Page 69 of Finally Home

As soon as I walk into the kitchen, Rhyland slides over a basket with a chicken sandwich in it without even saying anything. Did Archer stop in here before coming to see me to tell him to fire it? Neither of us speaks as I eat my food, and he continues to put out tickets. It’s not often that I get to watch my best friend in his element.

Pride flows through me as I watch him. I’m grateful that Archer and I gave him an opportunity to shine in the kitchen.

Tracey walks into the kitchen and slams the plate of untouched food onto the counter, a deep scowl engraved on her features.

“Rhy, I’m so sorry. I don’t even know what’s wrong with this one, but they claim it’s not what they ordered. But just like I’ve told them the lasttwotimes I brought the dish out, it’s what I wrote because it’s what they said.”

She presses her palms into the counter and stretches her back, reminding me of a cat, even with a fucking growl of frustration.

Now, normally I would say the customer is always right, but watching one of my servers on the verge of tears because someone’s in a shitty mood this evening and wants to causetrouble has my hackles raised. I swallow the last bite of my sandwich and toss the crumpled paper into the trash can.

Rhyland lets out a frustrated breath. “God, this person just isn’t fucking happy. What the fuck? It’s fucking bullshit if you ask me. I’ll remake it and take it out myself. Maybe a visit from the chef will make the asshole feel special and better.”

“You know what? I’ll take it.” It’s about time I step up and get my shit together tonight. I’m in charge of the front of the house, so I’ll deal with it. “What table?”

Tracey shares a look with Rhyland, and he gives a subtle nod. I’m not sure if it’s to me letting me know he’s cool with me going out there or if it’s toward Tracey to tell me what table. “Table twelve.”

I nod and wait while Rhy refires the dish of food. There’s a definite fire behind Rhy’s eyes as he does his thing, and I smirk at the bit of passive-aggressiveness he has as he passes me the plate of flood. “Bon appétit,” he grunts.

Shit, it smells incredible. If they won’t eat it, I will. It doesn’t even matter that I just devoured a sandwich. The aroma alone has my mouth watering.

My head is down as I head toward table twelve. I’ll be polite as I can, but if they’re as much of a dick as Tracey made them out to be, then I’m sure they still won’t be happy and I’ll politely let them know they can always go elsewhere if they aren’t happy with our food or service.

Murder them with kindness,I chant mentally over and over as I approach the table.I set the plate down on the table and open my mouth to introduce myself, but as my eyes connect with those same eyes that haunt my dreams, all words leave my brain.Fuck, who am I kidding? Not only do they haunt my dreams, but I have engraved them in my brain and in my heart.

“Hi,” Hollie says, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Slowly, she rises from the booth and smooths her hands down the front of her dress. She seems nervous as hell.

What is she even doing here? How? When?So many questions flood my mind.

I’m completely stunned.Say something, you fucking idiot.Maybe I’m dreaming. It wasn’t even thirty minutes ago that she had texted that she was on her way to her next job. How the hell is she standing in front of me?

I glance over her shoulder to find Logan, Rhyland, Tracey, and even Archer standing at the bar, staring. Even my grumpy-ass brother has a smile on his face. But as soon as they realize I caught them watching, all four of them pretend to be busy.These fuckers were all in on it?

Holy shit, it hits me. Sending back food over and over, it’s not just any story—it’s our story. The fake meet cute that we had told everyone. She made it real.

“Ollie?” When my attention turns back to her, I let out a sigh of relief that my imagination didn’t just conjure her up and that she’s really here. My hands ball into fists at my side to keep from freeing her bottom lip, which is now trapped between her teeth.

What has you so nervous, baby?

Fuck it, I do the only thing I can think of to get her out of her own head. With two large steps, I close the distance between us and place one hand on her hip while threading the other possessively into her hair and bring her lips to mine.

For the first time in a week, I feel like I can finally breathe as her lips move against mine. All too quickly, I break the kiss and rest my forehead against hers. We stand there in the middle of Tilley’s, just breathing each other in.

Finally, I break the silence. “How are you even here right now? I thought you were on the road.”

“Well, technically, I was.” She smiles sheepishly.God, I’ve missed her mouth.“But I got a phone call yesterday when I was finishing up in Willow Creek, and there was a fire at the venue.” My eyes widen and mouth drops in shock. “Everyone is okay, but there was some damage to be repaired, so the event is rescheduled for the spring. So I got back in my car and, well, ended up here.”

“Here?”For fuck’s sake, Ollie, stop acting like a parrot and be the man who was ready to drive to New York and throw her over your shoulder.

She nods and grips the front of my shirt. “My whole life, I didn’t know what it meant to have a home. Until one day, I stumbled upon a small town and found myself in a bar, meeting a man who would change everything.”

My hands wrap around her back and link, so she couldn’t escape, even if she wanted to. “Everything, you say?”

Hollie nods again, and her eyes glaze over with unshed tears. “Everything. He not only stood up for me in a way no one else has and showed me a family isn’t just made of blood, but he helped me find a voice so that I could stand on my own two feet and speak up for myself. He provided shelter, warmth, and love.”

“And orgasms. Don’t forget about the orgasms,” I say in a hushed tone so no one else can hear us.

Hollie giggles, and the sound makes my heart skip a beat. Fuck, I’ve missed her so much. How is it that this woman, in the short time we’ve known each other, means so much and the week we spent apart feels like it was an eternity?

---