Noah spied them hanging on a rack by the walk-in freezer, and grabbed one before she could protest. He quickly knotted it around his waist before heading for the warmers. “Where does this go?” He nodded to the waiting omelet.
“Table seven.”
That part was going to be a problem.
As if reading his mind, Elisa pointed. “The table closest to the back hallway, on the left.”
“Got it.” He grabbed a carafe for good measure and started for the doors, plate in hand.
“Noah?”
He turned, pressing backward into the door, and raised an eyebrow.
Her eyes shone. “Thank you.”
He nodded, avoiding her gaze so he wouldn’t be tempted to go for that hug again, and spun to face the café.
There might still be an elephant between him and Elisa, but he was heading straight into a diner full of piranhas.
* * *
Elisa rested one hip against the kitchen island, untying her apron with stiff fingers. Her feet hurt. Her lower back ached. But the kitchen smelled delicious, the Blossom’s customers were happy, and Delia, to the best of her knowledge, had no idea Lucius was a thief. She’d have to tell her so she could file a police report and an insurance claim.
But for a moment—just one—Elisa could take a deep breath and feel like maybe she’d accomplished something this morning. She’d cooked at the Blossom for the first time since her mom had passed.
And she hadn’t hated it.
It was a lot to process.
She took a bite of the cinnamon bun she’d nibbled on throughout the breakfast rush. Of course, this recent theft might clinch Delia’s decision to sell the café and that was an even harder thought to process, so for now, she simply chose not to.
The door swung open and Noah breezed through, brown tub full of dirty dishes braced against one hip. She set down her dessert and brushed off her hands. Speaking of a lot to process. Not only had Noah been filling in as a waiter for the past two hours, he’d started bussing tables when he saw the need.
A rush of appreciation swelled in her chest, and she checked her watch. The breakfast rush was over, and lunch wouldn’t start for another hour. They had a brief lull, and she planned to take full advantage.
She smiled. “Didn’t you say something earlier about us needing to talk?”
So much was left hanging from last night, and this morning’s discovery of the missing cash and cookware had sent her on an anxiety detour she’d had a hard time hiding from her employees. But now that the emergency had passed…
“I did.” Noah set the tub of dishes in the sink, then turned on the water, drowning out any chance of conversation.
“Nuh-uh.” Elisa ambled over to him as fast as her cramping calves would allow, and tugged at his sleeve. “You’ve done enough. Someone else can load the washer. Let’s talk.”
He didn’t face her, only remained standing at the sink with arms braced as he stared at the running water. “It can wait.”
Elisa frowned at his hardened profile. “It seemed pretty important earlier.”
Wasn’t it? Wasn’tshe? She fought the urge to give into the fear of rejection. She shouldn’t jump to conclusions.
But good gravy, he was making it hard.
“It’s not a big deal.” A muscle in his jaw flexed. “You’ve got a lot going on today. Speaking of, you should call Delia and file a police report. Lucius needs to be stopped.”
“I’ll get to that.” Was he stalling, or trying to be selfless? She inched closer to his braced arm and angled to face him.
He kept staring at the running water.
Definitely stalling. Her stomach clenched. “What did you want to tell me?” She’d gone from looking forward to this conversation to dreading it in a matter of seconds.
