Chapter Four

Denton

For four days, I waited for Victor to be out of the shop so I could pop in and see Leeson unobserved. I didn't want to ask over the phone and give him the chance to say no to what I wanted. I knew folks found it hard to refuse me when I turned on the charm.

As I entered the shop, I smiled at Nese, and wasn't completely surprised to get a tight-lipped one in return. I couldn't blame her. Things were still a little weird between us since I'd confessed my attraction for Victor.

I indicated to the kitchen door as she was finishing serving a customer. "Is it okay to pop back into the kitchen?"

"Lesson's alone as Garrett had to go to the wholesalers." Her tone was friendly, and I breathed a little easier.

"Great, that's who I wanted to talk to."

I got a nod in response, but she continued ringing up the purchase, making the woman, who was called… Mary, look in my direction. I'd treated the mother of four, I recalled, for a collapse several months earlier when she'd fainted when her youngest cut his hand. She gave me a curious look, glancing at me and Nese. In a small town, everyone knows everyone's business. The town was too small to have secrets. Or it always appeared that way to me.

I offered a polite smile and ignored the curiosity, moving towards the kitchen door at the end of the counter. Dating Nese gave me some privileges over the years. That, and my help with Victor, allowed me to step into the holy grail of kitchens. Garrett was a stickler for protocol with what happened in his kitchen. Thankfully, his gratefulness to me meant his annoyance was at a lower level than with most others—mostly.

One glance at the back of my scarred hand and I remembered the day I'd gotten the burn. I stupidly went to dip a finger into a pan of chocolate Garrett was standing next to. Touch nothing when a chef has a spoon covered in boiling sugar. It was a daft ass move on my part and it taught me a lesson I only had to learn once.

Inside the kitchen, my stomach rumbled at the delightful smell of melted chocolate, and what I thought was possibly some fruity concoction. Leeson, who was standing in front of the large double fronted stove, glanced at me before returning his attention to the pot he was stirring, giving me a fleeting smile.

"What can I do for you, Denny? If you are here wanting to whisk Nese away early, then the answer's gonna be a no. We are shorthanded as Garret had to go get some supplies we needed as I had a little…" he blushed as he flicked a quick glance in my direction, "mishap."

I fought the laughter when my gaze swept the room and landed on the kitchen sink. There were several large, stained clothes soaking. "What did you do this time?"

A scowl formed on his pretty face. His mishaps in the kitchen were legendary around town. "Garrett distracted me…" A rosy blush followed his statement.

"Distracted you how?" I settled my ass against the steel counter, making sure it was free of anything first.

"He bent down in front of me and I tripped over." His tone was all accusation, making it harder to contain my amusement.

"You were looking at his ass, weren't you?"

He blew out a breath and his bangs lifted, then fell in his eyes. He shook his head, a scowl forming. "It's not a crime!"

"His ass is a thing of beauty, so I don't blame you."

A chocolate-covered spoon got pointed in my direction and dripped onto the floor, which Leeson didn't seem to notice as he gave me a fierce stare. "Why were you looking at my fiancé"s ass? And aren't you and Nese an item?"

"I'm not blind or dead and you know I'm bisexual." I gave him a flirty wink. "It's easy to see Garrett has a great combo of hot chef and grumpy cuteness going on." I waited a beat because Leeson was adorable when he got all possessive of his boyfriend.

He plopped the spoon into the pot, splashing its contents onto the stove, then reached to turn off the heat, swinging back to me a second later. Only then did I add, "Nese and I aren't together any longer."

I figured that would be what he'd pay attention to. I wasn't wrong and a moment later, his jaw dropped open.

"What! Why am I only just hearing about this?" As he asked, his small fists went to his hips. "When did it happen? She never said a word."

The loud, quick fired questions got me glancing at the door I'd come through. I was aware that it didn't block all the sound from the kitchen. Seeing the door was closed, I breathed a little easier and returned my attention to Leeson. "Keep your voice down. And just before Easter. It's why I'm here."

His brows rose and disappeared under his bangs. "It is? Have you changed your mind and want her back?"

"No…" I ran my hands through my hair working on how to say what I wanted without it coming across like I was a dick. "What we had was more casual. I explained from the beginning I wasn't looking for a long-term commitment—"

"Like she was going to pay attention to that. You dated for three years. She had you both dancing down the aisle along with me and Garrett after he proposed to me."

I groaned, slumping back against the counter's edge. "That may be so." I gave him a pleading look. "I swear I made no promises to her."

"I'm sure you never." He shrugged. "I've got to know you over the last three years and I could see you weren't as into her as she was into you."

"Really, you could tell that?" A frown appeared as I stared at Leeson as he nodded. "Why did you think that?" I asked, holding my breath at the mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Vic."

His name whistled through the air towards me like a missile. "You knew!" I exclaimed, not bothering to deny it, given it was the reason I was here in the first place.

"Listen, I might be clumsy, but I have two very good working eyes. Being in a relationship with Davey made me hyper vigilant and though it's calmed down some over the years, I still pay extra attention to what's going on around me. And Vic is my friend."

At what he was saying, my stomach took a nosedive, and I felt quite queasy. "Do you think Vic knows… that I'm interested in him in that way? And you have to know I would never hurt him."

Leeson giggled, his head shaking. "Can I just say that shade of green does not suit you. In answer to your question, nah. Vic isn't aware. He would never go after someone who is dating someone else. And just to be clear, I never thought you'd be the kind to hurt anyone."

My pulse settled a little at how emphatic he was. "Do you think he's interested in me?" I blurted out, before I could stop myself.

"What are we, back in high school?" His laughter grew louder as he rocked on the balls of his feet.

"Stop, okay. I came to see if I could get an invitation to the wedding. I've been and sorted out the vacation time." I gave him a beseeching smile.

"Presumptuous much?" The haughty tone fell short when he sniggered.

"I could just book a cruise and pretend it was a coincidence."

Leeson came to me, wrapped his arms around my waist and gave me a hug, sighing. "We gave Nese a joint invite for you and her before we realized the cruise we booked is all male. But before I could tell her, she'd already said no. Said something about another commitment that she couldn't break and that you were busy with work."

I tugged away. "You did? When? She never said a word."

All thoughts that she was okay with how we'd left things and my confession about Vic blew up in my face when Leeson replied. "Day or two before Easter, about the time I asked Vic to be my groomsman."

The sinking feeling I'd need to talk to her again came and went as I considered the timing of Leeson's offer to her. "Can I accept the offer? If you still want me to come."

Leeson's smile returned. "You'll have to share a suite… with someone else. Is that gonna be okay?"

An itch developed between my shoulder blades as Leeson moved towards the stove and the pan he'd been at when we'd started talking. Unable to see his expression, I couldn't assess why I got a feeling something was off.

"Yeah, I'll share. It'll reduce the cost, so that's a win." My mind wandered to the gallery and the piece of glassware I'd asked Ollie to set aside. A cruise and paying for the glassware would have made things really tight for a couple of months. Now it seemed I'd be okay and wouldn't have to worry about eating beans and rice for a month or two.

"—great. Then all you need is a passport, a leather jock strap, and sun cream."

My brain re-engaged, and I spluttered, "A leather what?" trying to figure out what else I'd missed.

Leeson chuckled as his attention returned to me. "You said yes, so you can't back out now!" he exclaimed, looking highly amused. "I'll send you the link for what's booked so you can pack accordingly."

Fuck! Why the hell was he grinning at me like that? What had I just signed up for?