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Chapter 8
Hyacinth had convinced Rhys to stop acting like a caveman right in the middle of her shift. Especially when the entire restaurant could see them. She had convinced him to wait until after they closed. That she would tell him everything.
His head motioned towards the flowers sitting on the table. “What do you want me to do with those?”
She released a loud huff. Just the thought of Kenny sending her flowers to her workplace made her skin crawl. That meant he knew where she worked. These empty gestures of his were pissing her off. And with him using her favorite flower to try and get her back, only made her hate him more.
“Throw them away. I don’t want them.”
He was now standing inches away from her. His gaze was intense as he looked at her face. She knew he was trying to gauge her emotions and how she was feeling about things. But she couldn’t do this right now. If she started discussing the situation with Kenny and how much he had hurt her, and that he couldn’t seem to leave her the fuck alone, it would put her in a foul mood. Since she still had a few hours before they closed, that wasn’t something she could do right now.
She took a step back to put more space between them. “I’ll tell you everything later. I just need to focus on work right now. Can you throw them out or give them away? I don’t care what you do with them, but I don’t want to see them.”
Staring at her for a few more moments, he eventually nodded. One hand raised, catching the attention of one of his busboys. “Hey, can you take those flowers and walk them next door to the furniture store? Let them know we got an extra flower delivery and we’re giving to them as a gift.”
“Yes, sir.” The young man quickly picked up the vase and walked to the door. “Sir, there looks to be a card. Do you want it?”
Rhys nodded before reaching out his hand. He placed the small envelope in his pants pocket. If Hyacinth was so upset by the flowers showing up, he sure as hell wasn’t going to ask her to deal with a personal note.
“This isn’t over, Cin.”
“I know.” She shook her body as if ridding herself of bad vibes. It would be kind of cute if he wasn’t so fucking angry.
“I want answers tonight. If any other deliveries come, I want to be informed right away.”
She rolled her eyes at him, but he didn’t give a shit. “Yes, sir.”
“You know, I like that word coming from your lips.”
When she smiled in his direction, his entire body relaxed.
“Don’t get used to it,” she responded.
One long finger touched the bottom of her chin, tilting her head up to him. “I can wait.”
“Rhys. Please. Don’t make this uncomfortable. People are watching.”
He didn’t give a shit who saw them. If they didn’t like it, the door was waiting for them. “Do you care?”
“I worry about giving the wrong impression. We’re not a couple.”
“Not yet. But trust me, it’s coming.”
Releasing her, he stepped back. He walked over to the bar and ordered a whiskey. Then another. As he watched the activity in his restaurant, he tried to tamp down the rage flowing through him. It was important for him to always show a professional image. Santa Barbara wasn’t Providence, and it wasn’t Virginia. His past followed him for years, but he had come here to the west coast for a fresh start. His father had given him the helm of this Mannetti’s and asked him to build on the already strong brand.
But he was who he was. A hunter. A killer.
His gut was telling him that whoever sent those flowers to Hyacinth was trouble. Her reaction was abnormal.
For the rest of the night, Rhys stayed close by. He didn’t go into his office. He stayed by the bar all night observing the crowd of people inside his establishment. He didn’t know what or who he was looking for. But he would know when he found it.
When things started winding down and the last customers were walking out the door, Rhys knew it was time for him to get answers. After locking up his office, he walked back to the front. It took him less than five minutes to say goodbye to the staff before he approached Hyacinth.
“Time to go.”
She looked up at him with resignation. “You really want to do this right now? I mean, you’ve already made a scene in front of everyone. I don’t want people to think the wrong thing about us.”
Rhys looked outside the large front window and saw Carlos pull up front. “No one cares if we leave together. We’re not like that here. Plus, you owe me a conversation tonight. Let’s go.” Yes, he was being harsh with her, but he didn’t care. There was a driving need for him to sort out this situation.
