Page 9 of Kiss for My Kraken
He jerked his head, scowling. “Told you I’d feed you. A meal for each shift. But no eggs,” he added, his scowl deepening. “I don’t do eggs.”
She bit her lip and ducked her head before he could see her smiling, then set to work on the cornbread. She’d made more cornbread than she cared to remember, but she still waited nervously for him to sample it.
“That’ll do,” was all he said. But he finished the piece that she’d cut for him and took a second, much larger piece. The knowledge that he liked her food eased her nerves, and she set to work on the other lunch prep tasks with more confidence.
Ben didn’t talk much, but that suited her just fine. She’d worked with a lot of cooks who spent half their time yelling. A big werewolf showed up shortly after eleven, strolling casually into the kitchen.
“Well, hello there,” he drawled, grinning at her, and Ben immediately cuffed him.
“Shut up, George.”
She half expected the werewolf to snap at him, but he just grinned and rolled his eyes. “I’m perfectly harmless.”
“You aren’t perfect, anything,” a voice said dryly, as a woman joined them in the kitchen. A woman with bright blue eyes, bright blue hair, and shimmering wings the exact same color. She smiled at Nina. “But even though he isn’t perfect, he is harmless. I’m Annabelle.”
“I’m Nina,” she said, returning the smile.
“Enough yapping,” Ben snapped, as he ladled out bowls of chili, along with a platter of her cornbread. “Eat and get to work.”
The three of them obeyed, eating while Ben went over the menu for the day. Annabelle turned out to be the waitress, while George was the bartender. There was clearly something between the two of them, even though all they did was exchange good-natured insults. Both of them complimented her cornbread, and the chili was delicious. Typically, Ben just scowled when she said so.
George laughed and slapped Ben’s shoulder, hard enough that she suspected it would have sent an ordinary person flying. “Yeah, he can cook. As long as it’s nothing sweet. Thank the gods for Grondar.”
Ben glared at him. “I don’t do sweets.”
“No sweets, no eggs,” Annabelle and George said in unison, and she bit back a laugh.
“You got a problem with that?” Ben snapped, and George raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.
“Not me, boss.”
The meal came to an end, and everyone scattered to their various tasks. Lunch started a short time later, and she quickly fell into the familiar routine.Just like any other restaurant, she thought. Then Annabelle swooped into the kitchen to pick up an order, leaving a trail of blue glitter behind her.Well, maybe notquitelike any other restaurant.
She was too busy to think about anything else until the lunch rush ended, and it wasn’t until after she’d finished cleaning the kitchen that she realized how tired she was. Ben had been doing some paperwork, and he stomped back into the kitchen and scowled at her. His fierce expressions no longer made her nervous. Much.
“You should go home.”
Her heart sank. She’d been hoping for a full day of work.
“You don’t need me tonight?”
“You want to work the dinner shift as well?”
“Yes, please.”
“Are you sure you’re up to it? It’ll be even busier tonight.” When she nodded eagerly, he studied her for a moment, his nose twitching, then shrugged. “All right. Be back at five.”
She sagged with relief, but before she could thank him, he frowned again. “Where are you staying?”
“I know the perfect place,” a cheerful voice chirped unexpectedly, and Ben swore as a tiny little old lady came dancing into the kitchen. She had pale green skin, sparkling black eyes, and a cap of white curls. The vivid blue tracksuit she was wearing had “Up To No Good” scrawled across the front in rhinestones.
“What the fuck are you doing here, Flora?” Ben growled.
The old woman grinned, revealing disturbingly sharp teeth. “I told you. I have the perfect solution. For both of you.”
Flora turned that disturbing smile on Nina, and her heart skipped a beat. She had the sudden suspicion that whatever Flora had in mind, she wasn’t going to take no for an answer.
CHAPTER 6
