Page 83 of Why Not Both?

I stand in a daze and make my way to his office, closing the door once I’m inside.

He looks up at me with a smile that immediately slips when he sees my face.

“What’s wrong?”

“You’re not my co-worker.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re my boss.”

He stands and comes around his desk. “No, I’m not. I own ten per cent of Blue Vista. Vic insisted when we started it.”

“Why? Why did she have to insist?”

“Because I don’t want to own a business. My father’s business ruined my childhood. His constant need to put the job before our family.”

My mind races. I’m torn between feeling sympathy for what must have been a very lonely childhood and horror that I’d slept with my boss. Sure, I hadn’t known it at the time. But this is way worse than having a relationship with a co-worker.

“Listen,” Spencer says, taking my hand. “My stake in the company has nothing to do with whatever is between us. Once a quarter, we meet to discuss the business, what things we want to try and what things we want to stop doing.”

“So you could decide you no longer want the position of chef working here.”

He considers this for a second and then nods. “We could. Together. Not me. But it’s been working. We’re not getting rid of our in-house cooking team. It was a smart business move.”

He motions for us to sit. “Let me tell you the kinds of things we talk about.”

I lower myself to the chair and he doesn’t let go of my hand, as though he’s afraid I’m going to run away if he lets me go. He sits in the chair next to me, pulling it around so we’re facing each other directly, his knees on either side of me, caging me in. I can feel him watching me, but I’m staring down at where his legs frame mine.

“We decided back in university that we wanted to create a one-stop-shop for weddings. We wanted to have in-house catering, a relationship with a photographer and florist and baker. If we hire the best out there, people will want to come here just for that.”

I look up. “If that’s the case, shouldn’t you have tried to hire someone for my position who already had a name for themselves?”

“We wanted to. But when we looked through the resumes, yours stood out.”

“Did you hire me?” I ask, my heart clenching painfully.

He shakes his head. “I saw all the resumes. The four of us got together and narrowed it down to the top five. Vic and Adalie did the rest. My job here doesn’t have anything to do with hiring or firing.”

“But you own part of the business. The business I work for. Isn’t this a conflict of interest?” I motion between us.

“Not only would I never let it be one, Vic would never let it be one. Plus, remember, she owns seventy per cent. Even if Derek, Adalie, and I all agree on something, Vic’s vote outweighs ours. She steers the ship. We just offer suggestions.”

“You’re her best friend, Spencer. Of course she’s going to side with you if things went wrong between us. That was always a problem. But now, you’re part owner. Think of what this looks like from the outside. This is my first role as head-chef. If we get together, people will assume I got the job because of my relationship with you. I’ll never be taken seriously.”

“You’ll prove them wrong. Based on what I’ve seen this summer, you deserve to be a head chef. Everyone else will see it too. I know Vic has some ideas on how to get your name out there more. Competitions and things. We were going to discuss them tomorrow night. Remember, we want our vendors, even the ones who work directly for us, to be part of what draws people to our business.”

I look down to where his knees bracket mine, where he still holds my hand, my fingers warm where they’re clasped in his.

“I just need some time to think about this.” I gently pull my hand from his and stand, walking away as my fingers turn to ice.

Chapter 30

Spencer

The next few days are the busiest of the entire summer. That’s the only reason I’m not going completely insane thinking about if Lis is ever going to speak to me again. If she does, it’s at work and only about Blue Vista business. She has stopped letting me walk her home. She has stopped seeking me out for anything except things that are specifically my responsibilities. I have never hated my job, until now.

The rest of Pride and the Celebration of Light goes smoothly. Lis brings in Pride cookies she made for the parade. We all take the time to watch it as it passes by our building. But then we have to get back to work. There are three weddings that day.

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