Page 76 of Sunrise

Shit, I’m not trying to jinx it, so I slide away from the door and go back to helping the rest of the staff prepare other meals.

Tara suddenly bursts in, fluttering like the glorious butterfly that she is. “Hey guys, how are we doing down here tonight?”

I grab her hand and pull her into the corner. “Did you know there was a food critic here?” The look on her face makes it an obvious nope. “Did you invitesomeone to dine here or anything?”

She flushes and shakes her head.

That’s weird.

Tara squeezes my hand, her eyes suddenly lighting up. “Knox, this ishuge.”

“Well, he’s probably not a real food critic if you didn’t invite him.”

“That’s not true!” She smacks my arm. “They don’t need an invite, babe. They just need a table and a menu. I’m sure he heard of Midnight Run and is here to experience your divine cooking for himself.”

“You think so?”

“Why not?” She squeaks with excitement. “Honey, your food is ah-maaaazing!”

Her confidence in me makes me feel like a million bucks. “His name is Max Born. Sound familiar?”

She frowns and shakes her head. “No, but they sometimes use fake names.”

That’s annoying.

“Well, I made everything he wanted. Guess we wait and find out if he likes it.” I freeze. “How the fuck am I going to know if he likes it?”

“He will.” She pats my cheek. “Have faith in yourself, Knox.”

Ineedto put more faith in that damn filet wellington. What if the pastry is soggy on the bottom? Fuck. I’m second guessing everything I’ve plated.

After about ten minutes of overthinking everything I’d made, Mila rushes back inside and gives me two thumbs up, then vanishes to serve another table.

I poke my head out and see Max sampling the risotto.

We make eye contact.

Oh shit. I’ve been caught.

I probably should shut the door and get back to the pan I’ve left on high heat, but instead I own up to the fact that I was caught spying and head straight towards him. “Thank you for dining at Midnight Run tonight. I hope everything’s up to your standards.”

He finishes chewing and washes it down with the rest of his Negroni.

I wait for him to say something, but he doesn’t, so now I’m just standing here, awkward as fuck. “Would you like another?” I’m already grabbing his empty glass when he stops me by putting his cold hand on mine. For some reason, my Spidey senses activate. I don’t think I like this dude.

“You’re the chef?”

“I’m the owner, chef, and everything in between.” I glance at my hand, giving him a silent warning to let the fuck go. He gets the message.

“I’m Max Born.”

“Nice to meet you, Max.”

“This place used to be a shithole strip club, am I right?” He taps the table with his thumb.Thump-tha-thump. Thump-tha-thump.

The hair on the back of my neck stands on end. If I have to choose between a good review and my instincts, there’s no contest. “You need to leave.”

He scoffs. “Excuse me?”

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