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have you guys pair up. We’re going to put a few quick skills to the test.”
    Taryn turned to the fair haired young man beside her. His eyes lit up when he noticed she was looking his way.
    “Henri, right?” she said as she remembered his introduction.
    “Oui,” he said. “Yes. We work together, no? Umm… Taryn.”
    She instantly fell in love with his French accent and his charming manner. Though she estimated he was a year or two younger than her, he seemed strong and capable. “That’d be great, and you can call me Taryn.”
    “Very good, Taryn. You have la passion for cuisine like me,” Henri said as the remainder of the students tried to find suitable companions.
    “I can’t imagine myself doing anything else.”
    “Just like me. I come from a small town. A bit far from Paris. I think my father would have preferred I stay on the farm and tend to his herd of cows. Thankfully my mother had bigger plans for me.”
    “I hope your father wasn’t too upset.”
    “He wanted me to stay, but I think, deep down, he’s happy for me.”
    The class finally settled down and Errol shouted out a series of demands, all to be precisely executed within the shortest amount of time. Several students seemed completely befuddled by the string of requests, while others cursed at their inability to execute properly.
    “A mirepoix ,” Errol called out.
    Taryn grabbed a handful of carrots and celery while Henri reached for the onion. They chopped madly for sixty seconds then tossed everything into a hot saucepan.
    Grinning, they silently congratulated one another. They finished every task first while one other pair was often a close second. On more than one occasion, Taryn caught their glare of open disdain.
    “I don’t think they like us,” Henri noted as Errol barked out another order.
    Taryn began trimming the cut of beef they’d been assigned. “I didn’t come here to be liked,” she said with a shrug.
    “I think I’m going to like working with you,” Henri said with a playful grin.
    “Good,” she said. “I like working with you, too.”
    “Tomorrow we’ll take a look at haute cuisine terminology.” Errols words sounded unusually harsh. “I thought we could by-pass that, but seeing the looks on your faces when I mentioned a few terms today, I’ve reconsidered.”

Chapter 4
    Errol watched Taryn and Henri with keen interest. While he tried to make it look like it was their work he scrutinized, he became aware of staring at Taryn on more than one occasion and quickly averted his gaze.
    Her skilled hands impressed him, working with surprising dexterity and speedy precision, but it was the warm and engaging smile she offered Henri that continually caught his attention, stirring something hot and possessive in him.
    As soon as they’d paired up, Errol had mentally gone through the young man’s résumé. From the region of Pays de la Loire, Henri Boisjoli was the son of a dairy farmer… hardly competition for a top chef.
    Forcing himself to scan the room, he nonetheless brought a fleeting glance back to Taryn before continuing his scan. Every pair of students cleaned up their stations and prepared to leave. When he heard Taryn laugh, he turned to her and was surprised to see Henri, the innocent young man from the country, brushing a wisp of long blond hair off Taryn’s face.
    Affection already gleamed in the young man’s eyes.
    As the students waved goodbye and filed out of the class, Errol couldn’t help but wonder how much time Taryn would spend with the boy. Was she going to her next class with him? Would they have lunch? Dinner?
    He shoved the speculation and questions aside until he arrived home later that night. As he pushed the key into the lock he wondered if she’d be there. Perhaps Henri had invited her out for a drink, or a bite to eat.
    Did he care? Really? She was just a… He inhaled deeply and reminded himself who he was. He could have any woman. Yes… but he wanted this one. He desired