Page 36 of Holly versus Mr. Ivy
Rhett
Hollyleanedagainstthefront door, watching me slide my feet into my tennis shoes. “It’s not you I’m worried about,” she admitted. “It’s my family and our jobs. In case you’ve forgotten about that. Coming over for my family’s get together has nothing to do with work or building a cohesive management plan.”
Valid points. She was concerned regarding what her cousin and brother would sayabouther. But us spending time together didn’t mean we were anything more than friends. If Uncle Anthony found out I had come over, I’d explain to him we weren’t romantically involved. We weren’t breaking any rules. “I may be an only child, but I have cousins. I get it. Please don’t worry about them. My opinion of you is based on our interactions, not what they say about you. And we’re friends, Holly. We can hang out without losing our jobs.”
Her sad, vulnerable tone made my head snap up. “You really don’t think we’ll get in trouble for spending time outside of work?”
“How would my uncle find out?”
What if one of us slipped up and said something at work?
“I don’t know.”
“Trust me. We’ll be fine.” I rubbed my elbow.
“Well…it’s just all happening really fast. I haven’t had a new friend in years, let alone a guy friend.” She blew out a breath. “I haven’t even had time to go have fun in a year. I’m boring. Which you will find out very soon, if you haven’t already guessed by now.”
I stood, moving my head to line up directly in front of hers. “You’re in a unique situation in life. That doesn’t make you boring. If anything, you need a break. Maybe a day without your schedule and to-do list on your mind.”
She frowned. “That’s not possible. Not with the appointments and medication timetable my mom is on.”
A surge of wanting to protect Holly and take her pain away washed over me. “I’m always happy to come here, like we did today.” I jerked my head in the direction of Deidre’s room. “I like your mom, and maybemypresence is what you both need,“ I teased.
A ghost of a smile lifted Holly’s lips. “I don’t know. There’s only so much Rhett any one person can handle in a day.”
There was the snark I enjoyed. I grinned. “Not true. People love being around me. Guess we’ll be testing the limits next week. I’ll see you tomorrow?”
Holly opened the door for me. “Yes. My chefs and I will be there early to go over the new menu items.”
“I know.” I shifted my weight to my back foot. “I’m planning on being there to offer my very unsolicited feedback.” And get a free meal by sampling all the options.
“Of course you are.” She pointed for me to exit.
I flashed her a smile. “Have a good rest of your day off, Holly.” I stepped onto the porch, turning my head over my shoulder when Holly spoke again.
“You too. I hope Aaron isn’t as annoying as you are!” She laughed. “Bye, Rhett!” She slammed the door.
I flinched at her unexpected goodbye before a full-on grin took over. She was someone I couldeasily picture myself with. While Holly tempted me to give love a try again, I couldn’t risk the pain of rejection. I couldn’t bear to hear Holly tell me I wasn’t lovable because of my mental health struggles. Also, my job was the most important thing in my life. Hanging out didn’t threaten that, but indulging in the temptation of dating Holly absolutely would. I’d just have to keep my thoughts about her in check, and everything would work out.
Easy-peasy.
I did some digging around and found out the name of the food truck Holly’s cousin Noah owned. To my utter delight, they were parked not too far from my house. Driving over before the meeting with all the chefs at The Boardwalk, I parked my truck in the city center parking garage before making my way to The World: A Sweet Place.
Four people stood in line in front of me. I texted Jack, checking in with him. He’d been laying pretty low the last few weeks. With the restaurant taking a lot of my time, I hadn’t been there for him as much as I should have.
Rhett:Hey. I’m in need of a serious sweat session. You up for it? I’m free any morning this week except Thursday.
While waiting for Jack to respond, I tapped open my Instagram feed. Not that I posted much, but I liked to keep tabs on what other restaurants were doing. My next focus after the employee program launch was marketing. Our online presence sucked. Aaron had experience in his last job with social media, so I hoped he’d take the lead on what content we shared.
The line moved, and I stepped forward just as a text from Jack came through.
Jack:I’ll agree as long as you don’t try to cheer me up. I’m not in the mood.
Normally I’d push Jack anyway. He was never open to my jokes, but he needed them even if he never wanted to admit it. But after his calamitous October, I’d respect his request for once.
Rhett:Deal. My place or yours?
I really hoped he said his place. I needed a change in scenery from my unfinished
