Chapter 13

13

DEREK

T here were so many questions, I didn’t know where to start even if I felt like starting. But I couldn’t let myself ask them, not just because she didn’t seem to want to talk about it all that much, but because the curiosity that was killing me was actually kind of off-putting. Why was I so enamored with this woman? I was making decisions that I was positive I never would have made in any other situation with any other person. But there was something about her that made me do things that I normally wouldn’t. Like invite her to stay at my house as long as she needed.

While I had questions bubbling at the top of my mind, I was starting to be able to read her very expressive face. She might not answer directly, but the way her eyes opened wide, or her lip quivered when certain subjects came up gave signals as to her thinking. If I studied her face, I could gain details that weren’t verbal. It wasn’t like I wasn’t studying her face anyway.

What her face was telling me most often was that she was expecting the questions. For some reason, that made me want to hold off more. The fact that she was clearly uncomfortable but was expecting me to make her feel worse by interrogating her made me want to leave her alone and let her settle. I wanted to be a help, not a hindrance.

That said, when I heard her puttering around the office, I started questioning my plan. Part of me was tempted to call in at least one of my brothers for support. But I didn’t have specifics, so what exactly would I be calling them to support? Me? My discomfort about having an incredibly attractive woman sleeping in my office? How could they help?

I spent as much time as I could spare puttering around the house, getting ready slowly. I was hoping she would come out of the office and a conversation about her past might organically start. I was even prepared to call Ally and tell her I would be late in case it happened. But it never did, and I found myself staring at my phone’s clock and then at the office door, knowing that I needed to get out of there.

I knocked on the door lightly and waited just a moment to listen, seeing if she suddenly stopped moving or something else to register that she heard me. I realized I had been hearing a clicking sound, like someone typing, and it suddenly stopped. I cleared my throat.

“Hey, so, I’m going to head out,” I said.

As soon as the words were out of my mouth, the door handle turned, and I stepped back in surprise. The door swung open, and her face appeared just inches from mine. We both doubled back, and I eyed her up and down.

She was dressed for work. The tight, hugging pants accentuated the shape of her hips against the backdrop of the white door. The black collared shirt was stretched by her ample chest, and her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail.

“Oh, sorry,” she said. “I didn’t realize you were standing right there.”

“No, it’s fine,” I said. “You’re ready for a shift?”

She nodded and smiled. Her determination was worn on her face, and it fascinated me. She was pushing herself to not be afraid, to get through whatever it was that caused her to run away and hide in my house, and to keep working in the meantime. I had no idea where she got this well of prideful moxie, but it was impressive and alluring.

“Did I make us late?” she asked, sudden worry causing her eyebrows to wrinkle up.

I checked the time on my phone again, realizing that suddenly I couldn’t remember what it had said before she opened the door. Everything else in my brain had leaked out of my ears when I saw her face. It could be midnight and I wouldn’t have recognized I had spent the whole day staring at her.

“Not at all,” I said, reading the clock. “Let’s get going. Make sure you close the door or Gandalf will hop on the bed.”

“Right,” she said, closing the door behind her and falling in line behind me. I opened the front door and held it for her as she walked by. The smell of a floral perfume hit me as she passed, and my stomach tightened.

When we arrived at the vineyard, I watched as she scanned the parking lot and then waited for me to enter the kitchen before she did. She was hesitating, worried that someone was going to pop out at her. I hated that she was as nervous as she was, but I hoped that once she got busy, she would calm down.

I shucked off my knife bag onto the table and went into the bathroom to wash up. Once my hands were clean and I had my chef’s coat on, I went back out into the kitchen and peeked through the doors onto the floor of the restaurant. My jaw set and my heart dropped when I saw Jodi at the bar, her apron tied around her waist, peering out the window, watching the cars coming in as the waitstaff began to arrive alongside some of the regulars who always showed up early.

Going to the prep station, I began chopping onions and peppers for service and thinking about what I should do or say. It was such a delicate situation, and it had to be handled carefully. I didn’t want to go out there and accost her—that would only make things weird for her. But I decided that if she made her way back into the kitchen and she was still acting as nervous as she was, then I would say something.

What, I didn’t know. I would have to wing it. But it would have to be compassionate.

I got my chance not long after. Jodi made her way in with one of her first orders and hung the ticket on the line. I happened to be on the other side, letting one of the short-term line cooks handle things while I prepped the main course proteins. I slid out of the gloves I was wearing to prevent cross-contamination and pulled her aside as she walked nearby.

“Is everything okay?” she asked, her eyes wide.

She craned her neck to see around me, through the windows on the double doors leading to the floor.

“Look, you can talk to me, or you can talk to Ally, but you should really talk to someone. It’s clear you’re pretty freaked out and distracted.”

Her eyes searched mine, and I saw that she understood what I was saying. It was affecting her work. She nodded sharply and slipped my grasp, heading back to the double doors at double time. As the doors swung shut, I sighed and went back to my protein, putting on gloves again. At least I said something, I thought. At least she knew she could come to me.

Things got busy after that. It wasn’t unusual to get slammed right after coming in, but this was even more than usual. The busy sound of people talking and moving around, glasses clinking and silverware scraping across dishes wafted into the kitchen as we cooked. Ally had arrived and was doubled down over the dessert, one of her own creations that required a meticulous touch and attention to detail that I was sure was lost on most of our clientele.

I worked alongside my friend, mostly expediting and plating the special courses when they were ordered. My dinner course special was ordered more often than usual, and I was constantly bouncing back and forth from reading tickets to plating dishes. When I went to plate a dish, Ally would step in to expedite, and we went back and forth over the night. Like a well-oiled machine, we ran the kitchen well, and while it was incredibly busy, it was smooth.

Yet, despite it being smooth, my mind was half-occupied the entire night. I kept letting my mind wander to Jodi every time I went to plate a meal and had to shake it off every time I went to the tickets. Forcing myself to concentrate was harder than the actual work, but I managed it as we got through the night.

Thankfully for my exhaustion, it seemed like everyone wanted to get home early, and there weren’t any stragglers or late-sat tables. I was relieved when the last ticket came in before closing and knew we were going to be out early for the night. I couldn’t help noticing the last ticket was in Jodi’s handwriting. I had come to recognize it quickly, with her distinctive bubble letters.

When the dessert went out for that last ticket, I sent the line cooks home, and Ally sat down heavily on the stool by the wine cellar. She sighed and ran her hand through her hair, taking a big gulp of water before looking over at me. She raised her eyebrows, and I returned the gesture. Another night finished, and it had been a busy one.

After a few moments, Ally stood up and helped me clean up, putting things away and wiping down for the night. The dishwasher had already gone home, leaving the few remaining dishes to us, and I took the duty over while Ally went over the stock list to see if there was anything we needed to order the next morning.

I said good night to the crew as they walked out, and eventually Ally and I were also ready to go. It was late, and the last guest had left ten minutes before. Jodi was at the bar, counting out tips along with one of the other waitresses and the busboy, who was waiting for his cut. When he got his money, he said goodbye, the other waitress followed suit, and Jodi turned to me.

She looked exhausted but less nervous. There was that at least. While I was pretty sure neither of us would be down for a long talk about what she was running from after that night of work, at least she seemed like it wasn’t bugging her as much. Maybe hiding out at my place and the restaurant would work. As long as her brother or whoever else was looking for her never came in for dinner, she might get away with her disappearing act.

I made a mental note to ask if she wanted me to get Cam’s lawyers for her or not and headed for the front door. I normally left through the front so I could lock up, and Ally usually walked out with me. Tonight, I had seen Noah arrive as Jodi was counting out her tips, and she had left already. As I locked the door, I noticed Jodi still hadn’t said anything, and I was starting to think she might not. She might spend the rest of the evening quiet. I should probably be happy about it, since it meant I wouldn’t be pulled into whatever drama was going on, but it irked me. To my shock, I felt myself wanting to be more involved in whatever was going on with her. The question was, what was it about her that made me want that?

We walked to the parking lot, and I saw Noah and Ally by their car, speaking low. It was Ally doing the talking though, Noah just nodding. I waved at Ally, and she waved back, going back to her discussion and leaving me to wonder what they were talking about. I wanted to ask so many things of the girl standing silent beside me. Instead, I unlocked the door for her and opened it up, letting her take her seat. Then I got into my side and prepared to go home with no answers.

Again.