Page 56 of Mistletoe Missus
“What?” I exclaimed in disbelief and walked around her to open the walk-in fridge.
Only a cold chill greeted me, and no food was in sight.
“Someone forgot to put the food in the fridge,” a voice admitted from behind me. “Everything went bad.”
I cursed out loud and peered beside the walk-in fridge at boxes lined up beside it. I ripped off the tape from the brown packages stacked in rows on top of each other. Box after box I cussed, desperately searching, each one grasping at hope that anything was salvageable, but all the food was inedible. Nothing was where it should be. This was every event planner’s worst nightmare, but for some damn reason, it had happened to me.
What was I going to do?
THIRTY
Unexpected
Mitt
Damn, Tinsley was stubborn. She was bullheaded and on a mission as she combed through the crowd. For a moment, I couldn’t see her until I glimpsed the red sparkle of her dress entering through some double doors. I followed her trail, but the desperation to catch up to her almost caused a collision with a server coming out of the kitchen as I made my way in. I muttered a brief half-assed apology, carrying on in my search for Tinsley. Within seconds, I heard her voice utter words God would frown upon, but I loved every syllable from her pretty little lips.
She ripped open box after box in a flurry. Her gorgeous face displayed pure panic as used tape fell out of her hands. One after the other, she searched inside and she backed away from the packages but paced the floor. She walked back and forth with her heels clicking against the floor as the kitchen help stared at her.
“What am I going to do?” she asked out loud and didn’t receive an answer.
Instead, a woman stuttered, “I don’t know what happened. There were simple instructions to put the food in the fridge upon delivery.”
“Of course there was. It’s food!” Tinsley exclaimed as she punched her fingers against the screen of her cell phone. “Everything will go bad if it’s left out at room temperature. I’m calling the company right away.”
Next, I heard Tinsley ramble on about speaking with someone in charge. She had an urgent matter to discuss. She held the cell phone up to her ear, and she talked with her other hand. The motions were quick, harsh, and frantic. Tinsley was extremely upset, and my cold-blooded heart hated seeing her this way.
“So, you’re telling me the men that delivered the food put everything in the walk-in fridge?” A brief pause. “Then why is everything outside of it and smelling like rotten food?”
After she expressed a few more curse words and told them where they could shove their catering business, Tinsley stated she expected a full refund. There was a brief argument, and then she hung up. She started talking with the surrounding crew, slumped back against the boxes, and I wanted to wrap my arms around her. I wanted everything to be all right for my angel.
My wife didn’t deserve this. The same way she didn’t deserve me blackmailing her into a marriage she didn’t want to be stuck in, but she was mine. I’d ensure she would get everything she desired, and Tinsley needed this event to go off with no complications. But spoiled, rotten food wouldn’t do.
I picked up my cell phone and dialed a number.
On the third ring, I received an answer.
“I have a problem. I need it dealt with right away,” I voiced with urgency into the speaker of the device. “I don’t care how much it costs, but get me a gourmet chef. I’ll text you the address.”
I hung up and punched in the address of the charity event with clear instructions that a chef should be here in less than ten minutes. Time was of the essence, and my wife was stirring in apot, in over her head and about to boil over. This matter needed to be managed quickly, and the food prep had to begin.
Tinsley mumbled some words I couldn’t make out, but she appeared defeated. Little did she know, her bad luck was about to turn around. The clock ticked down and help was on the way. I got a text stating a chef was only five short minutes away, and I left the kitchen with a smile on my face.
A love song came on as I made my way back into the main room and couples swayed along the dance floor. I grabbed a glass of sparkling champagne from the nearest server and adjusted my tuxedo jacket. But a thought nagged at me while I sipped away, and the cool liquid bubbled down my throat.
Who took the food out of the fridge?
Someone intentionally moved all the boxes from their storage location. They knew exactly what to do, and I had a suspicion. But the night was still young and in full swing.
I still owed my wife a dance.
Suddenly, I saw Tinsley from across the room, and she was radiant. Beautiful. Goddamn breathtaking. I couldn’t take my eyes off her, but I hated seeing her fake a smile, acting as if everything was okay. She knew damn well she had a problem on her hands, and the event she had spent time on was about to tear at the seams. Her sheer will to continue on was amazing.
Tinsley’s emerald eyes, as green as an evergreen, found mine as electricity zapped through me and fired up my cock. The teeth of my zipper rose, and the constriction hurt, but it was worth it. She was worthy of everything in this damn world. My dick was a prisoner to her, and she made me weak in the knees.
Fuck. I needed her close. I wanted to hold her and make her forget whoever had made her uneasy.
What the hell was Tinsley Morgan doing to me?
