Page 16 of Ox

“Does he have any friends in town that look like him? That man is gorgeous. And so tall! You know I like the tall boys,” she gushed.

I laughed, unable to stay mad at my exuberant friend. “I’ll ask him about it later.”

Walking into the kitchen, I grabbed a clean apron and tied it around my waist. Kim was loading up a tray of food and smiled when she saw me. “Hey kid! Good to see you. It’s been busy all morning so I know the afternoon rush is going to be just as slammed.”

Just as Kim had predicted, the next few hours were, indeed, slammed. I hardly blinked and I realized that it was six already and the crowds hadn’t let up for a minute. I was in the kitchen, gathering my order for another table of five, when Macy swooped in.

Nudging my arm, she announced, “Your good looking friend is back. He wants to be seated in your section, too,” she excitedly let me know.

“What good looking friend?” Kim inquired, as she walked through with a tray of Meatloaf specials.

“He’s a gorgeous biker,” Macy blurted out, clapping her hands together. “And Kayla’s going to introduce me to his friends.”

Kim frowned. “The weird guy from the other night who made you uncomfortable?”

Irritated that Macy didn’t know when to shut up, I shook my head. “No, it’s someone else. Someone I know from back home,” I fibbed, hoping to sweep everything neatly under the rug so I didn’t have to confess what had actually happened with Ghost.

“Good. I didn’t like the other guy. He was all hands and had crazy eyes!” Kim stated before disappearing through the kitchen door to distribute her food.

Macy looked confused. “What guy with crazy eyes? You didn’t tell me about a guy with crazy eyes!”

“I’ll tell you about it later,” I said, hoping she would forget and move on to something else by then.

“I never meet anyone good,” Macy grumbled, as the cook practically drooled over the woman he’d had an open crush on since I started working here four months back.

“I don’t know about that,” I told her, as I walked toward the dining room. “I think if you open your eyes, you’d see there’s a lot of good guys around just waiting for you to notice them.”

Winking at Bruce, I slipped through the two way door and began to distribute the food to my tables. After I’d done that, I glanced over at the back of the room where Ox was seated. Immediately, my skin began to tingle, my body became heated, and I felt light headed.

Boy, Macy was right. Ox was really good looking. But it wasn’t just that. There was something special about the man that stood out even more than his good looks and large size. It was the way he took care of me, made me feel safe, and exuded competence in whatever he did that really turned me on. When we were together, I knew everything was going to be okay. He’dhelp me sort it out. And there was nothing sexier about a man than a can-do attitude and a will to pitch in and get shit done.

As I approached his table, Ox looked up. “Hey beautiful,” he greeted, and I think I’d died and gone to heaven with his compliment. “I was wondering what was good here?”

“People really seem to like our meatloaf,” I told him, having sold nearly thirty plates of the stuff already today. “And the lasagna is really good, too.” It was usually what I got when I ate here. They used three types of cheese, a sweeter sauce, and loads of vegetables. Just like my mom used to make it.

“I’ll try one of each,” Ox said, leaning back against the booth. “Any chance you can join me for dinner?”

I looked around the room and my heart dropped. We were still so busy, I was probably going to have to work late tonight. There was no way I’d be able to leave Macy and Kim with so many tables to take care of while I sat down to eat.

I sighed. “I don’t think so, but I have a break coming up in a little bit. I’ll probably be able to sit with you then.”

Ox grinned as though he liked the sound of that. “I look forward to it, Babe.”

“You want a coke with your dinner? There’s free refills here.”

“Sure,” he agreed, so easy going it was hard to believe he was a big, bad, biker.

“I’ll be right back with your drink,” I told him, and rushed to the kitchen with his dinner ticket.

Knowing how large Ox’s appetite was, I popped in an order of fries for him to munch on while he was waiting for his meatloaf to cook. It would be my treat. A small way I could pay him back for being so amazing.

Lucky for me, I didn’t even have to wait for the fries because Bruce already had a plate of them ready to go. “Hey Kayla, you needed these?” he asked, pushing a large, crispy stack in mydirection. “Table four ordered them to go, but then had to leave before they were ready.”

“Thanks,” I said, snatching the still hot plate in my free hand.

“Thank you,” he said, sending me a warm grin. “I heard what you said to Macy, and I’m grateful for all the help I can get with that girl.”

“You just need to ask her out already, Bruce,” I told him. “I know you’ve wanted to for some time.”

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