AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Laughing, Eloise slipped an apron over her head. “I can’t believe I’ve missed that much. What could have happened in the few days that I wasn’t here?”
“Well, Shane hired a new dishwasher and the poor kid dropped a full bus bin on the floor. It completely shattered all the dishes.”
Eloise’s eyes grew wide. “You’re kidding.”
Hannah shook her head. “Then someone left the refrigerator door open and some of the food near the front went bad.”
“Oh no! Was Gabriel furious?”
“Oh yeah. He’s used to perfection, and he’s dealing with having to train people to do what he wants them to. So if you want to be promoted, I’d make sure you follow all of his directions to a T.”
A promotion? Eloise hadn’t even considered staying through the end of the month, let alone trying to get a promotion. She’d had fun plating and preparing food with Hannah. But something long-term? That thought made her more nervous than she’d like to admit.
“Anyway, I’m just glad you’re here so we can really get to know each other.”
Eloise shut the locker where she’d placed her belongings, then pushed her hands into her pockets. “This will definitely be fun. And hey, I finally got my phone back, so now we can really get together when we’re not working.”
“Oh! That’s great! You found it?”
She shook her head. “Actually, Shane’s cousin had it all along. I guess they didn’t realize it until they got unpacked.” She bit back a grin, one that didn’t go unnoticed by Hannah.
“Ooooh. I know that look.”
Eloise laughed. “What look?”
“The look that says you might be interested in a guy.” She nudged Eloise as they wandered toward the meal prep side of the kitchen. “Is this the guy who had your phone? Or is it someone else?”
“His name is Marc, and he seems really nice. Not to mention, since he’s Shane’s cousin—or at least I think he is—that should mean he’s a pretty okay guy, right?”
“I guess so.”
They reached the stainless-steel countertop where several vegetables were laid out in front of cutting boards.
“Looks like we’re doing some chopping today.” Hannah grimaced. “I’ll buy you a slice of cheesecake if you’ll do the onions.”
Eloise lifted a brow, and a teasing smile touched her lips. “You’ve been working in the food service industry for years and you still can’t handle cutting onions?”
She made a face that was more comical than before, eliciting a laugh from Eloise. “I don’t know what it is, but I can never make more than two cuts before those things make me bawl like a baby.” Her lower lip puckered, and she held up her hands together. “Please?”
“Oh, alright. But how about we do lunch instead? The last thing I need right now is another dessert.”
“Girl, everyone needs cheesecake. It’s the stuff dreams are made of.” Hannah picked up a knife and a head of lettuce. She was a breath of fresh air—someone who didn’t know much about Eloise’s family but didn’t have to. She seemed content just to be Eloise’s friend.
They worked side by side for the next two hours prepping the food for the salads and laughing about guys they’d dated. Eloise conveniently left out the part where her father had practically kept her locked away like a princess in a tower. Whenever she told that story, people got weird around her.
With Hannah, she felt she could just be herself.
Her thoughts shifted to earlier that afternoon when Shane had dropped in unexpectedly. He’d said he had a few things to discuss, but he’d only mentioned the one. For the life of her, she couldn’t come up with any idea for what the other thing might be. She’d almost asked him about it before he left, but he was so antsy when he’d shown up she thought better of it.
She glanced over to Hannah, who was busy wrapping their bowls with plastic. “Shane seems grumpier lately, don’t you think?”
Hannah glanced in her direction and shrugged. “I guess so. Why?”
“Do you know what happened? Is he dealing with something…” Eloise didn’t know how to bring up that he might be dealing with his latest breakup without making it sound like she was interested in him.
Hannah’s hands stilled. Her expression went from confused and thoughtful to realization mingling with a teasing smile. “Do you like him?”
“What? No. Of course not!”
