"You're welcome. Thank you for letting me."
She reached out of her window, and he took hold of her hand.
"Thank you for cooking for me," he added.
"Maybe I'll cook you breakfast tomorrow, if you come by," she said, causing a warm electrical current to flow in his body.
"I'll be there," he promised.
Chapter 11
Audrey
The following morning, I went to my restaurant to accept grocery orders and to cook brunch for my sister's friends who had come in for Henry and Amelia's wedding. I didn't have Cal, so Josie helped me cook. She was good at it, and we had fun. We cooked for everyone. I had told James about it, and he came by since he wanted to see everyone.
They were appreciative of the breakfast, and we had a great time together, so it was a win for everyone. I loved seeing my restaurant buzzing with people we knew and loved.
The problem was that Ash never came. I decided to check my phone to see if he had said anything. My sister was still in the dining room, but I excused myself with a pan of everyone's dishes. I had multiple offers to help, but I denied them. I put the dirty dishes into the sink, and then I grabbed my phone from a table that was in the back of my kitchen. I had three texts from Ash, and I read them all, starting with the first one.
Ash:
Good morning. I’m going to be late. I'm meeting a plumber, and he's running late.
The second text:
Ash:
He's still not here. I may not make it. Will see you later today either way.
The third text had come in a few minutes ago.
Ash: Is it too late? I can be there in ten minutes if you're still there. If not, I'll just plan on seeing you later.
I started to text him back, and just at that moment, Alex came into the back and called my name.
"Audrey!"
"Yes?" I called.
"Do we have any more food?"
"Yeah, and I can make more. Why? Are you hungry still?"
"It's Ash. He was going to stop by, but he thought he might be running too late."
"When did you talk to Ash?"
"Just now. I called him to see if he was coming, but then he asked about food, and I wasn't sure if we had any more. I told him we already ate but I'd ask you."
"Yeah, just tell him to come by. I can make more. I'm still waiting on one of my suppliers, so I have to hang out here till they show up, anyway."
Alex walked off nodding. I was glad he was the one inviting Ash. I didn't want everyone assuming he was there to see me. This took the pressure off. I knew Ash would be stopping by, though, and that gave me the strangest sense of relief.
"Grinning while doing dishes? Interesting," my sister said, coming to the back with me.
I had been daydreaming and hadn't even seen or heard her.
"Me?"
