9. Chapter 9
After dropping Jasper off at Ink Me for his shift, I unloaded this week’s fresh catch and finally got around to fixing the light out by the dumpsters.
Now I’m about to have a long overdue conversation with Darcy when she pops her head in my doorway, and I gesture to her. “Have a seat. There’s something I wanna run by you.”
She gives me weary eyes but sits down. “It’s nothing bad, I swear,” I say with a chuckle. “It’s just… Well, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, and I want to take a step back from The Diner. Focus on something I enjoy doing. Not that I don’t love The Diner. And I’ll still be around, still be helping on busy nights,” I’m quick to re iterate.
She pats my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “It looks like your timing of hiring Dillon was perfect.”
Sometimes, things fall into place without realizing you needed them to fall into place.
“Yes, it was. However, I was also considering adding a new assistant manager and with that, promoting you to manager. I understand there will be additional workload and stress, but I would compensate with a significant raise. The Diner has always done well, and my grandfather had great business sense. In my opinion, this is the ideal direction for the restaurant, and it’s the right time.”
Umm, she’s staring at me. I can’t tell if it’s a good stare or… “So, what do you say?”
“Are you sure, Olly? I mean, I barely have a high school diploma. I’m just a waitress.”
Now it’s my turn to pat her hand. “We both know that’s false. You’ve worked here for over eight years. Your knowledge of running this place surpasses any degree. You’ve pretty much been the assistant manager since you started. Plus, I’ll let you choose who you hire to fill your old position. I believe in your ability to do this, Darcy.”
She squares her shoulders and nods her head. “Ok, let’s do it. I’m in.”
“Perfect. How about if next week we sit down and hammer out the details? I’ll make a home office for myself, so you can have this one.”
She looks at me in surprise. “I get an office?”
“Well, yeah. Trust me, you will want a place to run and hide when you’re doing the scheduling.”
“I never thought…” she trails off, her eyes scanning the small office .
“I know it’s tiny, but you can decorate it however you want. This chair is on its last leg, so please pick out a new one. Let me know and I’ll get it ordered.”
Darcy’s smile is the stuff of dreams. “I accepted my fate as a waitress. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, it’s just, I don’t know. I love this industry but always dreamed of something a little more, you know?”
I nod my head because I do. People’s perception of the food industry is often negative, overlooking the hidden beauty within it.
It’s all the genuine conversations that happen around a warm meal. That’s why our weekly family dinner carries such importance for me. People from different backgrounds coming together for food and conversation.
“Well, I’m happy that you ended up here, Darcy. I couldn’t have done this without you.”
Soft classic rock plays quietly through my kitchen speakers. Mazie seems to enjoy it, although her eyes are growing sleepy.
There’s homemade angel food cake cooling on the counter, fresh strawberries cut up and ready to go, and… I even plan on making whipped cream from scratch.
The lobsters have been cleaned, and the sauté pan and a pot for the noodles are on the stove.
“I think we’re ready, Mazie May. Jasper should be here any minute.” I pinch her toes, and she kicks her little legs. God, she’s adorable .
If she ends up with Spencer and Finn, it would be perfect. Fun uncle, here I come. I’ll spoil her rotten, buying her anything she wants.
I don’t have a strong belief system, but you can’t say destiny isn’t somehow involved. By taking the trash out for Darcy, I was meant to find Mazie behind the dumpster. That, along with Ms. Wilson being on vacation, meant I would need to keep her for the weekend. All that had to happen so Mazie could make her way into Spencer’s and Finn’s arms. I hope.
She’s the light we’re all circling. She deserves to have the best possible shot at living a life filled with happiness. Every child does.
I kiss her baby-soft head and breathe in her powdery scent.
There’s a light knock at the door.
“Oh, I think he’s here. Ok, how do I look?” I do a little twirl, showing off my jeans and flannel shirt. Pretty sure that would’ve garnered me a giggle if she was old enough. At least I put on my nice flannel shirt.
Taking a deep breath, I pull open the door.
My attempt at keeping my jaw from hitting the floor is futile.
Jasper is in his signature outfit; a very torn 80s band shirt—with peeks of his creamy skin showing through his white boa—and black leather pants. His hair is a stylish mess that only he can pull off. Fuck, he’s hot.
I look down at my outfit. Yeah… Mazie would’ve laughed at what I was wearing and not my little twirl.
“Hi,” I say, now feeling sheepish.
“I brought the wine,” Jasper says with a little extra volume, holding up the bottle.
He rolls his eyes, and I can’t help but chuckle. This isn’t starting out awkward at all …
“You did. Please come in. I appreciate it,” I say, taking the bottle from him. “A lot of work went into getting this wine.”
“Tell me about it. You’re not the one who agreed to give Ms. Brandy a nipple piercing.”
My mouth twitches, biting back a smile.
“It’s not funny.” Jasper shudders. “I have to touch them!”
“Oh, you poor thing,”
“I know. Listen, I love a magnificent set of titties, but lately, they’re not doing it for me.” I feel his breath on the shell of my ear as he slides by. “I’m more interested in the stick shift variety.”
I almost swallow my tongue as I hold back an embarrassing choking noise, shaking away all the dirty thoughts of stick shifts.
“It appears you two still have some unfinished business.” I manage to pull together as Jasper eyes Mazie with suspicion.
“Look, she can’t just show up out of nowhere and expect me to trust her from the get-go.” His eyes narrow. “She could be a baby spy. Have you caught her with any tech devices?”
I bark out a laugh. “She can barely hold her head up on her own, let alone a cell phone.”
“I’m not taking any chances,” Jasper says, backing away from Mazie as she kicks her legs in the bouncy seat Darcy’s husband dropped off with the portable crib.
Opening the bottle of wine, I pour us each a glass and slide one across to him on the kitchen island with a wink. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you from the baby spy.” Wow, did I just flirt?
“It smells good in here,” Jasper says, managing to make it sound very sexual.
Grabbing the warm rolls, I place them on the table. “I just hope it tastes as good as you think it smells.” And cue flaming cheeks.
“Anytime I put something of yours in my mouth, I know it’s gonna taste good,” Jasper says with a bite of his lip and a cheeky wink.
I stumble at the brazenness of his words. Jasper catches my arm, trying to steady me as I collide with his chest.
“Hi,” Jasper says quietly, our faces only inches apart. His warm chocolate eyes meet mine.
“Hi,” I whisper back as we stand frozen in place, neither one of us moving
Jasper leans in close and whispers, “Feed me, Olly.”
I swallow thickly. I do want to feed him and my cock wants to be on the menu.
“And what’s that?” he asks, pointing to the cake sitting on the windowsill.
“Dessert. Well, part of it. I thought we could make the fresh whipped cream topping together.”
“Well, well, well, that sounds rather dirty,” Jasper says, hiding a smile behind his wine glass.
“Maybe a bit more… sticky.” My cheeks heat as I play along.
Jasper’s jaw drops open. “Who are you and what have you done with my straight-laced, buttoned-up Olly?”
“He’s not always so straight-laced, you know. He knows how to have fun. Because really, what kind of boring person takes in a complete stranger for a weekend? See? That’s spontaneous and fun. ”
“Ah, no, Olly, that’s how you end up on one of those television shows. The kind where the victim is way too trusting and the baby spy takes over his identity after he’s chopped into a million pieces.”
With all his nonsense, I can’t seem to stop the smile from spreading across my face.
The pot on the stove boils and I drop in the noodles before getting to work on the lobster while Jasper sits at the kitchen island.
I can feel his eyes on me, dissecting me. So many times I find him staring at me like I’m a puzzle piece. It’s invigorating that I capture his attention, but…. I also want to hide in a lobster shell.
“Are you actually walking away from The Diner?”
I blow out a breath. “We’ve gone over this, Jasper. I’m not walking away from The Diner. On busy nights, I’ll still be there helping. It’s just…” I set the knife down and look at him. “I want to know what it’s like to follow my own dreams. I love The Diner. I loved my grandfather, and I know he would understand my need to find out who I am.” I sigh, “I don’t know, I just thought you would understand that need, too.”
Jasper fiddles with the stem of his wine glass, not looking me in the eye. “I do understand, but change can be hard,” he says softly, but doesn’t elaborate. “What are you going to do?”
There’s an ache in my gut. I push away the disappointment, hoping someday he will let someone in, even if it’s not me.
Gathering my thoughts while cutting the lobster, I place it in the sauté pan, drowning it with butter.
“I want to bake.”
Jasper raises a brow. “Like pies and toffee bars?”
I chuckle. “Yes, like pies and toffee bars. ”
“I might get behind that.” He hums. “Do you need a taste tester? Did you know I could be persuaded to help… if the price is right?”
“And what price is that?”
I hear the metal of the stool pushing against the floor before I hear the light footsteps come up behind me. I feel his breath against my ear when he reaches his tippy toes. “You could teach me how to drive a stick shift.”
Jasper’s car is a stick shift.
My skin prickles with electricity. I’m finding it hard to swallow, my breath sticking in my throat. Jasper has always been a little flirty, but tonight he’s taking it up a notch.
I lean back. The heat from his body feels like comfort while the scent of leather, ink, and honey becomes my oxygen. What is he doing to me?
The air settles in disappointment when the ringing of Jasper’s phone cuts through the sounds of our heated breaths.
He clears his throat. “Umm, excuse me. I have to take this.”
I’m not eavesdropping, but he didn’t go outside to answer the call, and the living room is, like, three steps away.
“Yeah, ok, 9:15.” He sighs. “Yes. Tell Dr. Withermore that I will call him.”
Withermore? That name sounds familiar and what kind of appointment does he have?
I wish he would tell me what is going on. He has to be freaking out. I can only hope he’ll talk to one of the guys at Ink Me and not those fake-ass friends he hangs around with.
The night he fainted at work, I was freaking the fuck out when I got the call from Mira that something happened .
That was the moment for me. The moment I realized my feelings for Jasper were more than friendship, and it was showing through the cracks in my armor.
Carefully lifting Mazie out of the bouncy seat, I settle her into the portable crib set up in the living room before turning on the mobile with zoo animals hanging from it.
Jasper finishes his phone call, and we finally sit at the table with steaming plates of lobster scampi in front of us.
“This smells amazing! And don’t think I forgot our deal. You agreed to take the first bite.”
I roll my eyes, twisting the noodles around my fork and spearing the end with a chunk of lobster before popping it in my mouth.
Satisfied that I did not keel over and die, Jasper digs in on a loud moan that rumbles from my toes to my dick. His cheeks hollow as he sucks the buttery noodles through his lips.
“You need to put this on the menu,” he says around a mouthful.
I clear my throat, getting myself together. “I was going to make it next week’s special. If it got the green light… and you know, nobody died.”
“Yes, green. Very green. Leprechaun trapped in the basement green.” His eyes dance and I laugh.
“Well, thank you… I think. I’ve been playing around with the idea of introducing lighter options to our menu.”
Lighter and healthier because your health is important. You are important, I want to say, but don’t because I don’t want to start another fight. He already thinks I smother him. I need to back off. It’s his life. He has to come to this conclusion on his own. And I’m going to stand by his side while he does it .
He could use a support system, but his tendency to push people away makes me question whether he has one.
I peek over at Mazie. She’s quiet except for a few coos here or there, her little legs kicking as the animals twirl above her.
“Mazie is a good baby,” I say. “I remember my niece had the worst colic. My sister was beside herself.”
Jasper looks over at Mazie. “I thought she would cry more.”
“You should have been here earlier. I was putting her down for a nap, but she was having none of that. Practically blew out my eardrum.”
He narrows his eyes, and murmurs, “Baby spy.”
Why does his ridiculousness always make me smile, no matter how off the rails he goes? He’s just so uniquely Jasper, and it’s refreshing to see.
Easy conversation flows between us, as it always does, and I make a promise to let him know when lobster scampi will be on the special, and he tells me about the latest piercing he did today.
“Hmm, maybe talking about piercing a scrotum is not the best topic for dinner?” he muses, tapping his finger on his lips.
That only draws my eyes to them, remembering how they felt against mine, like silk. I have never wanted to kiss someone again so badly in my life.
“How about dessert?”
He chuckles. “Yes. I mean, who doesn’t talk about cocks and balls while eating decadent desserts?”
Getting up from the table, I let out a bark of laughter. “You can’t talk about it at breakfast either. More wine?” I ask, and Jasper nods his head.
“Would you like some dessert?” I clarify .
I clear the plates and grab the bottle of wine before topping off our glasses.
I’m mid-pour when I realize just how close my dick is to his face. Jasper looks up at me with a sexy smirk. God, he’s trouble. Between the lips and big brown eyes, plus add in what I’m sure is every other piece of his body, and I’m a goner.
I’m about to give the table its very own glass of wine when Jasper tips the bottle up with his finger.
“Shit,” I rush out, setting the bottle down and spinning on my heels. I must concentrate on the task. Focus, focus, focus.
Dessert.
Strawberries… angel food cake.
I pull out what I need to make the homemade whipped cream.
Mazie fusses just as I’m hauling Juan, the sexy beast of a mixer, up on the counter. “I think we jinxed it. Would you mind checking on her?”
Jasper eyes her wearily and I roll my eyes.
“If I end up being held hostage for information on your secret recipe, just know you should have listened to me… Baby Spy!” he says in a huff, making his way to the fussy infant.
“What am I looking for? I’m mean, she seems fine…” He pokes her in the stomach like she’s the freaking Pillsbury dough boy.
“Jasper!” I chastise. “Don’t poke the baby! Can you pick her up? I swear she will not hurt you.”
By the time I get Juan all set up, Jasper is carrying Mazie, awkwardly I might add, into the kitchen. “See, that wasn’t so bad now, was it?” I ask.
This is where it all goes to Shitsville. Oh, to see the error of my ways .
A high-pitched squeal fills the room, but no, it’s not coming from Mazie.
Nope, it’s coming from Jasper. His eyes are round saucers and filled with panic. And is that a tear?
When I realize Mazie has her tiny little fingers wrapped around his silver lip ring, my eyes match his own.
Once I reach them, they’re both yelling. Ok, one is yelling, the other is now full-on screaming. It’s a toss-up between who’s doing the screaming.
“Jasper, you need to stop moving.”
“I have to stop moving? Tell that to the baby spy. She needs to stop pulling.”
Mazie taps into her superhuman strength as I work to unclench her little fingers from around his lip ring. The whole thing is very chaotic.
“What in God’s name is going on?”
What the fuck?
I turn to see Spencer racing through the front door.
“Mazie, what are they doing to you?”
“What are we doing to her? You mean what is this Baby Spy doing to me?” Jasper whines, but it’s safe to say it sounds nothing like that.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, still puzzled as to why Spencer is standing in my living room.
“Here let me.” Spencer scooches me out of the way as he gives Mazie a kiss on the cheek.
At this point, I’m going to stop asking questions. It’s not like anyone answers me, anyway.
As soon as she sees Spencer, she kicks her little legs, and her cries turn into a squeal .
“Hey, did you miss me? Why don’t we let go of Uncle Jasper? We don’t want to hurt him. I think Olly would like a chance to kiss his lips before you rip them off.”
I blush. Maaaaaybe.
I’m in awe seeing Spencer the baby whisperer in action when Mazie’s little fingers begin to unfurl.
“There we go.” Spencer takes Mazie from Jasper’s arms. “Ok, now wave to Uncle Olly. Tell him you will be home in an hour. That should give them plenty of time.”
Plenty of time? For what? What is happening right now?
Finn is standing at the front door. He gives me a sheepish shrug. “Yeah, sorry about this. I can’t control him. He promised her a shopping trip for footie pajamas.”
“I’ll bring her back,” Spencer hollers, walking out the door with a Mazie in his arms.