Table for One by Ava Hayden

Author:Ava Hayden [Hayden, Ava]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: gay romance
ISBN: 978-1-63477-040-8
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Published: 2016-02-07T23:00:00+00:00

“NICK.”

Nick jumped. Caught staring. Bruno stood in the doorway to the kitchen.

“You’re due for a break.”

What? When did anyone worry about breaks on a holiday?

“Go sit with Mark for a while.”

Nick’s eyes narrowed. “We don’t sit with customers.” Chef Bruno could break the rules. Nobody else.

Chef Bruno leaned forward. “Consider it a favor. Mark’s an old friend. He’s stuck here all alone on Valentine’s Day. Just take a short break and go keep him company.”

Nick couldn’t think of a single thing to say. His brain was functioning as if it had just been flash frozen.

“Go. Sit.”

Nick stared at Bruno.

Bruno waggled his fingers. “Go on. Von and Mattias and Aurora can watch your tables. You’ve been helping them all night.”

Yeah, of course. That’s what they always did. They were a fucking team.

Bruno’s lip twitched. “And have a glass of wine.”

“We don’t drink while we’re on duty.” Well, sometimes they had a shot of something on nights when Chef took off early and left the kitchen to Sous-chef Donatella. Nick was pretty sure Chef knew but pretended not to know. Something else occurred to him. “I was just about to serve dessert.”

Chef Bruno waved a hand, cutting him off. “Enough. We’ll see to it. Go.”

Nick turned in what felt like slow motion and walked to table seven. Mark smiled and gestured for him to sit. Nick sank into the chair.

“Have a glass of wine.” Mark grabbed the glass from the unused place setting and filled it, his hands deft, his movements practiced and economical.

As Nick accepted the glass, Mark’s fingers touched his, lingered a beat.

“I hope you don’t mind that I asked Bruno if you could chat for a while. I got tired of everyone in the restaurant staring at me and wondering who the loser was who had to eat Valentine’s Day dinner alone.”

“No one is looking at you and thinking loser.” Not even Nick. Bastard, maybe. But never loser.

Mark’s dimples appeared. He raised his glass. “Cheers.”

“Cheers.” They touched glasses. Nick sipped and his eyes widened. “Damn.”

“Good, eh?”

Better than good. “This is great.”

“Drink up,” said Mark. “Plenty to go round. I ordered a second bottle. I didn’t get much of the last one.”

Nick laughed. Yeah, with Chef Bruno around, Mark was lucky if he’d had a couple of glasses out of it. Nick swirled his wine and breathed in the bouquet as the legs ran down the inside of the glass.

Nick had missed laughing like this with Mark. He’d missed everything: the late-night meals they shared when they both worked closing shifts, the hiking they’d done that glorious fall that stretched well into what was usually full-on winter. Dancing at holiday parties. Christmas shopping for their families. What they’d done in Mark’s bed. And Nick’s bed. On couches and in showers. In an outdoor hot tub at Lake Louise when it was -10C outside. During ski trips to Fernie and Kicking Horse.

Damn you, Mark. And damn me for being fool enough to still care.

Something moved to his left. Mattias placed a rustic wooden board with cheeses, dried fruit, and fresh grapes on the table between the two men.

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