Read Online Some Like It Spicy by Robbie Terman - Free Book Online

seasoning was definitely mustard seed. It blended perfectly with the slightly tart caper.
    “Well?” Ty asked, his arms crossed over his chest in smug victory.
    “They’re delicious,” she conceded. “Amazing. The perfect caper. But she didn’t season with salt.”
    “Argh!” Ty’s groan echoed loudly. “Fine. Your sandwich was perfect. You didn’t need more salt. Adding more salt would have been like adding dimples to the Mona Lisa . All right?”
    “You really mean it?”
    Ty stared into her eyes. “Not a word.”
    “Oh!” She looked away, but she knew he saw her smile. “Let’s just agree to disagree.”
    “Agreed.”
    “Even though you’re wrong. It’s pointless to argue.”
    “Do you always need to have the last word?”
    She’d asked her father that on more than one occasion. Oh, God. If she was starting to act like him, she might as well walk in front of a bus right now.
    “Is something wrong?” Ty asked. “You got a weird look all of a sudden.”
    “I just realized how much I sound like my dad,” Ashton said. “That’s not a good thing.”
    Ty nodded sympathetically. “You don’t get along.”
    “Not so much. His version of making me into a better person is to constantly criticize me. He especially loves to criticize my food. Just because he’s a food critic—”
    “Food critic?” Ty’s forehead wrinkled for a moment, then his mouth dropped. “Is your father Charles Grey?”
    Oh, crap. Exactly what she hadn’t wanted to admit. “Yeah.”
    Ty began to laugh. “He reviewed my restaurant once, about six months after it opened. He said my chicken cordon bleu did for French cuisine what Hitler did for the Germans.”
    Ashton wanted to sink under the table. “That sounds like him.” He didn’t just insult people’s food; he took it to a new level. And he found himself immensely witty. Apparently, many people did—he was highly sought after by magazine and book editors. Still, just once, she wished her father would be on the receiving end of one of those famous insults. Maybe then he’d understand.
    “Hey.”
    Ashton looked down to see Ty’s hand arch over hers.
    “It doesn’t matter anymore.” He squeezed her hand. “I only cried for one, two months tops.”
    A laugh bubbled up. “You’re doing better than most. I can’t tell you how many death threats he’s gotten.”
    “I’m sorry. That must be tough.”
    Only because she occasionally wished someone would have the guts to follow through with their threats. Then, she’d be racked with guilt and hate herself for days for even thinking something so awful.
    “How about you? Any crazy Cateses lurking in the basement?”
    Ty shook his head. “We’re disgustingly normal. My mom and dad are still married. I have a younger sister, Ruby. She and her husband, Denny, have two kids. Ruby and Denny run the restaurant for me, since I’m never there.”
    “That sounds like a nice family,” Ashton said, wistfulness in her voice. “I’m an only child.”
    “I’m lucky. If not for Ruby and Denny, I don’t know how I’d keep the place open.”
    “How did you end up in New York if your restaurant is in Atlanta?”
    “I was born and raised in Atlanta. Except for attending the Culinary Institute and a tour of Europe, I’d never been anywhere else. I thought I’d spend the rest of my life there.”
    “Then…” Ashton prompted.
    “A producer from the Today Show was on vacation and ate at my restaurant. She invited me to do a segment and the rest is history. I had too many gigs to commute, so I got a place here. As time went on, I had less of an opportunity to get back to Atlanta. Now I’m only there a few times a year, and it’s usually a quick trip.”
    “I don’t know how you stand it. I can’t wait to get back to my restaurant. When I’m away from it, even on my days off, I feel a little…”
    “Lost,” Ty finished.
    “Exactly.” She smiled. So few people understood her this way. Her insides started to