Page 24 of The Flirt

He didn’t write anything else, but he was a busy man. He couldn’t chat with me all day. I sent a picture to Ariana, who immediately called me.

“Chad is really spoiling you, huh?” She knew all about the king cake, of course.

“Yes. He’s... I’m not even sure how to describe everything.”

“Then don’t. Just enjoy it. Thank heavens your luck is turning around after that moron.”

I bit the inside of my cheek. “Have you heard anything new?”

Ariana and I went out together with a few of the restaurant’s coworkers a few times, and she’d kept in touch with them.

“Apparently, three staff members quit, citing Simon as the reason. He...”

My heart sank. “What?”

“He kind of thinks you’re behind it.”

“What the hell?” I snapped. “Who quit?”

“Andreas, Noah, and Elijah.”

They were the ones who told Simon that his treatment of me was unacceptable.

“That’s... I’m not even sure what to say.”

“Nothing. Simon simply never takes responsibility for his actions. You know that. Forget about him. He’s in your past. Enjoy that delicious man you’ve got there, all right?”

“I don’t have him...”

She snorted. “It’s only a matter of time until you do. I’m sure of it.”

Oh, Ariana, I’m starting to hope you’re right.

***

On Thursday, my beignet arrived half an hour before the marketing meeting.

Even though I was seeing Chad in a few minutes, I couldn't help myself and texted him.

Scarlett: This is even better than the other two.

Chad: I figured you'd say that. That's why I saved the best for last. It's my favorite too.

Hmm, something we had in common.

Chad: Are you free?

I sucked in a breath. The honest answer was no because a chef never truly was free, but I couldn't bring myself to tell him that. The dots indicating he was typing popped up on the screen again.

Chad: If you can spare a few minutes, come up earlier. We can discuss the pros and cons of each beignet.

He was good at coming up with silly excuses. Even though I should’ve started the day by making the to-do list for Joel, I simply wrote, Start with the same tasks as yesterday. We'll discuss the rest after the marketing meeting.

Guess who ran up the three flights of stairs to the management level in record time? Yep, me. I had a boost of energy from the beignet, too, for good measure. I headed straight into the meeting room, pausing once I stepped inside. It was empty.

A fraction of a second later, I felt Chad behind me. He didn't say a word, but I knew he was there in the doorway. I turned around slightly. I was right.

"Good morning," he said.

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