by Emma Vikes
For the second time, a door slamming took me out of my memories and my gaze fell on Nana.
She looked at me curiously. “You seem to be lost in your thoughts, Maia.”
I shrugged my shoulders. “It’s a habit I can’t seem to get rid of.”
Nana still looked at me curiously as she pulled a chair out to sit down.
I’d finished washing the dishes and was merely tidying up the rest of the kitchen. I tended to clean up a lot more whenever I felt stressed.
She spoke again, “I don’t mean to pry but I can’t help but be curious about it. When Ansel told me that he found you again after eight years, he mentioned that you were previously married.”
I chewed on my bottom lip. Questions about my previous marriage never made me anxious, at least, not until now. “I was and it fell apart.”
Nana pursed her lips but her gaze wasn’t on me.
Sage was still outside, playing on Ansel’s old bike. A little dog was following after her, one I hadn’t noticed earlier.
“How did Sage take it?”
I blinked, unsure how to answer the question. No one ever asked me how Sage took the divorce but that was because most people knew Sage wasn’t JC’s child. At the hotel, it was rarely brought up that I was previously married. They’d also seen how much of a happy kid Sage was, so they didn’t wonder how she felt after her ‘parents’ separated.
“Sage has always been mature for her age,” I started to say, thinking of the right words I could use to avoid giving Nana a hint of the truth. “She didn’t make a fuss about it like I did.”
Sage didn’t make a fuss because she knew JC wasn’t her real dad. I was already pregnant with her when I met JC and despite the fact I was carrying someone else’s child, JC pursued me. We weren’t official until after I gave birth. He stood by me willing to stand as Sage’s father and that made me open my heart to him.
But even when he was willing to stand as her dad, I wanted to make it clear to Sage that he wasn’t. At that time, I didn’t think JC and I would get married. But then again, at least Sage knew.
Nana cleared her throat, curiosity still glinting in her eyes as she stared at me. “Does her dad visit her often?”
JC never once visited Sage since the divorce. I did think he would and I would’ve let him. They did have a special bond even when she wasn’t biologically his. But he never did and that was the only thing that broke my heart with the divorce. Sage lost a father figure in her life and even when she never said anything, a part of me knew she missed him since he’d been around her whole life.
I shook my head sadly. “No. Last I heard, I think he moved to another state to start a new restaurant there.”
Nana looked sad about this but then she placed a hand on my cheek. “At least Ansel’s around now. She’ll still have a male figure in her life and I’ll make sure he stays this time.”
Something was reassuring about her touch than as I stared at my daughter playing by herself, I felt a pang in my heart at the sight of her. Her father was within her reach but neither of them knew the truth.
Was it time to tell them everything?
18
Ansel
I missed Maia.
We spent the entire weekend together but it wasn’t enough. What made me miss her, even more, was the fact that she seemed to suddenly be too busy with work. When she was done with work, she seemed to want to head home immediately to rest. We’ve barely spent time alone since the weekend and it’d been nearly a week since then.
All I wanted was to just spend even an hour with her. The fact that we worked in the same space but barely saw each other didn’t sit well with me. I respected the fact that Maia wanted us to stay professional despite what was going on between us. But I also wanted to add a little spice to what we had and sneak around because we could if she allowed it.
A quick knock on my door and Joey appeared in my office, holding an iPad in his hand as he approached me quickly. “It seems like a critic caused quite a blow on Seacoast.”
My eyebrows furrowed and I took the iPad from his hands and stared at the article in curiosity. As far as I knew, Seacoast was managed fairly well by the Bensons. They were seasoned veterans in our industry and I didn’t think anything or anyone could do anything to shake them. But then again, maybe seasoned veterans could still be caught off-guard. “It says here it’s their restaurant,” I said, skimming through the article.
Joey spoke from beside me, “The whole thing came from a vlog criticizing their food. Apparently, the quality of the dishes they served wasn’t enough to satisfy that food critic’s palate.”
I let out a scoff as I handed Joey the iPad. I leaned back in my chair and looked at him pointedly. “Why is everyone making such a fuss over a food critic?”
“Apparently, he’s a big food critic on YouTube and he gets millions of viewers and has a billion subscribers. After the post he made, there were a bunch of reservations canceled at Seacoast. You know how vital food can be to a business, Ansel.”
I let out a loud exhale but the whole thing didn’t really bother me. “I made sure I hired the best head and sous chef and we also have an impressive executive chef, if you’ve forgotten. I’m certain if that food critic ever visits Onyx Shrine, he won’t do us any damage.”
Joey scoffed at what I said and shook his head at me. “Both your executive and head chef are barely in the kitchen, Ansel.”
“That’s because they trust our sous chef and she’s hella impressive.”
“And you’re also saying that because she’s your girlfriend.”
His statement made me pause and think. Maia wasn’t officially my girlfriend but we’d been acting like a couple. Granted, it’d only been a week since we fell into this kind of comfort with each other but it was exactly that. The fact that it’d only been a short period of time meant that it could easily fall apart. Sure, Maia and I had history but our history also included heartbreak.
Maia made it clear she wanted to take things slowly but what if she realized she didn’t want this at all? The thought suddenly made me feel anxious.
“You’re suddenly quiet,” Joey commented, eyeing me. “Are you worried that the food critic could do us the same damage it did to Seacoast?”
I shrugged my shoulders and tried to sound nonchalant, “If I worry about that, it would only mean that I don’t trust Maia as a chef. She has my absolute trust and it’s not because there’s something going on between us. It’s because I know how good she is. I’ve witnessed her in the kitchen, even before she became a professional.”
Joey raised his hands, signaling defeat. “Alright. If you say that we won’t be affected if this guy ever visits our restaurant, then we won’t be affected.”
I gave him a curt nod. “Good. By now, you should be aware that I always make the right calls.”
Joey made a face at this statement but lingered in my office a little more. “By the way, about the other thing that you asked me to do last time…”
I perked up at this. Before things started to go smoothly between Maia and me, I’d asked Joey to look into her ex-husband. It wasn’t because I viewed him as a competition. Given how much animosity Maia had towards me the first time we met, I was certain she felt the same way towards JC. I was certain if he ever came back in the picture, Maia wouldn’t let him back in.
The reason why I had Joey look into him was because of Sage. It bothered me how a father could easily let his own daughter go, especially one as sweet as Sage. But then again, my own treated me like I was nothing and only acknowledge me when I made something out of myself. I didn’t want Sage to experience the same thing I did.
I had Joey look for him because I wanted to talk to him man to man. I didn’t know if he was providing child support for Sage since Maia got custody of her. If he was though, I had to let him know that it wasn’t going to be enough. He was Sage’s father and Sage deserved to have her father around, even if it was only for the weekend.
If
he didn’t want to, I already told Joey to bail me out after I beat the shit out of JC.
“Is he here?” I asked. Apparently, JC wasn’t in San Francisco anymore. He seemed to have relocated and had opened a restaurant in LA. I was waiting for him to come back to San Francisco so I could have the talk with him.
Joey nodded his head. “Actually, I found him out of pure luck and coincidence. Shaun Anders sent you an invitation to the opening of his new club. When I checked the guest list, JC’s name caught my attention immediately. You’ll meet him tonight.”
I nodded my head and clasped my hands together. “Alright. That sounds absolutely perfect. I honestly thought it would take a long time for us to finally meet.”
Joey stared at me intently. “Did you ever tell Maia about your plan to ambush her ex-husband and ask if he’s providing Sage with child support? I get that there’s something going on between you two but I don’t think she’ll appreciate you doing that. I honestly think Maia’s doing well without her ex’s support.”
“I’m not doing this for Maia, Joey. I’m doing it for Sage. A child deserves to have a father around.”
“Can’t that be you? You’re already acting the part.”
His statement made me smile a little. I didn’t mind standing as a father-figure for Sage, as long as she let me. Something about the kid made me feel protective and attentive towards her. I wanted to make sure she grew up feeling well-loved. But even when I felt like she was my own daughter, it didn’t mean she was biologically mine. “It doesn’t change the fact that JC’s still her dad.” I even heard sad tone in my own voice as I tried to shrug away the sadness I felt that Sage wasn’t mine. “You’re lingering here way too long, Joey. Don’t you have a job to do?”
After Joey left, it gave me more time to mull over things between Maia and me. I did respect her desire to keep things slow and private between us. It wasn’t something I wanted to argue with her about. But at the same time, I also wanted reassurance. I felt like I was walking on a narrow cliff, teetering into uncertainty.
Unable to take it anymore, I got up and rushed out of my office without giving much thought to what I was about to do. It was only when I arrived in the restaurant when I remembered how Maia wanted to keep things lowkey. Stopping in my tracks, I momentarily panicked. I didn’t want Maia to feel the same way she did when she was just hired.
I was about to turn and head back to my office when Maia stepped out of the kitchen. She didn’t seem to notice me. I hid behind a stainless cart the staff used to deliver room service and when Maia passed by me, I grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her inside a room.
“Oh my god!” Maia exclaimed.
I immediately clasped a hand over her mouth as I locked the door behind me. I couldn’t see her in the dark and I tried to look for a switch.
She found it first. As her eyes adjusted at the sudden flood of light, she stared at me in surprise. “Ansel?”
I flashed her a sheepish smile. “Hey.”
“What the hell?” The annoyance clear in her tone. “Why the hell did you drag me here? I’m at work, Ansel!” she said all this in a whisper-yell fashion.
Damn, I couldn’t help but find it incredibly cute. “I know, I know. I’m sorry, I wasn’t really thinking straight when I rushed here. All I knew was that I missed you, okay?”
Maia was still glaring at me in annoyance. “If someone comes in here—”
“I locked the door,” I interrupted her.
She gave me a deadpanned look.
Then I felt apologetic. “I just wanted to see you, Maia.”
“You can’t just barge in here and fool around with me just because you want to and just because you can. We’ve already talked about this, Ansel.”
I sighed, nodding my head in understanding. “Can you have lunch with me?”
She stared at me, her dark eyes boring in mine, and then she shook her head. “I only have a short break, Ansel.”
“I don’t care if it’s only for a short while,” I murmured, circling my arms around her waist and pulling her closer to me, her chest pressing against mine. I heard her let out a shaky breath and the whole thing made my heart race too. The thin band of restraint was being stretched out and I couldn’t take it anymore. Leaning close, so our lips were inches away from each other, I whispered to Maia, “I missed you.” I couldn’t restrain myself anymore- no matter how hard I tried-, I crashed my lips against hers, pushing her on the shelves and forcefully opening her mouth to delve my tongue in hers.
Maia gasped, surprised at my sudden attack.
I anticipated that she would push me away.
Instead, Maia wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me close to her.
She slipped her legs between mine and I groaned when our thighs brushed, despite the clothing separating our skin. I moved my mouth to her neck and Maia craned her neck a little, giving me more skin to kiss. Unable to stop myself, I opened the top button of her uniform and then brushed my lips against her collarbone, and then bit it.
“Shit, Ansel!” Maia moaned, her fingers buried in my hair.
I lifted her and let her wrap her legs around me as I captured her lips in mine again. I slipped one hand in her shirt, my thumb stroking her right nipple over her bra.
And then we pulled away, both of us trying to catch our breaths. My heart was racing fast and Maia leaned her forehead on mine. “Damn.”
I chuckled kissing her nose. “I’ll wait for you in the penthouse. It’s either you come or don’t and if you don’t, I promise I won’t be mad at you. I’ll understand but just know that I’ll be there waiting for you to come, Maia.”
19
Maia
For a moment, I was hesitant whether I should punch in the passcode to his penthouse. I knew it because I had to memorize it since I had to pick up Sage here sometimes. Punching in the code meant I couldn’t turn back and head down to the kitchen. Even when I was already here, I was still hesitant.
When Ansel asked me to have lunch with him, I wanted to be firm in my rejection. But then Ansel kissed me and then left me there, completely dazed, telling me he’d wait for me in his penthouse. He did make it clear that he wouldn’t be upset if I didn’t come.
But after kissing me like that, I knew in my heart I couldn’t simply just ignore the offer.
Taking a deep breath, I punched in the code and pushed open the door.
When I came in, Ansel appeared from the kitchen, surprise clear in his honey eyes. Then, very slowly, his face lit up. “You came.”
Maybe it was the way his eyes lit up when he saw me or maybe it was the dopey smile on his face. Whatever it was, it was enough to make my knees go weak and my heartbeat erratically for him. The kind of reaction I never had with JC; he never made me feel as giddy and as silly like Ansel made me feel.
I felt shy as I moved further into his house‒ cautious‒ as if someone might suddenly come in and catch us. I’d been adamant about how I wanted to stay professional with him at work. But after making out in secret in the pantry, I couldn’t ignore his request to meet him for lunch.
I stopped in front of him. His honey eyes were shining and I wasn’t sure what made him feel that way. “Why are you so happy that I came?” I asked him curiously.
He touched my face with his hand and then tucked a stray hair behind my ear. His gaze lingered on my face for a moment.
I couldn’t help but wonder what was going on with him. Earlier, when he went to see me at the restaurant, he was oozed with confidence and sex appeal. Right now, he looked like a trained puppy grinning loyally to his owner.
“I missed you,” he said, repeating the same words he said earlier.
This time, it didn’t only just sent a shiver down my spine. He said it in a way that made my heart free-fall into the rabbit hole he dug for me and I was assured he would catch me. “When did you turn into such a sap?” I murmured as I circled my arms around his neck, giving him a quick peck.
If Ansel kissed me right no
w, I felt like I would give in and maybe even initiate for the kiss to turn into something more. But I knew I had to stop and restrain myself so I changed the topic to prevent things to escalate in that direction, “You asked me here for lunch, so what are we having?” I asked, pulling away from him and walking around the kitchen, noticing how there wasn’t even any food. “You’re not gonna make me cook, are you?”
Ansel looked sheepish and then pointed at the Chinese takeout sitting on the kitchen counter. “I wasn’t thinking very clearly when I went to see you. It’d be too late if I had the kitchen staff cook something for us and I didn’t want you to cook either. I had the bell boy buy Chinese food from across the street for us.”
I stared at the takeout in disbelief and couldn’t help but let out a laugh filled with amusement. “Did you really miss me that much that you totally forgot that the essence of asking someone for lunch?”
Ansel approached me, his smile turning into one that took my breath away. He placed a hand on my face and looked at me intently. “I can’t believe that you really came up here to see me.”
My heart softened as I remembered the arguments we used to have eight years ago. Ansel was always upset at the fact that I barely had time for him. I knew it wasn’t the issue right now but for some reason, I felt even better that I came to see him. I knew I was at fault too, as to why our relationship eight years had go had gone south.
He framed my face with his hands and looked into my eyes. “What I mean is that I understand you’re busy but if it’s possible for you to spare even just a short time, I’d really appreciate it. If not, I totally understand. I’m not the same guy you’ve dated eight years ago, Maia,”