Chapter 65
CHAPTER 65
T he way she was behaving made Gemma feel like she was an irresponsible teenager again and not a fully grown adult. Yet, unlike her teenage years, she was loving every minute. Sneaking kisses between orders, hurrying to leave so they could meet again in the evening. It was fun and carefree, and somehow, they made it to the following Thursday without Sophie suspecting a thing.
“I’m sure we have a larger-sized teapot than this,” Gemma had said on Tuesday morning when she’d wanted an excuse to go and talk to Kent. “I’m just going to see if it’s in the kitchen.”
“I think the dishwasher must be out of salt because these glasses aren’t as clean as they should be,” she said on Wednesday while holding a perfectly clean glass. “I’m going to check.”
“I think we’re out of clean dishcloths for wiping down the tables.”
“We’re out of hand soap.”
“I’m just going to see how long those orders are taking.”
“I’m going to top up the salt cellars. I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.”
As unnatural as it had been to start with, Gemma quickly discovered she was better at lying than she’d ever expected. She’d spent more time in the kitchen in one day than she usually did in a week, but Sophie didn’t seem to notice, and each time Kent’s face lit up when he saw her as if it had been days since they’d last been together.
“Did I mention that I’m trying to manage an extremely professional establishment here?” she teased on Thursday afternoon.
Kent had finished his shift and was going to head home, and while they’d already arranged to meet up when she finished work, those three hours felt like a lifetime away.
“I’d blame the owner if I were you,” he said, breaking away to kiss her again. “He clearly needs to employ better staff.”
“Absolutely,” Gemma said.
She was about to lean in and kiss him again when she heard the kitchen door swing open and she jumped back.
“There’s a bit of a queue forming here, Gem,” Sophie called out. “Any chance you can look for those napkins later? I’m sure we’ve got plenty out here for now.”
As much as she didn’t want to, Gemma’s eyes caught Kent’s. It took all her willpower to suppress her smirk.
“Of course, I’m sure they must be in the cupboard somewhere,” she said.
A moment later, she was following Sophie back onto the café floor while Kent blew her a kiss.
“See you later,” he mouthed.