by Natalie Ann
“You were cooking when you were five?” Nic asked him.
His mother didn’t give him a chance to answer. “All the boys wanted to play with trucks and action heroes. Not Aiden. He wanted pots and pans and cooking lessons. Poor kid got them from me at first. Then he decided to start watching cooking shows and taught me a thing or two.”
“You’re still burning stuff?” Aiden asked her. “I’ve told you before not to rush and let it cook on its own time. Not because you want it done faster.”
Jolene snorted. “Who has time? Besides, whenever I burn something, we just go to the pub for food. Easy as that. Your father doesn’t look like he’s missing any meals.”
“I heard that, Jolene,” Gavin shouted through the living room off the kitchen.
His mother took off soon after with a few beers in her hand. “Ignore my mother,” Aiden said, his face feeling some heat.
“Are you embarrassed?”
“No.”
“Liar. That’s okay. I’ve been cooking for what seems like forever too.”
“Do you get sick of it?” he asked. He’d never get sick of being in the kitchen.
“Never. I know I told you it’s not what I really wanted, but it’s still a part of me. It’s in my nature and in my blood. It’s my culture, you could say.”
He was glad to hear her say that. “I see that. I feel it too. The same way I see and feel you.”
He leaned down to kiss her softly when they heard a throat cleared behind them. He turned and saw Mason and Cade standing there. “Are we interrupting?” Mason asked, lifting his eyebrow. He’d met Nic before but had the least interaction with her of all his siblings. Which was surprising since he and Mason were the closest.
“Yes,” Aiden said. “Get lost.”
“Aiden doesn’t like to be sidetracked by anything when he has his teeth into something,” Cade said to Mason. “Just grab us two beers and let’s get out of here.”
Nic giggled when Mason did just that, then they were left alone again. “Did you ever get any privacy in this house?” she asked.
“Never.”
“It didn’t bother you nearly as much as you want everyone to believe though?” she said, grinning at him.
“No, but that’s between us.” The time he was gone seemed like lifetimes, not years. Felt like eternity too. Coming back, that felt better. Standing here with Nic in his arms, that felt right. Perfect even.
“So, Nic,” Cade said after dinner. “Aiden showed me some of your photos.”
Aiden turned sharply and glared at Cade. How could he? Why would he, knowing what Aiden had explained about it and why Nic didn’t want anyone to know?
“He did?” Nic asked quietly. “Why?”
“Because he sees something in you and wanted me to see it too.”
Aiden looked over at Nic’s flushed face. This could go south in a heartbeat. “What did you see?” she asked Cade tentatively.
“Talent. The way Aiden is in the kitchen, that’s you behind the camera.”
Aiden was still watching her closely and saw her eyes start to fill. “Good going, Cade,” Brody said. “Even when you’re being nice, you still mess it up.”
“Cut him some slack,” Aimee said.
“You’re defending him,” Brody said to his fiancée. He had Sidney on his lap looking at a book. She’d been running all over the house playing hide and seek with his mother, but now she was relaxing, looking like she was ready to fall asleep.
Aiden never thought he’d see his brother fall in love. Or end up with an instant family. But there was his oldest brother by five minutes, acting like the Brody they all loved growing up. This time more mature and more levelheaded than they ever thought he’d be.
“I owe Cade a lot,” Aimee said, pinching Brody’s arm and causing him to laugh, then lean down and kiss Sidney’s head.
“Yeah, I guess we both do,” Brody said.
“Yes, you all think I don’t know what I’m—”
“Zip it, Cade,” his father said. “Don’t rub it in or it may be the last time any of them thank you for something.”
“Nic,” his mother said. “I hope you don’t mind, but Cade can’t keep secrets and he showed me those pictures you’d taken. They’re just beautiful. You should be so proud of your work.”
Aiden looked around the room, saw everyone looking anywhere but at the two of them. “You told everyone,” he accused Cade. He was going to kill him.
“Sorry,” Cade said, shrugging. “I figured that’s why you told me in the first place. When have I ever not told the others? I want her on board. If I got everyone on my side, I thought it’d be easier.”
“Your side for what?” Nic asked. Then she turned to him. “What’s going on? I told you not to tell anyone, and here the whole room knows.”
South just took a sharp turn to the burning gates of hell. “Look, Nic. No one is ganging up on you. Everyone thinks you have talent. And we want to see you use that talent in all areas of Fierce.”
“Yes,” Aimee said. “I was hired as the day manager in the bar, but I also work with Cade on promotions.”
“Fierce is about finding people’s talents and honing in on them,” his mother said. “This doesn’t change your position in the pub at all. It’s just something else we’d like to talk to you about.”
“Do we have to do this now?” Aiden said, feeling like the family dinner was turning into an intervention. What a way to ruin his plans to tell Nic how he really felt.
“It’s okay,” Nic said. “I guess it’s nice to hear. But like I told Aiden, my camera was destroyed in a fire and I haven’t been able to replace it yet.”
“We can take care of that,” Ella said.
“No. Really, I don’t want you to. I mean, I want my own and it’d be property of Fierce if you bought it.”
“Think about it,” Mason said. “No reason to answer now. I’m sure we could work something out. But for now, everyone just change the topic. Nic, you do good work. We’d like to see more of it. But take your time thinking it over. And no one is going to get mad if you decide to say no.”
Aiden looked over and gave Mason a nod. The brother that always was there for him. Always stood behind him and knew when to push and when to walk away.
“Sorry about that,” Aiden said later that night at his house. Though Nic relaxed and everyone was able to enjoy the family gathering, he just wanted to make sure Nic didn’t feel like she was run over by the Fierce Train.
“It’s okay. Maybe I need that push. I’ll figure out a way to make it happen. To get a camera.”
“I can get it for you,” he said.
“No,” she said and he knew right away he’d put his foot in his mouth. “What if I loaned you the money? Or Fierce took it out as a payroll deduction? If the company bought it upfront for you? Is that better?” He hoped that could be done. He probably should have checked with Ella before he opened his big mouth. Now he knew what Cade must feel like, just blurting things out.
“Maybe. I want to think on it.”
“Okay, do that. What about the rest of the day? You okay with it?”
“What’s there not to be okay with? Everyone was great. I felt more comfortable than I thought I’d feel.”
“Good. I’m glad to hear that.” He pulled her into his arms again. “So how about we tell everyone at work then?”
She swiftly pushed back. “Not yet.”
“Why?” he asked, frustrated. This was getting ridiculous to him. “I love you and want people to know.”
“What?” she asked, her eyes wide.
Yeah, he definitely was feeling like Cade right now. “That wasn’t how I planned on saying it.”
“But it is how you said it. Do you mean it? Do you really love me?”
“Of course I mean it. Why would you think otherwise?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I’ve never heard it before.”
“Ever?” he asked.
“Not from someon
e outside of my family. Even then, it was only my grandparents.”
That was sad, but he didn’t say that. “I love you. I never thought I would or that I could love someone the way I do you. Not someone I work with. Not someone I spend so much time with.”
“That’s an odd way to put it,” she said frowning at him. Okay, he was saying more than he ever thought he’d say to anyone.
“You’ve got me all nervous right now. I’m just saying stupid things,” he said grinning. “I’m waiting for you to say it back. I mean, only if you mean it? If not, then I’ll probably start spouting even more gibberish.”
She burst out laughing, pulled his head down and kissed him hard. “Of course I love you! I almost slipped and told you in New York.”
“Why didn’t you?” he said, feeling so much relief. The warm feeling you get when you put socks on right out of the dryer…that was building around his heart.
“Guess I was scared. But I don’t need to be anymore, do I?”
“No, you don’t.”
“I still don’t want to tell anyone at work though,” she said, kissing him again. “Give me a little time, please.”
He wasn’t happy, but he wouldn’t go behind her back, so he picked her up and carried her to his room, silencing any more conversation for the night.
***
“Did you see the two of them tonight?” Jolene said to Gavin.
“Just rub it in, why don’t you?” Gavin said.
“I have to. I did good on this one. Double bonus with the photos. I had no clue the talent she had outside the kitchen. Wonder why Aiden didn’t say anything about it.”
“He did,” Gavin said. “He told Cade. And just like Cade said, going to him means everyone will know.”
“Those kids have no idea how well we know and play them.”
“You’re going to get yourself in trouble one of these days, Jolene.”
“Never. They’ll never figure it out. And if they did, I’d tell them they were nuts. They won’t argue with their mother.”
Her husband just laughed at her. She’d take it as a victory, though.
My Intent
The next night, Aiden was wishing he could leave. The restaurant kitchen was shut down and cleaned up. The pub kitchen was moving somewhat slowly by the looks of it. But Brody had taken the night off and no one else was available, so he was staying to lock up the cash and receipts. He was thinking he’d grab everything at eleven, shut the pub kitchen down, and let the two bartenders lock up. There wouldn’t be much revenue at that hour, by the looks of it. How the hell did Brody do this every night?
Abby knocked on his door. She was working the plating station for the pub, but it looked as if there weren’t any orders for the moment. Bill was cleaning up. Abby should be doing the same and knew better.
“What can I help you with, Abby?” he asked.
“I just wanted to know if you had a few minutes to talk.”
He pushed back from his chair, always willing to make the time. It’s not like he had much going on. “About what?”
“New York. The Food Network? I’ve been toying with applying to be a contestant on a few of the different shows and was curious if you thought I could do it? If I’d be good enough? You saw it firsthand. What do you think?”
“I think you’d be fine. Just need to be confident.” She was a good cook, but always asking him simple questions that she should know the answers to.
“If you don’t mind, could you look at the recipe and picture I just emailed you? I have to submit it and wanted to know what your thoughts were.”
“Sure,” he said, turning back to his computer. He enjoyed mentoring the staff, giving ideas and helping them sharpen their skills. His family wasn’t lying to Nic when they said that to her yesterday at his parents’ house. Fierce was what it was because of its staff.
He was opening his email when she moved behind his desk and stood next to him. Extremely close, her leg brushing against his arm. “I’ll just point out on the picture what I wasn’t sure about. Maybe you can give me some pointers on the plating.”
He’d put her at the plating station recently hoping to help her there. She seemed to be doing well enough when she wasn’t stopping him to show her how to do things more than once.
“It doesn’t look like I got the email,” he said, scanning his inbox.
She leaned in closer, stretching across him, then lost her balance and ended up in his lap. What the hell? Rather than jump up and apologize, she giggled and made no attempt to move.
That annoying little giggle he’d heard too much in his life. The one that was part flirting, part “pay attention to me cuz I’m silly and sweet and want your eyes on me.” He didn’t give it. More like shrank away, feeling like he was being circled by vultures when it happened.
He pushed his chair back to give her room to get up, leaving his hands on the armrests. She wasn’t moving though. Instead she wrapped her arms around his neck and put her lips to his before he could figure out what the hell was going on.
His hands were up in the air like he was surrendering, his neck pushed back, his rage right at the surface and ready to erupt.
“What are you doing?” he asked Abby. Maybe it was a misunderstanding. Had he been sending signals he was clueless about? No, never. He was always careful about that.
He wanted to push her off, but didn’t know if he should touch her right now. What he really wanted to do was crawl into a hole and pretend this wasn’t happening, but that wasn’t going to solve this problem.
“I think it’s pretty obvious what I’m doing. Come on, Aiden. It can be our secret. You’re doing it now with Nic and not too many people have figured it out. I’m okay with not letting anyone know about us.”
He felt his face flush. Embarrassment and annoyance overridden by anger, but he kept his voice level, his tone sharp. “Get off my lap now.”
“Don’t be shy,” she said, running her hand over his thighs and inching up. “I finally figured it out. You want us to make the first move. That you don’t want to do it. I’m okay with it. I’m always good making the first move.”
That was it. He stood up, causing her to fall to the ground. Dumping her there was more like it. There was no remorse in that move either. And when she turned her head and eyed him hard, then grinned, he wasn’t going to even consider asking if she was okay. “You like to be chased? Hmm, I’m okay with that too. Do you like it a little rough?”
“Get out of here! Right now,” he said. “I’m thinking it’s best you take all of your belongings with you and don’t come back.”
Her eyes narrowed as rage leapt into them. “You’re firing me? You can’t do that.”
“I can do any damn thing I want. And I want you to leave.”
She laughed at him. A cruel scheming-like tone that told him things were only going to get worse. “You’re firing me because I wouldn’t sleep with you?” she said, crossing her arms. “How dare you? I believe that is called sexual harassment.”
“You’re smoking crack,” he said, losing the cool he always professed to have. “What are you up to? What are you trying to gain?”
“I guess it’s your word against mine now, isn’t it? The way I remember it, you called me in here to look at something on your computer that wasn’t there. Almost like a ploy, huh? Then I leaned in closer to see what you were talking about and you swiveled your chair, knocking me on your lap, trying to cop a feel. When I told you I wanted to get up, that I didn’t want to be another one of your little playthings on the side, you dumped me on the floor. I bet I’m going to have a nice bruise on my back to show for it too.”
This couldn’t be happening to him. Why did he always end up in situations with women at work that backfired on him? Things he never expected and that always put him in a bad situation. How the hell was he going to get out of this? It was her word against his, she was right about that.
“No one is going to believe you,” he said firmly.
&nbs
p; “Oh, I’m sure your family will back you. But your family isn’t who I’d be talking to. There are a lot of lawyers out there just dying to take on a case like this. Just dying to get some type of cash settlement to make it all go away. Nice and easy payday. You wouldn’t want to put a smear on Fierce’s reputation, would you?”
“That’s what this is about?” he asked. “Money? You want to blackmail me right now?”
“That hadn’t been my intent. It’s not really what I want. I’d rather you took me to bed, but we don’t always get our wish. So if you fire me because I turned you down, then I don’t have much of a choice now, do I?”
She was twisting the words to suit herself. “You’re sick and insane.”
“No. Not sick. Maybe hurt though. I’m going to go home now. Maybe I should go to urgent care and have my hip checked out. Possibly my back too. It sure is starting to smart something nasty. Do I need to fill out workers’ comp paperwork? You should do that just to cover yourself. I’m going to go tell Bill I fell in the office now and need to go.”
What was he supposed to do? Tell her no? Don’t do it. She did fall out of his chair. And if he told her to keep quiet he’d be falling right into her trap. Instead he sat in his chair, and picked up his phone. “Do what you need to do,” he said. “I’ve got some of my own calls to make.”
She gave him a grin and then limped out of his office. He watched her make her way to Bill, say a few words, then saw Bill look up and frown.
“What the heck are you doing calling me this late?” he heard on the other end of his phone.
“Get your ass over here now, Cade.” Then he hung up.
***
First thing the next morning, Aiden sat at the conference room table with all his siblings and his parents. “I didn’t do anything,” he said.
“No one thinks otherwise,” his mother said calmly, looking around the table.
“We don’t believe any of it, Aiden,” Cade said. “We have to focus on the facts. And right now, the facts are she was on your lap, her lips were attached to yours, then you stood up and dumped her on the floor.”
