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He pointed at the door. “Shut that, would you?”
I did as he asked, closing it behind me. “Rough day?”
“Only the last two minutes, and it’s better now. It pisses me off because I gave him a chance because his father asked me to hire him. We served together a million years ago. It’s his stepson. Doesn’t matter. Point is, I did it. And if I hadn’t gone out to look at what he was doing because Anna was on her break, he’d have served that mess to a customer.”
I sat down in the chair across from him. “I don’t know anything about managing people, but maybe he’s not ready. Is there something else he could do for you?”
“He gets it done or he doesn’t work here.” He shook his head. “Still want to see me tonight, or did I just become a monster?”
I leaned forward. “Still want to see you. No monsters here.”
He nodded, once. “Great, because it would really bum me out if you cancelled while you’re looking so incredibly beautiful.”
I looked down at myself.Jeans. White blouse. Black jacket. Plain, black shoes.There was something magical about the fact that he always seemed to think I looked beautiful, even when I’d done almost nothing at all.
“Thanks, Chef.”
His smile was huge. “Sexy when you say it.”
Truly magical.
13
Ihadn’t known I could like having sex against a wall or on the floor. Or…well, hell, anywhere. I liked having sex everywhere with Max. It might become an addiction, and I wasn’t in the mood to stop it.
We lay staring up at the ceiling together in his bed. I breathed hard and so did he, but when he flipped onto his side to look at me, he seemed calm. “So…I have a problem.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “No, you don’t. You seem to just get better and better.”
His smile was huge. “Good one. And thank you, but seriously—a problem. See, Anna is going to be very busy because of Eric. Forweeks. She’s on leave—paid, of course. Anyway, I have to fire Lance, and this woman I don’t think you’ve met named Cassie. Anyway, point being, I have to fire them, and it’s the worst time to be down employees, because without Anna, I’m going to be even busier.”
I rolled toward him. “So what you’re saying is you can’t see me anymore.”
I spoke the words and hoped the horror that speaking them caused in me didn’t show on my face. I was the queen at hiding emotions. Surely I could do it again.
He was ending things while I was in his bed.
“I don’t want to not see you. I’m hoping I still can, but I’m going to be wrecked. I know how much I rely on Anna, but I’m really feeling the fact that she won’t be there for an extended period of time acutely right now.” He cleared his throat. “She’s going to get her mom to come next week, and I hope that she can return to work then, but we really don’t know how he’s going to do, so we can’t count on that just yet.”
I nodded, rolling over to reach for my clothes. I would have my meltdown in the car. I could hold on for that long. Somehow, I’d make it that far.
“Hope?” He grabbed my arm. “Where are you going?”
I looked over my shoulder. I’d forgotten how chiseled his abs were and how beautiful his face looked when the shadows of his whiskers came in after a day of growth. “Home.”
“Why?” He didn’t let go of my arm.
Enough game playing.“Because you just made it clear you wanted me to leave.”
He blinked. “I didn’t say anything like that. How do you get me wanting you to go from what I just said?”
“I understand subtext most of the time. You’re busy. You’re moving on. And you really weren’t subtle about wanting me to leave, so why act like you meant something else?”
Max let go of my arm and sighed loudly. “I don’t play games, Hope. If I wanted you to leave, I’d say go. I’m being one hundred percent up-front with you. If you want to leave, that’s fine, but don’t go because you think I’m talking around a subject. I don’t do that. Who has the time?”
Did I want to go? No, I didn’t. But I wouldn’t be made a fool of. I’d had enough of that in my life to last a lifetime. “So youaren’t just trying to find a nice way to tell me to go and that you’re done with whatever it is that we’re doing?”
He shook his head slowly. “You’ll be tired of this before I will.”
