“I’m sure you’re thinking about your old job,” Tessa says.“But I can assure you that working at Somerville’s isn’t like that.Leo’s great, and Jack and Lauren are always thinking about their employees and making sure they’re happy.”
I look down at my phone, thinking about the two missed calls, the voicemail and the text, and it’s obvious he’s in a bind.I need to help him out even if it’s just to alleviate some of his stress, but I also need to be more assertive and tell him this isn’t an everyday thing.Like I’m suddenly that kind of person.
“So should I drop you off at Somerville’s instead?”Dylan asks.
“I’ll text Leo back and tell him I’m coming after we have breakfast.That feels like a good compromise to me.”
“Sounds good,” Tessa answers with Dylan nodding in agreement.
I text Leo back, but I don’t hear anything, assuming he’s probably trying to handle the morning rush and this catering order.I have to admit, I’m a little nervous.While I’ve always wanted to get into catering, I’ve never handled large scale orders before.I hope I can hack it or Leo’s going to regret calling me in.
A couple of hours later, I walk in and find the rest of the staff working on lunch orders for Somerville’s, but Leo is nowhere to be seen.And when I ask where I can find him, they direct me to one of the outbuildings that has been turned into a kitchen to help support the up-and-coming catering business.
It looks like things are going well in the kitchen here at Somerville’s, so I move over to the kitchen at Apple Jacks, checking to see if they’re doing okay.And again, Leo runs a tight ship, because I find everything in order despite the Sunday crowd.
I take the long walk back toward the newly established catering kitchen and this is where I find Leo.I stop in the oversized doorway and watch him work.He’s moving around in a million different directions with multiple burners going on the gorgeous commercial oven in front of him.
I’m in love.
With the space, with the appliances, and maybe even with him.There’s something so fucking sexy about watching this man cook.My stomach flutters and I cross my legs, reminding myself that he is my boss and while he looks like the kind of guy I would totally crawl into bed with, he is off limits.
“Hannah,” he says, startled by me creeping on him from the doorway, but he brushes it off and continues working.
“You’re alone in here,” I comment, almost a question as I look around the large space.
“I am.I told you we’re short staffed, but I couldn’t pass up this opportunity and so I said yes in the hopes that you’d be able to help out and here you are.”He opens his arms, smiling at me and once again I find myself far too turned on by the simple gestures of this man.
“What do you need help with?”I ask, after a few seconds of silence and trying to pull myself together.I really need to stop wondering what he looks like under that chef’s coat and if his tattoos cover more than just his arms.
“Here’s the menu,” he says, handing me a binder.“Luckily it’s all desserts, but the bad news is that they need to go out today.”
I try not to let him see the shock on my face, quickly snapping my mouth shut.Today?He can’t be serious.He lets out a sigh, almost in relief that there’s someone else here to help him and now I wish I would’ve ditched breakfast with Dylan and Tessa and come here to help him out.
“Today?”I ask with a slight bit of hesitation.
“Yeah, today.I probably should’ve said no, but I hate to turn away a client given how new this whole operation is.”
“I get that, and we’ve got this,” I say, sounding more positive than I really am.“What time does the client need everything?”
Leo fills me in while he continues working and I get started.He’s right that this shouldn’t be difficult, it’s the time constraint we’re under that might cause issues.
“Thanks so much for coming in,” Leo says, as the silence begins to fill the room, both of us working too hard to acknowledge the other for a few minutes.
“No problem.”
“I was starting to think I was gonna have to call my dad to come help,” he jokes, smiling over at me, and I swear I think my knees are going to give out when we make eye contact.But then he pulls off his chef’s coat, revealing a fitted white t-shirt and now I’m definitely going to lose it.There’s never been a person who looks so good in something so simple as Leo Marsh does right now.The sleeves hug the defined muscles in his arm, accentuating just how toned he really is and when he raises his arms above his head, stretching, I catch a glimpse of his perfectly flat, taut stomach.
Focus, Hannah!
“Your dad cooks?”I ask, realizing I’ve let a ridiculous amount of time pass between us before commenting, but holy hell it was hard to draw my eyes away from all the gorgeousness standing in front of me.
“Yeah, you could say that.He’d have helped me out if I needed it.My mom too, but I’ll admit I was a little embarrassed about calling my parents and begging for help like a kid.”
“Glad I could help you out,” I answer, finally looking back at him as I tell my body to stop thinking about him naked.Luckily, when I make eye contact with him this time, he has a swipe of chocolate smeared across his cheek.
I bite down hard on my lip to keep from laughing, but all that seems to do is cause Leo’s eyes to widen and focus directly on my mouth.
“You have,” I say, tapping my cheek, and Leo wipes at the wrong side, making me giggle a little.
