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“It’s going great,” he said. “I’m getting some numbers from Kelsey and going to start to do some advertising.”

“So your sister got through to you,” his mother said. “Not that Duke’s needs much advertising.”

“He’s doing it for Southside,” Kelsey said.

“Actually, no,” he said. “I’d like Hadley to do it for both.”

“Oh,” Kelsey said. “You didn’t tell me that. So then yes, a flat fee might work. You’ll have to figure that out with more accounts to set up. She’s used to Southside, not Duke’s. Are you going to have her at Duke’s working too?”

“What am I missing?” his mother asked, moving into the room.

He filled her in on Hadley and how this all came about. “No,” he said. “I’ll take the pictures when I’m at Duke’s and just send them to her. That is easy enough. Most of the menu is the same and she can schedule those posts from one night to the other. I run specials more than once so if I take a few pictures one night I can send them to her. If she is half as good as I think, she’ll file them away labeled and use that picture for when the special is run again.”

At least he hoped so and was going to bring that up to her. He knew enough to not have her posting all the same pictures of the food each time.

“Sounds like you know what you’re doing,” his mother said. “Not that I ever doubted it.”

“Duke thinks Hadley is pretty.”

He growled at his sister louder this time. His mother laughed again. “Leave your brother alone,” his mother said. “Everything he has always done has been for the business and not a girl.”

He wasn’t so sure he wanted to be reminded of things he’d heard too many times in his life.

That he wasn’t around enough. He couldn’t focus on more than one thing. He didn’t give as much attention to a woman as he did his restaurant.

Whatever.

Of course he was going to put more time into his business than some woman he’d just met. He couldn’t figure out why any woman would think differently and he’d expect no different from someone in return to him.

“And it’s not going to change anytime soon,” he said. “Do you have anything else to go over with me, Kelsey?”

“Nope. Not unless you’ve got questions, but you know how to reach me,” Kelsey said.

“Dad would like to see you at some point,” his mother said. “It’s been over a month since we’ve all been together. I know you’re busy and work on the weekends.”

“I’ve got tomorrow off at Duke’s,” he said. “I’m going to Southside to check on the supplies and interview a new cook. Had someone quit on me last minute Sunday and I covered that shift.”

“Don’t you have any of your line cooks at Duke’s that want to step up?” Kelsey asked.

He squinted one eye at his sister. “This isn’t my first rodeo. Yes. That’s the interview. I’m still going to interview him though and he lives closer to Southside than Duke’s so it’d work in his favor.”

“Let’s leave your brother alone. Tomorrow night then, we can have dinner at the house,” his mother said.

His mother was a good cook. He’d spent a lot of time by her side in the kitchen growing up. It was where his first love of cooking came from. Those memories he’d always have.

“Why can’t Duke cook for us?” Kelsey asked.

His mother let out a noise that resembled his snarl earlier. “I taught him how to flip his first burger. I’m pretty sure I can put food on the table just fine for my family like I have for years. Besides, everyone deserves to have a day off, Kelsey.”

His sister winked at him and laughed. “I suppose your dinner will be fine, Mom. I can go to the restaurant to get Duke’s food.”

“You don’t even know if he is the one that is cooking it,” his mother said.

Kelsey crossed her arms. “Duke, do you or don’t you cook all my meals?”

He looked at his mother. “I cook them all. She texts me when she is coming in and what she is having to make sure I do it.”

“Kelsey! That is wrong,” his mother said.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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