Page 35 of Set to Love

I linger for a moment, already counting down to the next time I’ll get to see him.

“Katie?”

I blink. “Hmm?”

“You all right? You look like you’re miles away.”

“Fine,” I say quickly. “Just tired.”

His eyes linger on mine for a long moment before he nods. “Good luck at work.”

“Thanks,” I murmur. “See you, Max.”

“Cheers, Katie.”

I sling my gym bag over my shoulder and head for the glass doors, back to reality.

Eleven

Ithrow a questionably clean shirt over my tank top, use the remainder of my makeup wipes to scrub away the gym sweat, and finger-comb my hair into a sleek and hopefully not too greasy bun. Driving faster than I should, I make it to Lina’s in a record fifteen minutes.

By the time I jog inside and dart into the back to grab an apron and a notepad, the air in the dining room is thick with the scent of toasted focaccia.

“Katie, thank goodness,” Lina says, appearing at my side. She’s slightly out of breath. The lines of her forehead are pulled tight, and there are a few spots of red sauce on her normally pristine chef’s whites.

“Lina? What’s going on?” I ask carefully.

“Channel Six.”

“Huh?”

She gestures to the porthole window. I peek into the dining room. All eight tables are packed. Leon has somehow acquired an apron and is weaving through the crowd with a pitcher of water and a breadbasket.

“Shouldn’t he be at his day job?”

“Yes, he should,” she says, blowing out air. “I told him I could manage, but he insisted on helping.”

“What’s Theo going to say?”

She lets out something that sounds suspiciously like a snort. “He’d tell him stay and to help me.”

“So, Channel Six?” I face her again, pulling my apron strings tight.

She shakes her head. “We were featured in the ‘Orlando Hidden Gems’ spot last night. The phone has been ringing every five minutes since opening with people demanding reservations. I finally had to take it off the hook. I couldn’t handle the noise.” She lets out a dramatic sigh. “And it happened right after I’d popped open my favorite Chianti for the two of us.”

I pause, glancing from the crowded dining room back to her, my eyes narrowing. “Wait.”

A faint blush creeps into Lina’s cheeks. “No,” she says quickly.

“Lina.”

“It was just lunch.”

“Alone with Leon?”

“Fine. We were on a date,” she finally acknowledges.

We both look out to the dining room again. A customer at table three is waving a hand to get Leon’s attention, but he’s currently engrossed in deep conversation with the couple at table five.