Page 23 of Just Desserts

Jonathan had given me the company card to prepare for the party. He didn't give me a budget but since this was for the senior leaders I figured there wasn't really a limit. I hired top of the line caterers and bought top shelf wines and champagne.

I had recruited some lower-level admins to come early to help set up and decorate. Everything was going perfectly in my opinion, Jonathan was even taking me out to a fancy dinner tonight. I've been concerned; our relationship has changed since Isla left him.

After his initial response I was especially worried. Since then, he seems to have come back around to my side. Regardless of the fact we were still fucking, things felt different. I went out of my way to seduce him as often as I could. When he wasthinking with his little brain things went a lot smoother for both of us.

We had fallen into a somewhat comfortable routine. We would go to work in separate cars, per Jonathan's request, to keep things private until the divorce was finalized. I didn't mind the separate cars because I knew he would be coming home with me.

We spent most nights at my apartment; Jonathan was hesitant to go back to his house after Isla had left her goodbye letter. Despite his attempt to mask it, I saw how upset he was at finding the note and her keys. I took him upstairs and laid claim to him in their old bed. She was gone, and he had to start getting used to it.

On my way out the next morning I grabbed the keys Isla had left. Now that Jonathan and I were officially together, it was only right I had keys to his place. He either didn't notice or didn't care because he never asked me about it. I checked the clock and saw it was time to head out. I wanted to go home and change for dinner.

This was going to be a special night, an opportunity to go all out and remind him of all the reasons we got together in the first place. I rattled off a list of tasks for the admins to take care of for the party then went and gathered my things. I had a date to get ready for. I knew things would turn around for me.

Chapter 20

Myles

I had been staring blindly at my computer screen for over half an hour completely unable to focus. Thoughts of a blue-eyed baker were pretty much consuming me. Lunch turned out to be a very enjoyable affair. I don't know how she managed to do it, but it felt like Isla had just dropped all her anger and sadness regarding her ex once we sat down at the table.

She didn't let it weigh her down; there wasn't an awkward morose tone in the air. Not that I would blame her, we just spent the better part of the morning watching her husband and cousin making out all over this place. Instead, her excitement regarding the restaurant and exploring more of the hotel was apparent.

I couldn't help but swell with pride that she seemed to enjoy The Bennett House as much as I did. She kept up an endless stream of questions until we were seated, at that point she had become distracted by the restaurant.

When I was building the hotel, I always knew I wanted it to have certain spaces that would benefit not just the guests but local businesses as well. All our meat and veggies came from local farms, and we rotated chefs and menus seasonally. We had a gift shop that featured packaged items from whichever small business we were working with that month.

It had worked great so far and both guests and residents seemed pleased with the arrangement. There was a notable excitement around Isla as she read the menu. I could see herlooking around at other people’s tables as if seeing the food would help her make a decision. I watched as she ate her food, not hiding her excitement or hunger. I hadn't gone on a date recently but the few I had been on over the last few years the women always picked at a salad, as if eating like a regular human was a sin.

Not Isla though, she was exuberant, reaching over to pluck bites off her cousin's plate and eyeing Sully's full meal before she even finished hers. It was fucking delightful. I slipped some steak onto her plate in an attempt to protect Sully's lunch, but mostly because I wanted her to keep smiling. She blushed beautifully when she saw the food and thanked me in her sweet voice.

I was such a goner. I wiped my hand down my face and leaned back in the chair. The timing couldn't be worse. She literally had just been betrayed on every level and wasn't even divorced yet. That being said, I couldn't deny the pull she had on me. I had already decided yesterday that I wanted to get to know her better but now it felt as necessary as breathing. My phone rang and when I saw it was Wes I answered instantly.

"Hey man, you okay? Is Isla okay?" I immediately asked, concerned that something had happened to her. I was half out of my chair before his response registered.

"Yeah man everything's good, Isla's fine I just dropped her off at the bakery. I was just calling to say thank you again. She was like a different person this morning, I know this helped relieve a lot of her worries. So yeah, just thank you and I feel like a piece of shit that it took me this long to reach out. I gotta get better at staying in touch."

"Glad to hear I was able to help, and don't worry about it, Wes I know how much life can get in the way. It was great seeing you yesterday and now that we're back in touch I'll be up your ass to hang out all the time."

"Yeah, cause it'smeyou want to see" He said in a sly tone.

"What do you mean?" I asked. My heart pounded, did I do something? Could he tell how I felt about Isla? Had I made her uncomfortable?

"I saw how you were looking at her. Look I get it man, I'm not gonna threaten you or anything. I trust you to do right by her. I also know where you live."

I sighed and rubbed my hand over my eyes.

"She's fucking incredible man I don't know how her ex could have done that to her."

"He's a fucking tool and always has been. Best thing that could have happened in my opinion, he's always held her back. It's gonna take some time for her to heal but I truly believe she's going to be all the better after cutting him loose. So, what are your intentions exactly?"

Catching me off guard I replied with a short laugh. What were my intentions? That was a very good question. I answered as honestly as I could.

"To just be there for her, whatever form that comes in. I know the timing is shit and I would never want to put pressure on her, but if she needs a friend or a helping hand I'll be there. Or I guess I should say I would like to see her. She didn't exactly give me her number, so the ball is in her court. It's up to her when and how I see her again." I said with a sigh as the fear of not seeing her for months crept over me. Wes's low chuckle came across the phone.

"Man, you're such a sucker, she's gonna have you eating out of the palm of her hand I can already tell. This may be more fun to watch than I was expecting."

"Whatever man. Does this mean I have your blessing?" I asked jokingly, but there was real anxiety beneath the question. Ididn't want to hurt my friendship with Wes, and I definitely didn't want to cause any additional strain on their family.

"It doesn't matter if you have my blessing or not, it's about what Isla wants. Just know I'll be keeping a close eye on you kiddos. Better not piss me off."

---