“Hello Mr.Montague!I have salmon bowls, cookies for dessert, energy smoothies and a charcuterie board.”
“Where’s Josie?”Ares reached out to stop the cart from moving.
“She was busy with other clients and sent me.But she made everything!Well, I made the dressings, but it’s her recipe.I went through culinary school.I didn’t get to do cool stages like Josie, but I did get to work at Hill Oak, then I had my daughter.I’m Avery.”She stuck out her hand.
No Josie.
Ares blinked, trying to recover from feeling like a piece of rebar rammed through his body.“I didn’t mean to make you feel unwelcome.I was expecting Josie, that’s all.Hill Oak is one of my favourite fine dining restaurants.”
Ares shook Avery’s hand, and the woman flashed him a smile.
“She’s pretty busy with Christmas orders coming in, you know?”Avery wheeled the cart past Ares into the conference room.“Now, is there anything else you gentlemen need?”
“No, thank you.This food beats anything else in the city we could grab for lunch.Thanks.”Ares flashed her a smile.It wasn’t this woman’s fault that she wasn’t her boss.
“Great!I’ll be off!”Avery smiled, finished unpacking the cartons on the sideboard, and waved, waltzing out of the room and humming.
“You got it baaad,” Xander said.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.I’m hungry.Want to call Harper and Gardenia and tell them lunch is here?We have a lot to get through today.”
“Ares, you don’t have to be my keeper forever.I have Harper now and Logan.”
Ares turned to see his brother’s face.Xander was serious.
“I’m not complaining,” Ares said, starting to build his plate.The food smelled delicious.
“You never have.But don’t use me as your excuse to not pursue the woman.”
“Hey!Lunch smells amazing!”Harper breezed into the room, right to Xander and threw her arms around his neck.
As they locked lips, Ares brushed off those feelings of...not jealousy.Xander deserved whatever happiness he could find, and admitting his love for Harper hadn’t been easy.
Ares just wished he had that too.
But looking at Harper and Xander, he was determined to make sure it was his turn this time.
3 JOSIE
“Whydoyoucarethat Ares told Chef Alphahole to give you a call?”Cecilia snapped on a bracelet and tugged down her tight red blouse, smoothed down her tight mini skirt, and reached for a pair of hoop earrings on her dresser.
“If someone thought you needed help and didn’t ask you and went ahead and interfered, you wouldn’t be mad?”Josie said from her friend’s bed.
“Here, try this.”Maisy passed her something pink in a glass.
Josie took a sip and tried it, making a face.“Yuck, too sour.”
“I think it’s perfectly sour.”Maisy reached for Josie’s drink and Josie passed it back over.
“Are you kidding?”Cecilia said, putting on her lipstick.“I would take all the help I could get.”
“You don’t need help.”Maisy snorted.
Josie caught her eye and the two women giggled.Cecilia Yen, with her famous composer father, her two-bedroom condo with views that don’t stop in Kitsilano, wasn’t hurting for connections.Cecilia turned from the mirror and stuck her tongue out at her friends.
“I think I’d faint if either of the Montague brothers knew my name.There’s no harm in using your connections, Josie.It makes it easier,” Maisy said.
Josie shook her head, her curls bouncing on her shoulders.“I don’t want special treatment.”
