Page 2

Leo

It’s been a month since I fired Gina for stealing and about a week since I finally reached my breaking point, realizing we really need to get another sous chef in before the rest of my staff walk out in protest. It’s not that they are lazy or anything, it’s just that business at Apple Jacks has been rapidly increasing and most weekends the restaurant is fully booked, with decent traffic throughout the week as well.

The restaurant over at Somerville’s is no different and will only get busier with the planned renovations starting soon.

I’ve been trying to coordinate kitchen staff between the two places for weeks now and it’s starting to get to be too much for everyone.

It’s definitely time for a new chef. Probably a couple to be honest.

“Yo, dude, can we get some lunch?” Dylan yells from somewhere across the kitchen.

“Um, yeah, sure,” I say, not looking up. “Check in with um…” I trail off, waving my pen in the general direction of the prep station, hoping there’s someone there who can take care of this for him.

“Leo, dude, what’s going on?”

I look up to find Dylan standing on the other side of the steel counter from me, a goofy grin on his face, because he’s a loved up fool these days who can’t seem to keep the smile off his face or his hands or mouth off his girl.

“What?”

Dylan laughs, shaking his head a little. “You’re blowing me and my baby mama off and telling someone else to make our lunch, what gives?”

Oh yeah, he’s also gonna be a dad, which is making him even more nauseating to be around because that’s made him even more loved up than usual. The cheeky fucker has certainly landed on his feet since starting here.

“Sorry,” I say, biting the end of my pen as my eyes drop back to the resumés I am once again going over in the hopes that I can find someone to replace Gina. “Got interviews this afternoon and I’m just trying to figure out who I’m hiring.”

“Easy, Hannah,” he says, pushing the papers in front of me to the side as though the decision is now made.

I look back up. “Yeah, I know she’s your sister and all, but I’m not just hiring anybody, okay. After the last chef, I need someone who’s reliable and good in the kitchen. No offense or anything.”

Dylan’s brow narrows. “Look, I asked you not to do me any favors, right, and I meant it. But seriously, Hannah is an amazing chef and she’s willing to take a pay cut if she has to.

I mean I have no idea if she’d have to but anyway.

Give her a chance, dude, she’s been working at all these amazing places in San Francisco, and you loved that dessert of hers I brought in last week, right?

Fuck, Tessa can’t get enough of Han’s chocolate mousse. ”

I smirk at him. “Okay, your girl is knocked up, so she’s probably got chocolate cravings or whatever, so—”

“Actually,” he says, cutting me off with a grin. “If anything, she’s got dick cravings. It’s fucking fantastic.”

I roll my eyes at him. “First, I so did not need to know that. But second, why’s she willing to take the possible pay cut and what’s she been doing these last few months?

There’s a gap in her resume?” I point my pen at her list of previous occupations, indicating the blank space in work for the past few months.

Dylan shrugs. “I don’t know. She is working though, but it’s for this total dick apparently. Maybe she doesn’t trust him to give her a good reference or something. But seriously, Leo, you know I wouldn’t fuck around with this. You can trust her, she’s my sister.”

I nod at his words, knowing that it does count for a lot.

Often the best hires are word of mouth, who you know, type of scenarios.

Unfortunately, sometimes they are also the worst, especially when the recommendation comes from a friend.

“Look, she’s coming in at three. She’s one of two candidates I’m interviewing today, so I’m giving her a shot. ”

Dylan smiles, slapping me on the shoulder. “Great, I know she’ll convince you. Now, about that lunch for me and my baby mama. What’s good?”

After the lunch rush is finally finished and my staff are taking a quick break before they start the dinner prep, I finally sit down in my office to start the interviews. The first guy who comes in is good, trained at one of the top culinary schools and mentored under a well-known chef in Boston.

Apparently, he’s looking to travel though, which is how he’s found himself on the other side of the country now.

It also likely means in a couple of months I’ll be looking for a new sous chef again because he’ll have moved on.

Still, I do the full interview, getting a feel for what he’s like and how much he knows.

When he eventually leaves, I pull out Hannah’s resume again, giving it a quick once over.

“Hey, Leo, Hannah Murphy is here.”

I stand from my desk as I call out, “Thanks, show her in.”

I smell her before I see her, this intoxicating aroma of sugar and cinnamon that wafts through my door before quite possibly the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life walks into my office.

Fuck me.

She’s maybe a couple of years younger than me. Tall, with long brown hair that’s loosely tied back and these seriously amazing green eyes. I actually have to clench my jaw to stop it from falling open at the sight of her.

How the fuck is this woman related to Dylan?

“Hi,” she says, smiling as she holds out a hand to me. “Hannah Murphy, nice to meet you.”

I take her hand in mine, fully intending to introduce myself but instead, I find myself lost for words the second my hand touches hers. By the way her green eyes widen at the touch, I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who feels whatever this is between us.

Shit, how the hell is this going to work?

“Uh, um, hi,” I eventually stutter, sounding like a total moron. “Leo Marsh, nice to um, nice to meet you.”

God, I need to get a fucking grip.

I let go of her hand, gesturing to the chair on the other side of my desk, indicating she should take a seat.

After I go over the job description and expectations, Hannah gives me a quick rundown of her training and experience, even though it’s all here in front of me.

She’s confident and assured in the way she talks, never dropping the eye contact, even as this weird crackle of electricity, that started the second she walked in here, seems to linger between us.

“Okay, and can you tell me about the last few months?” I ask when she’s done. “You don’t seem to have been working anywhere?” I ask the question even though I know Dylan told me what was really going on, because I want to get a feel for her reaction to this dick she apparently works for.

Hannah takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly, her posture slumping just a little.

“Actually,” she starts, “I have been working somewhere, but it’s been awful.

I know I could tell you where and then you could ask them about me, but honestly, I have no idea what the head chef will say. He’s…he’s…”

“A bit of a dick?” I suggest, wanting to ease the tension a little.

We’ve all been there, trapped in a kitchen with a raging egotistical lunatic who thinks he or she is god’s gift to the world.

Unfortunately, it seems to be a common trait in chefs and one I have always been keen to avoid.

It’s why I insist on every one of my staff calling me Leo. Not Chef and not Mr. Marsh. Fuck that.

Hannah lets out a breathy laugh that I swear actually makes my dick twitch.

“I was going to say unpredictable, but yeah, dick also works.” She opens and closes her hands a few times, fidgeting a little as though she’s contemplating telling me who she works for.

There’s a part of me that’s dying to know, but at the same time, I get it.

I actually get it more than she probably realizes.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to say,” I tell her, smiling, wanting her to know I understand. “Are you still working there?”

Hannah nods. “Yes, but I…”

“How much notice do you think you need to give?” I ask when she doesn’t finish her thought, realizing only after the words are out of my mouth that my question almost implies that she has the job. A decision I wasn’t even aware I’d apparently already made.

She doesn’t seem to notice though, as she scrunches her nose up in thought in a way that’s honestly, fucking adorable. “I actually think I could probably get away with walking out right now,” she says, chuckling. “I certainly wouldn’t be the first.”

I smile, leaning back in my chair as I run a hand over my buzz cut and watch her.

She still doesn’t look away, her back straightening a little as her eyes lock with mine.

It’s confident and hot and quite honestly, a bit of a turn on.

I’d put money on this girl being a little feisty in the kitchen. Maybe other places too.

Hannah blinks, a tiny smile tugging at her mouth as though she knows exactly what I’m thinking. I find myself smiling back at her, shaking my head a little as I change the subject and say, “So your brother gives you a pretty good rap.”

Hannah laughs. “Yeah, but that’s because he knows I have a ton of dirt on him.”

Now it’s me laughing as I sit forward, my arms resting on the desk that separates us. Hannah’s eyes briefly drop to my forearms, maybe taking in the ink that decorates them. “Now that could actually be an asset around here,” I murmur.

“Does this mean I have the job?” she asks, smiling.

“Do you want the job?” I ask, a teasing tone to my voice.

“Wouldn’t be here if I didn’t,” she fires back, a playful tone to hers.

Shit, it actually feels like we are flirting right now, which is seriously dangerous.

But if it’s one thing I don’t do, under any circumstances, it’s get involved with my staff.

I’ve seen it happen before and to say it leads to nothing but trouble, is an understatement.

Working in a kitchen filled with extremely sharp knives when you’ve just busted your fuck buddy or significant other hooking up with someone else in the storeroom or walk-in fridge is a recipe for disaster.

On more than one occasion, I’ve had to step in and possibly prevent a potential murder charge from being filed.

I rub a thumb across my bottom lip, not missing the way her eyes track the movement. “You have any questions about the job or anything?” I ask.

She tilts her head a little, as though she’s thinking about my question, that playful smile still on her face. “I’m not working today, so do you think I could hang out here tonight and watch you work?”

My hand stills, my thumb tugging on my bottom lip as I take in her question. She wants to watch me work? Why? Swallowing hard, I hit her with a grin as I just come out and ask it. “You wanna watch me work?”

“You, the rest of the kitchen,” she says casually, lifting her shoulder a little as though it’s no big deal.

Chuckling, I sit back in my chair. “Trying to figure out if you’re up for the challenge of working in my kitchen?”

Hannah laughs now, mirroring my pose as she sits back in her chair. “Or maybe trying to figure out if this place is enough of a challenge for me.”

I shake my head, still chuckling. I was right, she is a feisty little thing and I fucking like it. “Okay, you can hang out here tonight,” I say, leaning down to open the bottom drawer of my desk, as I add, “On one condition.”

“Oh yeah, what’s that?” she asks.

Hitting her with a grin, I slide a contract toward her as I say, “You put on a uniform and help me cook. We can consider this your induction into my kitchen.”

Hannah smirks, her hand on the papers even though she hasn’t looked at them yet. “Deal.”

After she leaves, I sit back in my chair, letting out a long exhale, hands behind my head and eyes on the ceiling as I wonder if I haven’t just made a huge mistake.

While her resumé is definitely impressive and I know Dylan well enough to know she’s gonna be trustworthy and reliable, there is now the unexpected issue of the obvious chemistry between us.

How the fuck am I supposed to work with someone I suddenly realize I want to strip naked and do all sorts of dirty things with?

“Jesus, Leo,” I say to myself, standing and heading out to the front area of the restaurant to grab a coffee before the dinner prep starts. I don’t even know why I’m thinking about Hannah naked, especially when I know it absolutely cannot happen.

When I walk out the front, I’m surprised to find Hannah is still here, sitting with Tessa at one of the tables in the restaurant, laughing and chatting. Dylan is behind the counter at the coffee machine, apparently making them one and I walk over to him.

“You sure you know how to use that?” I ask, nudging his shoulder. “Because it’s damn expensive if you break it.”

Dylan scoffs. “I got this. Don’t you worry.”

“Mmmm,” I murmur. “Well, make me a double shot espresso while you’re standing there and we’ll see.”

Dylan glances up at me, a smirk on his face as he tips his head in the direction of his girl and his sister. “So, she’s got the job?”

I tip my head from side to side. “Yeah, mostly,” I say. “She’s helping out tonight and we’ll see if it’s a good fit.”

“It will be,” he says confidently, as he hits the coffee grinder again for another shot of beans.

I lean back against the counter, watching Hannah as she talks to Tessa. They obviously get along well and given Tessa is around all the time now due to work and hooking up with Dylan, that can only be a good thing. Having good working relationships is crucial to having a happy workplace.

Which is yet again, another reason I can’t even entertain the idea of anything happening with Hannah.

She suddenly lets out a loud laugh at something Tessa has said, her head falling back and only highlighting her long neck. Of course, this only gets me thinking about running my tongue along all that beautiful, tanned skin.

Shit, fuck. Stop!

Turning back to Dylan, I ignore the look he’s giving me as I take the espresso he’s made me, adding, “Don’t even start,” as I turn and walk back to the kitchen, the sound of his laughter echoing behind me.