Page 93 of The Flirt

The next week was hands down the best one of my life. Chad was... Well, he was absolutely perfect. I thought it might be weird to live with him and also work in the same place, but nothing could be further from the truth. Since I typically started later than him, I lingered in the house longer in the morning. In the evening, I arrived after him. And I came home to his pampering every day. The man truly knew how to spoil me.

On Tuesday evening, he prepared a bath in that amazing tub of his. On Wednesday, he cooked for me. Bizarrely, even though I was spending more time with him than before, I missed him more and more during the day. How was that even possible? It didn't help that I knew he was only a few floors up.

I was looking forward to seeing him again tonight. I wanted a chance to spoil him too.

I was always pretty beat after I finished the workday, but I was determined to take care of him just like he was taking care of me. He was actually picking me up today, so at the end of my shift, after I’d changed out of my chef’s attire, I was ready to dart out the door.

Just as I was finishing up, Jade said, "A customer is asking for you. Table 14." She was one of our newest servers, and I quite liked her.

I pressed my lips together, cleaning my hands under the spray of water. "What's the complaint about?"

"Honestly, I don't think it's a complaint. The guy was kind of looking forward to seeing you. Maybe it's someone you know."

How could it be? But it didn’t matter. I’d just go see what it was about.

Of course, it wasn't a secret that I was working here—I’d posted it all over social media and my LinkedIn. But I couldn’t imagine any of my friends showing up unannounced. Grabbing my bag and the rest of my things, I left the kitchen.

The restaurant was chock-full, but I zeroed in on table 14, which was in the corner by the window. It was my former boss, Mark. I couldn't believe that he’d just dropped by out of the blue—Seattle wasn’t exactly around the corner.

I hurried over to him, and he smiled big when he saw me. I gave him a reserved one back, as we didn't part on bad terms, but I didn’t expect to ever see him here.

"How’s my favorite sous-chef?" he asked.

"I'm happy. What are you doing here?"

"I was in the neighborhood," he said with a wink.

"Really? All the way from Seattle."

"NOLA is a popular tourist destination, and LeBlanc & Broussard’s is an attraction in itself. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to taste the food, especially if one of my own was running it."

"How's the family?" I asked.

"Exploring the city. They're on a bike tour. Not my thing. I initially wanted to come here with them, but no way could I get a table for four people. I barely managed to convince your reservations manager to even take me."

I gave him a heartfelt smile now. It was good to see him, but I still didn't really think he'd come here just for a meal.

"So, the dinner was to your liking?" I asked and looked back toward the kitchen.

"Am I keeping you from something? I specifically waited until the end of your shift so you’d have some time."

I focused on him again. "No, sorry. That was a force of habit. I’m all yours.”

“You know, I always liked you better than Simon.”

I jerked my head back. "I really don't want to talk about Simon."

"You're right. That's not why I came here." It was on the tip of my tongue to ask why he was here, but I had an inkling that he wasn't going to get to the point tonight. "I'm extremely proud of you."

That took me by complete surprise.

"Thank you!"

"I regret that we lost you. You were an asset to us. You're doing well here? Are you happy?”

"Well, I’m still on probation," I joked. "So the better question would be, are they happy with me? But they’re treating me right. I'm enjoying working with the staff. And I love the city."

He narrowed his eyes. "How's the situation in the kitchen? I got the impression that you're a bit short-staffed."

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