Je t’aime

Chapter 6

The next day at work, Kendra couldn’t concentrate, last night making love in the wilderness of Remy’s land, had changed everything for Kendra. Remy had been incredible, he seemed only to care about her pleasure. She blushed just thinking about the things he had done to her, the things she had let him do, even now she wanted him to do them again.

She had been falling in love with him, but last night had pushed her over the edge. Meeting his family, had finally allowed her to put aside her fears about their differences and embrace what was good about them together. At some point during their lovemaking, Kendra had felt their connection deepen, felt their souls connect.

All she could think about was getting off work and seeing Remy. They would have a late dinner on the balcony, then make love until the early morning hours. She felt like she was floating on a cloud of love and desire. Nothing mattered but Remy.

Remy too, only wanted to spend time with Kendra. She was his first thought in the morning and the last thought at night. Every minute he spent away from her was pure agony. They were completely wrapped up in one another, oblivious to the world around them.

The world allowed them to spin in their world of desire uninterrupted for weeks on end, but finally they couldn’t ignore it any longer. Remy’s dad had been pushing him to spend more time learning the business, he wanted to send him to one of their branch offices down the coast. Remy was reluctant to leave Kendra and convinced her to take time off of work to join him.

She readily agreed, she hadn’t seen much of the county and thought she deserved a vacation. She didn’t have any paid vacation but Remy paid her bills, so she could go. They spent a wonderful week on the coast, eating wonderful food, drinking some of best wine she had ever had, and making love in the deluxe suite they had rented for the week.

When they returned from their trip, Kendra found that she had lost the passion for cooking she used to feel. She started showing up late, leaving early, or just not coming in at all. She only wanted to spend time with Remy. As summer turned to fall, his father sent him on numerous business trips and Kendra just couldn’t stand to be left at home.

She trusted Remy but she still didn’t want to be left behind. The truth was the only time she felt complete was when she was with him. He made her feel alive in a way that no other man had. She knew that it was just the first blush of love but even that knowledge couldn’t stop her from behaving like a school girl with her first crush.

Remy was just as badly infatuated as she was. He had never truly given his heart to a woman before. Bridget, he now realized, had only been a crush. His love for Kendra was beyond anything he had every felt. He wanted her with him always, perfectly happy to pay her bills when she missed work for him.

They took frequent trips to ports where his family had offices, overseeing the preparations of their fleet of ships for the winter. While Remy worked, Kendra created delicious meals from whatever she could find in the local market. It was almost as if they were on a grand tour for their honey moon.

*****

As September turned to October, Kendra found herself growing tired of her leisurely lifestyle. It had been fun to live in the lap of luxury for a while, but she was getting bored. She was also aware that things at the restaurant were going badly. Her constant absences had been remarked upon several times the last time she had worked. The restaurant was suffering with her prolonged absences.

Plus, Michelin ratings would be coming out after the New Year and her continued employment depended upon her keeping the rating. She was no fool, the restaurant was not what it had once been. While it was still difficult to get a table, the wait was no longer what it once was.

Her feelings for Remy hadn’t changed, she was still deeply in love with him. Maybe more now than ever, but she also knew that the life they had been living was too empty for her. She needed to use her skills, her body was craving that high you get after completing a difficult dinner service.

If she and Remy were going to spend their lives together, she had to find a balance between the Kendra she was with him and the Kendra she needed to be for herself. A phone call from her mother drove that point home as clearly as anything else could.

Naturally, she had kept her mother informed of all her travels and experiences. She was anxious to meet Remy, the man who was making her daughter so happy. But being a mother, she had decided it was time to bring her daughter back down to Earth. During their next phone call she broached the subject.

“So I’ve been hearing so much about Remy and his family, but nothing about the restaurant. How are things going there?” She asked.

“Oh, things are fine.” Kendra said, not wanting to tell her mother the truth.

“Well, it just seemed to me that you’ve been spending a lot of time away. I’ve never known you to leave your cooking for so long. You must really be in love.” Her mom said.

“Oh, mom, he’s just the best, but you’re right. I need to get my focus back where it should be.” Kendra said, never able to hide anything from her mother.

“Oh, young love, I still remember what that was like. When I met your father, I was in a fog for months. I almost lost my job because I couldn’t keep my mind on my work, so don’t worry it’s happened to all of us.” She said.

“Well, that does make me feel better. I’ve been so consumed with him that I haven’t been doing a good job at the restaurant. Too much time away has caused some problems, I’m going to have to deal with them soon or my ratings are going to go down.” Kendra said, with worry in her voice.

After a motherly pep talk that left Kendra feeling much better. Kendra was able to put some perspective on her relationship with Remy and her professional life. Her mother had explained that this need to be with Remy constantly would pass, and some sense of normalcy would return.

Kendra told her that she was in fact beginning to miss some of the parts of her life that didn’t include Remy. Her passion for cooking had been satisfied for a while with the sporadic shifts at the restaurant plus the experimentation she had been doing as they had toured the coast. But now she was itching to get back in the kitchen and use her new knowledge.

“I know I’m going to have to tell Remy how I’m feeling but I don’t know how he’s going to react.” Kendra said.

“Well, you know what I’m going to say. If he loves you he’ll understand that you need your career to be happy. It’s who you are. A chef with your passion is going to always have to be creating food for other people. Right or wrong, you crave that feeling you get when people love your food.” Her mom said.

“I know and I’ll talk to him. I’ve just got to spend more time at the restaurant. Our last trip is scheduled for next week, then it’s back to full time at work for me. No more trips, days off, or coming in late.” Kendra said, trying to convince herself as much as her mother.

It had become way too easy to let Remy take care of her. It was time to take care of herself again and the first step was getting back to the restaurant. She hung up from the call feeling both better and worse.