“We wereswamped.” I sigh and push my half-eaten lasagna away, but Brooks starts working on the leftovers, making me smile. “I’m going to be here late tonight making pastries for tomorrow, but that’s not a bad problem to have.”
“You need to hire more bakers,” Connor says with a frown. “And other staff, too.”
“I know. I didn’t need more help before. I’d just hired Laurie and James not long before the flood happened, and I felt we were fully staffed. I know that things will calm down a bit after a week or so, once the dust settles, but I definitely need more help with the baking and food prep. I can’t do it all by myself anymore.”
I grin up at Brooks.
“Besides, we have a house to renovate, and I don’t want to miss any of it.”
“What’s wrong with your house?” Dani asks, and then her mouth forms an O. “Right,thathouse.”
“I want to help with demolition,” Beckett says. “It’s a good way to get out some aggression.”
“What are you feeling aggressive about?” Skyla asks him, lifting an eyebrow.
“Never about you, Irish.” He kisses her forehead, making us grin.
With less than an hour until closing, the restaurant is finally starting to slow down, and my crew has begun cleaning up.
No matter what my people say, I can’t sit out here while they work. I’m just not built that way.
“Thank you all, so much, for coming in. Not just now, but all day today. You made me feel like, well?—”
“Part of the family?” Becca asks with a smile. “Good. Youarepart of our family.”
I lick my lips, and Brooks kisses my temple.
“Thank you. I see that my people are cleaning up, and I can’t let them do that without me, so I’m going to excuse myself and get back to work, but the break was nice. Thanks, you guys.”
I stand and grin when Birdie blows me a kiss. Brooks is already standing next to me, and he pulls me in for a big hug.
“So fucking proud of you, Wildfire. I’ll be back later.”
“You don’t have?—”
“I’ll be back later.” He winks, and I go back to work. It’s going to be a late night for me, but I won’t complain.
Thisis what I’ve always wanted.
The business.
The family.
The marriage.
I won’t ever complain, not for a minute.
Chapter Twenty-Four
BROOKS
My girl is dead on her feet.
She didn’t even hear me come through the front door, which I don’t like because she should always be aware of who comes and goes from this restaurant. However, given it was an eighteen-hour day for her, I’ll give her a pass.
She’s covering a tray of something with plastic and carries it to the big fridge in the back. When I walk around the corner to watch her, she’s leaning on the closed fridge, her eyes shut.
Christ, she’d fall asleep right there if I let her.
