Page 228 of How to Kiss a Hawthorne Brother
I think of her standing at the back of my kitchen, her narrowed eyes taking everything in.
“Is that what you were doing earlier?” I ask. “Spying on me?”
“No! Not at all,” she says. “I was just passing through.” She gives her head a little shake. “And it was just a few casual observations. It isn’t really a big deal—more of anonly if you’re interestedkind of thing,” she says. “I’m sure what you’re doing is working just fine.”
My pride flares, making me itchy and annoyed. So every time she passes through my kitchen, she’s looking for weaknesses? Ways she could swoop in and make everything better?
At the same time, I was just thinking about what I could do to improve things in my kitchen. It’s hard not to be curious about what her “casual observations” might be.
Still, this is Tatum Elliott we’re talking about. TatumfreakingElliott. I may be willing to tease her and joke about who gets the bigger brussels sprouts, but that’s surface-level stuff.
My kitchen? my livelihood? That’s real. I’m not sure I’m ready to go there with Tatum, even if we are getting along.
“Thanks, but no thanks,” I hear myself say. “I’ve got things under control.”
Ido nothave things under control. But I’ll figure it out. I’ve got the experience. The knowledge. I have a few problems to solve, but I’ll solve them. I’ll fix things.
Tatum studies me for a long moment, like she can somehow see the battle playing out in my mind. “It’s okay to ask for help, Lennox,” she finally says, her tone soft.
As gentle as they are, her words still make me queasy.
I’m not supposed to need help. I told my family I could do this—I could make this restaurant work.
And they invested in Hawthorne because they believed me. Theytrustme.
And I’m not going to let them down.
I push away from the counter. “I appreciate it, Tatum. I do. But I’m good. Things are running fine.”
She nods, taking a step away from the counter. “I’m sure they are,” she says simply, but the dancing light in her eyes is gone, and it’s that worried expression that stays with me for the rest of the night.
Chapter Seven
Tatum
Honestly, I should probablybuy a winter coat. It’s technically almost spring, but it doesn’t feel like the weather has gotten the memo. Either way, March in Western North Carolina is a very different experience than March in Southern California.
I pull on my warmest leggings and a base layer, then add another long-sleeved shirt and a hoodie. It makes me a little bulkier than I like, but at least I’ll be warm.
Finally bundled up, I grab Toby’s leash and we head down the stairs for a late afternoon walk. I might not even use the leash—as long as we don’t see any goats, Toby should be fine—but I like to have it on me anyway just in case. Especially since Lennox freaked me out with all the bear talk.
I pause at the base of the stairs and look toward my kitchen. The light is off, and I relax knowing now, I’m truly off the clock. We had both a breakfast and a lunch service today, but we only served twenty-five people, so I worked with less than half my regular staff and we had a pretty chill day overall. I left my dishwashers finishing up the last of the dishes, and Jessiescrubbing down the stove when I went upstairs, so I’m glad it didn’t take them long to finish.
I felt guilty cutting out early, but Toby has been holed up inside a lot the last few days. We both need a nice, long walk around the farm.
Outside, we walk past Lennox’s garden, and Toby pauses to pee in his new favorite spot.
“Toby!” I whisper yell, though honestly, I’m still feeling a little salty about the way Lennox dismissed me the other day, when I offered to help with his kitchen. Maybe I don’t really care if Toby pees in his garden.
Maybe I don’t care about Lennox at all.
Stupid, prideful man. It’s not like I meant to insult him. Honestly, I didn’t plan to offer at all. But then I saw all his notes, and I just—I remembered what that was like.
He has a really hard job. I just wanted him to feel like he had someone on his team.
But no. Lennox doesn’t need anyone. Especially not me.
“Come on, Tobe,” I say, ushering him out of the garden and back onto the path. We walk a little further, looping around the giant pasture below the restaurant, passing the pavilion where, when the weather warms, we’ll hold outdoor weddings and other events.
