Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 45251 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45251 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Whoa.
“Uh—”
“No, not like that,” he cut in. “I wasn’t supposed to fight for him, but I can be stubborn. And seeing you running around at Coho, all playful and getting along swimmingly with everyone—it made me bitter, all right? Because you were everything he claimed he wanted to be, and it made me realize…I don’t know. But whatever we had was never as real as I’d once hoped it would be.”
I swallowed hard. It felt like I’d just been slapped, but not in a bad way. I shuddered at a cold wind and stared at him. Was he saying that he’d wanted someone…like…me?
He took a final drag and then put the smoke out under his boot. “There you have it. I don’t hate you—and we can work together and share the community. But if you don’t mind, I’ll keep my distance.” He put the butt back in the pack. “I won’t get in your way, and you won’t get in mine. Deal?”
Allow me to repeat: “Uh.”
“I’ll take that as a yes,” he replied firmly. It was clear that he was looking for an exit. Maybe he felt too exposed, and who could blame him? I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard.
Was he shitting me?
Griffin didn’t say anything else. He just went back inside.
But, but, but, but!
What the fuck?!
CHAPTER 4
Tracy Judd
“Doesn’t this change everything?” I picked up the next crate of vegetables and placed them on the bench.
“It sure sounds like it,” Alessia responded urgently. “So what did he say after that?”
“Just, like…no, I don’t hate you, Tracy, blah, blah—but if you don’t mind, I’ll be keeping my distance,” I answered. “Then he went back inside the bar, and he didn’t go near me for the rest of the night. He stuck to Ryan and Jameson and a few others, while I was mostly with Madigan and Abel.”
“Dio…” She beamed and put a hand over her heart. “Oh, I’m so happy for you, ciccio!” She threw her arms around my neck, and I laughed, both nervous and frazzled. A combination of feelings I’d struggled with all weekend. “You know what this means, yes? You have to flirt with him.”
I grinned and shook my head, and she eased back. “I don’t want him to go back to glaring at me and calling me punk.”
“Pshh! He likes you,” she insisted. “He’s just…” Her expression softened, and I could see the sympathy. She adored Griffin too. “He’s jaded. I think he needs a push.”
Trust me, I’d considered it. Alessia was essentially parroting Abel, so I’d already heard this.
Make a move, man! He clearly wants to hit that!
I wasn’t sure I had the guts to go straight to flirting, but I did intend to make my presence known when I finished filling out my form. It was Tuesday today, so they had to be returned to Mister Madigan tomorrow. And if Griffin happened to be standing next to me when I added my limits and preferences, maybe he’d feel inclined to show a little interest?
One could hope for a slight reaction, at least. Then we’d see if there would be a next step. If he got angry, the last thing I’d do was flirt. But I did want to find out if there was a possible pressure point that might crack an exterior.
My grandpa had once taught me all about pressure points.
Our gossip moment ended when Jon and Lee arrived, so Alessia excused herself to go drop their boy off at the grandparents’. Just a minute later, Taylor showed up too, which completed back-of-house setup.
Technically, Adam and Griffin were back of house too, but since they manned the grill behind the bar, they were included in the front-of-house crew.
I checked the clock on the wall and set our first timer. “Sixty minutes till we open!” Then I walked over to my expo station and logged in to double-check the reservations.
I fucking loved working in a smaller kitchen. We got the right amount of madhouse but never enough to drive me batshit.
Adam waltzed in soon enough, yawning, and asked for his wife. They lived on the top floor, the third floor, so their commute was comfortable.
“She went to drop off Nicky, Chef.” I printed the tickets of the preorders and organized them according to time of arrival. “We have seven tasting menus so far, guys! Two guests on gluten-free, one on vegan.”
Adam huffed derisively and walked out of the kitchen.
I grinned to myself.
Griffin took his break in between services when we had a lull, and that worked great for me. While he occupied a stool in the corner of an unused workbench, eating a grilled chicken sandwich, I took the opportunity to eat too. Wings and zucchini fries for me.
It was a job for a multitasker to eat, run expo, and sign forms at the same time.