I put the knife down before I throw it at something.
“Are you people insane? I’m not some internet thirst trap. I’m not a mascot. I’m a guy who wants to run a damn restaurant in peace.”
Jace shrugs. “A very hot guy who wants to run a restaurant in peace, according to the online world.”
“Jace.”
“I’m just saying! You’re the full package. Smolder, muscle, mysterious past. If this were a Hallmark movie, you’d be the rugged love interest with a tragic backstory who teaches the big city girl how to love again with cinnamon rolls and emotional growth.”
“I hate Hallmark,” I growl.
“YouareHallmark,” Eli says brightly. “Except with better triceps.”
I push away from the counter and pace across the kitchen, scrubbing a hand down my face. “This isn’t what I came here for.”
“Oh, come on,” Jace says. “It’s not like you’re back on ESPN doing Gatorade commercials. It’s only a couple of reels. Some flirty captions. A little internet buzz.”
“That ‘little buzz’ is the start of exactly what I left behind,” I snap. “People watching. Judging. Expecting something from me. Again. That life ate me alive the first time, and I barely crawled out of it.”
Eli frowns. “But this is different. This isn’t the NFL. This isn’t paparazzi and press tours and post-game breakdowns.”
“Isn’t it?” I ask, turning on him. “Because it sure as hell feels like I’m being packaged and sold all over again. Just with vegetables and better lighting.”
Silence stretches between us for a beat.
I shake my head. “I moved to Silver Peak to stop beingthatguy. The one who was alwayson. The one who couldn’t breathe without it being a headline. This was supposed to be mine. Quiet. Normal.Real life.”
Jace leans against the counter, suddenly less smirking. “Knox, you’re allowed to want that. But people are excited to see you. They love you, you know that.”
“I don’t want to be loved,” I say through gritted teeth. “I want to be left alone. I want to wake up, make bread, yell at my staff, and go to bed without someone dissecting how I hold a damn spatula.”
Eli sighs. “You really hate the spotlight that much?”
I nod. “It nearly broke me.”
For a second, Jace looks like he might actually say something serious. But then, because he can’t help himself, he points at the stove. “Well, on the bright side, your viral fame probably doubled your brunch reservations.”
I glare at him.
He grins. “Triple if you keep scowling like that. You have villain origin story cheekbones right now.”
I pick up a muffin and chuck it at his head.
He ducks, cackling. “Missed me, #HotMountainChef!”
“I will burn your phone.”
“Not before he gets Jude more footage,” Eli says. “He’s got a montage planned for next week: ‘Whisk Me Away… The Knox Knightly Experience.’”
Yep.
I’m about to lose my damn mind.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Josie
By the timewe finish curling the last strand of my hair, I barely recognize the girl in the mirror.
