Page 16 of Tall, Dark, & Ginger

“I’m fucking starving. You?”

All the tension slips away, and I nod. “I could eat.”

“Cool.”

Ridley pops off the couch and grabs his sweats from the floor while I get my shorts back on.

“Avocado bacon sandwich?” I ask.

He rubs his flat stomach. “Damn, that sounds so good. I’m in.”

Just like that, he’s back to the guy he always is. It’s like he knew I needed this normalcy. Or maybe he needed it. Either way, this is good. I can work with this.

I’ll figure out what’s next tomorrow.

SEVEN

RIDLEY

“Issomething in the air making everyone in town hungry or what?” I lean on the silver counter in the kitchen, waiting for my table’s food to come up, and it’s the first time in hours I’ve had more than a minute to chill.

Wren glances up, sort of smiling, but I can tell he’s stressed as he barks out orders to the staff and finishes dressing a plate of grilled salmon.

“Is this a ‘be careful what you wish for’ situation?” he asks, sliding the dish forward. “I need the mash, stat.”

“Coming, Chef,” a cook hollers, sprinkling chives on a side dish of creamy garlic mashed potatoes before swinging around to set it next to the fish.

I place the items on a tray even though it’s not my table, checking the order slip. “Needs broccoli.”

“Yep.” Wren snaps his fingers. “Veg, Rinaldo?”

“Coming, chef. Twenty seconds.”

Jerryn pushes through the kitchen doors, joining me as he waits for the broccoli. “Fuck, it’s crazy out there.”

“We haven’t even started the chaos of next week yet.”

“Broccoli up,” Wren says, sliding the dish forward.

Jerryn loads his stuff, smiles, and carries the food out.

“ETA?” I ask.

Wren turns to me, meeting my gaze, and for just a second I indulge in the memory of last night—his cum coating my tongue, his moans a new favorite song.

“Table?”

“Four.”

His gaze shifts to the order slips. “Carlos has the steak. Frites are in the fryer. Time, Carlos?”

“Three minutes, Chef.”

“Club sandwich in four,” another cook calls out.

“Given more thought to hiring?”

Wren chuckles. “Sure the fuck am tonight. This is crazy. I mean, I fucking love it, but wow.”

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