I raise my brows. “Does Noah know how you feel about his business partner?”
“Please.” She waves her hand. “Noah is the only man for me. Everyone knows that. It doesn’t mean that I can’t acknowledge how good looking Ezra is, and hetrulyis. All the brooding he does. That perpetual frown. His green eyes.”
“Are yousureit’s Noah you want?” I tease.
“Yes, very much so. That man makes me so happy, I swear I see stars every time I kiss him.”
Her words make me smile, but I can’t deny they also make me feel a bit ... well, jealous. The last time I saw stars was when I kissed Ezra.
I don’t want to pretend it didn’t happen. Just so we’re clear.
I wish I could talk to Odette about this, ask her what he could mean, but now that she suspects I might have a crush on him—which Isodon’t—I’d rather not give her more ammo.
“Look,” she continues, “all I’m saying is, it might not be a bad idea. Ezra doesn’t do relationships anyway, so it could totally be fun to have a little fling, you know? I’m sure taking care of your father is stressful. Why not relieve the stress with him?”
It doesn’t sound like a bad idea on paper. But it’s a lot more complicated than that.
“He can barely tolerate being in the same room as me. Besides, did you forget that he’s my boss?”
“Okay, first of all, Ezra can barely tolerate being in the same room as anyone. Secondly, he might be your boss technically, but is he really? Your dad forced him to hire you. I’m pretty sure that already blurs a whole lot of lines. And third, he’shandpickedyou to be his right-hand person for this kitchen remodel. That’s kind of a big deal, no?”
“Well, I am a chef, so it makes sense.”
She flattens her lips. “Hmm.”
“Hmm? What does that mean?”
She sighs. “It’s just ... Ezra is ... well, he’s Ezra. He’s very introverted. He never wants to hang out with me and Noah or do anything fun ever. I guess I’m just surprised he’s so keen on spending that much time with you if he doesn’t like you—he’s very much a ‘do it himself’ kind of guy. He barely lets Noah help him with anything, and they’re partners.”
I shift in my chair. “It’s only because I know a lot about the subject. That’s all.”
“I’m sure it is. But—”
“Order for Odette!” someone calls from the front counter.
“Hold that thought,” Odette says as she rises from her chair to grab our burgers.
She comes back right away, setting my lunch in front of me, and we immediately dive into our food, she with more fervor than I.
I can’t eat. I’m too focused on what she could possibly mean.
WhyisEzra spending so much time with me? Why was he so insistent that it was me who helped him with the remodel? There are plenty of other people he could have called on for that. Plenty of other chefs in Port Harbor too.
So why me? Why not someone else?
And why ... why do Iwantto help him so much?
Odette never finishes her thought, and I never bring it back up either. All I want is to forget about Ezra Rawlings for one day.
Easier said than done.
Chapter Eleven
Ezra
“I don’t give a shit what your boss said to you about the delivery. He promisedmeit would be here today, and I’m standing here looking at an empty hole where myJurassic Parkpinball machine is supposed to be.”
“I—I—I . . . Sorry, I . . .”