by Kaylee, Katy
Her head snapped up from where she’d been pulling out a folder from her bag. “No. I’m here. And I reviewed the applicants for the manager job as you asked me to.” She put the folder on the table.
“This is your restaurant, Morgan.”
Her eyes narrowed, and for a moment I thought she might contradict me. Instead, she bit her lip and I thought maybe she’d cry. What the fuck was going on?
She shook her head. “You’re right. I’m here, and I’m ready. All of these applicants look pretty good.”
I watched for a moment and then nodded. As annoyed as I felt at her lack of dedication to the restaurant, all I wanted to do was pull her into my arms and kiss the ever-loving breath out of her. I might have done it, too, except the door opened and a well-dressed middle-aged woman walked in.
I stood to greet her. “I’m Kade Raven.”
She put on a wide smile. “Such an honor to meet you, Mr. Raven.”
Morgan came to stand next to me. “This is Morgan Andrews. She’s the owner of this establishment, and would be your boss.”
“Oh? This isn’t a Raven Industries restaurant?”
I noted the hint of disappointment in her voice. “This is part of our new program to help small businesses. I’m actively involved, and eager to see Ms. Andrews’ success. We’re looking for people who can be a part of her team.”
As if catching herself, the woman said, “Yes, how wonderful. I’m Candace Gillian.” She reached out and shook Morgan’s hand.
We sat at the booth, with Morgan sitting closer to me as we faced Candace on the other side.
I was ready to take the lead, but Morgan jumped right in. “Ms. Gillian, you clearly have worked in many establishments, but my sense is that most people don’t change quite as much as you have. I’m wondering what has you changing jobs so frequently, especially in the last three years?”
Well, that was going right to the point, I thought as I glanced at her. Candace must have thought so too, as she flinched.
“I assure you I’m a good worker. If you call my references, they’ll tell you— ”
“I’m sure they will all be complimentary, but I need someone I can count on for the long haul. While we can’t know what changes life will bring, I am looking for someone who is committed to being here, not a stepping-stone … say… to a Raven-owned restaurant.”
I bit my lip to keep from grinning with pride at Morgan’s direct yet gentle approach. She continued this method through all the candidates to the point I worried we might not find one that suited her.
Our fourth of the five applicants to interview was John Parker, who I worried she’d dismiss because he had experience in a Michelin star restaurant. I was sure she’d think he, too, was looking at this as a stepping stone to one of my places.
He was the youngest of our interviewees, probably around my age. He dressed well, and I suspected that part of his success so far was that he was good looking guy with charm. He could probably make patrons feel important, which in turn made them feel positive about their eating experience.
As expected, Morgan didn’t waste time asking why he was applying when he clearly was overqualified. “If you want to work in a Raven restaurant, you should apply there,” she finished.
“I could see where you’d think that,” he started with an affable smile to Morgan. The fact that he spoke to her, and seemed to ignore that I was there would bode well for him, I thought. “The truth is, while there is a lot of prestige to that, I like getting into a great restaurant early and helping them build up to that. I like the challenge of it and feeling a part of its success.”
She studied him for a moment. “What sort of success do you see yourself helping this place achieve?”
“Part of that is up to you. I’d work for you, so I’d be working to achieve your goals.” He looked around the restaurant. “From the appearance, it looks like you want to appeal to affluent people. You’ll be competing with many great restaurants, including the Raven ones.”
She leaned forward. “Do you think you can do that?”
He leaned toward her, and there was a little zap of energy between them that I didn’t like. “I know I can, Ms. Andrews.”
“I like him,” she said when she finished the interview.
“I bet,” I grumbled.
“What?”
I shook of this strange feeling. “He’s got good experience, and your customers will like him. He’s a good choice.”
“But?” She turned to face me in the booth.
“No ‘but.’ He’ll work with you to see your vision, and help you get the restaurant on the map.”
“Why does it seem like you don’t like him?”
“You just want to be careful around guys like him. He’s shiny, like floor wax. You just want to make sure you don’t slip.”
She laughed. “Sort of like you?”
I jerked back. “I’m not shiny. Arrogant, confident, and maybe an asshole at times, but what you see is what you get with me. I’m not so sure that’s the case with Mr. Parker.”
She seemed to think about that. “You might be right. Do you think he was just feeding us a line?”
“No. I think he does want the challenge of starting from scratch. He’s right that there is a thrill in it. Just watch that he doesn’t take over things. It’s your place, Morgan.”
She looked at me and blinked, and again she looked like she might say more, but then she turned away.
“Hey.” I reached out for her. “Do you know what the hardest part of this whole thing has been for me?”
“What?”
“It’s keeping my hands and lips off of you.” I pulled her to me, fusing my lips to hers. Warmth flooded my body. This was what I’d been missing the last few days. This connection. This heat.
I was thrilled when she went soft in my arms and met my kiss with her own.
The sound of the door opening, had us both jumping apart and me cursing.
A distinguished looking older man walked in. “I’m Allan Barney.”
“Mr. Barney,” I said standing and extending my hand. “I’m Kade Raven, and this is Morgan Andrews.”
He shook our hands and sat down.
Morgan took a slightly different approach with Mr. Barney. Perhaps it was because it was his age; he had to be at least sixty.
“What makes you want to work for us?” she asked him.
“I’ve worked in the restaurant business all my life. Despite what people keep telling me, I’m not interested in retiring. But I’m also not interested in being in the fast lane.”
“You don’t think this place can be in the fast lane?” she asked.
“It can get there. But right now, you’re small and unknown. You have Raven input, which will help, but you’ll have to prove yourself. I’m calm and even tempered, which will be an asset as you move through the growing pains.”
“And then what?” Morgan asked. “Will you move on to another pet project?”
He jerked a bit. “I assure you I take my work seriously. I’m looking to be a part of a team, not another cog in the wheel.” He glanced at me, and I guessed he though my restaurants were run more like machines, and not with any thought to my staff. That wasn’t the case, but I knew it was for many restaurants.
“I didn’t mean to offend you,” she said. “But I want someone who plans to stay. I don’t want someone who sees this as a stepping stone or a part-time gig to fill the time.”
“I don’t see it as either. I’ll work until I drop because I like to work. The only reason I left my last place was the owner sold, and the new management wanted younger people.”
“It doesn’t seem smart to get rid of people who helped make a restaurant successful,” she said.
He shrugged. “Not everyone is as astute about such things as you.”
We finished the interview, and since he was our last, I escorted him out and locked the door. Maybe if I was lucky, I’d have some alone time with Morgan.
“I
liked him,” I said as I made my way back to her. She was packing up her bag with her folders.
“Me, too. But I still think John is a better choice.”
“John? You’re going by first names already?”
She rolled her eyes. “Mr. Parker. He has the energy and excitement. I think people will respond to him.”
“You want them responding to you, if you plan to be onsite. You do plan to be onsite, don’t you?”
“Yes, of course.” She pulled her bag strap over her shoulder. Clearly, she was heading out. There wouldn’t be any fucking today.
“Because for all the emphasis you put on your manager being dedicated, you don’t seem very committed to this place.”
She stopped and looked at me. “Yes, I am. I just have a lot going on right now.”
I sighed. “Morgan, you can’t pull this off if you’re not one hundred percent dedicated. Whatever else you have going on, needs to stop.”
Her voice went cool. “It can’t.” She looked at her watch. “I need to go. I’ll call Mr. Parker and get all the paperwork done on his hiring.”
I shrugged, not sure what to do. I wanted to ask her what the hell was going on. To soothe whatever was happening that had her eyes filled with pain. But I also had my pride. If she wasn’t going to be honest with me, then the hell with it. I stepped aside to let her go.
16
Morgan — Thursday, Two Weeks Later
In two weeks, we would be doing a soft opening for the restaurant. I was so excited, and yet nervous as hell. I was also exhausted. My mother was still recovering from her lupus flare up, so I was having to take over the cleaning work to make sure we had income coming in until the restaurant opened. But then there was all the work going into the restaurant. The only thing that helped was when my mother insisted that we hire some college students to do the cleaning, and she’d train and supervise them.
“I think we can charge the clients a little bit more, and this way the work gets done without you,” she said.
“It will still mean less money initially,” I argued.
“If it goes well, we can take on more clients and more workers, so it could be a more lucrative option.”
“That’s so much, Mom.”
“It’s how the Ravens do it,” she said.
I frowned at her over the dinner table, where we were eating noodles in broth. “What do you mean?”
“None of those boys are too hands-on in their businesses. Especially the businesses overseas. They hire people who can do the work for them, and simply manage the people. I bet they even hire managers to do that part, and they just manage the managers.”
She was right about that. And as frazzled as I felt, John Parker had been a big help to me. Because of him, I wasn’t as worried as much as I had been about pulling this off.
“I don’t know, Mom.”
“I want to do this, Morgan,” my mother said in clipped voice. “You’re not the only one who can build a dream.”
I jerked back, surprised by her outburst.
She sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound harsh. But I need something to do. I won’t let this lupus confine me to doing nothing. Maybe I can’t clean, but I can tell people what to do.”
I smiled. “Yes, you can.”
“Now, tell me about the restaurant.”
“It’s going well. The new manager is turning out to be very attentive.”
My mother arched a brow. “Attentive how?”
“Not like that.” I frowned. “At least, I don’t think so.”
Her other brow lifted.
“He’s very eager and complimentary, which I think is just his sucking up to me.”
“But?” she prodded.
“He always stands a little too close, will put his hand on mine. Sometimes I think he might be flirting. I try to ignore it.”
“You’re the boss. Maybe you need to tell him he needs to stop. What if he does that to one of your waitresses?”
She was right. “I haven’t seen that, but you’re right. I don’t know. I think that’s just part of who he is.”
That night, I lay in bed, playing out several of the interactions I had with John. Was I reading more into it or was he coming on to me? He never acted like that when Kade was around. Of all the people to suck up to, Kade was the one, but he never seemed to be trying to impress him. Just me.
The next morning, I woke with the stress of everything roiling around in my belly. I sat up and immediately felt nauseous. I rushed to the bathroom and emptied my stomach. This restaurant couldn’t open soon enough. I wouldn’t be able to manage the stress much longer.
“You alright, honey?” my mother said as I emerged from the bathroom.
“Just stress and nerves,” I said, attempting to move past her back to my room.
She put her hands out onto my shoulders to stop me. “Stress is bad. You need to take a break.”
I shook my head. “I’m on the downhill stretch, mom. Once the restaurant opens and it’s making money, then I’ll be able to relax and all this morning sickness will go away.”
She jerked back. “Morning sickness?”
I rolled my eyes. “Not that.”
“Are you sure? When was your last period?”
I opened my mouth to tell her, but then snapped it shut as I realized I couldn’t remember. What I did remember was letting Kade have his way with me several weeks ago in the restaurant without the use of a condom. I hadn’t worried about it at the time, because I was sure the timing was off.
My mother’s eyes softened. “We need to get you a pregnancy test.”
Finding my inner strength, or maybe it was denial, I brushed off her comment. “It’s just stress, mom. I assure you.”
Still, when I went to the pharmacy to pick up my mother’s prescription, I grabbed a pregnancy test. If it was negative, I could alleviate my mother’s concerns. If it was positive… well, I wasn’t going to think about that right now.
When I arrived at the restaurant, I went straight to the staff restroom and peed on the stick. Five minutes later, I looked at the results.
Pregnant.
Oh my god. I leaned on the sink basin in disbelief. How could I be pregnant? With Kade’s baby? I closed my eyes. He would be horrified. Yes, he was sweet and kind to me, but our relationship was this business and an occasional makeout session. He was a committed bachelor.
I splashed water on my face, pushing this new crisis aside. Right now, the most pressing matter was getting this restaurant opened.
I walked out to the main area, where I saw John talking with Beth.
“Morgan,” Hannah cried out in excitement and ran to me.
I scooped her up, and I realized that I was going to have one of these little beings. “How are you, munchkin?”
“We want to see your restaurant. I want to be your sous chef.”
“She’s adorable,” John said. “You want to be a chef when you grow up?”
She nodded. “I already help Morgan. Huh, Morgan?”
“That’s right, sweetie pie,” I gave her a hug and set her down.
“We’ve come for the tour,” Beth said.
“Absolutely. This was your idea, and it’s coming to life.”
“It was your vision, honey. I just wanted to support it.”
I gave them both a tour, and then we sat and had some coffee, while Hannah hung out with John at the bar making Shirley Temple drinks.
“This is Ethiopian coffee,” I said as I set the little pot on the table. “We’re unable to craft it like they really do in Ethiopia, or have the full ceremony, but this is as close as I can get. You just put sugar, no milk.”
Beth grinned. “I get coffee and a culture lesson.” She took a sip. “That’s lovely.”
“I can’t believe this is coming true. Thank you, Beth.” I reached out and took her hand, feeling silly that tears were coming to my eyes.
“Of course, honey.” She tilted her head. “Are you okay?”
/> “Yes. Just overwhelmed by it all.”
“You’ll be great. You’re a strong, smart woman.”
I mustered a smile. “Hannah is doing great. She and Ash seemed to have taken to each other well.”
She frowned. “He is her father.”
“I know, but… he wasn’t there for much of her life. How was it keeping such a secret from him?”
Beth’s eyes narrowed, and I could see she didn’t like the question. I couldn’t blame her. It was a painful time for her. “What secrets are you keeping, Morgan?”
“None.” I waved her comment away.
Beth studied me for a moment and then said, “It wasn’t hard when I didn’t think I’d ever see him, but as you know, when he came back in my life, it was extremely difficult. And wrong. You were right about that. He needed to know sooner rather than later, and I’m so grateful that he forgave me. I don’t know what I’d do if he hadn’t.”
“He loves you, Beth.” That was the difference between her and Ash, and me and Kade. I took one look at Ash with Beth and knew he loved her. A soul-deep love that wouldn’t ever end. Kade didn’t love me. He’d take care of me and the baby, I was sure of that. But we wouldn’t be like Beth and Ash.
I was able to get our conversation onto another path, but when Beth and Hannah left, I wasn’t able to distract myself from my own worries.
“Is the stress starting to get to you?” John asked when he caught me lost in thought as I inventoried the booze at the bar.
“Just a lot to think about,” I said, going back to my counting.
He put his hand on my shoulder. “It’s going to be fantastic, Morgan. I won’t let it be otherwise. You’ll give Kade Raven’s restaurants a run for their money.”
I grinned. “I like the sound of that.”
“I don’t.”
I whipped around to see Kade striding across the dining area. His eyes were narrowed on where John had his hand on my shoulder.
John immediately dropped his arm. “Mr. Raven. Just giving Morgan a pep talk.” He turned to me. “I’m going to review the menu with the chef.”
“Thank you, John.”
Kade reached the bar and smiled. My heart did a flip flop. Or maybe it was his baby growing inside me. Beth was right; I really needed to tell him.