And it appeared that he had been wrong about Nova Eckhart.
Though things were busy, he managed to take a look at the dining room several times over the next few hours. Each time, Nova was smiling and handling her duties with aplomb. She even jumped in to help the servers when things became hectic at the height of the dinner rush.
As closing time grew near, Addie came into the kitchen and shot him a triumphant look.
“Don’t start,” he said.
Her brows rose as she crossed her arms over her chest. “I only have one thing to say.”
He bit back a sigh. “What?”
“If you fire her after tonight, we’re all going on strike.”
Torin glanced around and saw several of his other employees nodding. “Seriously?”
None of them would meet his eyes, except Addie, but they also didn’t say anything else.
Shit.
“I wasn’t planning on getting rid of her,” he finally muttered.
“Good,” Addie said, lowering her arms to her sides.
“What’s good?” Nova asked as she came through the door to the kitchen.
“Everything,” Addie said before Torin could think of what to say. She winked at him before she turned to Nova. “It’s closing time. Is there anyone in the dining room?” she asked.
Nova shook her head with a small smile. “I managed to encourage them to head out.” She shot a quick glance to Torin. “Politely, of course.”
Addie grinned, a wicked gleam in her brown eyes. “Of course. Go ahead and get started on the closing list. I’ll be out to help you in a sec.”
Torin decided to interrupt. “Actually, Addie, I’d like to have a quick word with Nova before you start.”
Addie stared at him for a moment, her gaze sharp as though she were trying to read his mind. Once she seemed satisfied he wasn’t going to kick Nova out on her ear, she nodded and left the kitchen.
Torin crooked a finger at Nova, who rolled her eyes but followed him when he headed toward his office.
When he opened the door and walked inside, Torin went straight to his desk and leaned a hip against it. He frowned when he realized that Nova was still standing at the door, staring at the space with wide eyes.
“Come in and shut the door,” he said.
Her eyes shifted from side to side before they came back to his. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“Why is that?” he asked.
“Because I’m concerned that the Paperwork Monster will come alive and kill me. Death by a Thousand Paper Cuts doesn’t sound like a good way to go.”
Torin crossed his arms over his chest and looked around. “It’s not that bad,” he finally said.
Sure, there were a few…stacks of papers on his desk. And the table next to the beat-up loveseat. And on top of his filing cabinet. And the floor next to the filing cabinet.
Nova made a show of looking at all of this and then back at him.
With a sigh, Torin straightened, gently took her elbow to guide her into the office, and finally shut the door behind her. “If any such monster erupts in this office, I’ll protect you,” he promised.
Nova didn’t look convinced.
He felt his mouth twitch but suppressed the smile. Considering he thought she was a pain in the ass, he didn’t want to encourage her by smiling.
