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begin on February sixteenth, then that’s the day it will begin. The class is only open to six people and it’s the single most difficult class to get into. I’ve been trying for three years. It’s a miracle there was room for both of us. If we don’t show up on that first day, we automatically lose our spot. It’s that simple.”
    “But we have to leave on Valentines Day to get there on time. Do you have any idea what that means to With a Twist if I’m not there? Not to mention Jasmine and Daisy? How can I possibly leave them?”
    “They’ll figure it out. They’re smart girls. Your Sous-Chef can handle it. He’ll just have to hire somebody to help him. Not a big deal.”
    Rose stood. “It is a big deal. A very big deal. For one thing, I don’t have a Sous-Chef, not really. The place is too small. I have a great line chef, but he won’t be able to handle it. He’s not prepared to handle it. That’s my kitchen. How can I possibly leave it on Valentine’s Day?”
    “From what I’ve seen in the last few days, it won’t matter. With a Twist doesn’t have a full booking for the busiest day in the industry. That’s a bad sign, Rosie, no matter how you look at it. With a Twist could be in real trouble.”
    Rose couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “ With a Twist might be going through a rough patch, but it’s not going under. It can’t be going …”
    Then it hit her, the gypsy’s prediction. Business had been dropping off because of her. She had closed her heart to him until last night and if she didn’t agree to go with him now, he’d close his heart to her forever. She would be directly responsible for the failure of everything.
    She couldn’t let that happen to Jasmine and Daisy. She just couldn’t.
    “… I’ll come with you on the fourteenth, but I don’t want to tell the girls yet. So let’s keep it our secret for a few days while I get the kitchen ready for Valentine’s Day. No matter what else happens, I want the menu to be ready and the food to be prepped.”
    He went over to her and gave her a tight hug. “This is going to be so great! I can’t wait to show you my world. You’re going to love it, Rosie. I just know it.”
    “Me too,” Rose said, waiting for the excitement of her new life to hit her.
    But it never did.
    * * *
    For the next few days, Max did everything he could to help Rosie get ready to leave with him on Valentine’s Day. They went over the menu together, even helped locate some of the more exotic ingredients she was having trouble finding. He helped out in the bar and in the kitchen whenever he could.
    Everything was going according to plan, except that as the time for their departure grew closer, Rosie seemed more distant.
    When he would question her on it, she’d use the excuse that she was tired. By the morning of the twelfth, while they were cruising the Farmer’s Market in Little Italy for fresh organic herbs and tomatoes, he couldn’t hold in his concern any longer. “I don’t get it, Rosie, shouldn’t we tell the girls the good news? We leave in two days and you haven’t even told them yet. Plus, you haven’t packed one single thing.”
    “I’m telling them tonight,” she said and went off to buy some fresh oregano.
    She finished with her purchase and he put his arm around her. “What’s wrong, Rosie? You seem to be so sad. Aren’t you happy about going?”
    “How could I not be? I’ll be in France, with you, learning how to make wine. What could be more romantic?” she gave him a forced smile.
    It was a gorgeous, warm, sunny day in San Diego. A slight breeze blew in off the bay and the sidewalks of trendy Little Italy were crammed with happy people from all over the world. He could see why Rosie loved it here, and for the first time since he’d proposed this whole trip, his knuckle-headed brain finally got it. Maybe she didn’t want to leave all this for him. Maybe, just like he’d thought from the beginning, this was Rosie’s