She laughed as she left the office. “So good.”
CHAPTER 34
After leafing through a couple stacks of mail on the desk, throwing some out and tucking some others into my purse to look at later, I went to find Elijah.
He wasn’t at the bar where I’d left him. His plate was still there, not a single piece of food left on it, along with an empty glass of what was probably our draft beer. A twenty sat on the counter, tucked under the knife.
Presley stopped on her way to the kitchen, stacked Elijah’s dirty dishes on top of the ones she already held, and said, “You are a saint for hiring Lucas. I love him.”
I could feel my brows go down, which must’ve been why she quickly added, “Notlove, love. Just in the sense that he has helped a lot.”
“That’s great, Presley. Thanks for hanging in there. You are excellent at your job, and we need you here.”
She smiled, said, “I know,” then opened the door to the back with her butt.
I really did miss it here—the moving parts, the constantwork, the hum of voices and clinking of dishes, the smell of delicious food.
Out the glass door to the patio, I saw Elijah standing there, chatting with some customers. They were laughing at whatever he was saying. Damn if he didn’t look good standing in my restaurant.
I pushed open the door. The patio was at only about half capacity with guests. I looked at my watch. SevenPMon a Friday. It should’ve been busier than this. This was obviously what Raya had meant when she said business was down after that review. The thought tugged at my chest.
I smiled at tables as I walked by, then stood shoulder to shoulder with Elijah. He had moved on from the customers and was now studying the fruitless olive tree we had planted in the center of the patio. It wasn’t very tall, but its knobby branches and pale green leaves spread out wide. “Hey.”
“Hey,” he said.
“You didn’t need to leave a tip.”
“Of course I did,” he said.
I slipped my hand into his and squeezed.
“Your restaurant is really nice.”
“But not cool,” I said.
He smiled. “It could be cooler.”
“You have ideas?” I asked.
“Maybe a few.” He reached out with his free hand and pinched a leaf between his thumb and forefinger. “This tree is nice. This patio has a lot of potential.”
It was a large, covered patio. The tree was literally the only thing we had done to bring any sort of atmosphere out here. Aside from the tables and chairs, there were also a few potted plants at the corners of the short gate that enclosed the area.
“Yes, you let your big, beautiful, artistic brain think of how we can turn this place into a must-visit destination.”
He dropped my hand and put his arm around me. “I’d like to show you a must-visit destination,” he said in a low, suggestive tone.
“That didn’t work.”
“But I used the voice.”
I laughed. I felt like I could float out of here, not touching the ground. I took him by the hand and led him back inside. “I have a must-visit destination for you.”
I pushed through the doors to the back hall again, then past the kitchen. I pulled him into my office, shutting and locking the door behind us.
He was turning in a circle when I faced him, as if I really was showing him a special place. “I don’t think—” he started to say, but I tugged him closer by the waistband of his jeans.
“Here?” he asked, a smile sneaking onto his lips.
