Gretchen
I couldn’t believe that he cut out the piece of bark he’d written, H & G Was Here, on. I probably looked at it ten times since I entered the restaurant. “Hello, Gretchen.” I turned to see a female in a chef uniform smiling at me. Jealousy pumped through me because not only did she work with Henry, she was beautiful.
I swallowed hard, then answered, “Hello, Dina.” Her name had been sewn into her chef coat.
“Henry asked me to tell you to come into the kitchen,” she said, tilting her head in that direction.
“Oh, I didn’t think I was allowed in there.” When we first arrived, he had me take a seat and had a woman server named Sara get me a drink. He had a staff meeting to handle and it would be awhile before he finished.
She shook her head, her red curls bouncing perfectly. “You are allowed all over this place. One, you’re his woman and two, this place has your name, or rather nickname, all over it.” I guess she had a point, but I didn’t know she knew it was me. The door chimed and we both looked that way.
“Oh, well, well, well.” The guy from last night walked up to us with his arm extended, taking my hand. “I’m Colton James.”
This was his cousin that Henry warned me to stay away from or he’d kill him. He told me that Colton walked into the kitchen goading Henry and Dina about me. “Ignore him. He only wants to tick the boss off.”
He slid his arm around Dina. “It’s fun and it worked on you, baby.”
“Shut up. I don’t have time for you.” Dina swatted his arm away then turned back to address me, “Don’t forget Henry wants you back there.”
I shook my head at the two. Colton liked her, but it seemed she wasn’t giving him the time of day, or she was just pretending to give him a hard time. He had smooth talker written all over him.
I walked to the kitchen and when I pushed open the swinging door, I saw a large crowd of workers. I could feel Dina and Colton come in behind me and I wondered what was going on. I had a feeling what it could be, but I could never hope that he would ask. The sea of white shirts cleared to see Henry standing there with a cake in front of him that looked like a candy heart and it was green. It read: Will U Marry Me? I looked up at him, thinking about that brief moment before we were separated all those years ago. Tears flowed from my eyes.
“Yes, Henry.” I sobbed and wiped my tears, then felt him grab my hand. Looking into his eyes. “I love you so much. From that first moment, I loved you.” He slid a heavy ring onto my left hand. I gasped at the size and how green it was. A deep emerald heart shaped stone with diamonds along the border. My eyes darted back to his and before I could protest the size, he kissed me. I was a mushy mess. My sweet hero. Over the years, I had daydreamed about him saying those words to me as I looked at the candy heart.
A roar of applause erupted. I blushed and pushed my face against his chest. He tipped my chin and smiled down at me. “Everyone, excuse us.” Still holding my hand, he led me to a small office, closing the door behind us.
“Thank you, Gretchen,” he whispered against my ear. I shivered with his words.
“You don’t have to thank me. I’m the one who’s thankful.”
“The fuck I don’t. I fell in love with you from that first glance. I’ve lived a celibate life because I hoped you’d come into my world and love me back. You’ve made all of this worth it. The hard work, the years without you, the pain is all better now that you’re here and love me.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Soon, you’ll be saying that. Now you can stay in here because those skin-tight jeans may make me kill someone tonight.”
“You need to behave at your restaurant. You don’t want to be sued. I don’t want you to be. Even if you don’t you could lose business from being a possessive boyfriend.”
“Soon-to-be husband, Gretchen.”
“Okay, my dear love. Husband. Now, please behave. I’ve got a lot to do. I don’t live here.”
“I know. I had a lovely conversation with Hardy and he’s having your things packed and sent here this week.”
“Wow. I don’t get a say in it?” I asked, arching my brows at him.
“You did when you said yes.” He had a point, a very valid one, but I had to at least pretend to object to his caveman ways. I learned a lot from Aunt Rebecca. She was amazing for a motherlike figure. I never had someone who genuinely cared for me.
“Fine, well. I’m hungry, so get to work,” I tossed out. I had to call and tell her the news. She was going to freak unless she already knew. I slipped up and told her about my feelings for Henry when she tried to get me to date.
“Certainly, sweetheart. Anything in particular?” He pulled me in for another kiss.
I bit back the need to say I wanted him for dinner. “A chicken dish, but take care of your people first.”
“You’re my people. I’ll have it done shortly. Fuck, I love you. Please don’t run away.”
“I’ll be here.” He kissed me once more before dashing out the door.
I stayed in his office for over an hour. Dina brought me a dish so Henry wasn't tempted to stay. During that time, I managed to call Aunt Rebecca and schedule several items for the wedding. Apparently, Henry told them to be ready for it in 2 weeks. I wanted the ceremony to be at the cottage and Ben said it would be doable. My insides were in knots at the idea of something going wrong. They were able to cordon off the area to protect us from any wild animals.
I was about to go out and see if anyone needed any help when Colton walked in. "Hey, Gretel. I'm going to need that chair. It's time for me to handle payroll."
"I didn't know you worked here like that.”
“I really don't, but Henry couldn't find someone he trusted to handle the office management part of the business. He does the inventory and I take care of the other paperwork."
"Well I'm bored. I can help if you need me. I only have my associate’s in business management though."
"That works for me. I can show you some stuff. Henry shouldn't mind since he has to be here four nights a week. We're closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and once a week Dina takes the reins.”
"Why those days?"
"Because most places are closed on Sundays. If we had more urging then we'd add staff and open more evenings, as well as earlier."
"Okay, well since I'm sure he's going to keep me attached to his hip, then teach on." I pulled up the other chair next to him and leaned in to watch. We were five minutes in when Henry appeared. "What's going on?" I heard a faint bit of jealousy in his words.
"I'm hiring Gretel to handle the office work. We just started training."
“That’s not a problem, is it?”
“No…” he grumbled.
“If it is…”
“Gretchen, it’s not. Well, except that this fucker is teaching you.” He looked at Colton and gave him a warning, “Keep your overgrown hands off her.”
“Ha. Hank, just chill. Calm down the jealousy. I’ve got my eyes focused on Ms. Snooty out there.”
“Good.” I was right about the two of them which gave me a little relief when it came to Dina working alongside Henry. This relationship was all new to me, even though I’d been thinking and dreaming about him for years.
A knock at the door, interrupted us and Henry opened it, scowling at the man who had panic etched all over his expression. The front of his shirt was covered with a creamy sauce or soup. I couldn’t tell which from my vantage point. “Sir, we had a mishap with the alfredo sauce. We need you out here.”
“I’m coming, Rod.” He bent down and kissed me smack on the lips before leaving me to work.
Once he was out the door, Colton was staring at me. “What gives?” I asked with my brow cocked and my mind defensive. I knew he was all about teasing his cousin, but I wouldn’t do anything to hurt Henry even as a joke.
He cracked a huge grin, then hugged me and said, “Thanks. You don’t know what it’s like to see that smile on his face. Nothing has brought it back until he saw you at that table.”
“I could say the same for me. I am nothing without him. I’ve missed him for so long I can’t even describe it. In fact, I hope to never be without him again. Let’s get back to work before I let my head go to all the negative possibilities.”
“That’s cool. This software notes every sign in and out of each employee. Henry signs in because we like to see the hours and if we need to add more cooks to the staff.” I nodded, thankful that the software was the straightforward data entry type. It didn’t have ninety different tasks to do before submitting checks for deposit. I didn’t have this specific experience, but my work with a computer over the past four years had been extensive.
By the time we were ready to go home, Henry was covered in different foods. It was a busy and error filled kitchen tonight. One employee even walked out. Apparently, she was a server who had a crush on Henry. I was glad I missed what happened or I would have punched her in the face. Dina caught her trying to flirt with him and he was holding back his temper. The guy covered in sauce was her victim after she intentionally knocked the sauce off the stove. Thankfully, he’d only been caught with a cast off because he would have had massive burns otherwise.