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Goddess
He watches me intently as I consume my first bite. A moan slips past my lips, and once again, I’m at the center of attention. I can feel all eyes on me without looking around. Huxley sits up a little straighter and takes a gulp of his wine. I got a small inkling of how good looking he was in the dimly lit truck, but the moonlight didn’t do him justice. He is everything Arlo is not. Arlo is soft, not muscled. He has average good looks, but his money makes up where he falls short. I take a moment to indulge in Huxley’s perfection—my comparison to Arlo is really no comparison at all. From hair that is cut short on the sides but more than long enough on top for a good pull to his chiseled square jaw and facial features, he is the very definition of handsome. His eyes are the bluest I’ve ever seen, so it’s easy to get lost in them. His heather-colored muscle shirt makes it hard not to notice how his pecs fill it out. Hard indeed. The tattoo sleeve on his right arm gives him the edge of a badass. Sexy. Kind. Mysterious. I read the words “Found Myself In You” embedded in his tattoo. If I was open to the possibility of being with another man, he could’ve definitely found himself in me. I have to bite my lip at that naughty thought. Masculinity has never looked so good. In hindsight, it’s probably why I didn’t give him the same fake name I gave Matt. He knows my first name, and oddly, I’m okay with that.
“Good, right?” he asks, replacing his gulp with smaller sips. I have to remember what the hell we were talking about. Oh, the lasagna. He’s referring to the moan I couldn’t suppress. If only he knew that the food was just part of it. Don’t get me wrong, this lasagna is beyond fantastic, but finally seeing him in the light stirs up more than a few butterflies.
“Good is an understatement. This is like heaven in your mouth,” I reply, diverting my attention back to the lasagna after finishing what’s in my mouth. “I’ve eaten plenty of lasagna, but nothing even comes close to this.”
“I’ll have to be sure to let my mother know.” He winks, now taking a bite of his own food. I may have just wet my panties. Men are not on the menu for me at the moment, but it sure as hell doesn’t hurt to look. Especially when they look like him.
We eat in silence for what seems like an eternity. I can already feel the wine starting to relax me. A smile spreads on Huxley’s face, but before I can inquire why, a gentle hand touches my shoulder.
“How was everything, dear?” I turn in my seat to see an older woman wearing a black shirt that says Rosalita’s. The flour splattered on it hints that she may be one of the cooks.
“Amazing, ma’am. I can’t express enough how much I loved it.” Huxley is still working on his, but I demolished mine. I didn’t even care if I looked like a pig. That was so good, and I was starving after two days of traveling with little food.
“Huxley, why didn’t you give her some of my breadsticks to try? You’ll have to excuse my son.” She apologizes for him.
Son? That means she’s Rosalita, the owner. Thank goodness, I didn’t open my mouth about her being the cook, although, obviously, she is. Of course, she’s Italian too. I didn’t connect the dots earlier, but Huxley bears no resemblance, and I’m pretty sure he’s not Italian. Maybe he’s adopted.
“I’m Rosalita, and you must be Goddess,” she confirms.
“Yes, ma’am. I’m Goddess Abernathy,” I say. ”Nice to meet you. As I said before, I really enjoyed the meal.” It takes me a second to realize I just shared my full name. I kind of suck at this covert stuff. Oh well, it’s out there now.
“I’m glad to hear that. Just wish my son would have given you some of my famous breadsticks. It goes really well with the lasagna.”
“I totally forgot. My apologies,” Huxley says sheepishly.
“Can I get some to go, perhaps?” I don’t want to come off as greedy, but I’d hate to disappoint. Okay, really, I’m dying to try them, especially if they are anywhere close to being as good as the lasagna was. I wanted to save some for later, but that was an epic fail.
“Of course, dear. Huxley, why don’t you be a gem and take your dishes to the kitchen? Make Goddess a to-go box of lasagna, and don’t forget the breadsticks this time.”
He gives an exaggerated eye roll, and Rosalita slaps his shoulder. He clears the table but leaves the wine. Once he’s out of sight, she takes the seat across from me where he was sitting.
“So my son tells me he picked you up alongside the road.” It’s more of a statement than a question. Apparently, he went to discuss more than spices and herbs when he left me at the table earlier. “Where are you headed, dear?”
I don’t want to be rude after she has been so generous, so I go with the truth. Well, a fraction of it. “I don’t know yet. I was just going to pass through town long enough to decide where I was headed next.”
She grabs my hands across the table, and my first instinct is to pull away, but I don’t.
“I’m not looking to pry. You obviously have some decisions you need to make without anyone meddling, but until you do, I could use some help around here if you’re interested.”
My ears perk up at the word help. Is she offering me a job? That is definitely first on my to-do list.
“Help?”
I want to make sure I understand her correctly. Who offers a complete stranger a job without knowing their experience? Wait … what exactly did Huxley tell her? It couldn’t have been much, considering I didn’t tell him anything.
“Yes, help. I opened this place just a week ago, and it’s already almost to capacity. Word of mouth alone is bringing more and more customers through the door. I don’t have enough waitstaff, so I need to hire more.” She gives my hand a squeeze. “The pay is only minimum wage, but I have no doubt you’d do well with tips. Also, I have an extra room you can use upstairs until you get your first check. After that, we can agree on what you’ll pay for rent or if you want to move somewhere else.”
Rosalita has said a mouthful. I can’t believe my luck. I only have $313 to live off after buying the gum at the store in the middle of nowhere. How can I pass up such a blessing? A place to stay and a chance to save some money before I move on. But that’s just it. Will she still want me if I tell her I don’t plan to make Marietta my permanent home? Though, I did say I was just passing through.
“Rosalita, your offer is too good to pass up. Your hospitality and generosity have been more than I’ve experienced in quite some time.”
“But?” she prompts. “I’m sensing some hesitation.”
I look over and see that Huxley has taken a seat with some older muscled guys at the table over. Something is definitely up. He’s making sure he doesn’t interrupt our talk. I look back at Rosalita, and she’s staring at me … waiting for me to answer her.
“The thing is,” I start. “I was only planning on passing through. I would love to stay a while and take you up on your offer instead, but I don’t know for how long. I wasn’t planning on making Marietta my home, so I wouldn’t want you to be disappointed when it was time for me to leave.” I have to look away, but she squeezes my hand again to make me look at her.
“My dear child, I’m aware of that. I heard you when you said you were passing through. Your help would be appreciated while I hire more staff to meet my already growing business. All I ask is that you just give me as much notice as you can. The job is yours, and the room upstairs is yours starting tonight if you want it.”
“In that case, I gladly accept. Thank you so much for the opportunity, and I won’t let you down.”
She surprises me by pouring herself some wine in the glass that Huxley was drinking out of and then refilling mine. She holds up her wineglass for a toast, so I do the same.
“Welcome to the Rosalita family, dear. I’m ecstatic to have you. Be down here at eight o’clock.” We toast, and both finish the entire glass. Huxley picks this moment to walk over.
“What is the celebration about?” He looks at us both as if he doesn’t already know.
“Goddess here is joining our Rosalita family. She starts early tomorrow, and she will be staying upstairs. Why don’t you show her to her room?”
“Congrats, Goddess. Welcome to the family. I have your goodies here,” he says, pointing at the food he has for me in the bag. “But now you get to experience all my mother’s delicious food while working here.” Huxley chuckles and gives his mother a hug as she stands. She then turns around and hugs me too. I hug her back, feeling overwhelmed. For the first time in a long time, I feel safe.
* * *
