“You’re doing it again,” Lola says next to me.
“Sorry. I just still can’t believe she hangs out with us now.”
“I will kick you out of the table if you can’t behave,” Lola says.
“This is my boyfriend’s restaurant. You can’t kick me out of here.”
Allie stops by our table, staring only for a moment at Brianna before shaking off the shock and taking everyone’s order. She turns to me, pen poised over her notepad.
“Allie, can you give my compliments to the chef?”
“You haven’t even ordered yet, Jane.”
“No, I mean compliments like ‘you look hot in your chef’s coat’ and ‘nice butt.’”
She rolls her eyes. “Nope. But I’ll send him out so you can pass the compliments along yourself.”
“Amazing. Thanks!” I smile at her and she shakes her head playfully before striding back toward the swinging door that led to my terrible first impression of Reid almost a year ago. It’s crazy how a single door set us off on such a bad trajectory, but even more amazing how the tables turned for us over the last several months.
“I can’t believe you haven’t been here yet,” I tell Brianna. She lifts her eyes from the menu and looks around the industrial-style room again. Her eyes connect with a few tables still gawking at her, and she immediately refocuses on our group.
I get the sense that she isn’t wildly into the fame that follows her from her career, though she hasn’t outright admitted it yet.
“I just haven’t had much time to myself lately,” she says. “But I think I’m going to head back home for a little while.”
“Really?” Kai asks.
He seems so surprised by this that I ask, “Where is home?”
“Cape Cod. I lived with my grandma in a cottage out there and I just haven’t felt that same peace since I left.”
“Well, if you ever want some visitors, just call. We can have a girls’ weekend,” Lola offers.
“Oh my God, yes. Please. Please call me to come hang out with you at your Cape Cod cottage.”
Lola gives me a look that sayscalm down, you’re embarrassing me, but thankfully Brianna just laughs. “I’d love that, actually.” She pulls her phone out of her Birkin and hands it to me to put my number in. I stare at it like it might bite me.
“What? Did I forget to turn the passcode off?”
“Sorry, I’m just realizing Brianna Beckett wants to getmyphone number.”
“Jane, I’m begging you to be cool.”
“She’s fine.” Brianna waves Lola off. “I’m used to it.”
As soon as I pass her back her phone, I feel his presence next to me. Heads swivel in our direction, appreciate glances of other women that I ignore because I know that he’s mine.I push my chair back and throw my arms around his neck, breathing in rosemary and lemon and the other plethora of ingredients clinging to his white coat.
“I heard you had some compliments for me?” he says.
“You look hot in your chef’s coat,” I relay back to him.
He smirks, then presses another kiss to my lips. “I’m at work.”
“I know, I know. I just needed you to have the confidence boost for the rest of the night.”
I loosen my arms around his neck and rock back on my heels. “Sorry, I should’ve loudly declared this has been the best food of my entire life before I kissed you. Now everyone will think I’m biased.”
Reid’s lips tip up. “Jane, we made that bet a year ago. You don’t have to do that anymore.”
