Watching Wyatt talk to my best friend with a big, stupid grin on his face killed whatever good mood the night had put me in. Bringing the expensive champagne to my lips, I tipped my head back and finished the glass.
“I think I’m going to get going.” I faked a yawn until it turned into a real one. “I’m beat.”
Benny was staring into his champagne glass like it was a crystal ball with hidden answers to all his life questions. “Oh, yeah? I guess this is goodbye then.”
His sarcastic comment pulled a smile from me. “Don’t be so fatalistic, Benjamin. We’ll see each other again.”
He made a face that made me realize how little we would see each other from now on. Another pang of sorrow punched through me.
“Oh, hey.” He snapped his fingers at me. “A buddy of mine saw a picture of us from the other week, when we went out for your birthday. He asked if you were single and if he could get your number.”
My sad feelings were immediately replaced with a confusing mix of piqued curiosity and crippling dread. “Uh… what’s he like?”
“My friend?”
“The guy that wants my number. Is he awful?”
He gave me a look that said he didn’t have awful friends. But what did he know anyway? Guys were nose-blind to their buddies. “He’s good people, Dillon. I think you’d like him.”
“What’s his name?”
“Matt.” When it was clear I was waiting for more, he added. “Matt Brennan.”
I filed away the information so I could stalk him online later. “What does Matt Brennan do for a living?”
“He’s a pastry chef. I’ve known him since school. He works at Fifi’s.”
I pursed my lips together. It wasn’t that I disliked pastry chefs as a whole… I just didn’t like that they thought we did the same thing. They worked in quiet kitchens under zero pressure. At least, compared to our kind of pressure. Sure, they had standards of perfection too. But it was not the same.
Still, Matt Brennan was a good name. And I had just been mourning my single status seconds ago.
Plus, it had been a long time since I’d been on a date. And I preferred everything to be fine. And normal. And for people to see that I was making an effort at the whole dating thing.
Even if I wasn’t.
“Is he cocky?”
He rolled his eyes at my question. “He’s cool, Baptiste. It’s just a text. You don’t have to answer it.”
“What I’m hearing is that you don’t want to let him down.”
He made a face at getting called out. “He thought you were hot! Take the compliment.”
Was it a compliment? Or was Matt Brennan just desperate to find a girl outside of his usual stock pond? Stalking your friend’s Facebook account for pictures of women you hadn’t met before felt desperate to me. And weird. Still, I heard myself say, “Okay, fine. You can give him my number.”
He made a gleeful sound. “Aw, you’re going to make him so happy. You can thank me for the love connection later.”
I set the champagne glass down, deciding this was Wyatt and Benny’s kitchen now, they could deal with the dirty dishes. Without giving a formal goodbye to my former coworker and boss, I made my way toward the back exit, waving at Benny and Wyatt as I went.
For all my warm fuzzies for this kitchen, I found myself leaving it way faster than I had planned. I thought I would savor the walk out, take in the gleaming glory one more time. By the time I stepped into the night air, I was shocked that it was over—that my time at Lilou had come to a close.
I breathed in the balmy night air and shed my chef jacket before I started sweating. My car was in the employee lot not far from here, but I realized too late that I’d walked out alone.
I usually waited for Wyatt or Benny to walk me to my car.
The lot was well lit and my car was parked under a streetlight, but I still didn’t like being out here alone. Fear skittered over my bare arms, sending chills down my spine. I hurried to my car, Lilou fading into the background as I hunted for my car keys. Which was when I realized that I’d left one of the overhead lights on accidentally. It was barely flickering in the dark night, a telltale sign it was just about out of juice.
I didn’t even remember clicking the light on. But the evidence that I had at some point today was right in front of me. Damn.
