“Who knew designing some liberal arts cafeterias would lead to this?” I said taking a sip.

“Modesty does not become you. Besides, you have this special ability to recognize the vibe of a place. Even cafeterias. You have the eye. You can see. And you go in and create magic.” This was high praise coming from Julian. I sat there just taking the moment in and sipping his excellent wine.

“One other little thing.” He stopped. He wanted my full attention.

“Don’t keep me in suspense,” I said, putting the glass of wine down.

“Your men have called and are ready to open up another establishment.” My heart beat so fast I thought I might need a defibrillator.

“They didn’t mention it to me at Christmas,” I said.

“They still know the pecking order around here,” Julian reminded me.

“What do they want to create?”

“They want to kick it up a notch. A tasting menu in conjunction with Griffin’s wine selection for each course. I need your expertise. You have unique insight.” He smiled at his compliment.

Then I said, “NOIR? ROUGE?” We drank our wine while exhausting the color wheel possibilities.

“What was it you wanted to tell me?”

“Nothing. Just that I am on schedule.” Julian shot up a dubious expression. I struggled being happy for my men but wondered when I could begin my solo career. At least I had a few more accomplishments to add to my expanding résumé.

Chapter Seven

I ended up telling Griffin and Henry separately. After all, VERT was in full swing with customers demanding food and drink. The girls were both home on this rare dateless and work-driven night.

“Let’s crack open a bottle of Sausalito’s finest,” I started. I began with the boys’ news, then the nomination for the liberal arts college cafeteria, and ended with the 40 Under 40 award.

“Why do you always refer to this wine as Sausalito’s finest?” Elle asked.

I deflected her question. “I think it’s pretty good wine. How was your day?”

In truth, I still navigated some conversations with the girls carefully. It was all still new for me. I was a very private person. I suppose my life had made me that way. Could I tell them about Griffin? What would they think? That we were friends with benefits? A convenient hook up? A booty call? I wasn’t sure myself.

I reflected on Sausalito’s finest. It was the perfect marriage of food and memory.

Because Daddy had given Henry money for VERT, he had given me money for a trip. I chose San Francisco because of the fine dining, and like Mr. Browning said, one’s “reach should exceed his grasp.” I had rented a cozy little apartment so I could experience the dining opportunities. Julian had given me a list of restaurants to make it easier.

I was just waking up my third morning in San Francisco when I received a text from Griffin. “Check out your front door.” I jumped out of bed, ran to the door, and opened it. Griffin was standing in front of me. “Surprised?” Ordinarily, I hated surprises, but this was one I could learn to like. We embraced and kissed tenderly, then deeply, right there on the doorstep in public view. Clearly, we were not ourselves. Clearly, I was not in work mode trying to impress Julian, and neither was Griffin. Before I knew it, we were together. Our bodies were connecting and exploring familiar terrain. Later, Griffin said, “This is one seedy apartment.” I laughed. Here’s the thing about Griffin Hardwick: one of his charming contradictions was that he could go weeks without getting a haircut, letting it grow so that you could almost pull it back in a ponytail, but he preferred a nice hotel with good room service. I said, “You should just live in a Four Seasons.”