Page 14 of Worth Loving
Secretly he’d been hoping he would, but so many people came through his bar that he usually lost track of them after a while. Unless they were there weekly, like a few.
“I had the afternoon off,” she said, “and thought I’d come by and try out lunch. That is if I can sit at the bar and eat? I suppose I could get a table though.”
“You can sit right here and keep me company,” he said. “You managed to hit a lull in the day. Most of the lunch crowd is clearing out and it will be a few hours before the dinner rush starts.”
She looked around. “This is a lull? It seems pretty busy to me.”
“When there are no lines for seating, that’s a lull. Few come sit at the bar this time of day unless they are by themselves.”
“So, would that put me in the loser category?”
He laughed at her. “I’d say you’re hardly a loser.”
She was wearing a pair of black pants that could only be classified as skinny with the way they molded to her body. A light green silk top was tucked into the waist, the top two buttons undone flashing her creamy-colored skin, the slight swell of her breasts visible through the parting of her shirt as she reached for the menu.
Her hair was down again, not as made up as it was last week when she’d ditched her date, but more like an everyday look for her. It was straight and parted to the side, tucked behind an ear, but looking soft and shiny as it fell over her shoulders.
There were simple silver hoops at her ears, a little bit of makeup and no lip gloss this time. Bummer.
“Thanks,” she said. “Any recommendations for lunch?”
“The crab salad wrap is a big seller,” he told her. “I’m pretty sure there is some left.”
“They don’t serve it for dinner? I mean the lunch specials don’t go into dinner?”
He grinned at her. “Not usually. My executive chef has a bit of a temperament about his menu. He just runs with it and no one crosses him.”
“Your executive chef?” she asked.
“Figure of speech,” he said. No reason to say more.
“So you run this place?” she asked.
No one had ever come out and asked him that directly. It wouldn’t be a lie. “I do.”
“I’m sure it’s got to be fun.”
“Fun?” he asked. “I suppose so.”
It definitely was more entertaining than going into medicine, in his mind.
He got to meet all sorts of people. He got to stay back and not get attached to anyone if he chose not to. And he got to call his own shots.
Something he’d waited for his whole life.
Except those years were long gone now.
He had other responsibilities at home and calling his own shots came with thinking of others first.
He was still staring at Molly, waiting to see what she ordered.
“I guess you talked me into the crab salad wrap with sweet potato fries.”
“What can I get you to drink?” he asked.
“Just a seltzer. It’s a little early in the day for Chicken Cock.”
“You said that with a straight face yet you’re blushing.”
