Page 12 of Beneath the Sapphire Sky

He stepped backward and shrugged.

“You need to talk to her. Let her show you her results. She did well,reallywell. I just thought you should know what she’s prepared to give up. The real question is, are you prepared to let her?”

Chapter Six

“Thanks! Have awonderful stay in the Crossing.”

Belle closed the till drawer and waited until the door closed behind their final customers for the evening, then let the effusive smile drain from her mouth. The small clock on the reception desk ticked away to itself, and Belle shuddered when she saw the time.

Eleven forty-nine. PM, that is. The sign on the door specifically stated they closed at ten, but the times had been pushed out farther and farther this spring until they had people lingering over desserts and not leaving until it was obvious that they were the last ones standing.

Sure, it was great. People loved the atmosphere and word of mouth had got around through the tourist circles that the food was good and the wine top-shelf. They’d even had a starred write-up in the Saturday morning magazine of a fancy Sydney newspaper.

It didn’t make the long days any easier, though.

At least she’d had time this evening to use her training to recommend, present, and serve wines for the meals.

She pushed through the swinging doors into the kitchen and leaned back against the bench. She hung her head backward and groaned.

A small chuckle to her right opened her eyes.

“My feet hurt. No, scratch that.Everythinghurts,” she grumbled.

Adele, one of their waitresses, nodded and rolled her shoulders. “I agree. I have aches in parts I didn’t knowcould ache. But yeah, the feet really suck.” She looked at her feet. “Even with these awesome new shoes that Hannah recommended.”

Belle glanced down, too. She’d got the same ones. Hannah’s nursing job up at the hospital had her on her feet all day, too. She’d gushed about how good her new shoes were and Belle was willing to try anything at this point.

The new, upmarket stone flooring her father had had installed was gorgeous to look at, but hell on their legs.

“All done, B.”

Dante’s voice pulled her from her thoughts and she looked over to where he stood wiping his hands on a tea towel at the prep bench. Suze, their kitchenhand, lifted the hood on the commercial dishwasher, clouds of steam enveloping her and Dante in the process.

Belle grinned at him. “You really need to hit Dad up for some overtime.”

He grinned right back at her. “I would if I actually worked here.” He motioned with his head. “C’mere.”

She pushed off the bench and walked over to him. He pointed at the bench and grabbed her waist, lifting her onto the edge of the shiny, gleaming stainless steel.

Belle grabbed at the bench for stability. Her heart raced at the unexpected boost onto the bench.

“You know you don’t have to waste your Saturday nights in my kitchen, don’t you?”

Dante lifted one of her feet to his bent leg and propped it on his thigh while he unclipped the band of her Mary Jane–styled shoes.

“And how else am I going to see you on the weekends if I don’t? If I’m gonna hang around in here, I may as well be useful.”

He glanced at her while removing the second shoe. “Although I am pretty annoyed that last lot wouldn’t bugger off.A new movie dropped on Netflix and I wanted to watch it with you tonight. I even brought popcorn. The triple butter one.”

Belle grinned as he dropped each shoe to the floor and picked up her stockinged foot. “What genre is it, if you have to bribe me with my favourite popcorn?”

She could see he was trying to keep his own amusement under wraps by the twitching at the corner of his mouth. Adele laughed and Suze chuckled in the background.

“He’s sucking up so bad, Belle. Don’t cave,” Suze said.

“Horror.”

Belle’s chuckle morphed into a groan as strong fingers found her sore arches. “Ohhh, that’s good. Do you really think I’m going to watch another horror with you after the last catastrophe?”

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