Chapter 14
Lauro led Celina into a commercial kitchen and closed the door. “This is our test kitchen. We can talk here.”
Celina took in the expanse of white porcelain and gleaming steel and nickel-plated equipment. Windows framed views of the ocean in the distance, and luminous white porcelain tile lined the counters, walls, and floors, giving Celina the sensation of floating inside of a seashell.
Even the cool air, redolent with the rich aroma of chocolate and sweet liqueur, seemed tinged with sea salt, yet this setting, so soothing in its familiarity to her work kitchen in San Francisco, did little to placate the growing frustration she felt surrounding the constant comparison to Lauro’s old girlfriend, who was probably married with children by now.
Or was it the nearness of Lauro, o
