Where the Light Glows Read online

  “Wow, that looks delicious,” Nancy said. Her gaze danced between the two of them.

  Mel pulled her eyes away and cleared her throat. “Yes, it does. Umm…thank you, Izzy.”

  Izzy slid the pasta on the table and set an empty plate in front of each of them.

  “Wow, this is special. I’ve never had the chef bring my meal out personally before,” Nancy remarked.

  “Well, they know me here,” Mel said coyly.

  “Besides, she and my little sister didn’t get off on the right foot the last time she waited on her.” Mel snapped her head up, and Izzy was immediately caught by sparkling emerald-green eyes. “But in any case, I’m happy to attend to you personally anytime.” Did I just say that? Jesus, what a stupid line.

  “That’s sweet, but unnecessary.” Mel’s voice came out in a whisper as her eyes darted from Izzy to the food and back again.

  “Is there anything else I can do for you?” Izzy said, holding Mel’s gaze and tipping her lips up slightly.

  “I can think of a number of things you can do for me.” Nancy’s voice was low and sultry, but Izzy didn’t shift her attention from Mel.

  “No. I think we’re fine for now.”

  Izzy watched as the heat seemed to transfer from her own face to Mel’s. “Enjoy your meal, ladies.” She broke the connection and glanced over at Nancy.

  Izzy turned and strolled back to the kitchen. The need for another look at the woman with the beautiful green eyes pressed her. She glanced back over her shoulder and found Mel watching her. Yes! She pushed through the kitchen door and moved directly to the bar door, pushed it open a crack, and peered out. All Mel had done was look at her, and her heart was beating so fast it was about to explode in her chest. It wasn’t just any look. Something had happened between them. She wasn’t sure what it was, but it was definitely something. She glanced at the woman sitting with her. Not a bad looker, she thought, but subtlety didn’t seem to be her best quality.

  *

  Nancy’s eyes widened. “What the hell was that?”

  “What?” Nancy was scrutinizing Mel with her glare as she veered her eyes to her plate. She’d known Nancy would have lots of questions after Izzy left the table.

  “The ‘I’m happy to attend to you personally anytime,’ that’s what.”

  “Just a little harmless banter.”

  “That was more than banter, missy. That was an invitation.”

  “No, surely not.” Mel watched Izzy as she left the table. Dressed in a red, short-sleeved chef’s coat and black cargo pants, she had an unbelievably sexy confidence about her as she crossed the room. Izzy turned back momentarily and shot her a sexy smile before heading into the kitchen. Zing! There was that feeling again. Was it an invitation?

  “Uh, yes, it was. Now what are you gonna do about it?” Nancy’s full attention was on her as she pressed for an answer.

  Mel rubbed the back of her neck, trying to suppress the flaming heat rushing over it. “Nothing.” Absolutely nothing.

  “Because of Jack? We both know how that’s working out for you.” Nancy picked up her fork and twirled her pasta against the spoon. “You should hightail it into that kitchen and get her number right this minute.”

  “I already have her number.” Mel sipped her wine, batting her lashes as she looked over it at Nancy. “She gave it to me last week.”

  Nancy let out a low growl. “A woman like that gives you her number and you don’t use it? Okay, now I know you’re crazy.” She slid a forkful of pasta into her mouth. “And she cooks too. This is delicious. If you’re not interested, maybe I’ll ask her out.”

  “Oh,” Mel lifted a brow as she ripped off a chunk of sour dough bread. “Did she give you her number too?”

  “Ha, you’re so funny. I think we need to have lunch again tomorrow so you can tell me more about your personal chef.”

  “Can’t. I’m busy tomorrow.” She motioned for Nancy to pass the butter.

  “With work again? You can’t keep skipping meals. You’re already practically skin and bones.”

  “Well, thank you for that wonderful compliment. But I won’t be skipping any meals. I have plans tomorrow with a friend.”

  “Another new friend?”

  “One of the ladies from the community center invited me to lunch.” She wasn’t about to tell her it was Izzy’s mother. That would add a whole new pile of complications to the conversation.

  “Then how about Wednesday?”

  “I’ll be eating at my desk Wednesday. I have a conference call with Rick I can’t miss.”

  “Hmm, he calls you beautiful all the time, she wants to attend to you…it must be nice to be so wanted.” Nancy gave her a sly smile. “So, what are you gonna do?”

  “I told you, I’m not going to do anything. Now stop quizzing me and let me eat my pasta while it’s still hot.”

  *

  Mel locked the deadbolt behind her as she entered her house and then dropped her keys on the entryway table. Her shoulders were tight and her feet were sore. It had been a long day. She’d thought Nancy would never finish eating. She kept dragging the evening out, cross-examining Mel between each bite. She felt like she was being interrogated about something she had no inside intel on. Thankfully, Ann called looking for her, and she realized how late it was. The next time they went to dinner, she planned to meet Nancy at the restaurant rather than ride together. That way she could make her escape from the inquisition more easily.

  She slid into her empty bed and closed her eyes. She was exhausted, but she couldn’t sleep. All she could think about were those piercing blue eyes staring at her earlier. The familiar feeling hit her midsection. Izzy Calabrese had left an impression on her tonight, and Mel wasn’t quite sure what to do about it. She ran through the evening again in her head. The way Izzy had stared at her was definitely intentional and had made Mel very anxious. The way her body had reacted made her freak out. She’d never had thoughts about a woman like this before and was totally confused. It wasn’t that she didn’t notice attractive women, but this dizzy feeling was like nothing she’d ever experienced before. The way the heat rose in her body, she’d been barely able to keep her composure.

  She thought about her ten-year relationship with Jack. She’d never had that feeling with him. The thought of divorcing Jack had crossed her mind more than once over the years, but it always faded. She was fairly certain it wouldn’t disappear this time.

  Chapter Six

  Izzy took a deep breath and let it escape her lips slowly. She didn’t get out of the car; she’d been dreading this all morning. It had been a while since she’d been alone in a room with Dana. More than three months to be exact. Emotions fired rapidly inside her. Anger, hurt, sadness, then anger again. She wasn’t quite sure she could handle it. “It’s now or never.”

  She stepped through the door of Gustoso to find Dana waiting at the bar. “You said you had some of my things?”

  Dana strutted behind the bar and hoisted a box on top. “Can we talk for a minute?”

  “You can talk all you want.” Izzy picked up the box.

  “Izzy, can’t you just be civil for once?”

  She dropped the box back down on the bar and thought about giving Dana an earful of civility, but it would just make her feel worse. “You’ve got ten minutes.”

  “Will you at least sit down?”

  “I’d rather not.”

  Dana moved around the bar. “I miss you.”

  “What do you want, Dana?”

  “I made a mistake. I want to come home.”

  “I don’t think so. You made what you wanted pretty clear. Now that you have your own restaurant to run, you can see how much time it takes.”

  “Please, Izzy. Just give me another chance. I’ll give you half my share of this place, and we’ll have two successful restaurants.”

  “What about Jess?”

  “I’m going to break it off with her.”

  “But you haven’t yet.”


  “I can’t very well get rid of her. She’s put a lot of work into this place.”

  “If you want any part of me, she has to go.”

  “So, if I let her go, you’ll give me another chance?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “Then what did you say?”

  “I didn’t say anything about another chance. I just asked what you were willing to give up. As usual, you’re not willing to sacrifice anything that matters.”

  “That’s not fair. As I recall, you weren’t willing to compromise on anything that mattered to me.”

  “You know I can’t run a restaurant without being there.”

  “You can’t be the chef at both places, and you know she does all the cooking here. This restaurant can’t survive without her recipes.”

  “You mean my recipes.”

  “She may have started with yours, but she’s tweaked them enough to make them her own.”

  “That’s a laugh. She would’ve never been able to make any recipe her own if I hadn’t taught her how to cook.”

  “You can’t fault her for being a good student.”

  “No, but I can fault her for fucking my girlfriend.”

  “Damn it, Izzy. Does it always have to come back to that? I’m sorry. I fucked up.”

  “That’s the one thing we agree on.”

  The door flew open and Jess rushed in. “Sorry I’m late. I hit traffic on Miller.” She stopped when she saw Izzy. “Hey, Izzy. What’s going on?”

  “She just stopped by to pick up a few of her things.” Dana glanced at Izzy. “Right?”

  Un-fucking-believable. One minute she was begging for Izzy’s forgiveness, and the next she was silently pleading with her not to tell her girlfriend. “Right.” Izzy pinched her lips together and brushed by Jess. “I gotta go.”

  Dana followed her to the door. “So, you’ll think about my offer?”

  “You have got to be kidding.”

  Visions of Dana and Jess together flashed through Izzy’s head. It was partly her fault for not paying enough attention. But she didn’t have forgiveness in her yet and didn’t know if she ever would. The smiles. The flirtations. She should’ve seen it. Everyone else did. Izzy was so wrapped up in keeping both restaurants running, she’d had no clue.

  She pulled open the back door of her SUV and tossed the box inside. Was she ever truly in love with Dana, or was it the embarrassment that stung so much? She didn’t really know the answer to that, but now that Dana was her competition, she was even more determined to keep Bella’s a success.

  *

  It was seven thirty, and Mel sat behind her cherrywood desk looking at the crystal clock perched on the corner as the seconds ticked away. She’d been watching it for at least twenty minutes, dreading the thought of going home to a big, empty house. The office was silent; Nancy and the rest of the staff had gone home hours ago.

  She rummaged through her purse to find her keys and came across the napkin Izzy had slipped her last week. It appeared to be her home or cell number; it wasn’t the number for the restaurant. Mel knew that one because she’d called it many times. She reached for the phone and hesitated a minute before picking it up and punching in the number. She flattened the napkin on the desk in front of her and reasoned with herself. It was just a phone call. What could it hurt?

  Four rings and no answer. Izzy was probably working tonight. She put in the first three numbers of the restaurant and then hit the reset button. God, this is stupid. I shouldn’t listen to Nancy. There’s no way a beautiful woman like Isabel Calabrese is interested in me. She slapped her laptop closed. And what the hell am I doing even thinking about it? She let out a sigh as she fanned her fingers out and stared at the wedding ring strangling one of them.

  She thought about her ordinary life. She thought about Jack. Why was it so hard to leave him? Because he was safe. She knew what to expect both when he was gone and when he got home. There were no surprises, no lingering emotions to tamp down. Without the first two, no hidden desires lurked deep in her soul. After ten years, she’d fallen out of love with her husband.

  In the midst of feeling sorry for herself, she yanked her laptop out of the docking station. Though she dreaded going home to her empty house, she knew she could at least get some more work done this evening. Work always made the weekend go faster.

  *

  Saturday, Mel spent most of the day at her kitchen table in front of her laptop reviewing the new website contract Nancy had been working on. It was coming along well, but Nancy still needed a history write-up from the owner and a few more pictures to get the website started. She shot off an email to Nancy with her thoughts and closed her laptop. She’d told Nancy she didn’t need to run contracts by her anymore. She was very capable of making decisions without Mel’s input, but Nancy still asked her anyway. She supposed it was a courtesy Nancy extended since Mel was the owner of the company and technically her boss, even though she never pulled rank on her. Mel hadn’t eaten since she’d grabbed a couple of sticks of cheese for lunch around noon, and by eight o’clock, she was starving. She rummaged through the refrigerator for something to eat, but of course, she found nothing except cheese, cheese, and more cheese. She could do only so much with that. She tossed it back onto the shelf. Time for a grocery run. Mel loved to cook when she had time, but to even attempt it, she needed food.

  She intended to go to the store but somehow found her car on autopilot headed for Bella’s Trattoria. Before she knew it, she was standing in the alley behind the restaurant and knew she wasn’t here just for the food. She’d done her best to stay away for the past few days, but she wanted some company tonight. Was it a crime to want to have a conversation with someone? To share a smile? To feel good about something? She leaned against the brick wall thinking—no, hoping Izzy would wander out the door. Two boys on skateboards flew by, and she suddenly felt foolish. Lurking around the workplace of this woman like she’d developed some kind of schoolgirl crush. Get a grip, Mel! What are you, fifteen? Go home. Izzy doesn’t want to see poor, pitiful you. Just as she popped away from the wall, the metal door clanged open, startling her.

  “Hey.” Izzy smiled as she came out the door. “What are you doing out here?”

  “I was going to fix myself something to eat but realized I didn’t have any food in the house. I got busy working and forgot to go to the grocery store.”

  “I didn’t see you come through the front.”

  “I parked and walked around. I’m not really dressed for the restaurant tonight.” She motioned to her black yoga pants and white cap-sleeved T-shirt.

  “You look great.” Izzy grinned as she swept the length of her body with her gaze. “You were still working this late?” She lifted the lid of the dumpster and heaved a bag of trash into it.

  “Deadlines.”

  “What do you do at work?” She strolled to the concrete barrier, hiked herself up onto it, and patted the spot next to her. She smiled, and Mel fixed her gaze on the adorable dimples denting her cheeks.

  “I handle public relations and do a little custom website design here and there.” Mel planted her palms on the concrete and lifted herself up next to Izzy.

  “That sounds complicated.” She pulled her brows together.

  “Not really, once you get the hang of it.”

  “I probably couldn’t do it.” Izzy bumped her shoulder, and Mel couldn’t help the giddy feeling that came over her. Jesus Christ. I am fifteen.

  “I probably couldn’t make pasta like you do either,” Mel said, looking down at her feet as they bounced against the concrete.

  “So we’re in agreement?” Izzy held out her hand. “You won’t go in to the restaurant business, and I won’t go in to PR and web design.”

  “Agreed,” Mel said, shaking her hand.

  Neither of them released her grip right away. Mel found herself captured by a pair of dark-sapphire eyes. She watched as Izzy’s gaze skittered down to her lips and back again, and her stomach flip-f
lopped. Mel kneaded her lip between her teeth, fighting the urge to move closer. After an awkward moment, Mel drew her hand back. “I almost came by last night, but I figured you were probably busy.”

  “Weekends are always busy.”

  “Right.” She slid off the concrete. “You’re probably just as busy tonight.”

  “No, wait.” Izzy hopped off the wall and grabbed her by the arm.

  Mel stood speechless as the tingle from Izzy’s touch zapped through her.

  “I’m glad you’re here.” Izzy didn’t release her arm.

  A flash of heat rushed Mel. Her heart thumped loudly as she decided to step closer.

  “Ay, Iz, we’ve got some orders in.” Mel jumped, stepping back when a man stuck his head out the doorway and shouted.

  “I’ll be right back.” Izzy brushed the back of Mel’s hand with her fingers before heading back into the kitchen.

  What the hell are you doing here, Mel? She breathed in and out quickly, dizzying herself. She was just about ready to hightail it when Izzy came back through the doorway with a glass of red wine.

  “Here, you wanna come in?” Izzy motioned through the door to the bustling kitchen behind her. “I’ll just be a few minutes more.”

  “Uh, no. I’ll wait here.” She took a couple of sips of wine and settled back against the concrete, enjoying the moonlight and the tempered light of the old nautical copper lanterns mounted on the building.

  After more than just a few minutes, Izzy came back through the door “Sorry, had a four top,” she said, leaning on the concrete next to Izzy.

  “These old lanterns are beautiful.” Mel wandered over and examined the patina that had formed on them. “How old are they?”