine as much as I do. “Oh, I’d love to.”

* * *

We spend the next hour happily gossiping together in the kitchen, surrounded by the chefs putting the finishing touches on the party food. We sit up on the kitchen counter, sharing my secret bottle of wine. The alcohol flows freely and so do our lips full of talk.

“I haven’t told Cliff about this,” I say, gesturing at my stash of good wine.

Ripley’s eyes light up as she spins her glass around, observing the liquid swivel. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep it between us. It’s our little secret.”

I take a big sip from my own glass. “So, Cliff tells me you’re a nurse. What made you come to Australia? What made you come all the way to New Water, of all places.”

Ripley nods in the direction of the bar. “Him.”

“Ah, I see.”

“You know, I hated Cove at first. I thought he was a right dick.”

“That’s what I thought of Cliff at first.”

“It’s the Finn men. First impressions are always wrong when it comes to them.”