Page 26 of Hiding Rose
“Hi, Lei,” I said to the woman standing behind the counter. She was young, and a natural beauty with her Japanese heritage prominent in her features. “Do you have a second? I have a question.”
Lei smiled. “Of course, can you ask it here or do you want privacy?” she asked curiously.
I waved my hand. “It’s no big deal. I was curious about the Great Hawaiian Cook-Off. I can’t remember if that’s exactly what he called it, but he said it would happen during a luau in February?”
She put her hand on my arm. “Back up. Who is he?”
“Chef Sawyer,” I said, proud of myself for remembering to use chef and not seeming too friendly.
Her eyes brightened. “Oh, it all makes sense now. Let me guess, you tried his brisket the other night?”
I laughed and the sound echoed in the great reception area of the hotel. “You found me out.”
She leaned on the desk with her elbows. “His brisket is like a religious experience. Anyway, you had it right. It’s the Great Hawaiian Cook-Off. We’re hosting it here this year. It’s the week before the National Hula Competition, which means two busy weekends for us, but hey, it’s great for business.”
I nodded along. “For sure. What do they do during this?”
She chuckled. “Exactly what the title says. They have a cook-off. Chefs from all over the mainland and the islands descend upon us for a weekend. Slowly they’re whittled down to the top five, then they have a cook-off during the luau. The public gets to be the judge of the best overall, and they crown the cook-off queen or king. Prizes are awarded and everyone eats and drinks until they pass out or roll themselves home.”
“Sounds like a great time. I see why Sawyer keeps his recipe close to his chef’s coat,” I said and she raised a brow.
“Sawyer, huh?” she said, watching my reaction.
I could feel myself blushing, but I tried to brush it off. “Is there anything I can do to help? I can take tickets or anything else where I can sit in a chair.”
“Actually, we have this on the agenda to talk about when we all get together to discuss the center. We’re hoping we can come up with a logistical way to have the daycare center open for a few hours for the kitchen and bartending staff. It will make it easier to get help for the event. We might need to do the same for the next weekend.”
I took a moment to run the numbers through my head. “It shouldn’t be a problem, but we’ll probably still be in the small center. We can always offer time and a half to the teachers if we have to. We won’t make much, but it’s a service for the employees to make sure we have enough help for the event.”
She touched her nose. “Exactly. We can talk more about it at the meeting, but I’m glad it’s on your radar.”
A lot of things were on my radar, but I didn’t necessarily know what to do with them all. The biggest one being Sawyer and the way he makes me feel. I could still feel the touch of his lips on mine and the hard lines of his body against me. I walked around half worked up, afraid I will see him and half afraid I won’t. It was a hard way to live when you’re trying to keep your wits about you.
“Me, too. I’ll go back to my office, make a few notes, and work out some scenarios before the meeting. Then we’ll have solid numbers to look at.”
She patted my shoulder. “Sounds perfect. I have to take the morning’s checkout slips to Ellie. Have a great rest of your day.”
“I can take them, I’m going to my office anyway,” I told her. “Unless you need to see her.”
She picked up a pile of papers and handed them over. “I don’t, so I appreciate the offer.”
I tucked the papers in my messenger bag and crutched back down the hall. I learned early on to always have a bag big enough to carry items when using two crutches. Otherwise, it’s hard to say how many times you’ll have to pick them up off the floor before you get to your destination. I waited at the elevator for a trip to the basement when someone called my name.
I spun around and Niko was jogging toward me. “Hi,” he said out of breath when he reached me. “I got your brace by courier this morning. Should we try it on?” he asked, motioning at the shoe box under his arm.
“I’m game,” I said excitedly. The elevator car dinged and we both stepped on, the doors sliding closed when we pushed B. “I have to leave some papers for Ellie on my way to the office first.”
“Lei got you doing her dirty work?” he asked, joking. “She always makes me do the dirty work, like changing Bim’s diapers.”
I laughed and it bounced around inside the car. “She certainly has her wiles, but no, I offered. I walk past her office anyway.”
He followed me patiently, even though it took me much longer to make my way to Ellie’s office than it normally does anyone else. She wasn’t there, and her door was locked, so I stuck a note on her door to come to my office when she was ready for them. Once we were in my office he closed the door and motioned for me to sit in front of the desk.
“Maybe my apartment would give us more space?” I asked, the confines of the room suddenly obvious.
He shook his head and knelt, taking out the brace. “Nah, we’ll put it on and walk in the hallway, but you still have to use the crutches. We’re going to take it slow.”
I agreed and took my shoe off, watching as he showed me the brace and how it strapped on. The brace was simplistic, but hopefully, would be what I needed to stay upright. He slipped the brace into my shoe and handed it to me.
