Page 43 of We Thought We Knew It All
I shook my head as I stepped into the kitchen to fix them something. Rejoining them, I looked to Jamie. “You mind hanging with him for a while? I have to go pick up Liam and Declan.”
But they were ignoring me as they argued about who would win a fight against Captain America.
No one, that was my answer. He was a soldier and over the years I’d made myself believe soldiers were unbeatable. It was stupid, but it was better than the worry that would eat me alive. Jamie had to be unbeatable. He just had to.
* * *
“Jasper, this is incredible.”I took another bite of the burger in front of me. That was the most important thing. Every restaurant needed to have a fantastic burger, or they weren’t worth going to.
It wasn’t the only thing Jasper made. Along the counter sat plates of various dishes he’d cooked up for his tryout. When he’d arrived, he helped the work crew unload the kitchen gear that’d been delivered this morning. Ana had been right. Her brother’s stuff was good quality and a fraction of the price we’d pay elsewhere. Kat had arranged for it to be delivered ASAP.
The smell of paint hit my nostrils, and I tried to block it out as I bit into a bite of pancake. The restaurant was getting a face-lift. Gone were the vibrant Caribbean blues in favor of softer ones. The floors were good, large plank fake wood. The new booths would be delivered next week.
It was Saturday so on top of having my three boys with me, Kat and Noah were hanging around. Everyone had been slightly surprised when I finally revealed my plans, Colby most of all. He too had grown up at Ally’s diner. But he got it. What I was doing made me happy.
It was going to take a lot of hard work, but that didn’t scare me.
Jamie breezed in, eyeing the food.
“Go ahead.” I laughed.
He took a bite of the burger. “Oh my God.”
“Right!” I turned to Jasper. “You’re hired. When can you start?”
He ran a hand through his bright red hair, thinking. “As soon as you need me, I guess.”
“Perfect. You start today. As you can see, we’re a mess here. I could use some help.”
“What do you need, boss?” He flashed me a boyish grin. He couldn’t be much older than me.
“The kitchen is your domain. We still have quite a few things to buy, but I need you to get it set up how you like it. Word will be out soon that we’re opening, so applications will be coming in. I’ll want your help with those.”
He wiped his hands on his apron. “All I did at the Boathouse was cook.”
“Then, it’s high time you step up.” I winked.
An adorable blush rose in his cheeks, and he ducked back into the kitchen.
“Careful, California,” Jamie whispered, his lips near my ear. “You’ll make the poor guy fall in love with you.”
I stepped away from him, too aware of the eyes surrounding us. One night didn’t exactly make us a couple, and I wasn’t ready to explain him to my boys. It was easier to tell them he was a friend.
Which was true.
“Hey, Callie.”
I turned to Noah who stood holding a squirming Declan. “Mind if I take the boys down the street to the park?”
I looked around at the paint preparations and laughed. “That’s probably a good idea.”
The crew worked quickly, everything starting to come together. It was a whirlwind and I suddenly couldn’t imagine doing anything else. My days became full. I worked every day at the diner, taking a couple hours off every afternoon to write. Then evenings were spent with my boys or Jamie. We fell easily back into our pattern of bickering and laughing. It was comfortable. No, it was more than comfortable. It was right.
Morgan stuck around town, having brought her work with her. She was an accountant, if anyone could believe that, but I knew London would call her back soon.
Colby still worked more than anyone I knew, but he always made time for his nephews.
And Jay. Well, Jay was coming back to us, his uncharacteristic anger fading away.
