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on that,” Cami said. It was a dish she liked to make. That type of mussel had plump meat that was juicy when cooked. And the beautiful black shells that surrounded the tender morsels had an edge of vibrant green.
    “And I’ve added a slightly different version of our olive-rosemary bruschetta. It has garlic aioli, pine nuts, and fresh basil. Brittany, can you start the tomatoes roasting, and keep an eye on them?” Malena gave one nod of satisfaction that preparations were underway. “I’ll go scope out the room and make sure Jeremy gets set up.”
    Cami winked at Brittany. Both knew that cooking wasn’t Brittany’s specialty, but she didn’t want to lose a good job. Instead, she did a lot of the prep under Cami’s direction.
    After putting an apron on, Cami surveyed the kitchen and scanned the menu. “Soupe a l’oignon gratinee,” she read. “Okay, chop the onions. We’ll need them later for the onion soup. No need to grate the cheese so early. We’ll wait on that.”
    Plunking a huge onion onto the cutting board, Brittany looked thoughtful.
    Cami raised a brow. “Questions?”
    A sly smile in response told Cami it might have nothing to do with food prep.
    Brittany went back to her chopping duty. “You think Jeremy’s cute?”
    With a giggle, Cami said, “I guess. Do you ever stop looking at men?”
    “Nope.” She scooped chopped onions into a large ceramic bowl. “He’s not really my type, though.”
    “Not rock star enough?”
    “Naw. He’s so nice. I don’t know if I can do nice. ”
    Cami laughed. “Yeah. Nice can be really annoying.”
    Brittany stepped over to one of the ovens and turned it on to preheat. “I guess I like rougher sex, that’s all.”
    “You don’t know how a guy is in bed just because he’s nice to you.”
    “Sure you do. You can tell.”
    Cami would have to think about that one. Clearly, her friend had more experience than she did in sexual relationships. Not that Cami was naïve. At home she’d dated, but recently, nobody steady. And there was a period when sex seemed like an escape, a way to fill the void of loneliness that nothing else could. But it was just one more thing she had weaned herself off when she had tried to clean up her act.
    It was all the more reason to steer clear of Bradan. If she’d ever met a guy who was an escape into sex, he was it. Merely being in his presence, Cami’s body roiled in sensations that were beyond her ability to control. She wanted him; she’d be lying if she said she didn’t. But there was no way she could allow herself to go there. It was dangerous territory.
    It wasn’t the smartest idea to go to dinner with him. The being-friends concept was flimsy at best. How could she be friends with a guy who soaked her panties every time he flashed his blue eyes at her? But it wouldn’t be right to cancel. And he’d sounded so sincere over the phone. She didn’t have the heart to refuse to see him.
    One dinner, and that was it. A sort of making-up get-together. Her clumsy slip of a tray had ruined his slacks, and his not-so-clumsy attempt to get her alone with him had ruined her tour. They were even, like he had said. There was no reason to make him feel like a heel. Cami could have dinner with him, be civil, and they could go on their way.
    “Bradan called me after you left,” she said.
    Brittany looked up, very interested. “You’re kidding. That guy is hot, I’m telling you.”
    Cami’s body warmed at the mention of Bradan. “And I’m having dinner with him tomorrow.” It felt better to confide in someone.
    “You’re kidding. You agreed to dinner with that hunk. I’m jealous.”
    Cami laughed. “No, you’re not. I bet he has no tattoos, and can’t even sing.”
    “Looking like that, he doesn’t need to.”
    They both laughed. Just teasing with her friend made Cami less stressed over seeing Bradan again. It was just a dinner, not a sex date, after all. Just friends, that was what he’d said. Right. Like that