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“Poor Eugene. This handsome devil keeps coming in at least once a week and flirting with her. He tips well too. Where are you going?”
“Is he out there, now?” I asked over my shoulder as I stalked toward the door.
“Yes.”
I rushed out of the kitchen. Eugene’s laughter caught my attention, and I turned toward the sound. She was really out there treating everyone to her smile. Betrayal pumped through me. My blood felt like it was boiling as I took in the man, causing her to chuckle.
Fucking Jeremiah.
I went to school with the guy, and never had a problem with him in all the years I’d known him. Not until his wandering gaze roamed overmywoman. Eugene noticed me walking toward them, and her laughter died down. We seriously lacked that around each other lately because of the god-awful tension between us.
My eyes swept over Eugene, landing on Jeremiah. I crossed my arms. “I haven’t seen you around in a while, Jeremiah.”
“Hudson,” he said. “Good to see you. If I had known what you were hiding, I would have visited your restaurant much sooner.” When his gaze locked on Eugene, my anger spiked.
Eugene backed away, and then hurried to another booth. I watched her work for a second before returning my attention to Jeramiah. “If you’re coming here to see her, you’re wasting your time.”
“Oh?” His eyebrows shot up. “Is Genie seeing someone?”
He called her by her nickname. What the fuck!
“She lives with me,” I informed him.
He placed his arms on the table. “You’re dating one of your waitresses?”
I didn’t want to lie, so I evaded the question. “Is there a problem?”
Eugene was my future wife. She just didn’t know it yet. In that case, perhaps the fib would be okay.
“My bad,” Jeremiah said. “No wonder she wasn’t taking the hint. I’ve been here several times. I’m glad you told me. I was about to ask for her number before I left, fucker.”
So, Eugene ignored his attempts at her affection as well. I didn’t know whether to feel better or worse. I didn’t want to compare myself to the dude who tipped her well, but it got me wondering, how did she perceive me? Just the guy who wanted to blow-dry her hair? The man who cooked her meals?
Wait!
Did those things make me seem like a weirdo? I only wanted to care for her. She didn’t do it enough on her own. Fuck. I was beginning to overthink every little thing when it came to her. Ineverquestioned myself.
“Don’t do that,” I warned him. “Don’t make Eugene uncomfortable.”
“Eugene?” His brows furrowed. “Is that Genie’s name? Weird.”
Randall popped his head out of the kitchen entrance in the back, probably searching for me. I rubbed my temples. “It was good seeing you.” Not really. “I’ve got to get back to the kitchen.”
“Thanks for letting me know I’ve been wasting my time,” Jeremiah muttered as I turned.
I paused and said, “It’s not a waste. I’m a damn good cook, you shit. Make sure to tip mywaitress well.” I put the emphasis on the wordmy. When his jaw tightened, I smirked.
A few minutes later, I finally had a pot of mashed potatoes ready when Eugene burst into the kitchen.
Her eyes locked with mine, and her cheeks puffed as she moved toward me.
“What did you do?” Grandma muttered in her chair behind me.
Eugene glanced at her before bringing her gaze back to me. “Can I speak to you alone for a minute?”
“Sure. My office,” I told Eugene, then pointed at the new batch of potatoes. “One of you finish this up for me.”
Eugene followed me into my office and shut the door behind her.
