7. Martin
MARTIN
Martin’s stomach let out a low, demanding rumble, a harsh reminder that he was absolutely starving.
It was his protesting appetite that had ultimately driven him out of his silent office and straight toward the hotel’s kitchen.
Nearly two hours ago, Rosa had taken his dinner order with a bright smile, promising it would be ready in no time.
Yet here he was, still empty-handed, his patience finally worn thin by the delicious, torturous aromas wafting through the hallways.
Pushing through the swinging double doors, he stepped into the chaotic warmth of the kitchen, his deep voice carrying over the din of clattering plates and sizzling grills.
"Chef..." Martin called out, scanning the room. "Did you happen to get my dinner order? Rosa took it about two hours ago."
He stopped just inside the threshold, his eyebrows rising as he took in the sheer, unbridled madness before him.
The kitchen was unusually, incredibly busy for a weekday evening.
Cooks were moving at a breakneck pace, steam was billowing from giant stockpots, and the air was thick with the rich, mouthwatering scents of melting cheese, roasted garlic, and simmering marinara sauce.
"Wow," Martin murmured, crossing his arms as he watched the blur of motion. "A busy night?"
"Busy doesn't even begin to cover it, Martin!
" Chef called back, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead with the back of her sleeve.
Her face was flushed a deep, bright red from the heat of the ovens and the sheer exertion of the dinner rush.
"Yes, all the archaeological students from the dig site showed up at once. It’s the specials Rosa asked me to make for them—once word got out about the menu, half the town decided to turn up, too! "
Chef let out a breathy, overwhelmed sigh and looked at him pleadingly. "I am so, so sorry, Martin. With all of this, your personal order is going to take me at least another forty-five minutes to even start on."
Before Martin could voice his disappointment or complain about the two-hour wait, Chef gestured toward the far end of the stainless-steel prep table. Resting there was a massive, neatly packaged stack of cardboard boxes and paper bags, sending up steam and smelling absolutely divine.
"But..." Chef started, her voice turning incredibly sweet. "If you wouldn't mind taking that over to Heart House..."
She gave him a look of desperate hope. "I put a massive extra portion in there, along with all of your absolute favorites.
Cheesy garlic bread, loaded potato wedges with sweet marinara and sour cream dipping cups, a giant supreme pizza, and a box of warm fudge brownies.
It's more than enough for a crowd. I'm positive the teens won't mind you joining them to eat. "
Martin's eyes narrowed suspiciously as his gaze slid from Chef's innocent expression to the towering, mouthwatering stack of food. He let out a slow, calm breath.
A trap, his mind instantly warned him. This is a total setup.
He knew for a fact that Penny had volunteered to look after the kids tonight while Linda, Darius, Michael, Maggie, Owen, and Isabel were all out on their respective dates.
If he took this food over to Heart House, he wouldn't just be eating with the kids—he would be sharing a quiet, cozy dinner with Penny, too.
"Can you do that one little favor for me?" Chef asked, clasping her hands together beneath her chin. "Please, Martin? I promise, if you deliver this for me, I will make your absolute favorite gourmet dishes for an entire week. Whatever you want."
Martin opened his mouth to politely decline, but the lingering scent of that garlic bread, his empty stomach, and the promise of a week's worth of Chef’s outstanding cooking proved to be a powerful counterargument. He sighed, shaking his head at his own weakness, which was a love of good food.
"Okay," Martin said, a wry smile touching his lips. "I'll do it. You have a deal."
As he stepped forward to pick up the heavy, warm cardboard stack, the kitchen door swung open. Right on cue, Rosa rushed through, skidding to a sudden stop right next to him.
"Oh!" Rosa said, her hand flying to her chest as she offered him a thoroughly unconvincing look of wide-eyed surprise. "Are you taking the food over to Heart House, Martin?"
"I am," Martin confirmed, holding the stack of food securely in his arms.
As he spoke, he caught the split-second spark of triumph that flared between Rosa and Chef, followed immediately by a faint, telltale flush of guilt creeping up Rosa's cheeks.
Oh, yes. This was definitely a trap of the highest order. The matchmaking committee of Sweet Blossom Bay was currently operating at peak efficiency, and he had just signed up to walk right into their target zone.
"Thank you so much, Martin," Rosa breathed, offering him a sweet, relieved smile. "It's so incredibly busy in the main dining room tonight that I've had to step in and help host. You're a lifesaver."
"I am just so backed up in this kitchen," Chef added with a dramatic sigh of resignation. "We literally couldn't have managed without you."
"Uh-huh," Martin said, giving them a knowing, highly amused look that made both of their cheeks pinken even further. He adjusted his grip on the warm boxes and turned toward the door. "This food in here had better be as good as you claim," he mumbled playfully over his shoulder.
"It has all of your favorites!" Chef called out after him, giving him a cheerful little wave as he pushed through the double doors and out into the cool night air.
The whole way over to the Heart House, Martin kept up a steady, grumbling lecture in his head, repeatedly telling himself that the only reason he was willingly walking into this blatant trap was that he was absolutely starving.
That, and perhaps a tiny, uninvited sliver of pity for Penny.
The poor woman had absolutely no idea what she had gotten herself into by volunteering for babysitting duty.
He loved those kids with every single fiber of his being.
He would throw himself under a bus, heck, a speeding freight train, for any one of them without a second thought.
But he wasn’t blind. Martin knew exactly what they were capable of.
Beneath those wide, innocent eyes and bright summer smiles, they were a pack of little cunning wolves masterfully dressed up as sweet angels.
Heck only knew what kind of chaotic shenanigans they currently had planned for Penny.
Martin glanced down at the massive, warm cardboard box in his hands, the rich scent of supreme pizza and garlic bread melting into the humid night air.
It didn't take a genius to pretty much guess the exact play here.
The teenagers had clearly become hyper-aware of the budding romances among their favorite adults over the last few weeks.
And now, with the matchmaking board fully set, only two adults in their inner circle were left unattached.
Himself and Penny.
Martin stood on the front porch of Heart House, shifting the heavy stack of food to one arm as he heaved a long, dramatic sigh.
This was undoubtedly going to be an interesting evening, but he gave himself a small mental shrug.
At the very least, he was going to get a phenomenal dinner out of the deal.
Reaching out, he pressed the doorbell. The sharp, clear ding-dong echoed through the quiet night, giving him an eerie, ridiculous feeling, almost as if he were about to step right into a Halloween haunted house filled with unimaginable tricks and hidden traps.
Martin shook off the dramatic musing with a low chuckle just as the sound of excited chatter and a barrage of heavy, thundering footsteps came hurtling toward the front door from the kitchen.
The front door swung open to reveal Toby and Jake, their faces lighting up instantly.
"Hey, Martin!" they chorused in perfect unison, their eyes dropping straight to the steaming package. "You brought dinner!"
"Oh, thank goodness," Jake moaned, dramatically patting his stomach. "I am absolutely starving."
"Yeah, I was honestly about to start attacking the fruit bowl," Toby admitted with a grin.
"Come on in," Jake said, stepping aside to let him pass. "Everyone's in the kitchen."
Martin followed the boys down the hallway, the savory warmth of the food filling the air as they walked.
But the moment he stepped through the kitchen archway, he stopped dead in his tracks.
Penny was standing by the counter, her mug of hot cocoa suspended halfway to her mouth, staring blankly at the teenage girls.
Martin’s heart gave a sudden, involuntary lurch at the sight of her. But as he looked closer, a worried frown marred his brow.
"Martin!" the girls cried out happily, jumping up from their stools as the boys swooped in to take the heavy boxes of food from his arms.
"Hi, everyone," Martin greeted them, though his focus remained entirely on Penny. He stepped closer to her, his voice softening. "Are you okay?"
"Oh, yes, hi," Penny greeted him, snapping out of her trance and quickly plopping her mug onto the counter. She blinked up at him, gesturing toward the table. "I see you brought food."
"Yup," Martin said with a nod, keeping his eyes on her.
"Hope you're staying for dinner?" Sophia called out, looking over at Martin with a sweet smile. "I think Chef must have packed an extra portion for you."
Martin turned his head to watch Sophia as she began unpacking the warm boxes onto the kitchen table. Emma and Lily were already busy pulling plates from the cabinets, while Toby and Jake collected silverware, water pitchers, and glasses.
"Yeah, she put a little something in there for me," Martin confirmed, turning back to Penny with a soft chuckle. "But I can easily just take my share and go back to my room if you need some quiet."
"No!" Penny said suddenly. The sheer urgency in her voice made him frown with worry once again.