“Single. And I don’t have personal experience, but rumor has it, she’s not above enjoying herself if the mood moves her. Picky, but available, if you meet her criteria.”

If he hadn’t been interested before, Chaz’s last sentence had gotten his attention; that phrase, if you meet her criteria, was intriguing. Not that he had Neanderthal impulses when it came to women. In fact, he never much cared who was in charge so long as the payoff was beneficial all around. But he hadn’t reached his current level of success without acquiring well-honed principles of constraint, nor had he come out to Minnesota to play. Quickly dismissing his sexual thoughts, he returned to the business at hand. “So then, we’re all set here?” Jake nodded at the two large duffel bags near the door. “I understand you’ve been packed for a week.” He’d met all the staff that morning.

“Packed and ready to launch. Thanks, by the way, for buying my furniture and stuff sight unseen. It would have been a pain to have to clear out my upstairs space. The cleaning staff put everything to rights this morning: fresh sheets, towels, that sort of thing. And you can always rent it out if you don’t like it.”

“Nah-I’m good. I prefer being close to the action until everything is up and running anyway. After that”-Jake shrugged-“who knows.”

“You’re not actually thinking of settling here permanently, are you?”

“Probably not.” More like million-to-one odds: no. But it never paid to give too much away in the ephemeral world of fine dining. A chef’s presence could make a big difference in the success of a restaurant.

“Personally, they’re gonna have to bury me on Saint Barts,” Chaz declared. “I’ve been wanting a place there so long I’m never leaving. In fact, the way this deal all came down, let me tell you, man, it made me believe in miracles- like this was all some big cosmic enchilada. Offenbach’s Topaz had just come on the market. I was lusting after it big time, trying to figure out how to swing a deal, and then out of the blue you called and said you wanted to buy my restaurant. ”