Page 24 of Possessive Greek Chef

“Well, today, you’re going to just take it easy. I’m taking the day off to look after you. I’ll get some breakfast going now and you tell me what you want me to cook for dinner. Anything you want. I’ll make it happen for you.”

13

LIFE’S NEW CHAPTERS

ARIA

It’s been almost two weeks since the night that Bedros broke into my apartment. The press has been ruthlessly squeezing every drop of blood out of the story. Atticus has faced all of it without me until now. I’d been locked in his house the entire time, but my anonymity eventually got compromised.

An informant, most likely one of Bedros’ chefs or perhaps Bedros himself, leaked my information to a tabloid reporter. Unable to reach me, they called my mother in the States, causing her to panic. Once the story crossed the ocean to the U.S., it began to die down just as Atticus had anticipated.

Today, he’s allowing me to go back to work.

“I told you the reporters stopped camping out two days ago. Everything’s fine now so stop looking so worried,” Atticus tells me as we drive up to Andromeda.

I check the front of the building and breathe a sigh of relief when I see that there’s no one there. I’ve missed being in the kitchen and it’s exciting to know that I can focus on my work without fearing I’ll cut off a finger when a camera flashes In my face.

“Remember, I don’t want you overdoing it tonight. If you feel like you need a break, tell me. I’ll take you home.”

I kiss Atticus and tell him, “Thank you for taking such good care of me but I think I’m okay now.”

“Alright, but I’m going to keep my eyes on you,” he grabs my butt and lifts me off my feet.

“Good. I like it when you look at me,” I grin.

It’s a busy night and the kitchen buzzes through dinner service. Before I know it, Atticus comes looking for me to let me know that it’s time for my break.

“I have a little surprise for you, princess,” he tells me.

“Really? What’s that?”

“We’re going out for dinner tonight.”

“What are you talking about? We have a perfectly good restaurant right here.”

“I know but this is special. I promise you won’t be disappointed.”

“What about the service?”

“Things have died down now. They’ll be okay without you for a while.”

I take off my white coat and follow Atticus to the car. After we drive a few blocks, he takes my hand and says, “I don’t want you to freak out, so now that I have you in the car, I think I’d better just tell you. We’re going to your old place of employment.”

My heart begins to race and I feel a sudden panic creeping up on me, “Why would we go there? I don’t want to see the people who work there. One of them told on us to the press, remember?”

“Baby, you don’t understand. Nobody is working there. With Bedros in jail, there was no one to pay the staff or purchase supplies. The place closed down last week and I did a little digging. Turns out Bedros doesn’t even own the building. It was a lease so I bought it.”

“You did what?” I ask, stunned by his confession.

“Let’s just step inside. Things will all start making sense. I promise, baby girl.”

My heart is still racing but I trust Atticus with my life. If he thinks that this is a good thing, I have to believe him, so I follow him into the dark restaurant and wait for him to turn on the lights. The dining room illuminates, and l look around in stunned silence.

The carpet has been removed and the walls have been stripped. Most of the furnishings are also gone. In the center of the floor, one table remains. It’s set with two plates and a covered dish. There’s wine chilling in a bucket and two glasses.

“What’s going on in here?” I ask him.

“I knew you wouldn’t want to see the place the way you left it, so I had the contractors get to work on the renovations immediately. They’ll tear everything out, but you get to pick the new designs.”

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