With a wince, I say, “Well, she hates me because we slept together a few times and then I broke it off. I generally don’t shit where I eat, but she caught me in a moment of weakness. Actually, a few moments last summer after Emma. Once I told her I just wanted to be co-workers, that was it. Now she calls me Stefan Junior whenever she sees me. I personally think you should get rid of her since she’s a bitch on wheels to the customers ninety percent of the time, but you seem to favor her.”
“Hmmm…Stefan Junior. That doesn’t sound complimentary,” he says with a laugh before adding, “To either one of us, in fact.”
“No, it doesn’t. So that’s why Maya hates me and why if you want your big celebration to go smoothly, you’ll keep us separated.”
With a nod, he says, “Fine. You’ll be at the main bar, and I’ll put her at the back bar. To keep her happy, I’ll make sure something big happens back there so she doesn’t think she’s being punished.”
As much as I shouldn’t comment out loud on him keeping her happy, I can’t stop myself. “God forbid she think that being a shit to your only son would get her punished.”
My father ignores that broadside and smiles. “That’s all I wanted to talk to you about. Any chance we’ll get to see your girlfriend Friday night? I’ll be happy to let Tannick at the door know so she and any guests she wants to bring will get V.I.P. passes.”
The very thought of Hailey here at Club X makes the top of my head feel like it’s going to blow off. No. Not in this life or the next one. Not even in a third fucking lifetime would I want her to be here while I have to work.
“She’s got a lot going on, Dad. She’s pretty shy, too. I don’t think this would be her thing.”
The disappointment returns to his face. “Oh, okay. I’d love to meet her, and I thought here at the club would be a nice casual way that could happen. Your cousins Alex and Cash are planning to come, and I think Kane said Liam would. I’m not sure about Wilder, though.”
I stand to leave, already uncomfortable with how much my family is interested in Hailey. “No one is sure about Wilder, Dad. He’s still messed up from everything. If that’s all, I’m going to go back out there and see how the second floor is faring.”
That gets me a huge smile from him, like I’ve just announced I know the way to bring in a million bucks a night. “What’s that face for?”
My father shrugs, still beaming that silly smile. “I didn’t even have to tell you where to go. You just knew. No matter if you want to accept it or not, you’re a natural, Cade.”
I don’t bother replying to that. Choosing to check the upper level isn’t rocket science. I already know the main bar and the back bar are doing fine. It’s only logical to head upstairs.
That’s not being a natural at anything here. He just wants to think that because he hopes I’ll take after him some day.
Never going to happen.
Chapter Seventeen
Hailey
My phone buzzes across my table, and I see Cade’s name come up in the center of the screen. I shouldn’t be so excited to hear from him, but my heart practically skips a beat and I hurry to clean off my hands before reaching for the phone to read his message.
I’m sitting in a booth wishing the world’s best cupcake maker was sitting with me.
That’s so sweet. Where is he?
I begin to type out my question, but I stop and run to look out the window into the dining room. There in the booth where I first met him Cade sits smiling at me. He waves for me to come out, and without even checking how I look, I hurry out to join him.
“What are you doing here? I wish you told me you were coming. I would have come out so you didn’t have to sit here alone,” I say as I slide into the booth on the other side of the table.
“It’s okay. I don’t mind sitting here for a few minutes. I was going to mention to your father that I was here to see you, but I didn’t see him either. Are you busy?”
I shake my head, and at that moment, I realize I’m still wearing my apron covered in chocolate batter from today’s dessert creation disaster. I look down in horror to see it’s even worse than I thought.
“Oh, God. I must look like a mess. I’m sorry. I didn’t think to take this off before I came out here. I’m glad I sat over here because if I had slid in next to you, you’d be covered in chocolate,” I say as my cheeks heat up from embarrassment.
Cade reaches across the table and takes hold of my hand. Instantly, I feel like my anxiety calms. “It’s okay. You look great. When are you off work?”
“I don’t even know what time it is,” I say as I look over toward the big round clock on the wall behind the counter. “It’s one o’clock already? Wow, time does fly when you’re making a mess.”
He laughs at my mistake with the saying. “I’m not sure that’s how it goes. What were you making that ended up all over you?”
“Well, I started with these cookies I wanted to try. They came out okay, but I wasn’t happy with them, so I threw them away. So then I got really ambitious and tried a chocolate torte with a chocolate glaze and ribbons made of chocolate. The torte worked out, but I wasn’t crazy about the glaze and the ribbons ended up as a disaster.”
Pointing at my apron, I say, “Thus the chocolate everywhere.”
“I bet the cookies and everything were terrific, even if you did end up wearing most of it.”
“I wish. I really wanted that cake to turn out great. It would have looked so incredible in the case, and each piece would have been gorgeous,” I say, still disappointed I couldn’t get those ribbons to work for me.
“So what time are you off?” Cade asks for a second time.
“I can go whenever I want. I’m not really even an actual employee, to be honest,” I explain, letting him know the truth for the first time.
“What do you mean? You work here, even if it’s for your family. That sounds like an employee.”
I force a smile, but it’s always hard to explain that what I do for my parents isn’t really work. At first when I came home last summer, having me in the kitchen was a way for them to make sure I was okay. Those days were rough, so leaving me alone wasn’t anything either of my parents thought was a good idea.
Out of that grew what I do now. They never meant for it to be permanent or anything, really, which is why whenever anyone says I’m some fancy pastry chef or baker I balk at the very mention of those.
I’m just Hailey, someone who tinkers around with chocolate and ends up wearing it more often than not.
Shaking my head, I ease my hand away from Cade’s and put it in my lap. I’ve dreaded knowing I’d have to admit the truth to him at some point. I guess I thought it might never happen or it would happen later than this.
But after last night, I don’t want to lie to him. Not about anything, even what I do here at the restaurant or the reason why.
Unable to look up at him, I stare at the silver and gold design on the table and begin. “I never call myself anything fancy. I know Alex likes to say I’m some kind of chef, but that’s not true. I have no formal training, and until last year, all I ever did here was wait on tables sometimes for extra money when I was in high school.”