Perfect Match Enemies to lovers romance - Leia Stone Page 0,26
Why are you over here working basically for free and taking my shit, when we both know you could go cook at one of these fancy restaurants in town?”
Panic flooded my system. Should I tell him about Colin? This was a pretty perfect time to tell him. I mean it was pretty crazy that I would just continue to work here after he told me he was selling the place and had no intention of really paying me a decent wage.
“Well…” I hedged, “I had my own cupcake shop in New York City. It failed and I was hoping to have a second shot. Have a shot at making something work out.” Okay, it was a modified version of the truth. I wasn’t ready to drop the big truth bomb yet.
His gaze became suspicious. “And what’s in it for you? Helping me save this place…?”
Fuck.
“Maybe … if we can turn this place around, you’ll make me a partner. Sell me half the bar.”
Wait what? Where the hell did that come from?
He chuckled. “You don’t want half of this shithole. Trust me.”
I crossed my arms. “Try me.”
He gave me a long look over his glass of orange juice that I’d freshly squeezed myself. “I had twenty thousand dollars in my savings account before I took this place over from my dad five years ago. Bastard didn’t tell me that it was going in the hole every month. Now I have nothing. Some things are better left dead.”
I frowned. “It’s not dead yet. Just wait until this Saturday.”
He chuckled, eyeing me over the rim of his juice, and my stomach warmed under his gaze. “If this Saturday makes it magically rain money from the sky, we can talk some more.”
With that, he got up and took our two empty plates back to the kitchen.
What he’d just said gave me hope. He was giving me until Saturday!
I pulled out my phone then and texted Julie.
Me: Help. I think I’m living a grand delusion. I just offered to buy half of his bar…
She texted back right away.
Julie: WTF. Call your shrink!
I shot her back a text.
Me: He lost someone too, Julie. A year ago, when I lost Colin, he lost someone…
Her reply took only a moment.
Julie: Well shit... Maybe you should just tell him. He would understand if he lost someone too.
Maybe he would, but I couldn’t, not yet.
I pocketed my phone without responding.
He’d opened up to me this morning. Somewhere between hauling his drunken father up the stairs last night and eating breakfast, he’d spoken more words to me than ever. I had to stick with this, I was bordering on a breakthrough with him, I could feel it. I was going to win him over with food. Butter him up and casually ask him to quit smoking, start going to church and date a nice kindergarten teacher. Operation: Save Ashton From Throwing Away His Life and Wasting My Late Husband’s Heart was in full effect.
The day passed quickly with me spending every moment getting that kitchen into tip-top shape. I was thinking grand ideas such as hiring a sous-chef, a waitress, and having the place packed to the gills by Saturday. I’d gotten black chalkboard paint from the hardware store and even convinced Ashton to put a coat on the walls after closing so it could dry by morning.
It was the end of the night, and I was outside working on my chalkboard menu before closing when Ashton came out, holding a drink and a cigarette.
I scrunched my nose up. “Those things are foul, and they’ll kill you.”
He took a long drag. “I’m gonna die anyway.” He paused, looking reflective. “We all are.”
Maybe he was depressed. It took me a good six months on anti-depressants to climb out of the dark hole I’d been in after Colin. Maybe he never got out.
He pointed to what I was writing. “Truffle French fries? This isn’t the Ritz Carlton. What’s wrong with regular French fries?”
I burst into laughter, clutching my chalk marker. “Aww, that’s so cute that you think the Ritz Carlton would serve French fries.”
He scowled at me, but it was playful and I shook my chalk at him. “Did you come out here to talk shit or are you gonna help?”
He sipped his whiskey. “I came out here to talk a little shit and … to ask you something.”
My body tensed. Ask me what? Did he find out somehow? Had UNOS tipped him off that a stalker was coming for him?