Carla’s Prince

Chapter 2

Carla was not so sure what she had expected when she met Cristoff. At the back of her mind, she’d already had the ‘oh sh*t’ moment when she came back from running errands to find her boss sitting in his office with a new client. She had been praying for something different at work but as soon as she saw him, she could have sworn that this was going to be another man looking for a way out of his prenuptial expectations but she was pleasantly surprised to find out that she was going to be handling a theft case. As far as she was concerned, this was going to be the most interesting case yet and she could not wait to get started.

Thomas had charged her with handling the investigation which was always what he did to free up his schedule so that he could do…God knows what. As they headed out of Thomas’ office, Cristoff insisted on their first official meeting to be held at a nearby restaurant. Carla shrugged when he suggested it. Chez Marie was not just another restaurant. It was a five star restaurant that you actually had to call days, sometimes weeks, in advance. Moreover, there was no way she was going to fit in there in a pair of jeans. It was one of those places where everyone was in a clean cut suit, everyone including Cristoff.

“We could just talk right here in the office,” she had said but Cristoff would not have it.

“I would feel better at Chez Marie. It is a lot more private than the office.”

She shook her head.

“I don’t understand or know how a restaurant is more private than an office. I mean, the foot traffic alone is a mess with the wait staff…” Her voice trailed off when she noticed him smiling.

“Actually, I have a private room in there. It is as private as it gets.”

She shrugged in defeat when she realized he was not about to give up. He drove them to Chez Marie and all along, Carla kept on wondering how a man like him did not drive a Camaro or GTO. For some reason, she had thought of him like the kind of man who drove a muscle car or something along those lines rather than a SUV. When they got to the hotel, the hostess led them to a private dining room at the back and Carla felt a little out of her element especially when she looked at the menu.

“Everything all right?” Cristoff asked when he saw her frowning at the menu.

“Yes. None of these are in English and I don’t want to eat some weird crustacean in the name of trying to save face,” she said as she put the menu down. “I’ll just have some fries or something.”

Cristoff smiled.

“Fries? Really?”

“It is a French place and in essence, fries are actually from France,” Carla said matter of factly.

“Actually, there is no proof of that but the look I gave you had more to do with the fact that you were fighting me on meeting at a restaurant because it was, in your words, so soon after breakfast.”

“There is always time for some fries,” Carla said in a soft voice.

“All right, how about a coffee and a Nutella crepe?” he asked.

“A crepe? Isn’t that as cliché as spaghetti and meatballs at an Italian restaurant?”

“Well, until you try the crepes here, you have no idea just how much you are missing out on,” he said as the waiter came into the room. She looked at him as he made his order and then looked at her waiting for her to say what she wanted. She shrugged in defeat and smiled at him. “Crepes it is,” he said before turning to the waiter.

“So, I have to ask, how does someone get a private dining room at Chez Marie?” she asked when the waiter walked out. “I don’t even think I can get a parking spot here.”

Cristoff smiled and shook his head.

“There is no secret to it, really. I own a twenty percent stake.”

She raised an eyebrow over the other.

“Really? I thought this was Chef Antoine’s project.”

He nodded.

“It was and it still is. I just came in when he was about to open and things were not going as well as he would have liked…the budget was not adding up and they were way behind schedule.”

“So, you came in and what? Just threw money at Antoine?” she asked. “I thought he had a policy about not taking anyone on board.”

“Yeah, he didn’t want anyone who would come and alter his plan and that is exactly what I gave him. The cash with absolutely no strings attached. I had some cash with me and he needed the restaurant to open on schedule, so yeah…that happened.”

Carla raised an eyebrow over the other.

“So, you just gave him the money and that was it?”

“Yes,” he said without hesitating.

“Are you some kind of millionaire or something?” was what she wanted to say. The words were right on the tip of her tongue but she knew better than to say it out loud. At the back of her mind, she could not help but think that it wouldn’t hurt if he was. It only meant a bigger commission than she initially thought possible.

“Carla?” Cristoff said making her snap back to reality. It was at that moment she realized she had drifted off and had an entire conversation in her head. A conversation about Cristoff. “Earth to Carla Gibson,” he said again and she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “Everything okay? Where did you go?”

She shook her head.

“I’m sorry about that,” she said.

“Are you all right? Do you need a minute maybe?”

She shook her head again.

“I’m all right. I guess I am just a little exhausted. That’s all.”

The waiter came back in and placed their food on the table. Cristoff smiled at her.

“Dig in,” he said before he took a bite of his own food.

She took a long deep breath. This was it, the moment of truth. The crepes were perfect even served with chocolate spread, sliced banana, strawberries and fresh whipped cream. She had never tasted anything like it. It was like she had suddenly bit into a piece of heaven.

“That is so good,” she exhaled as she cut off another piece.

He looked at her and smiled.

“I thought you would like it. Cliché or not, this place makes some pretty damn good crepes.”

She dabbed the sides of her mouth and nodded.

“You can say that again. You know, my roommate’s boyfriend is a chef and lately he has introduced me to this whole new world of perfect food…I didn’t think I was going to have this.”

Cristoff grinned widely and then laughed. It was the first time she was seeing him genuinely laugh. There was a way his brown eyes danced when he did.

“I will pass my compliments to the chef,” he said before he sipped on his coffee.

Carla wanted to talk shop but she could not imagine letting that warm crispy breakfast that came apart in her mouth on a bed of cool cream and fruit sit in front of her was just too much to bear. She was literally gobbling down everything on her plate before she leaned back, looking at her empty plate.

“Should I get you some more?” he asked and she shook her head.

“I shouldn’t even have had that so soon after breakfast. A heavy, hearty breakfast at that too.”

He shrugged.

“I guess it is safe to say that all bets are off when it comes to Antoine,” he said in a soft voice and she nodded.

“Guess so.”

She leaned back and looked at him.

“So, we came. We ate. Maybe we should talk business now?” she asked and he nodded.

“Of course.”

She reached into her purse and pulled out a digital recorder.

“Hope you don’t mind. I find dealing with a recorder so much easier than going back to my notes,” she explained.

“I don’t mind,” Cristoff said before she got the recorder started.