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“I think you are the best sous chef I’ve ever worked with, and I don’t say that lightly,” he continued to say.
This time Jo couldn’t help the wide grin that was plastered on her face. “Thank you,” she spoke softly, unable to utter anything else.
Daniel smiled down at her tenderly, his gaze boring into her as they had done earlier. Jo felt her heartbeat quicken. She wanted to tear her gaze away, but something was stopping her as if an invisible magnet was keeping them connected.
“We make a good team,” he stated, his voice low and raspy. Daniel looked past her eyes, and she wondered what he was looking at. Just then, his eyes lowered to look into hers as he lowered his head. Instantly, Jo panicked. She knew what he was about to do, and yet, she couldn’t pull herself away from it. When his lips finally touched hers, she stiffened as the wave of panic she’d felt before, like a crippling force, became the thing that propelled her to action.
Jo moved her head back, separating their lips as she stared in wide-eyed alarm at the man whose gray eyes opened in surprise before shuttering with regret.
“Jo, I…I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that,” he apologized.
“Okay,” Jo replied simply, turning back to rinsing the dishes. Daniel resumed his post by the sink and continued to wash the dishes. This time, the silence between them was wrought with tension and unspoken words.
“My husband and my son died in a car crash last year,” she heard the words leave her mouth as a wave of pain passed through her.
“I’m sorry to hear that. I can’t imagine how devastating that must have been for you,” he sympathized.
Jo looked up at the man and gave him a wry smile. “I can’t get into a relationship right now…with anyone…because I…I—”
“Hey, it’s okay. You don’t have to explain. I get it. You need more time to deal with the loss and what I did was not cool,” he rushed to say.
Jo gave him a small smile. “I hope we can remain friends, though,” she offered.
“Of course,” he agreed. “That’s what you need right now.”
Just then, a knock sounded on the metal doors, startling Jo. She whirled her head around at the same time as Daniel to see Andrea, Cora, and Marg stepping into the kitchen.
“Hey, Jo, want to go to The Anchor with us?”
