worked soundlessly for a moment. This was not the reply she had expected. She wasn’t even sure why Harvey would be discussing such details of his business affairs with her. She frowned, aware the confusion was showing on her face.
‘I don’t understand.’
‘I’ll be honest with you, Trudy. I’m spending two or more days a week in this part of the country with Billy because he’s now one of my most successful clients. I’m not complaining. It’s a pleasant part of the world. I like the company and the food. But I’d like to do something to make my visits up here more profitable.’
His words didn’t make sense. ‘What do you want from me?’
‘I want to take you on as a client.’
Her mobile buzzed softly again. She ignored it.
‘You want to take me on as a client? What sort of client?’
Harvey had torn the muffin in two. He sniffed doubtfully at the contents. He was about to eat a piece when he paused and considered her. He raised a single eyebrow and asked, ‘Is there really pumpkin in this?’
‘Of course not.’
She struggled not to snap the response. Why did everyone seem to think there was pumpkin in pumpkin-pie spice? No one ever thought there was mud in a Mississippi Mud Pie. No one expected to find toads in toad-in-the-hole. Why were people only so literal when it came to pumpkin-pie spice?
‘It’s a coffee muffin seasoned with pumpkin-pie spice.’
She wanted to ask him again how she could possibly be one of his clients when he represented media celebrities. But more importantly, now he was responding to the muffin, she wanted to hear what he had to say about the dessert.
Warily, Harvey tasted a small piece.
The doubts didn’t vanish from his face but he nodded slowly and thoughtfully.
‘The coffee flavour’s subtle,’ he said. ‘And those spices are divine.’
‘Is the coffee flavour too subtle?’
She wondered if that was the aspect that her senses said were missing. She’d used Coffea Canephora beans to make the blend. They lacked the stronger and more complex flavours of Arabica beans. Was it possible she needed to make the coffee a stronger and more potent flavour?
‘Or do you think there’s too much ginger?’ she asked suddenly. That had been another of her worries when she’d been working on the muffins. ‘Ginger can be overpowering unless it’s used in just the right amount. Then again, the nutmeg needed balancing –’
He placed a hand on hers, cutting her off.
She stopped herself rambling. She could see the confusion on his face. It was an expression she was used to seeing when she started to discuss the mechanics of her profession with people who didn’t work in a kitchen.
‘Sorry,’ she mumbled. ‘Sometimes I get a little carried away.’
Harvey offered an apologetic grin and put the muffin down. ‘I know nothing about flavours,’ he apologised. ‘I know that this tastes very pleasant, but that’s as far as my expertise goes.’ He shrugged and added, ‘I used to smoke when I was younger and more foolish. Whatever discerning palate I did have got spoiled long, long ago.’
She flashed an understanding smile.
‘You, however,’ he went on, ‘have a talent in the kitchen. I think it’s a talent we could exploit. This is why I want to take you on as a client.’
‘As a client? Doing what?’
‘Doing what you love.’
For a brief instant she wondered if he was talking about the way she loved having Bill spank her backside. She shook her head before the idea could colour her cheeks with blushes. The thought was outrageous. Who the hell would want to hear her talking about something like that?
‘I don’t understand what you’re asking me.’
‘I’ve been contacted by a couple of magazines that are looking for a female columnist. There’s also a producer who’s asked me if I had someone like you on my books –’
‘A producer?’ Didn’t producers usually make films?
She didn’t give Harvey a chance to respond to her interruption. ‘Someone like me?’ What did that mean? Blonde? A size ten? Scorpio? ‘I don’t understand,’ she complained. ‘You’ll have to break this down into the simplest terms for me. I’m not that bright.’
Harvey shook his head. His smile was patient. ‘Billy said you were modest.’
‘I have a lot to be modest about,’ she said.
He laughed, but Trudy didn’t smile. She hadn’t been joking.
‘I didn’t think I was being modest,’ she admitted. ‘What are you asking of me, Harvey?’
This time his laughter was full and genuine. ‘You’re a successful entrepreneur,’ he explained. ‘Sweet Temptation is already a well-known national brand and it hasn’t finished its first year of trading. You’re also working in a prestigious Michelin restaurant. From what Billy tells me, three days of the week you’re here in the esteemed role of chef de cuisine.’
Trudy shrugged. It only sounded like a big deal when other people talked about her career. To her it felt like nothing more than the things she usually did through the day. Harvey was talking as though her working week was some sort of phenomenal achievement.
‘Who’d want to know about stuff like that?’
Harvey laughed and picked up the tablet he’d taken from his jacket pocket. He was from Bill’s era – a mature man twice her age. And yet he handled the sleek technology with the assured confidence of a teenage gamer. The glossy tablet did not look out of place in his large, masterful hands. It looked as though it belonged there.
He opened a screen and started to show her the text of an article written by one of Trudy’s favourite celebrity chefs. Before she had read halfway through the column – a piece of writing that sat somewhere between a diary and a recipe – Harvey had opened a second screen and was showing her a similar feature from another noted culinary expert.
Her first thought was: there are a lot of celebrity chefs out there. This was followed by a puzzled question. How many webpages had Harvey prepared in readiness for this casual conversation?
‘I have two national newspapers currently interested in hosting a weekly column from a female chef who knows what she’s talking about,’ Harvey told her. ‘I’d love to put your name forward for one of those positions.’
Trudy hesitated.
It sounded glamorous and exciting. If she wrote for a newspaper it would be an additional piece of income and it might be something Sweet Temptation could use to add prestige to their brand name. But would it be sensible to take on the extra responsibility?
She wondered if she should consult with Bill and then realised
