“Oh man—where are my manners?” He reached out a hand. “I’m Greg.”
I hesitated before placing my hand in his. “Lennon.”
His grip was warm and confident, welcoming. When he let go, he turned back to his station and resumed chopping vegetables. He worked with a quiet finesse that only came from years of repetition. I found myself watching him for a moment as I continued my own work.
“So, Lennon,” he started, “what brings you to the Heartful Kitchen this evening?”
I watched him work as he chatted with me casually. “Well, I—uh—felt charitable today.”
I felt eyes on the back of my head as Asher scoffed playfully. He was the reason I was here. There wasn’t a single part of me that had chosen this tonight—not on a day like today. This wasmerely a distraction from the wreckage of my life that waited for me once I went home.
“Hope you feel charitable more often,” Greg said coyly.
As I peeled carrots, I asked, “Oh yeah? Why’s that?”
Greg chuckled, clearly bracing himself for the words he was about to say. “Well, for starters, it’s nice to see someone closer to my age here. And two—” he paused, “—someone as beautiful as you.”
Heat rushed to my cheeks, turning them a fiery red. Was he seriously hitting on me right now? In the fucking soup kitchen?
Wow, the balls…
I laughed out loud, my tone laced with sarcasm. “Listen, that was cheesy…”
Before I could plead my case, he threw up his hands in surrender. “I’m not trying anything—I swear!” His smile was playful and, from what I could tell, genuine. “I’m just an upfront kind of guy. I like to say things how they are, if that makes sense?”
I nodded, but didn’t respond.
Over the next couple of hours, Asher and I worked side by side, sneaking glances at each other when we thought the other wasn’t looking. It became a quiet, playful game between us. I needed some light, and today, he was it. On my other side, Greg chatted endlessly, whether anyone responded or not. I think he simply enjoyed chatting about the world around him—observing people, commenting on small, happy things. He was comfortable in his own skin, and it was nice having his voice fill the void of the monotonous work. Oddly enough, the repetition itself was comforting.
When our shift came to an end and I started to gather my things, Greg approached me.
“Hey, Lennie—oh wait. Can I call you that?” He flashed a huge smile at me, running his fingers through his thick, blond locks.
I shrugged, indifferent to the nickname, feeling like he was the type to hand those out to everyone he surrounded himself with. He had that kind of energy about him.
“‘Kay, cool,” he said quickly, “So, I was wondering—what are you doing now, after here?”
I glanced over at Asher, then back at Greg. “Just going home. It’s pretty late.”
He slid his hands into his jean pockets and rocked up on the balls of his feet. “What if… you didn’t go home?”
I tipped my head, catching on to what he was suggesting. “Listen, I’m not interested in dating of any kind. Dates, hangouts, dinners, coffee—whatever. I’m just biding my time, you know?”
He reached out and grabbed my arm to stop me before I could walk away. “Lennie, wait—”
Fury flared at the unexpected touch. I ripped my arm out of his grip, my brows knitting together as my features hardened. Before I could even react, Asher surged forward, stepping in front of me and shoving Greg hard in the chest. The impact landed with a dullthud.
Greg staggered back, then stepped toward Asher, his face flushing red. “What the hell, man?”
“Don’t fucking touch her. Keep your fucking hands to yourself,” Asher growled.
I shoved Asher without thinking, and he took off in the opposite direction, anger radiating off him as he stormed away.
Fury settled deep into my bones. I wasn’t some girl who needed rescuing. I wasn’t a damsel in distress. I was fully fucking capable of handling my own problems.
“Asher!” I called out after him as he kept walking. “Asher, stop!” I shouted again, but he didn’t slow down.
After a deep, grounding sigh, I marched forward, breaking into a jog to catch up with him. Everything in me resisted stopping him. If he thought he needed to protect me, he could fuck right off.
