I mean ever.
“I’ll be back tomorrow,” he promised. “You’ve got twenty-four hours with Glinda the Good Witch but if you fuck anything up for her, you’re fired. See you tomorrow.”
Then he pulled me from the restaurant and we escaped into the night. We stripped out of our bandanas and chef coats and had a proper date in the sweaty clothes we had underneath. We laughed over street tacos and walked around downtown. Then we grabbed a few drinks at Craft, the bar that Killian had been poaching for. Apparently, Wyatt knew the owners too.
At the end of the night, I followed him to his house in my car where we stripped out of the rest of our clothes and spent the entire night not arguing once.
Twenty-Two
Three weeks later, Wyatt and I were on another morning date. And it was another surprise date. Although he’d promised me he wouldn’t murder me. I’d made him swear by his favorite set of knives before I let him put the blindfold on me.
Because seriously, a blindfold?
It took all my trust to let him do it. I didn’t want to say I wasn’t a trusting person by nature, but let’s be real, I was not a trusting person by nature. Or by force. And the blindfold I was currently wearing was testing every ounce of my patience.
The car turned off and I put my hands to my temples. “Now?”
Wyatt’s deep chuckle chased a tingle down my spine. “Not yet.”
“This is cruel and unusual punishment.”
His hand rubbed down my thigh and then back up, settling in the crease of my thigh. “I promise it will be worth it,” he murmured into my ear. I twitched at the tickle his breath caused.
“Okay,” I whispered. Maybe I didn’t trust the blindfold, but I trusted him.
The last month had been the best of my life. Wyatt and I liked to fight with each other, but it turned out, we liked to get along even more. We’d spent as much time as we could getting to know each other. Sure, we’d known each other for five years, but there was so much yet to discover.
And I knew it would always be like this with him. I would always want to know more. I would always want to see more of him and spend more time with him. I would always want him to know more of me.
In the few spare moments of free time we had, we were inseparable. But even during working hours, it was hard to pull us apart. Part of it was the honeymoon bliss, but we also knew I wouldn’t be staying long at Lilou.
I hadn’t heard anything from Ezra about Sarita. And Dillon remained tightlipped no matter how much I pestered her to interrogate him. My other friends were quiet too. I’d even forced Wyatt to set up a double brunch date with Killian and Vera, so I could grill the two of them.
Nobody had heard anything.
Not knowing if that was good or bad, I’d started looking around at my options and lightheartedly applied to places I could see myself working at. Wyatt and I knew we couldn’t continue to work together. Not just for the sake of our relationship, but the sake of our staff.
We weren’t Vera and Killian. We had chemistry that sometimes bubbled over. And sometimes exploded. Both in good ways and bad ways. We didn’t want to make our staff suffer in the overflow.
Besides, my ambitions would never let me get comfortable as second in command. I wanted EC. And now my life felt very much like I had everything I wanted except that one thing.
Granted, it was a giant, life-accomplishment kind of thing. But still. Not having it only made me want it more.
I’d had three call backs from jobs I’d applied for. But when push came to shove, and I was invited to an interview, I’d ended up turning them down. Those weren’t the jobs I wanted. And if I wasn’t going to settle in at one of the best jobs at one of the hottest restaurants in the nation right now, I wasn’t going to settle for a mediocre executive chef position either.
Not only that, but I wanted Sarita. I’d gotten a taste of her. She was in my blood now. I couldn’t even entertain another restaurant until I heard about my fate for certain. But as the days stretched on and I ran into Ezra more and more and he didn’t even offer so much as a hint or a smile or a word of encouragement, I started to give up on my dream job at Sarita altogether.
Wyatt’s fingers on my chin, nudged my mouth toward his where he pressed a quick, hot, delicious kiss to my mouth. It ended too soon and made me curious about what he had planned for today. “Don’t move,” he ordered, before climbing out of the car.
My door opened, and I felt his hands on me again. “Ready for this?”
“For a surprise trip to Greece?” I guessed.
He laughed and made a buzzer sound. “Wrong.”
Letting him guide me from the car, I guessed again. “You’re forcing me to become a drug mule to carry heroine over the border?”
He paused mid-step. “Which border?” I could sense him shake his head at the ridiculous question. “Never mind, no. Obviously not. If I was going to make you smuggle anything it would be nuclear weapons.”
I smiled and then felt like an idiot because I couldn’t see anything. “Are you going to propose?”
He barked a laugh. “Only you would try to ruin the proposal surprise by guessing what I was doing before I did it.”
“So that’s a yes.”
He pinched my side making me squirm. “Sorry to disappoint, but I’m not proposing today.”
“You are proposing though, right?”
He sighed, exasperated with me. But this was his own fault for blindfolding me in the first place. “I’m proposing you stop asking so many questions.”
I felt him lean past me and open a door. His hands gripped my waist and he walked behind me, guiding me the entire way. Even with the blindfold, I knew the room was darker than outside. Everything dimmed. I strained to hear something that would give me a clue as to what we were doing, but it was quiet.
He carefully maneuvered me through a darkened space and then drew me to a stop. “I hope it’s something kinky,” I told him.
His surprise laughter on the back of my neck made me wonder if we weren’t alone. “That’s for later,” he whispered. And then he removed the blindfold.
I blinked at the scene in front of me, trying to make sense of all the people standing there. My parents were here. And my sisters. Killian and Vera. Ezra and Molly. Dillon. Benny and Endo and the rest of the Lilou staff. Even Jo was here. What in the world?
My first thought was that I had forgotten it was my birthday. “It’s not until November,” I told them. They were smiling like idiots, all of them, but my statement confused them. “My birthday, I mean.”
Wyatt wrapped his arms around my middle and squeezed. His chin rested on my shoulder and filled in the blanks. “It’s not a surprise party. If you stop guessing I can tell you why we’re here.”
I pressed my lips together. I wanted to call him a liar for telling me he wasn’t proposing to me when obviously he was, but he was right. It would help everything if I just shut up.
Ezra stepped out of the crowd and somebody turned the lights all the way up. Sarita. Oh, my god, we were inside Sarita.
“Welcome home, chef,” Ezra greeted, reaching out to shake my hand.
“No way!” I squeaked while my friends and family cheered loudly. Wyatt squeezed me tighter and I had the suspicion it was because he thought I was going to topple over in surprise. “No way!”
Ezra took my hand, which currently felt like a limp noodle, and shook it firmly. “I hope you don’t mind the crowd,” he murmured. “Wyatt thought it would be a fun surprise.”
“I’m going to kill him,” I told Ezra. Wyatt’s dark chuckle in my ear told me he didn’t believe me.
“No, I can’t lose another chef,” Ezra groaned. “I finally have two I can count on.” He winked at me, letting me know I was one that he meant.
Me.
I was one of his chefs.
Oh my God!
A smile broke free on my face so big and wide and bright I felt like it was going split my head in two. “Okay, fine. He can st
ick around.”
Wyatt hugged me tighter. “Congratulations, chef,” he murmured in my ear.
I shivered at the heat in his voice and the way he said chef. I finally got the appeal. And good lord, I was going to need to hear it just like that again and again.
My family approached. “We’re so proud of you, Kay-bug!” Wyatt let go of me, so my dad could pull me into a hug. “Always knew you’d make something of yourself,” he preened. “Wait till I tell all the guys at the club, my girl’s such a big deal in Durham.”
I smiled against his barrel of a chest and savored the praise. “Thanks, Daddy.”
My sisters were next. Cameron first because she was like an excited puppy that couldn’t be contained. “Yay!” she cheered. “You’re so cool, Ky. Like the coolest. I want to be just like you when I grow up!”
Claire was next. She hugged me tightly, tighter than she’d ever hugged me before. “Congrats,” she said sweetly. “I’m so happy for you.”
“Thanks,” I told them both. Cameron beamed, but Claire looked different for some reason. There was something off with her. “Hey, are you okay?” I asked.
She shrugged and smiled, but it was forced, vacant. “I’m fine.”
But she wasn’t. My heart pinched with concern for her and all I cared about was making her feel better. “Hey, Mom and Dad mentioned that you wanted to come spend some time with me this summer. Is that for real?”
Her chin wobbled, but she caught it quickly. “I need a break, you know? Would that be okay? I’ll try to impose as little on your life as possible.”
“I’m busy,” I told her honestly. “You could move in with me permanently and I would hardly notice. I’d love for you to come stay with me. For as long as you’d like.” The best part was, I meant it.
“Okay,” she whispered. “Thank you.”
I had no idea what that was about, but I didn’t have time to figure it out right now because my friends descended on me and pulled me into a hug all at once. Dillon, Molly, and Vera surrounded me with their congratulations, jumping up and down and screaming in my ear all at once.
“I told you!” Molly beamed.
“You’re welcome,” Vera teased.
“You did it!” Dillon laughed. “Oh my God, you actually did it. Kaya, you’re my hero.”
Laughing and crying and sniffling all at once I just looked at them. They had each played a part in this success. I couldn’t have done this without them.
Molly had been my friend for a while now. And she had always encouraged me, always put up with me, even when I was snarly. I had no doubt she’d also whispered high praise into Ezra’s ear. Because that’s how she was. So giving and generous.
Vera had taken me under her wing and pushed me toward my goal. She’d inspired me to get to know the restaurant, all the ins and outs and ups and downs, and then she’d showered me with invaluable advice.
Dillon was my ride or die. She was always there to challenge me and help me get better. And she’d put the very idea in my head.
I was nothing without these incredibly, super talented women by my side. None of this would have been possible without them cheering me on and pouring into my life.
They were the kind of friends that would mark my life forever. One day, I would look back and see that some of my best moments were because of them and with them. I could have done this on my own. It probably would have taken longer. And it would have hardened me in a way that could have made me bitter.
But I preferred this way. I preferred having friends I could count on and lean on. I preferred not being able to take all the credit myself because I’d rather share it with these wonderful women.
The Lilou staff was next. I hugged so many people, I knew the Free People maxi dress I wore was wrinkled to crap and I smelled like a kitchen again, even though I’d showered and dressed for a date with Wyatt.
“Hey, if you get tired of him,” I pointed to Wyatt across the room, “You can always come work for me. I promise to be nicer. And not to yell as much.”
Benny laughed. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, chef. Besides, he doesn’t yell nearly as often now that he’s getting action on the regular.”
I stared at Wyatt across the room. “Yeah, those hookers I’m paying for nightly are really doing wonders.”
“Ridiculous!” Benny groaned. “Happy for you two,” he murmured and then disappeared.
I turned around and found my mom waiting for me. “Er, hey, Mom.”
“Kaya,” she said stiltedly. She held a glass of wine in her hand and a napkin with a shortbread on it. Wyatt had made his staff cater this little party. One last hoorah from Lilou. “This is quite the party in your honor.”
My cheeks hurt from smiling so much, but I couldn’t stop. This was too much. I didn’t know it was possible to be this happy, this excited for life. My little Grinch heart grew fifty whole sizes and I knew one more piece of good news would tip me over the edge and I would just explode into itty bitty pieces—like a human confetti cannon.
Which I realized was a super gross analogy if you got into the logistics of it, but also legitimately how I felt.
Feeling extra forgiving in light of my new job, I said, “I’m sorry about how we left things the last time you were in town.”
She raised a single eyebrow, surprised by my apology. “How did we leave things?”
She was going to make me say it. “With you mad at me over Nolan, because I don’t want to marry him. Or move back home to be with him.”
She waved her shortbread around. “Oh, Kaya, I wasn’t mad at you because you don’t love Nolan.”
I resisted an eye roll. Yeah, right. Her pushing Nolan on me has only been a constant conversation since I left Hamilton. “Mom, I know you love him. I know he’s like… the son you never had. But we were never meant to be together.”
“Kaya, stop.” She sighed. “All I have ever wanted was for you to be happy. Maybe I got it wrong, but I thought Nolan made you happy. The last time I really saw you excited about anything was when you two were together. You know, I don’t get to see you cook. And I’m not a part of your life here. So maybe you’re those things when I can’t see you, but from my perspective you were so much happier at home. I just wanted you to have that light back in your eyes again. It had nothing to do with Nolan.” She made a sound in the back of her throat. “Honestly, I could take him or leave him.”
Emotion rushed through me, testing the boundaries of my body. “Oh, Mom.” I sniffled, pulling her into a tight hug. Her arms swung wide to protect me from the wine and dessert. “I am happy. I’ve never been happier.”
I pulled back and I was shocked to find real tears dampening her eyes. “I see that now.” We simultaneously turned our attention to the party, both of us embarrassed to be caught teary-eyed. “And this new boy you’re with? What’s his name?”
“Wyatt Shaw,” I told her.
“Wyatt. He’s nice?”
I ran my lip ring through my teeth. “He’s amazing.”
“I’d like to get to know him better,” she insisted.
He turned to face me from across the room, and I wondered if he’d felt my gaze on him, if he was always as cognizant of me as I was of him. “I’d like that.”
Wyatt crossed the room in long strides as if sensing my desire to be with him again. Or maybe he just had the same intention.
When I introduced him to my mom for the second time, she was much more pleasant. She even laughed when he made a joke about how difficult I was to work with. My dad joined us and then my sisters. We spent the rest of the afternoon laughing over drinks and yummy food that was familiar for probably the last time.
But by three p.m., it was time for everyone to get to work. We’d put it off for as long as possible, but dinner service waited for no one.
I said goodbye to my parents, my sisters, my friends, and the staff at Lilou. I would cook tonight with Vera so she could show me the ropes and help me get familiar with the menu. Ezra want
ed me cooking on my own by the weekend. That meant I had a lot of work to do over the next few days.
I walked Wyatt to his car while my new staff trickled into the kitchen and began quickly prepping for tonight’s service.
“How long have you known?” I demanded when we were all alone.
He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, a smile already dancing across his mouth. “Three weeks or so. Give or take.”
“Three weeks!” I gasped. “You knew right away?”
He shrugged. “I mean, if we’re honest, I knew you’d get the job as soon as I found out you wanted it. Come on, Kaya, was there even a question?”
“Yes! Yes, there were many questions! Starting with if you knew three weeks ago, why did it take so long for me to find out?”
“Well, we had to plan a party,” he explained evenly, like it wasn’t the most insane reason ever. “And that took time.” He sensed my annoyance and quickly added. “And Ezra really did interview other candidates, but obviously you were the front-runner. Ezra felt the same way.” Before I could launch into another round of arguments, he pulled me into a hug and said, “I’m so goddamn proud of you, Kaya. You’re going to kick ass at this job.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and held on tight. “I’m scared,” I told him honestly. “I don’t want to mess this up.”
He laughed and squeezed me tighter. “Then don’t. Don’t mess up. Just do what you always do, and everything will be fine.”
He was right. Ezra wasn’t looking for reasons to fire me. He wanted every reason in the world to keep me. I needed to do what I always did—cook amazing food—and everything would be fine. I smiled again, and my cheeks ached with exhaustion. “I love you, Wyatt. Thank you for all of this and for believing in me.”
“I love you too.” He pressed the sweetest kiss to the corner of my mouth. “More than I ever knew was possible.”
We stood like that for a very long time, but eventually he pulled back. He had a restaurant to run. And so did I.
“This feels weird,” I told him. We stood next to his driver’s side door, holding hands. I didn’t want to let go. It felt oddly permanent. Not in a bad way, but like the beginning of a new chapter. I wasn’t sure I was ready for it yet.
Opposites Attract: The complete box set Page 91
