“I’ve gotten used to it with my dad.” Natalie’s eyes widened the moment the words left her lips, as if they’d slipped out.
Seth stilled, her hand still in his. “What do you mean?”
Natalie shook her head, a few loose brown curls swaying with the motion. “Nothing, really.”
“Is he okay?” Seth asked.
She bit her lip again, a red flush creeping up her neck. Seth knew instinctively that her father was not okay, and the urge to wrap his arms around her became so great, he had to steel himself from reaching out. When his hand squeezed hers, as if against his will, she responded by holding his tighter, too. She opened her mouth to reply, but before she could, they were interrupted by a loud bartender.
“Hey, Nat, how do you feel about Indian food, ‘cause there’s this great–” Hunter stopped in the doorway, face falling. “What happened?”
Natalie jumped away from Seth as if she’d been burned, making Seth’s heart clench.
“Cut myself trying to slice your lemons,” Natalie said with a weak laugh. She held up her finger. “Seth patched me up, though, I think I’ll make it.”
Concern filled Hunter’s face. “Oh man, I’m sorry. No more knives for you.”
“I’ve gotta learn sometime, right?” Natalie said. “C’mon, let’s finish up before the doors open.”
As Natalie left the kitchen, Hunter put an arm around her, moving his hand to the small of her back in a familiar way. Seth ignored the slow burning in his stomach, telling himself it was indigestion. A couple kitchen guys came in to prep, distracting him for a while as he delegated tasks.
Lunch was slower on weekdays, and every time Seth looked to front of house to see Natalie at the bar, he’d practically see red. Finally, an order came in and he plated. He glanced up in time to see Hunter whisper something in her ear and jealousy seized him.
“Service!” Seth barked.
Natalie scurried into the kitchen with a guilty look on her face, which made Seth rethink his attitude. Natalie wasn’t his girlfriend anymore; he couldn’t get mad every time she talked to another guy. Even if that guy was Hunter Stone.
Hunter and Natalie met at the Indian restaurant a few blocks over from LUSH. They’d only just opened their cozy new spot, and Natalie and Hunter raved over the food. Natalie found herself enjoying talking to Hunter; he was genuinely inquisitive and listened to every word with interest. She suspected it was part of what made him such a good bartender, too.
“And I lived there for about three years and then moved back home to Crystal Springs.”
“Living in the big city, huh?” Hunter smiled. “That must have been fun.”
Natalie shrugged. “It was okay. I was so busy working I didn’t get out much. And when I did have time, I was so tired or broke I had to stay home, anyway. Kind of a bust, really, even if it technically was a ‘learning experience,’ as my dad would call it.”
Hunter shift food on his plate, glancing up at her with interest. “What brought you back here?”
Natalie took a deep breath before finally saying it out loud. “My dad got sick a while back. Stage four cancer. I’m helping out until … you know, he passes. Hopefully I can get my life back on track once things are back to normal.”
She knew good and well that her idea of normal would never be the same once her father died. “Normal” was never something she’d have again, not without him in her life. But admitting that was more than she could do, with Hunter or herself.
“I’m so sorry, Natalie,” he said, placing a gentle hand over hers. Sympathy filled his hazel eyes. “I really am.”
She cleared her throat, pulling away to adjust the napkin on her lap and avoid looking him in the eye. “It’s fine. I’m fine, really. Look at me, killing the mood! Let’s talk about something more cheerful.”
“Okay, okay,” Hunter said, sensing the need in her request. “Tell me more about you, then. What do you do when you’re not working? Your favorite concert, book you’ve read a thousand times, that kind of thing.”
Natalie graciously accepted his diversion, sharing her love for the best concert she’d ever attended and how she’d nearly swooned when the lead singer grinned directly at her from the stage. Another hour went by as they got to know each other. They didn’t have much in common, but at least she found Hunter easy to talk to, and more than a little charming. When Natalie declined dessert, Hunter got the check.
“How about a nightcap?” he suggested.
“Not back at your place,” Natalie said, rolling her eyes enough to make him laugh.
“No, I was thinking we go by LUSH.” Hunter jumped up, pulling her seat out for her.
Natalie slung her purse over her shoulder, glancing up at him. “You don’t mind going to work on your day off?”
Hunter offered her his arm. “It’s not every day I get to sit on the other side of the bar with the prettiest girl there. Besides, the bartender there might slip us free drinks.”
Natalie couldn’t help but giggle, and took his arm. He opened the door for her and they walked the few blocks over to LUSH. The hostess greeted them, clearly surprised to see them together, and Hunter swiftly led them to the bar. The restaurant was relatively busy, but slower than a Friday night, and the two of them caught the attention of the other servers. Natalie waved at Katie, who laughed all the way into the service station at the sight of her with Hunter.
“Well, well, look who it is,” Aubrey said as the two of them took seats in front of her.
“I’ll get my favorite pour on tap, please, Aubrey,” Hunter requested before smiling at Natalie. “And the drink of the lady’s choice.”
“Wait, are you two on a date?” Aubrey said, eyes widening at Natalie for confirmation.
“As far as I know, it is,” Natalie said with a little shrug.
“Wow, Hunter Stone on a real, actual date,” Aubrey said, tapping her watch. “Mark the calendar and time, folks. I suppose pigs are also flying outside?”
She laughed, winking at Natalie good-naturedly, but Hunter went quiet as Aubrey turned away to make their drinks. Natalie leaned in, placing a hand on his arm.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Hunter said, snapping out of it and giving her his trademark grin. “Not a thing in the world.”
Aubrey placed a frosted mug of craft beer in front of him. “Here you go, slick. Nat, I’ll have your drink right up. I’ll make it a strong one for your troubles.”
She grinned before moving to mix Natalie’s cocktail. Natalie turned back to Hunter, whose expression darkened further at Aubrey’s insinuation.
She elbowed him. “You can talk to me, you know. As a friend, if not as a date.”
He hesitated, but at her urgency, sipped his beer in a casual way as the words came. “I’m kinda tired of being the joke.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t pretend to be something I’m not, I want to get that on the record,” Hunter said, setting his mug back on the glossy, dark wood. He turned in his seat so he faced Natalie, never looking away from her. “I know I’ve done stupid stuff in the past, and I’m sure I’ll do it again in the future. But how can I change if it’s how everyone expects me to be every single day?”
“I think you have to change despite that. Who do you want to be?” Natalie asked, genuinely interested in the answer.
“I want to be the person I wish I could be, if that makes any sense,” Hunter said.
“You know that’s well within your grasp, right?” Natalie took a sip of water from her glass.
“I want to try, if that means anything at all.”
She leaned in, hand still on his forearm. “You can do that all on your own. You don’t need my help or anyone else’s permission.”
Hunter offered her a tiny smile. “Thanks, Nat. That means a lot.”
They went quiet for a moment when Aubrey brought her drink over, placing it on a black cocktail napkin in front of her. Natalie glanced to the kitchen at the
exact same time that Seth happened to look out into the restaurant. She knew the moment he spotted her and Hunter together at the bar, her hand on his arm. Seth’s eyes widened and as quickly as he’d looked up, he stared back down at his station again with a scowl. Natalie might have been imagining things, but he seemed to be dicing his protein a bit harder than necessary. Hunter also noticed.
“It’s none of my business, so you can tell me off for even asking, but what’s up with you and Seth?” he asked.
Natalie started, trying to quickly cover it up by sipping her drink. “Nothing.”
Hunter smirked. “With that kind of reaction, it’s more than nothing.”
“Only if you’re exes, right?”
Her date suddenly looked a million times more interested in the conversation. “What’s that now?”
“I’m sorry, that slipped out,” Natalie said, horrified. “Please don’t tell anyone, especially here.”
Hunter shrugged agreeably. “Sure thing. It’s nobody’s business anyway.”
Natalie relaxed. “Thanks. It was forever ago, so I don’t think it should matter, but I don’t want any of the staff to think differently of Seth. Or me, like I got the job because of him or something.”
“Of course not,” Hunter said smoothly. “I’ve seen you with the customers, remember?”
Natalie let out a weak laugh. “Let’s change the subject. Seth Clark is definitely not any concern of mine.”
“Nor mine,” Hunter said, leaning in close.
At this close range, his spicy cologne filled her nose, his warmth tingling all her senses. Maybe it was the alcohol speeding to her brain, but Natalie wanted nothing more than for him to kiss her, to make her brain go blank with bliss. But he didn’t, lingering just long enough that Natalie was surprised at how much she wanted his touch. Maybe that was part of his moves, she wondered, to reel her in and leave her wanting more.
Natalie very specifically did not give another look back to the kitchen, instead focusing on Hunter as he talked about his family. She noticed Aubrey watching with great interest, though to her credit, the Aussie never once barged in or tried to offer Natalie any more advice, even when Hunter excused himself once to the restroom. Finally, Hunter paid the tab; Natalie glanced at the check, where he’d tipped Aubrey nearly fifty percent, which made her smile.
“Looks like it’s still nice enough to walk you home.” Hunter put his hand on the small of her back as they exited. Natalie had to force herself not to look back, not wanting to care if Seth watched them leave together or not. She refocused her attention on her date.
“I have to admit, you totally surprised me tonight,” Natalie said, looping her arm through his.
He looked down at her, grinning widely. “Yeah?”
“You’re a much better listener than I would’ve guessed.”
Hunter threw his head back as he roared with laughter. “Thanks. That’s a first, I think.”
“I’m just saying, thank you for the evening. It was even better than promised.”
“Oh, well in that case, want to come back to my place?” Hunter suggested.
Natalie smirked. “I told you, you’re gonna have to work harder than that.”
“Okay, okay,” Hunter said. “I’m definitely willing to try.”
At the eager look on Hunter’s face, warmth blossomed in Natalie’s chest. Whatever she’d expected tonight, it hadn’t been this, a quiet, considerate man who owned up to his past mistakes and listened to what she had to say.
He walked her to her door; thankfully the lights inside were off, so she didn’t have to worry about her mother spying on them from a nearby window. Back in high school, her father had practically made a game of standing right by the front door to open it at the exact right moment to scare her dates away from any potential goodnight kisses. A pang hit her with the memory.
“Thanks for dinner,” she said.
“Anytime,” Hunter replied. “Like say, next week?”
Natalie laughed. “We’ll see.”
They paused for a moment, but Natalie didn’t turn her head away. Hunter seized the opportunity, carefully bringing his face towards hers to kiss her. She turned her face upwards to meet him.
Seth’s face popped into her mind as their lips met. Natalie tried not to freeze at the intrusive image, forcing her ex out of her head. She tried to focus on Hunter, on his soft lips and confident kiss. Instead, all she could picture was the angry look on Seth’s face when he’d seen her and Hunter sitting at the bar together.
What is wrong with me? She had a perfectly hot guy kissing her and all she could think about was the one who broke her heart and drove her crazy. I must be a masochist.
Seth had basically seen red the instant he saw Natalie and Hunter together at the bar, clearly on a date together. He’d stolen glances in their direction until they’d left, his stomach tightening at their closeness, at the way Natalie laughed while Hunter looked at her as if she were the only girl there. He didn’t have to be a genius to know Stone was completely into her.
Seth didn’t remember much of the rest of the night, only that he’d cleaned up, stomped home, and drank a lot while silently playing video games with Tom. His roommate shot him a lot of looks, but thankfully, said nothing about Natalie.
Ignoring his headache the next day, Seth scowled at the butcher block while he worked before lunch service started. Tommy headed downstairs, while the back door opened to signify a newcomer, probably a server arriving for shift. Instead, Hunter appeared in the kitchen doorway, leaning against the archway. When he didn’t immediately say hello, Seth grew suspicious. He and Hunter weren’t close friends, so hanging around the kitchen wasn’t exactly the bartender’s style.
“Hey, Seth,” he said.
Seth refrained from glaring at him, instead keeping his eyes on his prep. “Hey, man.”
“How’s it going?”
“Fine.” Seth didn’t leave room for conversation, but Hunter wouldn’t be deterred.
“Ya know, I had no idea I was horning in on your territory last night.”
He heaved a sigh, already suspecting the answer but hating his little game all the same. “What do you mean, Stone?”
“I didn’t realize you and Nat dated,” Hunter said, a bit too slyly for Seth’s liking.
Seth froze all the same, his knife an inch above the pork he’d been cutting. “Where’d you hear that?”
“She told me on our date last night. Don’t worry, I’m not gonna tell everyone. She practically made me promise.”
“Made you promise?” Seth looked up quizzically at Hunter, ignoring the sudden urge to hit the bartender in his jaw. “Why?”
Because she’s embarrassed to have dated the sous chef? Seth didn’t know why, but the thought made him angrier than it should’ve.
“She didn’t want you thinking she was trying to air your dirty laundry,” Hunter said matter of factly. “Or that she got the job for any reason other than because she wants to be here.”
Seth relaxed, the tension leaving his shoulders. Of course. Natalie was thinking of their careers, of her reputation. That’s fair.
“In any case, she’s quite a woman.”
Seth managed to get the words out between gritted teeth. “I suppose she is.”
Hunter acted surprised. “I mean, you didn’t want to date her again, right? You weren’t trying to win her back or anything?”
Somehow, Seth swallowed his growl. “No, Hunter, I am not trying to ‘win her back.’ Although it’s interesting you think she broke up with me.”
“That’s an easy one,” Hunter said, shrugging. “It’s because she’s too good for you.”
Seth nearly bit the tip of his tongue off as he refrained from flinging himself across the prep table to punch the guy in the mouth. “Maybe you’re right, but in any case, I’m not trying to get back together with her.”
“Cool, just making sure. I mean, you have Brenna anyway,” Hunter replied, shrugging.
Set
h said nothing, not wanting to step into some kind of trap.
“I feel bad for Nat though,” Hunter continued.
“Why?” Seth couldn’t help himself, preparing for some terribly sexist answer from the man-whore bartender.
“You know, her pop being sick and all. Not much time left on this earth, the way she put it,” Hunter said, mouth twisting with sympathy. “Poor Nat, having to face that alone.”
“Poor Nat,” Seth echoed.
That was why she’d clammed up the other day about her dad, when she’d mentioned him after cutting her hand. Natalie’s dad was sick, dying apparently, and he’d been too selfish to bother asking.
Guilt sat like a boulder in the pit of his stomach.
Hunter saw the look on Seth’s face and his own expression cleared with realization. “You didn’t know.”
“No, I didn’t,” Seth said between gritted teeth.
Hunter grimaced, dropping his macho act, apparently no longer fun for him. He left the kitchen and Seth heaved a deep breath. The guilt still flooded through him and suddenly, he saw Natalie in a whole new light. This whole time, he’d been so busy being mad about her working at LUSH, he’d never really stopped to ask why. But it was because she was back here, taking care of her dad.
The overwhelming need to help her nearly crushed his chest.
* * *
Wanna hang?
The text on his phone felt heavy, as if Brenna’s invitation weighed on more than just Seth’s mind. But he knew what had to happen.
We need to talk.
Brenna agreed to meet Seth at the nearby dive bar. When he arrived, she was already in a booth facing the door, clearly waiting on him. He slid into the booth opposite her.
“Hey.”
“Hey, yourself.” Brenna’s smoky eyes narrowed on him. “So I’m guessing you’re breaking whatever this is off.”
She used a forefinger to gesture between them in question. Seth nodded, wanting to be straight with her.
Hot in the Kitchen Page 6
