The SixtyForty Rule by Wilde Ellie K

Author:Wilde, Ellie K. [Wilde, Ellie K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Independent
Published: 2022-11-28T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

Theo

“Hey boss, that thing’s starting to smoke.”

I start.

I couldn’t tell you how long I’ve been standing here, with what’s sure to be a real dumb look on my face. But by the looks of the blackened butter in front of me, I’d say it’s about three minutes too long.

I choose to ignore the way Finn’s looking at me and haul the pan onto the counter behind us. Duck down to grab a new one from under the workstation. Twist the knob on the stovetop so the flames shrink down a bit.

By some sheer act of god, Jude decided she’d drop by tonight while me and Finn, the restaurant’s Head Chef, attempt to finish off the menu before our first night of service. She’d shocked me today with the mere acknowledgment that she remembered the offer. We hadn’t talked about it since the first time I mentioned these kitchen sessions last week. But we’ve been at it for an hour now, and still no sign of her.

The past week has been something out of a dream. I’ve gotten away with dialing in for meetings or canceling them outright to work from the kitchen with her. And yeah, I’d caught a bit of her irritation as she first watched me set up shop across from her. Probably because she believed that shit about my being there to keep an eye on things, and not because I wake up every morning hungry for more of her. But a week in, it’s easy to see that something’s shifted.

For better or worse, Jude and I have become friends. And maybe it’s not exactly what I want from her. Maybe the word friends is just devastating enough to kill me slowly and painfully over time. But I’ll take whatever I can get at this point, if the alternative is not having her at all.

I slide my knife through a stick of butter, splitting it into cubes that I dump into the clean pan. It disintegrates into bubbles faster than it should. I jab at the knob again.

The only — the only — pitfall is that, quite frankly, I’ve never been this fucking rattled in my life.

You’d think my senses would’ve dulled by now. You’d think her smile wouldn’t still turn me to rubble at her feet. Or that the way she flicks her hair when she’s being snarky wouldn’t still make me woozy with want. But I’ve officially spiraled into permanent headcase territory. Second guessing my every move, overthinking all of hers.

She told me she wants to keep things professional. A clear sign she’s not interested, right?

But then she finds any excuse to touch me. Like today. She touched me a total of thirty-one times. Completely casual stuff. A little nudge or a playful shove. But… maybe she’s into me?

And then it occurs to me that I’ve actually kept a tally of every time she made physical contact with me, and I wish someone would just put me out of my misery already.

The whole thing’s got me so off kilter even my team’s noticed I’m not all there.

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