Page 52 of Needing You

“I know you’re head chef at Walker’s Brewery, but let’s be honest, Will. That’s a small-town brewpub with an admittedly decent draw for tourists, but it’s nothing like what we’re doing here.” He proceeded to list off the square footage (insane), the dining budget (exponentially larger than ours), and inevitably, the salary.

He dangled the admittedly large sum like he thought it’d be the biggest enticement. “Your family’s business can’t possibly afford to pay you like we canorto let you be as creative with the menu.”

“I’ve got enough money, and I’m really not interested in leaving my current position.”

He chuckled gamely, like this was the opening volley of a long negotiation. “Fine, fine. But think of the clientele, Will. You’ve got, what? A bunch of families looking for some tater tots to go with their burger and pilsner? I’ve got an international city with A-list names and diners who want your brilliance, not your latest twist on high-end pub food.”

Burning bridges in this industry by being flippant was an idiot move I’d made as a young hothead and had no desire to repeat. At the same time,this fucking guy…

“Listen, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I’m not interested. My family’s here, my kid’s here… I have no reason to leave.”

He laughed loudly at that. “Well, I’m making a note that salary, budget, and even cuisine focus aren’t your lures. Can you give me anything?”

If I hadn’t seen a recruiter go after the head chef at one of the first places I’d worked, I would’ve been surprised. But these guys were sharks out to get the kill. I appreciated the idea that I was a big juicy steak, but I knew damn well I was chum. Add to the fact that I genuinely had no plan to leave, and that was that.

If Kate came to me today and said she wanted to leave Granite Springs and move to Denver, I’d think about it. But I’d been away so long. I’d left everything to my three brothers. I’d missed them and my mom—even Granite Springs. For years I’d imagined that being here would hurt—that being in the place where my father raised me, the last place he walked, the home where he lived… it’d all be unbearable.

Turns out, it made me feel a bit closer to him. Just like at Brenna’s wedding, it hurt to be without him but felt good to remember him.

I had no problem with Denver. It was probably a cool town. I’d only seen the airport for the most part, and I planned to keep it that way. I was finally building a life in Granite Springs, and I wasn’t about to abandon that for dollar signs and high-brow clientele.

“I don’t think I’m the right guy for the job, but thanks for thinking of me. I’ve gotta run to my son’s football game, so I’ve got to get going.”

“Enough said, Will. Thanks for your time. We’ll talk again soon.” The call ended, and I gave the phone a look. Why the hell would we talk again soon? I guessed he planned to call me again, so I saved his number underDenver Dick. I mean, nothing personal since I didn’t even know the guy, but if he wouldn’t take my firm no as an answer, that made him a dick.

As I gathered my wallet and keys, peace settled over me. That’d been happening a lot. Cooking with a team I’d gotten to know more and more in the kitchen. Sitting around the table at my mom’s on Sundays. Sneaking in to watch Sammy emcee trivia nights because the kid was a ham. Spending time with Jackson. Holding Kate after we found a few minutes alone and she had her way with me.

There were so many good things in my life. Considering how shitty and fucked-up I’d been for so long, I knew I didn’t deserve it. But I was a selfish enough bastard that I wouldn’t question it. No. I’d run with it.

25

KATE

“Rachel will be right with you,” the friendly hostess said, leaving us with our menus that had the Walker’s Brewery logo emblazoned on the front.

“Ooh, new menus?” April asked with a grin as she flipped the large, rectangular sheet encased in shiny plastic with a black rim. “Was this Will’s doing?”

I couldn’t help the proud smile that warmed my cheeks. “The food itself hasn’t changedtoomuch yet, but since they had to print new menus anyway, Will convinced Eric to elevate the look of it a little bit.”

“It’s impressive for sure,” Ellie said as she slid into the booth across from April and me. “Much better than the vintage look they had going on before.”

“I’m not sure they weregoing fora vintage look,” April said with a wry quirk of her brow as Rachel joined us with a notebook in hand. “I’m pretty sure the menus were just old.”

Rachel giggled a little but didn’t comment on April’s lightly barbed comment. Rachel was the newest addition to Walker’s waitstaff, so she likely didn’t feel comfortable commenting on the previous state of the menus. April had no such reservations. Maybe it was the long-standing family rivalry or maybe it was simply her nature, but she took every opportunity to tease the Walker brothers.

“Well, either way,” Ellie said brightly, “I think Will is good for this place. I’m glad he and Eric are working well together.”

She didn’t say anything that would suggest theyhadn’tbeen working well together since that would be a bit gossipy in front of their newest staff member, but I nodded to show her I understood what she wasn’t saying out loud. “Definitely. They’re a good team.”

“Everyone seems to like having all four Walker brothers around, that’s for sure,” Rachel said. “They must balance each other out. But anyway, what can I get for you, ladies?”

The girls and I ordered our drinks and the artichoke dip. Will had described it in so much detail when he’d told me about it being one of their new additions, and I was dying to try it.

After Rachel walked away to put in our order at one of the POS stations near the bar, I noticed Sammy checking her out from where he stood drying a clean glass. In fact, his focus on Rachel was so unwavering that if he wasn’t careful, he’d wear a hole in the towel.

“What are you looking at?” April whispered, following my gaze. “Oh, damn. Is Sammy banging Rachel?”

Ellie peeked over her shoulder, then turned back to us with a sardonic smile. “He didn’t waste much time.”

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