Sara
“I NEED MORE mushroom croquettes!” Loretta called to me without looking over. I raced to the oven to retrieve the last batch and shove the next one in. I’d thought Thanksgiving was tough, but Valentine’s Day was the worst. The prix fixe menu didn’t help, as we were running out of the cute little appetizers faster than the starry-eyed couples could order them. We still had two more hours to go, and while I usually loved a fast-paced night like this, not having two seconds to take a break made it miserable.
“Guys, you have to see this!” Corinne, a new waitress who started last week, gushed to us as she beckoned us to the door.
“We’re kinda busy, Corinne, and so are you,” I clipped as I helped Loretta plate the croquettes over the polenta.
“There is the hottest gay couple having dinner. And I mean hot.” She fanned herself with her order pad. “I can’t describe them and do them justice.”
I finished the last plate and glanced at the timer. I had five more minutes before I had to repeat the process and decided to appease Corinne. She was a sweet kid, if easily distracted.
Peeking out of the glass circle on the door, I spotted one of two male couples in the dining room. The man facing me had smooth olive skin, and a black, button-down shirt stretching across his torso. He was hot, yet a little familiar. His date turned as if in search of their waitress, and I burst out laughing. I’d know those big dark eyes anywhere.
“Sorry to disappoint you, but those two aren’t gay,” I whispered to Corinne as I nodded toward the two admittedly beautiful men. I couldn’t speak with the same certainty for Carlos, but I knew which side of the coin Drew preferred.
“Are you sure?” she whined. “Picturing what they had planned for later was getting me through this long, shitty night.”
I couldn’t help but laugh as I gazed at them. They did look like a couple if you didn’t know them. Drew felt so awful about not being with me on Valentine’s Day, but for me it was just a busy day at work as it always had been. Carlos told me he stayed purposely noncommittal on this day, as even a casual date could send a misconstrued message. Drew dragged him here to see me, even if he couldn’t be with me. Was he for real? I needed to sneak out to see him and somehow douse the burning desire to climb on his lap and thank him for being so thoughtful in front of the entire restaurant. No one would think he was gay after that.
“Loretta, can I take a two-minute break?”
“Sure, last thing I need you to do is collapse. Mushrooms will be here when you get back.” She winked.
I smoothed my matted hair and snuck out to the dining room. Drew still had his back to me as I approached.
“Good evening.” Drew’s head swiveled in my direction as a slow grin spread across his lips. He was mouth-watering in a charcoal button-down shirt and gray pants. This was the first time I’d seen him out of jeans and pullovers. “You guys are a popular couple tonight.”
“I know,” Carlos huffed. “I had a feeling people would think that when he dragged me here. Not that I mind, but it kinda ruins any game with the single girls over at the bar for me. They’ll think I’m cheating.”
“I think your game will be just fine, Carlos.” I dropped a hand on his shoulder. “Flash them the dimples and they’ll forget all about it.”
“Hmm.” He nodded in agreement. “Your girl has a point.”
“My girl shouldn’t be looking at your dimples,” Drew growled at the both of us.
“I don’t know if my dimples could save me. They all think I can’t do any better than this loser.” He pointed his beer bottle at Drew before taking a long pull.
“That’s because you can’t.” Drew narrowed his eyes at Carlos before turning his attention back to me. “I didn’t know the chef here was such a knockout. I should eat here more often.” His eyes glossed over my body, and although I was in a stained uniform, heat spread over my cheeks as if I were naked before him. I took a small step back trying to resist taking a big leap on top of him.
“You should take your girlfriend here.” My lips tipped up into a smirk.
“Ah, she’s working this Valentine’s Day. I miss the hell out of her, but I’ll be waiting outside her job when she gets out.”
“What if it’s late?”
“Oh, for her, I’d wait all night.” His husky timbre sent shivers up my spine as he grabbed my hand and pressed a soft kiss on the top of my wrist. I needed to get back into the kitchen before the heat between us turned up any higher.
“Ugh, can you wait until I’m out of earshot before you start foreplay?” Carlos groaned. “You’re a shitty date, Kostas.”
“Sara!” Aaron’s shrill whisper came behind me. “What are you doing out here?” He glowered at Drew and me. “You know the rules.”
I exhaled and nodded. Aaron and I acclimated into a mostly professional relationship after I shot him down, but I was usually the first person he snapped at.
“Loretta made me take a break and I—”
“Aren’t supposed to be out here. Socialize on your own time.”
Drew shot up from his chair and took a step toward Aaron. I pushed against his chest and gave him a silent shake of my head.
“That asshole is giving you trouble, isn’t he?” He asked in an angry whisper.
“Nothing I can’t handle. You guys enjoy your dinner, and I’ll see you later.” I planted a quick peck on his lips, now flattened into a hard line as he glared at Aaron over my shoulder before I rushed back into the kitchen. The internship was over in April; I could handle Aaron’s pissy mood for a couple of months.
Instead of annoyed, I arrived back at my station deflated. Only two more months of Aaron, and school . . . and Drew. I wouldn’t ruin today with it, but eventually I’d have to face what that meant. Right now, I was happily in love and blissfully clueless. As great as things were between us, I couldn’t ask him to relocate to the city and there was no way I could move up here and take Victoria away from her father again.
I plated more croquettes and tried to get lost in my work, but my lousy predicament weighed on my heart and mind. I was trapped between a rock and a hard place until I had the guts to figure something out.
“I think I’m going to soak in a tub and stay there until Easter.” Corinne groaned as she plopped into a chair in the corner of the kitchen and massaged the ball of her foot. I nodded with a sigh, remembering how much Epsom salt I used to keep on hand at my old apartment. I’d dump it into a large old Tupperware container with some hot water and soak my feet for at least an hour after a grueling night of double shifts. I was on my feet cooking all night, but as a waitress, my toes suffered much more.
“Have a good night.” I hoisted my bag on my shoulder and gave everyone a wave before strolling into the parking lot.
“Hey, Sara,” Aaron called from behind me once I opened the door. “Where’s your car?” I turned to his sheepish smile and hands stuffed into his pockets.
“I’m being picked up. Have a good night.” The frigid night air chilled me to the bone, and I shivered even in my heaviest down jacket as I searched the empty parking lot for Drew’s car.
“That guy from before . . .” His face fell as he inched closer. With each step he took toward me, I took one back. The last thing I needed was Drew pulling up and witnessing Aaron try to touch me or whatever he was trying to do.
“The one you reprimanded me in front of? His name is Drew. I wasn’t the only one taking their break on the dining room floor tonight, so I’m guessing he’s got something to do with it.”
“He looks young.”
My mouth fell open. “How old he is, is none of your business.”
“Sara, I’m in my thirties, like you.” He let out a nervous laugh. “I’m stable, established. As a parent, I thought that would appeal to you.”
I sucked in a breath of chilled air and stalked up to Aaron, not giving a shit about what the repercussions were.
“There’s a lot more to him than his age, the same as there’s more to me than my age and the fact I have a daughter. I need this job and don’t want to leave so late in the semester, but if this continues, I’ll speak to my professor about finding something else until graduation.”
“No, no, that won’t be necessary.” He backed away with a sour frown. “If this is what you want, there’s nothing I can say.”
“Drew is who I want, and I’m stable and established on my own. No one needs to rescue me.”
As if on cue, tires rustled on the gravel behind me. I glanced over my shoulder as Drew’s car pulled into a spot. The headlights dimmed, and Drew strolled out of the car toward us.
“Hey, Gorgeous, everything all right?” he asked me while glaring at Aaron. I grabbed onto his shoulders and stepped in front of him.
“All fine. Goodnight, Aaron.” I nodded as I guided Drew back to the car, almost shoving him against the driver’s side for him to get in.
“I will wipe the parking lot with that motherfucker if he touched you,” he growled as he leveled his eyes at me. “Did he?”
“No,” I groaned and slid my hand around the nape of his neck. “The alpha thing is cute, but I need you to calm down.”
“Alpha?” His eyes widened as he looped his arm around my waist. “I’ll show you alpha. Get in the car.” He swatted my ass with a loud smack before heading to the passenger side and holding the door open.
“Did you just spank me?” I rubbed the stinging cheek while my mouth twisted in a scowl. His possessive side was hot and now so was I, but I refused to admit it.
He fisted my hair before crushing his lips to mine and backing me into the car door.
“I have plans for you,” he growled against my lips. “So, get. In. The. Fucking. Car.”
Heat pooled between my legs despite the subzero temperature. I needed to have a talk with my jealous boyfriend, but I had plans, too. I was going to enjoy every inch of him.
Until I couldn’t.