AllFreeNovel
Share Us
What if he isn’t?
The question sailed uninvited through my mind. I scrubbed my hands over my face and sighed again. The elevator eased to a stop and let out a ding before the doors slid open. I made my way through the lobby and into the desert heat before taking my phone from my pocket and dialing. It rang twice before my best friend answered, and as it rang, I turned and walked in the direction of Hidden Cove.
“Hey, Oliver. What’s up?”
My heart started to race, thudding in my chest heavily as I considered what I was going to say. I cleared my throat a little. “Not much.” I paused for a second. “Do you want to grab lunch?”
“You’re not working? It’s Sunday.” His voice pitched up in confusion.
I twisted the ring on my finger while I talked. “I’m headed there now to get some things in order, but I’m going in late to work. I need to talk to you about something.” My stomach swooped and soured, acid threatening to come up my throat. For a second, I considered pulling the ring off of my finger and shoving it into my pocket. I tugged on it, but the second it came loose, something felt off. Wrong. I pushed it back into place.
Grant was silent for a few seconds. “You okay, man?”
“I did something stupid and I’m going to need your help.”
“Shit. What are we talking? You kill someone? I’m a district attorney—I’ll be on the prosecution’s side if you’re charged.”
I couldn’t help but laugh a little, but it came out high and nervous. “No, nothing like that. Just meet me at the diner and I’ll explain everything.”
“Now?”
“Yeah, if you have time.”
“Of course. I’ll see you there.”
I hung up and stuffed the phone back in my pocket. I’d reached Hidden Cove and I walked around to the back of the restaurant and pulled open the door. Jeremiah was standing at a stove, stirring a huge pot of something when I came in.
He looked up and grinned. “Hey, Chef.”
Making my way to where he stood, I nodded and forced a smile back. “What are you working on?”
“Stock for the seafood bisque.”
I put a hand on his shoulder. “What would I do without you, Chef?”
He grinned wider. “Fall apart, obviously.”
“Listen, I need a favor.” I dropped my hand from his shoulder and leaned against the counter.
“Let me guess. You’re taking the day off?”
I snorted. I hadn’t taken a full day off in… how long had it been? It didn’t matter. I shook my head. “Nice try. Just the morning. Can you handle things?”
“You know I can, Chef.”
I smiled back at him. “Thanks. I knew I could count on you.”
“Anytime, Chef.”
With that, I turned and left for the parking lot, where my car was still sitting from the night before. I climbed in and started it up, thinking about Tenderloin and how she was probably bored while I pulled out of the lot and drove toward the diner. At least she was sure to have food and water. I’d filled the big feeder the day before and added water to her fountain. I vowed to check in on her before I went to work for the evening.
It didn’t take long to get to the diner, and soon I was parking outside of Waffles-N-Things, my mouth watering at the thought of the carbs I was about to consume. The inside was clean and bright, decorated as a throwback to diner glory days in red and white, with vinyl booths and an old jukebox in the corner by the register. Grant was seated at a booth near the farthest end of the long, narrow room, sipping coffee and staring at his phone intently.
“What’s so interesting there, counselor?” I asked as I slid into the booth.
Grant looked up at me, a strangely curious expression on his face, before turning the phone so that I could see the screen. On display was a paparazzi photo of two men kissing outside of a twenty-four-hour wedding chapel. The headline above boldly stated “Chef Ridley Marries Mystery Man.”
“Oh God,” I muttered, snatching his phone from his hand. I scrolled through the article and there were a half dozen more photos of us. We were kissing, holding hands, and walking arm in arm along the sidewalk. In one, Cam carried a bouquet of flowers. In another, we were taking shots out of glasses that were each labeled “Groom.”
