I nod. “Dude, it’s just par for the course, you know that. You’ve run restaurants before. Tell them to suck it up and get along, or you won’t be scheduling them.”
“That seems like a great management approach, Mason,” he snaps.
I laugh. “You know what I mean by it, though. The quicker you address it, the faster it will get resolved.”
Travis stands in the doorway, leaning against the frame. “How was Luca’s soccer game this morning?”
“I didn’t go. How did you know my nephew had a soccer game this morning?” Harry answers, keeping his eyes on the computer and his back to us.
I stiffen.
Travis called me while I was driving to Lefler Park, and without thinking, I let it slip that I was on my way to Luca’s game. He wasn’t fazed by it and told me to tell Lucagood luck.I’m sure Harry will take notice of it, though, and I’m even more sure that he’ll ask questions.
“I was talking to Mason,” Travis responds, crossing his arms.
Harry’s body slowly shifts in his chair as he turns toward Travis and me. “You went to Luca’s soccer game?” he asks, now looking directly at me.
My hands get sweaty having to think of a reason on the spot. I clear my throat. “Well, I have played soccer since I was a kid and sort of wanted to see the kids play. Also, I thought it would be helpful for building a friendship with your sister.”
Harry laughs. “Yeah, she still does hate you, doesn’t she?”
My shoulders relax at his response. I guess I thought he’d read more into it or that we’d somehow get caught fromsomething so little but, nope, it’s still our secret. “I believe she still does; that is correct.”
Harry’s phone vibrates on his desk. He picks it up to answer it. At the same time, Travis draws his head back, glancing behind him into the restaurant. “Speak of the devil.”
“What?” I ask.
“Your flight attendant is here.”
My heart beats fast. “Bailey, ishere?”
“I didn’t say it was Bailey.”
I cock my head to the side. “First of all, she’s the only flight attendant that I know, and why would you assume she’s here for me and not her brother?” I glance over at Harry, and thank god he’s still on the phone.
“I know she’s here for you,” he says before leaving the office and walking back toward the kitchen.
Excited to see her, I lift off the chair, forcefully sending it rolling across the room. It hits the side of Harry’s desk, causing him to shoot me an annoyed look from over his shoulder. I rush out of the office, sprint down the hallway, and into the main dining area of the restaurant.
She’s sitting at the bar with a glass of water in front of her while she chats with one of the servers. As I get closer to her, I can see she has changed from her running shoes and baseball cap from the game this morning. Her hair is now down. She has a black long-sleeved shirt on and light makeup.
By the time I get to the end of the bar, she’s alone. “Hi, Bailey.” I take the stool next to her.
“I didn’t want to bother you at work, but I thought you might need this,” she says as she pulls out a long white cord from her purse and slides it across the counter.
My phone charger.
Then she leans in, keeping her voice low. “You left it at my house. Sorry, I forgot to give it to you this morning.” The aircoming from the vents above moves the scent of strawberry directly from her hair and into my nose. It sends a shock wave up my spine. My eyes fall to her lips. They have a light pink tint to them like they always do.
“Thank you.” I reach out to grab the cord, but my hand lingers on top of her smooth, warm skin.
“Hey, B, are you here for lunch?” Harry’s voice comes up behind me. We both immediately pull our hands away.
“No, I just came to drop something off,” she says, popping off the bar stool. “I have to go. Tell Jess I said hi.”
“Of course.”
“I need to head out too,” I say, turning to Harry. “I’m giving my parents a tour of my new house tonight.”
