Unmasking Juliet Read Free Page A

down at her champagne and, for the first time, noticed the Royal Gourmet Distributors company logo on the glass. Why a food company—gourmet or otherwise—needed engraved champagne glasses was a mystery she couldn’t fathom. Of course, the limousine itself didn’t exactly scream practicality, either. The one time she’d asked George about it, he’d shrugged it off and said something about image being everything. Royal Gourmet wasn’t just any food distributor. George’s business catered to the most exclusive eateries in Northern California. His clients owned the sort of places where people waited months to get reservations. Restaurants like La Toque, Ad Hoc and the biggest jewel in Royal Gourmet’s crown, The French Laundry.
    “I’ve been looking forward to tonight for quite some time.” He cleared his throat and straightened his already-straight tie.
    “You have?” He’d been looking forward to a party thrown by the Mezzanottes? They were about to be plunged into the den of vipers as her father liked to call them. What was there to look forward to besides an awkward evening of forced merriment?
    “Yes. Here we are, all dressed up. Alone.” He took her hand in his. “You look beautiful, by the way.”
    Juliet looked down at her dress—midnight-blue, sprinkled with tiny rhinestones on a ruched bodice that led to miles of frothy tulle. She’d found it in her favorite vintage shop in Yountville, just around the corner from Arabella Chocolate Boutique, and was struck by the whimsy of it, even though part of her wondered if George would find it too quirky. Apparently, he didn’t.
    “Thank you. You look rather handsome yourself.” She smiled demurely behind her champagne flute.
    They didn’t normally talk like this. Had George ever told her she looked beautiful? She didn’t think so. He’d said as much about her chocolate creations on countless occasions. But that was to be expected. Her truffles and other confections were drool-worthy. And Royal Gourmet was responsible for getting those chocolates into Napa’s finest restaurants, so it was completely normal for him to take an interest in her work to the extent that he did.
    Sometimes, though, she wondered what it might feel like to be considered drool-worthy herself.
    “I’ve been thinking....” George ran his thumb in a gentle circle over the back of Juliet’s hand. It was another atypically tender move.
    Finally.
    She should have been thrilled. She’d begun to wonder if they were dating or if they were just business associates who hung out together on the occasional Saturday night. Not that George didn’t treat her well. On the contrary, he was a perfect gentleman at all times. That in itself was part of the problem.
    She’d seen more passion from him when he bit into a chocolate-dipped pretzel than he’d ever displayed on the handful of occasions when they’d come close to sleeping together.
    She was keenly aware of the fact that it took a special man to put up with her unique profession. And in that department, she and George were a perfect match. He never complained when she was late for a date simply because she’d lost track of time and got caught up in the kitchen. Special holidays like New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day weren’t times to be spent on romantic getaways, but days she worked her longest hours. The week of Easter, she’d made so many chocolate bunnies she’d begun to see them in her dreams. She’d drifted off once during a movie with her head on George’s shoulder and awakened from a nightmare of an army of chocolate rabbits with bite marks on their ears coming after her.
    George had soothed her back to sleep and given her a rundown of the movie’s plot on the way home in the limo. He never made demands on her, even when they went weeks without seeing one another. The relationship might be lacking in the sparks department, but it was easy. And that went a long way, especially during February when she and her family