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Finally, later in the afternoon, when there was still no sign of Kenan in the office, I asked Tish if she happened to know where he was. I played it off like I needed to ask him about something.
She looked up. “Yeah, he took an unexpected trip to Willow Brook with Blake. They’re doing some planning for the production and distribution area there. Blake was going to go on his own, but Kenan offered to go with him. You know those two. They’re always better together.”
“Oh,” was all I could manage.
“I’m surprised he hasn’t texted you about it,” she said lightly.
I pasted a polite smile on my face and hoped it seemed normal. “Just a busy day and I lost track. I texted him, but if they were flying, he probably hasn’t had a chance to reply yet.” That was a total lie, but I didn’t want to let on that something was amiss between us.
Her phone rang, and she took the call, giving me an apologetic smile.
I told myself that was for the best. Kenan was out of town for a few days. I didn’t need to deal with running into him at work. We could get back to normal somehow.
Except I missed him. He wasn’t texting me at all, and I hated it.
ChapterThirty-Four
KENAN
I leaned back into the couch cushions at Archer’s house. My cousin glanced over with a tired smile. “It’s good to sit down for a few minutes. Getting this place up and running has been a ton of work.” Archer’s gaze shifted to Blake as he sat beside me. “I have a lot of respect for what you’ve been handling.”
Blake let out a dry chuckle. “I just picked up the reins of what was already established. You guys”—he gestured between Archer and Chase—“are doing all the stuff that was in place when I stepped in. On the upside, we won’t have to spend a small fortune upgrading all the equipment like I did.”
“David has been incredibly helpful,” Archer said.
“Can we give him a bonus or something?” Chase asked.
“I already planned that for the end of the year,” Blake replied. “He’s traveled here a lot.”
“It’s a really good thing he’s stepped down from handling chef duties,” I said.
“I can’t even imagine doing this without his help,” Chase said.
“We’re all grateful David found Fiona. If he wasn’t happy with her, he would’ve insisted on continuing to run the kitchen at Fireweed Winery and somehow tried to help with this,” I commented.
“How is Fiona?” Archer asked, addressing his question to Blake.
Blake’s smile was warm. “She’s great, really great.”
I was getting accustomed to him being head over heels in love with Fiona, but I was still surprised at how easily he had adjusted. Like me, Blake had been committed to not being committed. Until Fiona.
I nudged Blake lightly with my elbow as I rolled my eyes. “She’s doing a fantastic job with the restaurant. David’s thrilled with her, and we all know how difficult he is to please when it comes to the kitchen at the restaurant. Blake can’t really be objective because he’s totally whipped.”
Chase and Archer laughed just as Phoebe came through the front door. “Hey, guys!” she called over.
Archer stood and walked across the living room to meet her near the entryway. He gave her a lingering kiss. As they stepped apart, she glanced over. “There’s pizza in the car. I forgot to bring it in.”
“How many boxes?” I asked as I stood.
“Four large pizzas. There are four of you, so I figure maybe that’ll be enough,” she teased as she walked over.
Archer was opening the front door. “Do you need help?” I asked as I followed him over.
“There are groceries, too,” Phoebe called from behind us.
Archer caught my eye. “Yes, please.”
A while later, we were sitting in the living room with the pizza boxes on the coffee table as we all served ourselves. Phoebe had gone to take a shower.
