Page 44 of Thanking Her Brother's Best Friends

"You don't say?" I replied, my expression turning grim. I turned my attention back to Selene. "Are you sure you don't want me to do anything?"

"Not yet. If he messes up in there, and I have a feeling he will, be my guest, although I'm the one in your kitchen."

I laughed. "You got it. So, you met Ben? How is he? I can't believe I'm asking this. But he's been super busy post his marriage. We haven't seen a lot of him."

"Yeah, Abigail thinks weekends are only wifey-time."

"Ah. She's not wrong, though. But she could come along with Ben—except..." I paused, unsure of how to say none of us really liked Ben's saintly wife without being too rude.

"Hey, there's no love lost between me and her," Selene replied, reading my face. "I think Ben deserves to have his own life, and so does she. Just because two people are married, they don't need to become an amoeba-like cluster with no distinct shapes. That's kinda gross if you ask me."

All of sudden, the image hit me—Ben and Abigail transforming into one mass and floating around Boston. I couldn't help snickering. "This shit will haunt me worse than the last episode of Black Mirror I saw."

"As it should. But honestly, marriage should be... simpler. Don't you think? When you settle down with someone and promise to spend the rest of your life with them, wouldn't you want them to become part of this life, not the entirety of it? Who said love has to be a limitation of ourselves and the things we enjoy?"

While she continued speaking, all I could think about was how she had no business looking that good and making so much sense at the same time.

The girl was the full package, and the funny thing was how unaware she seemed of her own charm.

I fixated on the rosebud of her mouth and how it resembled the softest, most luxurious silk—the kind you could sink into and forget yourself. If I had to make a dish with Selene in my mind, I'd choose a velvety, rich mousse.

Something with coffee, cinnamon, and hints of dark chocolate. Moreish and worth remembering.

"Hey, I'd totally be offended at someone giving me the silent treatment, but since you're looking at me like that, you get a free pass," she finally said, her lips curling into a teasing smile.

I snapped back from a world where I was happily wondering whether her lips tasted as soft and lush as they looked. "Sorry," I replied, caught completely off guard. "You kind of do this thing where I get all tongue-tied and don't know what to do with myself."

She turned a pretty shade of peach. "I'm going to take that as a compliment."

"You should. Not too many people can come in here and make me feel like I'm out of my comfort zone. In my fucking kitchen," I said, somewhat gruffly.

Harry opened the kitchen doors and peeked his head in. "Dom, that guy you asked about? He's being pretty nasty."

I raised my brows. "What's he done?"

"He refused to order and said he needed more time with the menu. Well, he's been here for the last half-hour, still deciding.”

He shook his head. "Julie went up to ask if she could help him, and he kinda thanked her by calling her a cunt."

No one treated my staff that way. No one came into my restaurant and made them feel like shit, not today, not ever.

"Give me a minute, Selene." I touched her shoulder lightly.

"Dom, don't let him get to you," she whispered urgently. "This is just what he does to everyone. He's not a good person, but you don't want any controversy—"

"It's not even about the controversy." I made my way to the kitchen doors. "It's about standing up for my people because this place would be nothing without them."

I stormed out of the door and toward the diner. He already knew someone would be coming because he had the face of a guy who was here to pick a fight.

From time to time, we got difficult diners. People who had no idea what to order, people who couldn't make up their minds whether they wanted their food raw or well done, people who were just plain rude.

The last group maddened me the most because they had no idea how tough the service industry could be.

Most of my servers were young college students who were working here to pay bills. They struggled immensely and put in an insane amount of work. They didn't deserve added heartache.

"Sir, I believe there has been an issue with you and one of my servers, Julia?"

The man replied with a sycophantic smile. It indicated that he did not regret anything he had said. "Busy chick, your server. You should consider firing her."

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