“I know it hurts, flower.” His brown eyes soften to an amber hue, like a sunset on a cloudless sky. Despite the pain, goosebumps travel along my arm as he runs his fingers along my skin.
“I’m all right. I’ll live. The customers are waiting for their lunch.” I nod to the tray resting on the side.
“They can wait,” he growls, examining my hand. “You’re more important.”
My breath hitches. I want to reach out and hold him, run my burned fingers over the scruff on his jaw and tell him how I want to stay here with him forever, and build a life with him if he’ll have me. But I stay silent, unable to form words, let alone a sentence. I’ll tell him when we get some time alone. Maybe in bed tonight.
“I’m sorry. I should’ve replaced that urn ages ago.” He keeps my hand under the cool running water. His other hand cups my face, and I lean into it, forgetting all about the pain.
Glory appears in the doorway. “Everything all right? What happened?”
“The spout on that urn finally popped. Don’t touch it until I can fix it. Can you take the tray to table three, Glory?”
She nods and takes the tray out of the kitchen, leaving Gray and I alone again.
“Keep your hand under the water. I’ll cancel my plans.” He digs his phone from his pocket.
“No, it’s fine. I’ll be okay.” I wince when I move my thumb, the scald stinging in the crease of my fingers.
“You’re not going back out there today,” he growls, then shoots off a text before placing his phone on the counter. He pats my hand dry with a tea towel, then pulls a first aid box from the cupboard. “Wrap this around your hand.”
“Thank you.”
“You can tell that boss of yours you’re taking a few days off, too. Can’t type with a burnt hand.”
“I’ll be okay.”
“Cam, I’m serious. Since you got here, all you’ve done is work. You need some time off. You’re calling in sick.”
“What about my other boss?” I press my lips together, gazing into the amber fire of his eyes.
He rests his forehead against me, his fingers tangling in my hair at the back of my neck. “Your other boss is a jerk too, but he’s giving you a few days off. He’s gonna wait on you until you’re better. Then he can go back to bossing you around.”
“Kiss me.”
“I can’t. These shorts leave little to the imagination. If I kiss you now, I’ll be serving customers with a tent in my pants.” He smiles and kisses my forehead instead, then pulls the burn bandages from the first aid kit and wraps it around my hand. “Leave this on for a while. Go rest. I’ll take care of everything.” He disappears back into the tearoom to deal with Felix and the remaining guests.
A ping sounds at the side of me. I glance over at the message on his screen. ‘Don’t worry about cancelling. We can arrange another date. Daisy x.’
My stomach twists into a tight knot, causing acid to coat my throat. He was going on a date. With the love of his life. The one he got the daisy tattoos for. Tears threaten my eyes. How can I compete with someone he has inked on his chest? I look at my bandaged hand. If I hadn’t burned it, he’d be going out now to meet with her.
This is how it always goes with me. I seem to be everyone’s stop gap. I can't believe this is happening again—with him. The sickness in my stomach intensifies. I want to fight for him, but I don’t want to be his second best, the one he settled for.
After Derek, I vowed I’d never be treated second again, and yet here I am. I knew things with Gray were too good to be true. There was a reason I kept my guard up. Walking up the stairs, my shoulders slump, my feet are heavy as if I’m lugging lead weights up each step. I need a plan.
GRAY
“Did she say where she was going?” I scroll through my phone for a nice bouquet of flowers for Trudy to send to the hospital now her son’s born.
Glory shrugs a shoulder. “I think she’s booked in to get her hair done. Didn’t she say?”
“She hasn’t really spoken to me since yesterday. She seemed distant last night, said her hand was hurting, popped a few pills and went to bed early.” I wanted to follow, but carried on watching TV before falling asleep on the sofa. It feels good to hold her in the single bed, but it’s not comfy, and I wanted her to get a good night’s sleep after she burnt her hand.
“What’s going on with you two? She’s put a lot of effort in around here for someone who’s leaving.”
“She helped me apply for a business loan, but I don’t want it. I’m worried the sooner I get a loan, the sooner she’s gone.”
“Have you heard anything?” Glory measures out the correct ingredients for Betty’s signature sweet tea. A recipe only a few of us know.
