I had been concerned most about switching hours from evening to morning, but the general consensus was excitement that they might get a night off every once in a while. To be honest, I was excited about the same thing.
From a competing business standpoint, I believed our take on brunch would give Bianca something special, something that Ezra’s other restaurants didn’t have. Something that no restaurant nearby had.
After the weekend, I was hyper-focused on making Bianca succeed. My personal life felt like a failure at this point. I wouldn’t let Bianca self-destruct too. I was working at taping my heart back together after the wedding, but in the meantime, I was wholly throwing myself into this restaurant and her success.
For selfish reasons, my conversation with Vann had really done a number on me. True, I still needed to figure out what I wanted. And I wasn’t sure that was necessarily Vann. But I also wasn’t Kaya who accidentally fell in love, but would have ignored relationships forever as long as she had her job.
This job, Bianca, was important to me. But I couldn’t let it be everything. If I wanted a relationship, or at least a steady dating life, then I had to make space for it. I had to have courage for it.
But first I needed to put out the dumpster fire that was this restaurant. Then I would tackle my love life mess.
Another drunken memory from my night with Vann popped into my head, followed quickly by a sultry shiver down my spine.
“You fucked that up,” I whispered to myself when I was alone in my kitchen. “Time to move on.”
There were other guys out there.
Liar, my heart argued.
Not like Vann, my brain agreed.
* * *
The next morning,I met Molly at her gym. She had a guest pass waiting and a scowl on her face.
“You better love this class,” she growled at me.
I’d never known her to be a grumpy person. But then again, I’d never interacted with her before coffee. “I love you. Does that count?”
Her glare turned dangerous.
I smiled wider.
She led the way to the women’s locker room. “I don’t know what spawned this evil desire to get sweaty first thing in the morning, but Vera always buys me McDonalds afterwards.” I started to gag at the very thought of eating that cheap, greasy trash when she spun around and pointed a stern finger at me. “And don’t you dare talk bad about the greatest breakfast place in the land or I will leave you here to die on your own!”
“The dramatics are truly outstanding this morning.”
I glanced up to see Vann standing outside the girls’ locker room dressed in running shorts and a sweaty gray t-shirt.
It was a straight up miracle I didn’t trip over my own feet and faceplant. What was he doing here?
Molly groaned and rubbed her face, “I’m sorry, Dillon. Honestly, I think I’m still hungover from the wedding.”
Vann gave her a look. “I didn’t realize you were bringing a guest.”
Molly blinked at him. “Is Dillon considered a guest?”
“I gained like four pounds this weekend,” I rushed to explain and then resisted the urge to slap a hand over my mouth. Why had I admitted that? Why couldn’t I have said something about getting in shape? Or wanting to try a new gym? Or anything that didn’t involve my flab-ifying midsection?
“Ugh, me too,” Molly agreed. “Which is why I’m here. Now it’s my turn to fit into a wedding dress and I don’t have the excuse of being pregnant.”
“Although if you really wanted to, you could.” I grinned at her, warming up to the idea of having a niece or nephew. Sure, I was excited for Vera and Killian, but Molly’s baby would be related to me. “I mean I don’t think it’s hard.”
She tilted her head, not looking amused. “But then who would you drag to spin class at the butt crack of dawn?”
Vann and I accidentally looked at each other and then quickly looked anywhere else. “Oh, I’m sure I could find somebody…”
“You wouldn’t,” she assured me. “Vann is the only person crazy enough to want to go to spin class, but he doesn’t do nice things for anybody.”
