Free Grill Me, Baby by Sophia Knightly Page A

sorry to bring it up now. I know it’s a bad time—”
    “What is it?” Michaela felt a frisson of alarm at the look on Tiffany’s face.
    “It’s not good…” Tiffany trailed off with a doleful shake of her head. 
    Michaela hoped this was just Tiffany’s penchant for drama and nothing truly dire. “Then why do you have to tell me now?”
    “Dad insisted that I personally deliver a message to you, which is part of the reason I stopped by.” 
    “Okay, spill,” Michaela said, anxious to get her going.
    “He’s coming to the pilot show and he said he expects you to win. I think he might show up with his latest girlfriend,” Tiffany confided.
    Michaela’s heart sank. “That was Dad’s uplifting message? Oh well, don’t worry about it.” His parenting style was a lethal combination of high pressure and towering expectations. Although she wasn’t a teen anymore, it still hurt her. 
    Tiffany fidgeted. “There’s more. Mom’s planning on being there too.”
    “I figured she would.” Sylvia Willoughby was very competitive by nature and would be determined to see Michaela win.
    “Don’t kill the messenger, but she’s bringing Aunt Magda.”
    “Aunt Magda too?”
    Tiffany nodded sympathetically. 
    Michaela loved her aunt, but the woman was a hopeless romantic. An English Lit professor at the University of Miami, Aunt Magda thought everything could be resolved like a Jane Austen novel. She had vowed that neither of her nieces, particularly Michaela as she was the oldest, would suffer the same fate as she. After Michaela’s break-up with Jeff, Aunt Magda had appointed herself matchmaker. She doled out prospective matrimonial candidates with the same fervor and consistency as a breeding rabbit. 
    “I hope she’s not bringing a new one…is she?” Michaela asked.
    Tiffany squirmed. “’Fraid so. He’ll be at the show too.”
    “Please call her as soon as you leave and tell her the comp tickets are only for family.”
    “Okay and I’ll tell Dad not to bring a date.”
    “Good. When I told Mom I could get comp tickets, I never imagined everybody would want to come.”
    “Of course! We’re family,” Tiffany said, nearing the front door. “You’re gonna look amazing on camera. You can wear the sexy red dress and I’ll do your makeup,” she offered. “I’ll give you smoky eyes and some coral-pink blush and lots of lip gloss to highlight your lips. I can just picture how pretty you’ll look.”
    “Thanks. We’ll talk about it later.” 
    “You’re a spectacular chef,” Tiffany said loyally. “The only thing Paolo has going for him is his good looks. He is smokin’ hot!”
    From behind them, Michaela heard a loud “ahem”. She and Tiffany whirled around to find Paolo watching from the kitchen doorway.
    “Oops, sorry you heard what I said about you,” Tiffany said with a guilty giggle.
    “Bye, Tiff.” Michaela gave her sister a quick hug. “Thanks for your support.” 
    Tiffany responded with a thumbs-up gesture. “Anytime.” She grinned at Paolo. “Bye, Paolo, it was fun meeting you. I’ll see you at the taping?”
    “Sure thing.” Paolo smiled back. “Tiffany.” Ciao ,
    Michaela opened the front door. “We’ll chat tomorrow. Please don’t forget to call Aunt Magda, so she doesn’t bring anyone.” 
    “As if you’d let me forget!” Tiffany said, scurrying out the door.
    When Tiffany left, Paolo’s dark eyes scrutinized Michaela. “Are you still mad?”
    “No. I know I overreacted, but when I saw you laughing at my senior year picture, it hit a raw nerve.”
    “I wasn’t mocking you. Who cares about an old picture anyway? You should see mine someday. I laugh every time I look at myself—even my mother used to call me raviolini, I was so stuffed. You, on the contrary, were only a little overweight.”
    There was nothing stuffed about Paolo’s muscular physique now. 
    “It took a lot of willpower to get where I am. You have no idea,” she said.
    “You