ValenTIME

By Renee Lee Fisher

It is ValenTIME -That heartfelt holiday, and perfect time for Katy and Jack's hearts
to finally embrace one another...or not.

Be My Valentine
An embrace I never knew.
Have I told you, Valentine?
My heart belongs only to you.
You illuminate my life when you’re nearby.
I want always your sweetness that is dear.
My soul shines from within.

Be my valentine this day and
Every day, and let our love begin.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Renee Lee Fisher
• Release date: Dec 30, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215639405

Renee Lee Fisher

USA TODAY Bestselling Author Renee Lee Fisher has the passion to put the pen to the paper and WRITE/CREATE. She is truly a romance junkie who loves to tell stories. She has written a variety of romantic works from novellas to novels. Her belief is that everyone should Indulge in LOVE.The first four of The Heartbeat Series of six planned Romance Novels. ROCK NOTES, LOVE NOTES, MUSIC NOTES, FIRST BEAT are completed and available. FIRST BASS and FIRST TASTE are yet to come.The Crossing Series (The Knot Hole, The Passage and The Muse) will take you on an endearing time travel romance from present day to centuries past.If you love a Suspense Romance - read Derailed. It is a sweet suspense that stands alone.Looking ahead, there will be many more romantic scenarios to come.Renee resides in Eagleville, PA with her loving husband Michael of many years and her cats Leo and Lincoln. She love to travel often and engage in meeting new people who provide her with future inspiration for stories.

Book preview

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CHAPTER ONE

A new week was ahead for Katy Harrow. She had previously drawn a red Sharpie heart around the fourteenth day of February on the calendar, and yet that didn’t mean it would be a heartfelt celebration for her. It was just another year with no special man in her life nor warmth in her heart to share. Work was all that filled her time.

Katy seemed to fit the motto, work hard, play hard. However, she played less and less. Fortunately, her job was close to her studio beach apartment in Ogunquit, Maine, so she could add shifts every time the owner, Nolan, requested with minimal traveling. Since seasonal help was limited, it meant Katy worked many days and nights.

The tiny, romantic symbol on her beach-themed wall calendar—which also displayed a winter beach scene, the light blue ocean with white snow-covered sand—alerted her that even though it was a chilly month, it would be an extremely busy week with many lovers dining at the restaurant Embers, where she was a hostess. Despite this town having many restaurants closed due to the off-season, her boss kept his open year-round, capturing as many customers as possible.

The bright side for her, besides more money for rent and pay-per-view, was that even if the front end of the restaurant was busy, Katy would still get to spend time with the chef, Jack…although he probably didn’t even notice her. This day during work hours, her eyes cast across the restaurant every chance she got toward the kitchen doors, hoping to capture him in his realm, creating wonderful food to make patrons intensely content.

Back in the restaurant’s kitchen was mostly where Jack Davis remained, whisking a new sauce and tasting it along the way for perfection. Another pot was boiling for fresh pasta to be tossed into. He was the restaurant’s great aspiring chef. Even though he tried hard to create new dishes, he still didn’t consider it his truest passion. All his life he had been cooking for others. He began in his teen years making pizza dough for his friends, with toppings such as truffles and goat cheese instead of the typical sauce and shredded cheese, and elevated that to making gourmet cuisine dishes such as Beef Wellington and coulibiac, to mention just a few.

When Jack graduated from the New England Culinary School and began to make a name for himself, his disinterest in the subject began to deepen. He became at odds with himself. Jack believed if he found love to fulfill his heart, then that would overflow more passionately into his food creations. Each night, he went through the motions preparing the customers’ food selections, wishing he felt more with each presented dish.

Jack was the main figure of Embers, along with a wonderfully sweet hostess, Katy, whose presence brightened up the restaurant and his daily mood. He perked up whenever she was near. However, she didn’t know.

If Jack had to describe Katy, he’d say there had never been a more perfect person than her to work with the public when they first arrived to dine. She was attentive, detail-oriented on the floor, very personable, and a real pleasure to behold. Tall and slender with blonde hair and captivating light eyes, she was truly a sight for everyone who saw her.

Unfortunately, the unpassionate owner, Nolan, only saw dollar signs for his restaurant when he viewed Katy. At the close of the shift, Nolan would tally up the sales with a huge grin on his face, as during the night, diners would comment how gracious and accommodating the hostess was, seating them wherever they wished. Happy patrons made a happy boss, and Katy for him was just a way to make more money as long as she kept the clientele returning.

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Most days, Katy peeked into the kitchen often as servers entered and exited throughout the day. Her secret loving thoughts were interrupted when she was asked to immediately assist the temporarily shorthanded kitchen staff. Once in the kitchen offering help, Katy had the opportunity to view Jack in amazement. Her hands worked like lightning as she took care of all the necessary things for the plated desserts. She eagerly assisted, wanting to impress Jack, not stress him. The head chef had a lot on his plate with every meal served.

Katy had always thought he was too attractive, and he was very food talented—a tall, well-built guy. She could tell he visited the local gym from time to time, clearly noting he brought a steel-colored gym bag with an orange stripe to escape the kitchen scene, if possible, for a workout. His black hair was perfectly groomed, and a tight-kept beard gave him a touch of mystery, all added to his wonderful talent, where his hands could make a dish that everyone would love.

There was no doubt Jack could fill her stomach with food, but Katy also had thoughts of him filling her heart with love. He was like the complete dining experience. The appetizer was his looks, that first glance toward him that made Katy captivated. Then the main dish was all that Jack embodied: talent, perfection, kind temperament. Finally, the dessert would be how sweet it was to have a guy like him in her life…to date…and become her boyfriend.

I think Jack is the entire package. I too often look at the restaurant kitchen doors. Katy chuckled, amusing herself in conversation with a waitress beside her.

Not waiting for a reply but receiving a kind smile from her coworker, Katy continued, I often wondered what a date with him would be like. He has no idea of my thoughts, so I suppose I should keep them to myself. Her last words trailed in a whispering voice so that one of the busboys passing by didn’t hear anything.

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CHAPTER TWO

For Jack, there was a problem. He did not get excited about anything, especially his most noteworthy delectable creations. But after a few hours of Katy helping in the kitchen before her hostess hour started, Jack’s attitude changed drastically. He didn’t talk much to her, the wide eyes of everyone around them in the kitchen made him realize the reason for his newfound passion.

Jack was actually thankful to his boss. Nolan, at first I would have been opposed to Katy helping in the kitchen, but thank you for offering up her help. No way would his boss know what it meant to Jack. He wanted to shout out his feelings for her, how his heart grew with her nearby. That seeing her face brightened his moods, but kept his cool, hoping Nolan would send her to help more often.

This time, though, he smiled shyly when she entered the kitchen but soon melted in her presence. Katy, come over here and try this seafood wonder. He held out the freshly cooked sampling.

Watching her closely, Jack’s eyes widened when he viewed how she approached his offering. Her walk was graceful, and her beauty was stunning. His chest swelled, his one hand gripping the counter. Inside his mind and body, Jack was clearly high-strung, not nearly as put-together as his food presentations.

When Katy saw the sampling, she couldn’t help but smile. His food enticed her, and her cheeks blushed seeing the effect she had upon him.

Jack handed her a fork with a piece of striped bass delicately covered with a white wine sauce to taste. Her lips took in the food, amazing on her tastebuds. Slowly she licked her lips to capture any of the sauce she may have missed. She closed her eyes to savor the pleasure of the simple piece of the freshest fish, which seemed to melt in her mouth while, little by little, it brought back good memories of her grandmother letting her taste her recipes so long ago.

When Katy opened her eyes, she was surely delighted. "I never thought I could say this… but that was absolutely wonderful. You