Page 41 of Tall, Dark, & Ginger

Everyone laughs until Lowen chimes in on a more serious note. “Ridley’s right though. We may need to look at our staffing and hours again, at least through summer. Every time we get so much as a mention on social media, we see an increase. Being on a major TV show like that is likely going to generate business.”

“Why don’t we have a meeting tomorrow to go over everything?” Indy suggests.

“Over brunch,” Jerryn adds.

I smile, listening to them work out the details. Sundays are turning into a kind of family day, where we all gather together, at least for a few hours. It’s become a tradition I really like.

I glance down the hall towards the kitchen, wondering if Wren is handling the news okay. I’ll check on him when it’s not so obvious.

“Are we ready?” Stewart asks, peering out the front door again.

Indy nods. “We’re ready. Open the doors.”

Around ten o’clock,when the kitchen is closing, I take a quick run through the bar, making sure my tables are good before heading back to check on Wren and his crew. He puts up a basket of wings that Bane grabs just as I enter.

“No more orders,” Wren says without looking up.

“Promise.”

He snaps his head up and his expression relaxes into a smile. “Hey.”

“Hey. You good?”

“Yeah. Totally. It’s been a wild five hours though.”

“It’s still crazy out there, but that’s Saturday night for ya.”

“Right.” He glances around. “Can you step outside for a minute?”

“Sure can.”

We head through the back door, out into the alleyway. It smells like dumpsters and damp brick even though there’s a refreshing breeze blowing past, but I’m still happy to be alone with him.

“Thanks for talking me down earlier,” he says. “I needed a voice of reason.”

“Not a problem. Are you still feeling nervous about it?”

He nods. “Definitely, but you’re right. This is what I wanted in my career, and now I have the chance to pursue it. All I have to do is take it.”

“Good, because you earned it. None of this just happened. Without your food, Moby’s would be just another bar serving drinks.”

He smiles, scraping the toe of his sneaker on the gravel but not saying anything else.

“Did you have something specific you wanted to talk about, Chef?”

“Is it bad that I really liked how you teased me earlier?” His words come out in a rush, like he had to force himself to say it. “If you wanted to do more of that, I’d be open to it.”

Grinning, I step closer to him, backing him up against the brick of the building. “You’d be open to it, huh?”

Wren nods, grazing his teeth over his bottom lip. “It was exciting.”

“Like stealing a few quiet moments outside a busy bar where any of our friends could walk out and catch us?”

Wren’s breath hitches as he rubs my pecs over my t-shirt. “Mm-hmm.”

I dip my head to nuzzle his neck, inhaling his scent even under the smells of food and sweat clinging to him. There’s something inherently soft about him, like a favorite blanket.

My hands roam down his body, avoiding the part I want to touch the most. Instead, I brush my lips across the soft patches of skin on his neck.

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