Page 23 of All For You

“Oh shit.” Bloody Darcy, as I’d worried. Not ideal when I had to win this afternoon excursion. I clapped a hand over my mouth. Even if he was rude, I didn’t have to stoop to his level. Still, I couldn’t hide my dismay.

Emma looked as annoyed as me and argued immediately with Knightley about what they should make. Over on the banquette, Wills was grinning at Jane. She inclined her head diffidently, but I could tell she was delighted too.

I had to uncurl my lip as I checked Darcy’s reaction. He was grimacing. He looked as appalled as me, which irrationally made me feel even angrier, even though I was the one who’d made it clear I was pissed off first.

“You have ninety minutes to prepare lunch,” Trystan said.

“Oh shit. It’ll take me that long to shower and change,” Emma said.

“What about a reasonable nine minutes instead?” Knightley said, and Emma made a face at him.

“Come and see me,” Trystan said. “I should have most ingredients.”

I grabbed another coffee to steel myself for the next couple of hours withhim. I considered all the recipes I knew that would bridge breakfast and lunch. Jane and Wills were making dessert, so we couldn’t opt for something sweet like pancakes or French toast. It had to be something savory. Knightley had collected the eggs, blue and green and brown, sitting prettily in an old bowl, so omelets, though unoriginal, made the most sense. We had a hope of winning but only if I took charge. Darcy needed to follow my lead. I couldn’t imagine he’d spent much time cooking.

Darcy gave me a short nod. “Okay, let’s head to the store.”

Was there no end to his rudeness? Bossing me around like I was his PA. Actually, I hoped he didn’t speak to his PA like that.

“We don’t have time for the store. Lunch is in ninety minutes.”

Jane and Wills were already in the kitchen, and Trystan was showing them seasonal fruits. If I knew Jane, she’d opt for something incredibly simple. She was into fresh ingredients and easy meals you could teach to eight-year-olds, which she did at school.

“Trystan says he has most ingredients we’ll need,” I said. The camera drew closer to us.

Cupping my elbow, Darcy drew me into a corner. I was so taken aback I let him lead me over. Was he trying to get away from the camera?

He showed me his phone. “This is an old family recipe. Tried and true. We call it Chicken Wainwright. It’s unbelievable.”

Calling a recipe after your family. Was that endearing or…pretentious? I looked down at the recipe. Pretentious. This was not eggy bread with sugar sprinkles. “Pastry with a complicated chicken mix inside that includes anchovies and truffles. My head is spinning.” I peered closer. “And something called heart nuts. So many ingredients and so many instructions.”

He harrumphed impatiently. “How badly do you want to win?” he challenged me.

I narrowed my eyes at his tone.

“Sorry,” he murmured. This time, his voice was almost apologetic. “Do you want to win?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Why?”

The question didn’t sound like a challenge—it felt like he genuinely wanted to know.

“Because from the description, it seems as if someone at the production company has done a lot of research to curate an unusual romantic escape, probably using unlimited funds because this is TV, which adds up to an afternoon I couldn’t afford to reproduce myself. All to say, this might be the inspiration for my next book.”

He nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, I see. That makes sense.”

“What about you? Why do you want the prize? Why are you so keen to spend four hours with me?”

He did a double take.

CHAPTER 12

Darcy

“Oh,” I said.

She’d genuinely taken me by surprise. That winning this prize would mean spending four hours with her hadn’t occurred to me. All I knew was I needed to win to make sure Wills didn’t, because that would mean he would go off with Jane for four hours and I couldn’t keep an eye on them.