Accidentally in Love by Danielle Jackson

Author:Danielle Jackson [Jackson, Danielle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2023-08-08T00:00:00+00:00

FOURTEEN

Work had been a slog for Russ. As lead bartender, he had to keep everyone focused, especially during busy times of service. Plus, planning out new menus and juggling busy summer schedules for the food truck team at upcoming street fests also kept Russ occupied. And he kept taking extra line cook shifts whenever possible, because he was still convinced getting as much experience as possible in a real, functioning kitchen would give him some kind of a leg up before he went to culinary school. He wanted to be as prepared as he could for New York.

His true motivation to get through another grueling workweek was knowing that at the end of it, he was going to spend time with Sam. At his apartment. Alone.

Their time together in the photobus over Memorial Day weekend had been unbelievable. Sam’s brazen striptease was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. She was bold, confident, and had to know how wild she drove him. And almost getting caught . . . well, that had been exhilarating, too.

But what Russ thought about even more than the sight of Sam’s amazing, luscious, almost-naked body, was the way they talked together for hours on the walk back to her apartment. Most of it was chitchat, but when she told him about how she felt about her body and all the things she had gone through with her thyroid surgery, plus her feelings about her family, Russ felt closer to her. Opening up about changes wasn’t easy, and Sam had told him some deeply personal things. He liked being her confidant. And he liked telling her about going to therapy and how beneficial he had found it.

He still hadn’t told his therapist about emailing his mom, though, or that he hoped she’d reply, but those messages were sort of like a journal, so he said he was journaling instead. He’d get there eventually.

A few days after the Simone’s food truck debut at the Randolph Street Flea Market—deemed a total success by all involved—Russ was gearing up for the Buxom Boudoir artist mixer. They were shutting down regular service on the rooftop for the night; almost eighty people had RSVP’d yes to the event.

He saw Sam in a passing blur in the days leading up to the mixer, short moments when she was dropping off supplies, talking to the hosts about how to rearrange tables, and chatting with Gabby about the finalized menu. They decided on heavy appetizers and a couple signature drinks—including a champagne cocktail and whiskey sour, of course. Gabby and Sam had put a twist on the food to make it slightly terrifying yet enticing, much like all the women in charge of that night’s festivities. Chicken wings with toothpicks skewered through them, steeped in a deep red balsamic vinaigrette that looked like blood dripping from the puncture; lemon halibut trapped in squid ink pasta nests served with tiny forks sticking out of the fish; phyllo cups filled with steak tartare formed to look like

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