“No, of course not,” I told him, shaking my head, looking anywhere but right at him. “I’ll bring out the appetizers soon.”
Instead of pouring the wine like I should have, I abandoned the tableagainand rushed into the kitchen area. I was breathing hard, even though I hadn’t run like I’d wanted to.
Hans, the owner and executive chef, and the nicest kobold I’d ever met, narrowed his eyes at me as he stirred, tossed and sautéed with the flair that had earned the restaurant a reputation for some of the finest food in the city. His scales were a soft bronze, dulled with age and years of kitchen heat, and his snout twitched, letting me know that he’d scented me.
He had a line of stools to help him reach the top of the stoves and prep stations, but that didn’t take away from the expertise of his cooking techniques. His apron—far too big for his short frame—was dusted with flour and smudged with the faint shimmer of spice powder. His tail, thick and ridged with old scars, tapped against the flagstones in a slow, patient rhythm.
“Trouble on the floor?” he asked, still looking at me as his hands moved. The rest of the kitchen staff were in a tizzy as well. Probably getting all the food ready for my table of orcs.
“Nothing I can’t deal with,” I told him with a thumbs up.
Please don’t ask me anything else.
He hummed a non-committal response and turned back to what he was doing. “It seems like there’s already enough on your plate,” he said, and I swallowed hard, knowing it was true. “So ifyou want to talk, you know I’m always here to listen.”
I sagged against the wall, nodding. “Thanks, Hans,” I murmured and he pointed a long finger toward where there were trays of food lined up in neat lines like soldiers.
“There’s the first round of appetizers for that table of orcs,” he told me, a smile crossing his face. “You know, the one with that male that’s been staring at you since he first walked through the door.”
My mouth opened and closed to respond, nothing coming out. “How the hell wouldyou know that? You’ve been in here the entire time!”
“This is my restaurant,” he said with a stern sniff. “I knoweverythingthat happens here.” He chuckled, as he tossed the food in a pan with a flick of his wrists. “Also, Katie has a pot going about whether the male’s going to ask you out before or after dessert.”
I sputtered a non-response. “That’s… that’snotgoing to happen.”
He gave a quick nod. “Sure, sure. Now get the food out while it’s hot.”
I grabbed plates, balancing them on my tray and glaring in his direction. “This place is just full of nosy—”
“Yeah, yeah,” he agreed, waving me off again. “A bunch of gossips. Now come back and tell me if they like anything. I never thought I’deverget an orc in here. Much less a group of them.”
CHAPTER 6
Emma
Miffed, I sauntered out of the kitchen with my head held high. I spotted Katie grinning at me from the bar, her arms crossed as she tipped her head toward the table filled with orcs. I didn’t need to look. I alreadyfelthis gaze on me again.
I rolled my eyes as she laughed, and I turned back to the table, struggling for composure as I approached them. “How is the wine?” I asked the human-looking female that I’d first spoken to.
“Amazing,” she told me, tipping her glass toward me. There were only a few more sips left in it. “This is agreatbottle, and I’m nowhere near fancy enough to know anything about wine.” She grinned at me and I found my smile turning more genuine.
“Most of it tastes the same to me,” I admitted in a low voice, sending a wink her way. “So I get it.”
She giggled and the other female nodded at me, laughing as well as I put plates in the center of the table for them to share.
“I was actually hoping to get a glass of water,” the second female said, shaking her head. “Wine isn’t my thing.”
“I’m sorry,” the male who had ordered said, grimacing. “I acted like Dristan and ordered for the entire table. Does anyone want anything else?”
“I’ll take a water too,” the quieter male on the end said, raising his hand, his eyes focused on Krusk. “If that’s okay.”
“That’s perfectly okay,” I told him, aiming a smile his way. “I’ll go grab those now.”
The rest of the table members were putting me at ease, and I was able to take a moment to peer at the little one sucking on her father’s shoulder… or was shebitingit? She didn’tlookhalf-orc, but the way that male was holding her told me that it was his daughter, and he was proud of it. I ignored the melting sensation in my chest and near my uterus. It was a dangerous combination.
I could do this. I could make it through this day without crumpling into a pile of hormones and humiliation. And then I would be free to go home and relive the entire day. One embarrassing moment after another.
I turned to walk over to Katie who was making drinks for another one of my tables. “There’s nothing going on,” I told her, leaning closer. “And I don’t appreciate you betting on me.”
