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Frederick cleared his throat and we jerked away from each other.
“This is delicious.” Blue recovered quickly and took a bite of her charred octopus.
“I’m glad you like it.” Frederick watched her intently. “What would be your role in the new restaurant?”
“I’m taking business classes at college, so while there is very little I know about cooking, I’m hoping I could be useful in running the business side of things.” She smiled at me again, but seeing Frederick’s attention on her I buried my nose in my dish, hoping to survive dinner without causing a scene.
“Wonderful. Many skilled chefs fail because of the lack of business skills. Or they end up outside the kitchen for way too long, like me. The two of you are a winning duo.”
“The school gives me the basis, and hopefully I’ll figure out the rest with Massi’s help. The restaurant business has specifics that I need to learn.” Blue looked at me, her eyes full of hope.
“I’ve been looking for someone to help me manage this place. Maybe you can get your feet wet here while you’re studying and learn the ropes, so to speak.”
My fork clattered to my plate.
* * *
“Are you going to yell now?” Blue threw the keys onto the table.
Our return from dinner was just as silent as the trip to the restaurant. But this time, the silence was full of anger. The disappointment of the untimely pregnancy seemed unimportant.
We hadn’t held hands. I’d tried to calm down during the ride home, but the thoughts had flown freely in my head, arresting any hope for reason.
“How could you?” I accused.
“How could I have accepted a generous offer to learn from the best in the business?” She folded her arms over her chest.
“He wants to get in your pants.” I gritted my teeth so hard I feared I might lose my molars.
“No. That’s fucking you. You married me to have guaranteed access to my pants and now you can’t even face the consequences.”
“I fucking love you, Blue.” I stepped closer and cupped her jaw, forcing her to look at me, our noses only inches apart. “I love you. That’s the reason I married you.”
We breathed like racehorses for what could have been minutes or years. The anger and lust that consumed me sprouted fear. And that fucker coiled around my bones, lacing everything with poison.
“Trust me,” Blue breathed. She raised her hands to my chest, the contact snapping me out of my downward spiral for a moment. Her words and touch grounded me. That’s why I needed her in my life.
I let go of her face, my arms limp at my side. I trusted her. I didn’t trust Frederick, but I hadn’t realized how my jealousy impacted her.
Spent from evil emotions, I sagged to my knees and wrapped my arms around her waist, holding on for dear life. “I trust you, Blue. I do.”
Something unexpected happened and my eyes teared up. I hadn’t cried since my father’s wake, and this time it wasn’t grief that brought on tears. It was fear. Somehow the train of my life had taken off too fast, and it was speeding ahead at a dangerous pace while simultaneously getting delayed. And I had a feeling that while I blamed Frederick or Blue or whoever else, it was me who would ultimately derail it.
She raked her fingers through my hair and leaned down to kiss the top of my head. “Let me learn from him, so we can take over Manhattan and get all the Michelin stars you deserve.”
Blue dropped to the floor and raised her hands to hold my face. “Massi, the baby delays us by a few months, but we can use that time for research and preparation and then open up even stronger.”
I lowered my head to hers and she wrapped me in an embrace. I snaked my hands around her slender back and pulled her as close as I could, hiding my tears in the crook of her neck.
However broken and vulnerable I felt, there was only one thing that I knew to be true at that moment. With Blue by my side, I would survive.
ChapterSeven
Massi
“Have you started a new workout routine? You look annoyingly buff.” Phillip sips his espresso, leaning against the bar.
“Envy speaking.” I snort. “Same routine, just more time at the gym. I have a lot of tension and anger I need to exorcise because of our temporary new team members.”
