Kitchen Boss

Oh. Is that what’s bothering him?

“I thought you said I was a lucky man,” I remind him.

“Yeah, well, she is pretty,” Simon admits. “But man, you need more than a pretty face to make a marriage succeed. Take it from me.”

“Don’t worry. She’s more than that.”

He frowns. “So you’re bent on marrying her?”

“Why not?”

“I told you marriage isn’t a good idea.”

“To the right person, it is. And trust me, she’s the right person.”

I watch Cathy as she gives instructions to one of the waiters, who nods and scampers off. Afterwards, a customer from the next table calls her attention. For a moment, I worry that we might be getting our first customer complaint, but then I see the expression on the customer’s face and realize she’s probably giving her good feedback about the restaurant. Cathy’s face lights up with pride. So does mine.

She is the right person.

“I hope you’re right,” Simon says.

I suppress a frown.

That’s what he says, but why do I get the feeling he’s hoping for just the opposite?

~

“Maybe he’s just jealous,” Cathy tells me later when we’re back at the house.

She lies on her bed and lets out a yawn.

“He doesn’t sound like he’s happy.”

“Nope,” I agree as I type on my laptop.

And that reason did cross my mind. Still…

“Are you sure the two of you haven’t met before?” I ask.

“Sure.” Cathy gives another yawn.

Is she? But what if she did and she just doesn’t remember?

I shake my head. As far as I know, Cathy clearly remembers nearly everything from her past, except for what happened the day or the night Trisha died and a few days after.

She couldn’t have met Simon then.

“What? Don’t you believe me?” Cathy asks.

“It’s not that. It’s just…” I place my hands on my lap and sigh. “I didn’t like the way he was looking at you.”

Cathy snorts. “Now you’re sounding jealous.”

She’s right. I am. Worse, I think I am jealous, even though I can’t put a finger on exactly why.

I frown. I’ve never felt like this before, and I don’t like it. I don’t like it at all.

I sit back and sigh.

“Well, maybe if you told me I’m the only man you adore, I wouldn’t feel jealous,” I say.

No answer.

“No? Then what about if you just tell me how you feel about me? How you really feel.”

Still no answer.

I get out of the chair. “Cathy, I…”

I stop as I see her with her eyes closed. Her chest rises and falls with every breath she takes.

I scratch the back of my head. So she’s fallen asleep, huh? And here I thought she was thinking that she doesn’t love me, that we shouldn’t be together after all.

I stand over the bed and pull the covers up to her shoulders. Cathy groans as she turns her head to one side but doesn’t wake. A wisp of hair falls over her cheek.

I stare at her face as I gently brush it aside.

I’m sure she doesn’t think that way. She might not have said so, but she must love me or she wouldn’t still be here with me.

I let out a deep breath as I put my hands on my hips. Oh, what am I thinking? Where is all this insecurity coming from? It’s not like me at all.

Besides, I shouldn’t be feeling gloomy right now. The opening of the restaurant was a success. I should be feeling triumphant, on top of the world.

That thought makes me smile.

Right now, everything is still a circus, but once the chaos has died down, I’ll be sure to celebrate with Cathy. We could even get away to relax, though maybe not too far away, just somewhere nearby with different scenery.

I touch my chin as I try to think of a place that meets that description.

A beach in Malibu, maybe?

Chapter 15

Cathy

I stand on the tips of my toes, which dig into the sand, and stretch my arms high above my head. As I do, I feel aches in my shoulders, in my lower back, and behind my thighs, just above my knees. I grimace.

The past week has been tougher than any I’ve ever known – day after day of going from the kitchen to the dining area, making sure everything is going as it should, of keeping customers happy even when they’re waiting for hours with grumbling stomachs, of going over numbers and making reports. Some nights, I felt like I’d just been run over by a train, falling asleep seconds after my head hit the pillow.

Which is why I’m grateful for this break.

Just the sight of the beach – the sparkling blue of the ocean and the less dazzling, more tranquil blue of the sky behind wisps of cloud – is enough to invigorate my body and spirit. The soft sand soothes my aching, chaffed feet. The sound of the waves puts my heart at ease. The feel of the breeze against my cheeks sends my worries drifting away.