Free Taste the Heat by Rachel Harris Page A

older, sharing that time with her,
     watching cooking shows and inventing new recipes, brought them closer. Jason had definitely
     learned a lot about food in the last few years…but a restaurant quality chef he’d
     never be.
    “Coming from you, that is high praise indeed. But had I remembered your restaurant
     in Vegas was Italian, I might’ve been too intimidated to ask you to stay.”
    Colby laughed, a soft, musical sound that made him smile. And tonight, he’d heard
     it a lot. Between her jabs at him for his Zack Morris fade haircut, his digs at her
     about her metal mouth years, and Emma teasing them both for their “weird” taste in
     music, the night had been comfortable and fun. Dinner had always been a special time
     for him and Emma, a natural extension of their mutual love of cooking. Whenever he
     was off-duty, they would eat together at the table, catching up on the highs and lows
     of each other’s days. Truth be told, it was his favorite part of the day. He hadn’t
     thought it could get any better. Tonight, Colby proved him wrong.
    In so many ways, she was exactly what he was looking for.
    But Colby wasn’t for him.
    That was what he had to keep reminding himself. If Cane’s obvious opposition wasn’t
     enough, during dinner Colby had revealed her plan to leave at the end of the summer.
     Regardless of how well she seemed to fit , pursuing her to become Emma’s stepmother was not an option.
    “Emma told me earlier that she makes a mean lasagna, too,” Colby said, tossing his
     daughter a smile. “I told her I could use a good set of helping hands in the kitchen.
     I was thinking she could maybe come by the restaurant after school on Friday and be
     my junior sous-chef.”
    Emma squealed, and they both laughed.
    “Clearly, she has no interest whatsoever,” Jason said, giving her ponytail a playful
     yank. It was obvious she wanted to spend as much time with Colby as she could. Part
     of him worried about her getting too attached, knowing Colby would be leaving in three
     short months. But spending time inside a real restaurant kitchen beside a real chef would be an amazing opportunity for his daughter. One that he couldn’t keep
     her from experiencing. “I’m at the station that day,” he said, “but I’m sure my mom
     can drop her by after school.”
    “Oh, how is your mom?” Colby leaned forward, setting her elbows on the table with
     genuine interest.
    Jason grinned. “Mom’s good. She’s retired now, her and my dad both. She still helps
     at the school as a substitute now and then, but mostly she spends her days reading
     romance novels and helping with Emma when I’m working a shift.”
    “Emma, your grandmother is the reason I started reading anything other than recipes.
     She was hands down the best teacher at Magnolia Springs Elementary.” Looking back
     at Jason, she said, “But while I’d love to see your mom again, Emma could always come
     by on Saturday if it’s easier.”
    “I can’t,” Emma broke in, setting down her glass of milk. “That’s my birthday camping
     trip. Actually, my birthday isn’t until next Thursday, but this year it’s a golden
     one—you know, when your birth date and age match? So Dad said that I could pick anything I wanted to do—”
    “Anything within reason,” Jason amended with a grin.
    Emma rolled her eyes, as if she wouldn’t have asked for a trip to New York had he
     not added that stipulation, and continued. “ Anything I wanted, and I’ve never been camping before.” Then a strange expression crossed
     over her face and her lips twitched. Colby shot Jason a look.
    “You just said anything within reason, right, Dad?” Emma asked. Jason slowly nodded, curious as to why she
     kept emphasizing that word, and Emma slid their dinner guest an innocent, wide-eyed
     grin. “Then could you join us, Colby?”
    Jason hadn’t been expecting that. And from the panicked look on Colby’s face, neither
     had she.
    “U-Uh,”