Chapter 36
SUTTON
I feel like I’ve woken up in a dream. It’s been a couple of weeks since our frisky hike, and things are just easy between us.
Yeah, I know she still hasn’t made up her mind about the apartment, and I can’t blame her for taking her time. That’s a big decision both for her and us, even if I’ve been clear that renting her that apartment will never be tied to our relationship.
Outside of that, things have been—well—perfect.
We’ve been on more hikes and had a great time—even when we didn’t end up taking our clothes off on the side of the trail.
We’ve gone out with Monica and Jason—who are both awesome—and had dinner with TJ and Grace.
Everything has been easy and that’s why I invited her parents to dinner at my tasting counter tonight.
“I don’t know the last time I ate like that.” Kelsey’s dad wads up his napkin and sets it on the counter next to his empty plate.
“Hun, that’s because we’ve never had a meal like that before. Five courses with wine pairings?” She rubs her husband’s wrist and turns to me. “Thank you so much for dinner, Sutton. I can see why Kelsey can’t stop talking about this place now.”
I dip my chin to them. “It’s my pleasure. Glad we finally got to meet.”
I peak down at the other end of the bar to see Kelsey serving a drink to a patron. She makes eye contact and winks before helping another customer. I look back at her mom to find her watching me with a pleased grin.
“You two are cute together. I don’t know the last time she was this excited about anything.” She keeps grinning at me and I don’t know what to do with that statement other than to feel proud and equally awkward under the scrutiny of her parents.
I shrug and grab a bar towel to clean a wine glass that was already spotless. “I’m glad. She’s special and deserves to be happy. I see how hard she works.”
That’s an understatement. I’ve spent the last two weeks trying to figure out the right time and place to tell her how I feel.
I love her, but I don’t want to scare her off.
Our lives are already so intertwined and she has so many big things going on in hers that I don’t want to give her something else to worry about by acting like the lovesick puppy that I am.
Her mom finishes her glass of wine and looks around the dining room.
“You know, Kelsey might have been upset about this place not belonging to our family anymore, but I think my mom would have loved what you’ve done here.
She might have had a few menu suggestions, but she’d like the cozy homelike feel. ”
“Thank you, Mrs. Rivers. That means a lot. Let me guess…. she’d want a burger on the menu?” I quirk a brow at her, and they both laugh.
“How did you know? She was a meat and potatoes kind of lady, except for coffee and dessert.”
“Sounds like my kind of grandma. I practically grew up on home-cooking and diner food.”
Kelsey’s dad checks his watch and pats the counter. “Well, Maggie, I think it’s time we hit the road. The pass is still closed and we’ve got a long drive back.” He turns back to me. “Thanks again, Sutton. Come over some time and we’ll grill some steaks.”
“I’d love that.” I reach across the counter to shake their hands. “Come back anytime. It’ll be on me again.” I give them a little two-fingered salute. “Safe trip back now.”
They head to the other end of the restaurant where Kelsey stands on her tippy toes and leans across the bar to hug them goodbye. Once they leave, she comes to my end of the counter.
“How did that go?” she asks with an amused grin.
“Oh, that was easy. Parents freaking love me.”
She playfully slaps me on the arm. “Does everything come easy to you?”
I shrug and turn to face her. “Everything except you. I think you were worth the wait though.” Her lips part and I revel in the soft, surprised sound she makes.
I dip a finger into the ties of her apron and pull her to me.
We’ve got maybe an hour before we close for the night, and that can’t come soon enough because I want her all to myself again.
She collects herself and pats me on the chest. “Did they invite you over for dinner?”
I nod. “Your dad said I could come over and he’d grill steaks.”
Her brows shoot up in surprise. “Wow, they must really like you then because my mom rarely lets Dad eat red meat anymore."
“Like I said, parents love me.” She rolls her eyes, but I don’t miss the way she smiles at me—something she’s been doing more and more of lately.
“Hey.” She pulls my hand out of the pocket of her apron and squeezes it, catching me off guard. I look down into her eyes to see them sparkling back up at me. “I wanted to tell you something later, but I don’t feel like waiting anymore.”
My pulse quickens and I feel a tinge of panic creep over me because this doesn’t feel like a casual conversation anymore. She must see it because she laughs. “Relax. It’s good news. I just wanted to say that I’ve been thinking about it and I’m in. I want to do what we were talking about earlier.”
Alright. Good news, not bad news. A wave of relief comes over me and I regain my composure.
“You’re going to have to be a little more specific because we’ve talked about doing a lot of different things lately.
” That’s a fact because between our work schedules, there aren’t enough hours in the day for all the things I want to do with her, and to her.
She cocks a hip and rolls her eyes before pointing at the ceiling. “What we talked about before. Upstairs? I want to do it.”
I lean in and whisper into her ear. “I love the enthusiasm and I’m totally on board with this, but I don’t think putting on a show with whipped cream right here in the restaurant full of people is the best idea you’ve ever had.”
She nips at my ear and I chuckle when she scowls back at me. “That's not what I meant. Are you really going to make me spell it out for you?”
“Yep, because this is too fun.” I extend a finger and boop her on the nose.
She makes a cute growling sound that I wish I could bottle up.
“Again, you’re lucky that you’re pretty.
” She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before looking back at me with renewed determination.
“OK. I was referring to moving into the studio full-time. I want to do it, assuming that offer is still on the table?”
“Of course it is.” I drop a hand to the dip of her waist and hold her close to me.
Of course, that’s the moment Rich decides to squeeze past us to get to the other end of the bar.
He eyes the two of us and gives me a wink before going to his drink station.
I turn my attention back to Kelsey who’s beaming back at me.
“OK! I’ll have to take some stuff to my parents’ house, then I’ll need to move some things in upstairs before we leave for the wedding this week.
I need to be out of my old place before I owe them another month’s rent, but I’m sure my dad will help…
” She starts to ramble about borrowing her dad’s truck but I can barely follow along because my brain stops functioning.
This feels big.
I can hardly contain my joy because—selfishly—she’s going to be closer to me. More importantly, she’s doing something for herself. Something that’s going to make her life better and that means more to me than anything.
I always knew that there was a chance it could be a temporary arrangement, especially once the pass reopens. That didn’t stop me from hoping she might want to take me up on my offer to be closer to the town she loves, and maybe even me.
She grins up at me before standing on her toes and kissing me. I hold her waist tight and keep her there. She breaks the kiss and her eyes meet mine. “Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me.” My mouth lifts into a goofy smile. “Who knows? Your landlord could be really shitty, your downstairs neighbors could be noisy late at night, and your new next door neighbor might have an evil cat.”
“Oh, are you agreeing with me now that Oscar’s evil?”
“Technically, I never said she wasn’t. You’re right, no one actually understands cats and their witchy ways. She’s probably holding a seance upstairs with Felix right now for all we know.”
Her lips press together and I tilt my head, touching the dimple in her cheek. “You’re trying not to laugh, aren’t you?”
Now her nose scrunches and I know I have her right where I want her. I move closer and press my mouth to her soft lips. They finally part and she giggles into my mouth. “Knew it, Shadow. You’re too easy to read.”
“Hey, are you two going to work? You know this is a restaurant, right?” We both turn to Rich smirking at us with his arms crossed over his chest.
Kelsey looks back at me and pats me on the cheek. “Yeah, come on, Chef. You’re supposed to be setting a good example for us.”
I drop my head and rub my temples. “Fine. Back to work. We’re almost done for the night anyway so let’s end it on a high note.”
Kelsey walks back over to the drink prep area with Rich.
I admire how her dress—the one I ripped off of her and then fixed—flatters her ass as she goes.
Then I turn back to the kitchen and try to focus on my job.
I have a feeling that’s going to be a lot harder with her around more often, but it’s going to be worth it.
Anytime spent with her in my world is priceless.
“And that’s our dessert special for tonight. I hope you enjoy it.” I smile at the couple sitting at the counter and set down the dishes of gelato, complete with fresh picked berries and a homemade chocolate wafer. It’s nearly closing time and that will be the last dish I serve tonight.
I look back into the kitchen and survey the scene.
Fortunately, our staff is focused on all the details.
Even after a busy night like this, the kitchen is nearly spotless and shouldn’t take long to close, which is perfect because I want to get upstairs with Kelsey as soon as humanly possible.
I still don’t know how I got this lucky to have her working in the restaurant with me, and now she’s going to be living right next to me, but I know better than to question when things are going well.
“Well, look who it is,” Rich’s deep drawl cuts the through the mostly empty restaurant. I look over at him and Kelsey at the bar, then follow his line of sight to the front of the restaurant.
“What the fuck?” I mumble under my breath.
Standing in the entryway next to our hostess is my brother, Slade. It’s impossible to miss him with his height, tattoos, and haircut that always looks like he had it done that day.
He’s got the same confident grin plastered on, as always, when he says something to Devyn that makes her laugh. I just keep standing here, looking on in stunned confusion, as my brother walks through the restaurant in my direction.
Why the hell is he here, and why didn’t he bother to tell me he was coming?