“You okay?” I ask.
He cuts me a look. “Fine.”
“You’re not fine. Talk to me.”
“I’d rather not.”
I hold up my hands. “Your call. But I’m here if you want to tell me about this girl who’s bothering you.”
“Who says it’s a girl?” Hank wipes his forehead with the back of his gloved hand.
“I do. I haven’t seen you like this”—I nod at the sweat covering the floor at his feet—“in an age.”
“It’s nothing.” He delivers a stinging blow to Olly’s left kidney. “Just a shitty situation. Love sucks.”
I arch a brow. “That all you’re gonna give me?”
“Yup.” He goes silent again, the only noise the slap of his gloves as they meet with Olly’s increasingly battered body.
“Do you want some food? I’ve got leftover lasagna in my fridge. And a pint of that peanut butter cup ice cream I made for Milly’s birthday.”
“You don’t have plans for dinner?”
“I didn’t say that. I’m just offering you some good shit in your time of need, that’s all.”
“Do you?” He pauses. “Have plans tonight?”
I narrow my eyes at him. “I do. Why?”
He starts jabbing Olly again. “No reason.”
I roll my eyes. Hank isn’t usually a drama queen—in fact, he’s the opposite—so I’ll give him a little space to figure out whatever shit he’s got going on. I grab my phone and turn on a playlist, Drake blasting through the speakers in the ceiling. Determined to mind my own damn business.
But as I watch Hank pummel Olly, I can’t help but feel there’s something desperate about the way he punishes the dummy.
He’s punishing himself.
Clearly, he’s hurting over this girl. Since he won’t tell me what happened, all I can gather is that she broke his heart.
That does suck. As much of a pain in the ass as my brother can be, I love him, and I want him to be happy. Now that I know how fucking great love feels, I want him to find it too.
I arrive at the restaurant twenty minutes early. I order a Manhattan and a water, and try not to chug both as I wait. Why am I so nervous? It’s not like I fell for someone else on purpose. It just happened.
Besides. Maybe this makes me sound like a dick, but V is a stranger. She’ll be a stranger after we part ways tonight. It’s not like I’ll ever see her again.
I just have a bad feeling about this that I can’t shake. Maybe that’s why I finish the water and most of the Manhattan by—I check my watch—five till.
Shit. It’s not even time yet. I just want to get this over with already.
Leaving the CD on the table just in case V happens to arrive while I’m gone, I dart to the bathroom, praying all the while that this goes smoothly so I can head home to talk to Emma. I haven’t seen her since this morning, and I miss her. Yet another sign that what I’m about to do is the right call.
Just as I’m closing the stall door behind me, my phone rings. My stomach flips. Is it V? Did she somehow get my number?
Or is it Emma?
God, I hope it’s Emma.
I dig my phone out of my pocket, furrowing my brow when I see it’s Chef Katie calling.
That can’t be good.
“We have a situation here,” she says without preamble. “We’re out of butter.”
“What?” I let out an aggravated sigh. “What the fresh hell is this shit?”
“I don’t know, Samuel. Could be half our suppliers are shut down. Could be we’re at full capacity. Or it could be people carb loading on bread and butter in their rooms. Whatever the case, it is definitely hell.”
Plucking at my closed eyes with my thumb and forefinger, I slam down the toilet cover and land heavily on top of it. “All right. Let’s talk this through.”
Chapter Thirty
Emma
Despite the salt that covers the sidewalk, it’s still a little slippery, especially when you’re teetering on four-inch heels.
By the grace of God, and with a small assist from my sister, I make it to Cucina’s door. My heart is pounding. Part exertion, part extreme nervousness.
I can’t tell if I want my date with Blue to be a bust or not. If it is, I can dive headfirst into a relationship with Samuel. No what-ifs, no second-guesses.
Of course, going that route puts the stability and the success I crave in serious peril.
If my date with Blue goes well, then there’s a chance I won’t have to face said peril, because I can possibly be with a man I don’t work with, and who doesn’t have the power to destroy my future and my reputation. I don’t mean to sound flippant. It’s just the reality of my situation.
But then I’ll have to choose between Samuel and Blue. And something tells me no matter how much is at stake, I don’t want to have to put an end to the incredible connection Samuel and I share. Because last night was beautiful. It was honest and raw in all the best ways, and my heart twists at the thought of abandoning him just when he’s stopped abandoning himself.