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With that, Jeremiah hurried out into the kitchen to run his show. Before I had a chance to breathe, Cara knocked on the doorframe.
“Chef?”
I raised my eyebrows, smiling at her. “Hmm?”
“You have a guest.”
I pushed myself up from where I’d been leaning on my desk. “Thanks.” She turned to walk away, but I called her back before she got too far. “Oh, and, Cara?” She turned back toward me. “Jeremiah is running the show for the foreseeable future. You report to him for now, while I scout locations for a new restaurant. I’ll be around, of course, but Jer’s the one, okay?”
She grinned. “Yes, Chef.” They got along well. I knew Hidden Cove would be in good hands with the two of them at the helm.
I followed her out to the front, straightening my chef’s jacket and smoothing away the wrinkles before I pushed open the swinging doors to the front. Standing by the hostess station was Cam, in gray linen shorts and a blue button-down shirt. My breath hitched and caught in my throat the second my eyes caught sight of him. I hesitated for just a second before swallowing the lump that had formed in my throat.
“You okay, Chef?” Cara asked.
I nodded. “Never better.” My voice, hoarse and raspy, revealed my lie. I turned my gaze to Cameron. “Cam,” I said with as much distant warmth as I could muster. I didn’t want to seem cold but I was also afraid of coming off as overly familiar in front of Cara.
Cameron nodded when he saw me. “Oli—” He cut his gaze toward Cara. Her eyebrows were raised in surprise. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Chef Ridley.”
“It’s so good to see you again. Thanks for meeting me on such short notice.”
Cam shrugged, seeming to force the casual look. “No problem. What did you want to talk about?”
I looked to Cara, who was studying something on her tablet and making every effortnotto look like she was eavesdropping. “Maybe we should discuss this in my office. In private.” I pretended not to see the small, knowing smile that crossed Cara’s face. I couldn’t help but wonder if she knew.
Cam followed me back to the office, and as we crossed the threshold into the kitchen, I tried to ignore the sensation of eyes burning into the back of my skull coming from my staff. Jeremiah politely pretended not to notice as I walked Cam down the hallway to the office. Shutting the door behind him and turning the lock into place, I gestured to the chair and took a deep breath.
“You’re still wearing it,” Cam blurted before I had a chance to speak. He didn’t sit, leaning against the desk with his hip instead.
I furrowed my brow for a second before I realized what he was talking about. The ring. I glanced at my hand before meeting his gaze and nodding. “I am.”
“Why?”
I shrugged. “It felt weird to take it off. You’re not wearing yours, I see.”
His cheeks turned pink. “I didn’t want my friends to ask questions.”
“Sure.” I was quiet for a few seconds and Cam stood there, waiting for me to speak. “Listen, I—”
“You don’t have to say it. I understand. We can do whatever you need. If you need to make a divorce happen, I’ll do what needs to be done. I don’t want to mess things up for you.”
I tilted my head to the side while he spoke, listening carefully. His voice wavered, despite the attempted confidence in his little speech. I didn’t respond right away, waiting to see if he had more to say. When it was clear that he was done, I started again. “I spoke to my lawyer. He thinks we should hold off for a little while on the divorce.”
“He what?” Cam’s mouth dropped open.
I laughed a little. “Yeah. So here’s the thing. Somehow…” I cringed, not eager to share the news that we were all over the local papers. “Our pictures made it into the newspaper.”
“Oh, right. That.” He rolled his eyes.
“You knew?”
Cam shrugged. “I saw it just before you called, actually.”
“Oh. Well, my attorney thinks we should ride it out. He’s worried if we get, you know…” I couldn’t bring myself to say the word, not again. It stuck in my throat like glue. “Anyway, he thinks it’ll bring more unwanted attention to the situation. He said we should wait until things cool down a little before we make a move.”
Cameron nodded, a slow smile creeping over his face. “So now what?”
“Now, I guess you’re my husband. At least for a little while.”
