Page 22 of Scorched

Beau met his stare. “Have a seat.”

There were only two chairs left, and they made Kirkland and Fabrice the center of attention. They took their seats.

Beau motioned toward Jett. “Jett wants to speak to you. He knew you wouldn’t let him if he did this on his own. He’s also asked for us to be present.”

Fabrice’s gaze shot to Jett.

Jett was pale, but he looked resolved. It seemed Fabrice’s attention was enough to get Jett talking. “First off, I’m genuinely sorry about your centerpiece. That’s not just words or me trying to get out of the doghouse; it was an honest mistake. The food was already set up, and I thought that meant we were good to grab something. With that said, you’re my friend and I would never intentionally hurt you, so please forgive me for that. Secondly, I did what Kirkland suggested and spent the night thinking about a lot of things. I think it would be best for everyone, including me, if I returned to working at the California home.”

Briggs and Shore exchanged glances.

Tidy’s expression was something Fabrice had never seen. His features screamed barely suppressed rage and open hurt. He stood. “Fucking idiot.” He left on that note without looking back. No one tried to stop him.

Jett watched him go. His expression remained blank, but his eyes told a different story. He wasn’t as sure as he claimed.

Damn, Fabrice was always too soft. “That’s not what I want, Jett. Your home is here. I’m over the entire episode, but maybe stay out of my kitchen for a few days.” He chuckled at his terms, so Jett didn’t think their friendship was damaged. “You are my friend. I don’t want that to end over this.” He hated that they were doing this so publicly, but Beau was right. Fabrice wouldn’t have heard him out if Jett had come to him alone.

Jett looked uncertain.

Fabrice could tell he didn’t want to leave but thought he should. He had to make sure, if Jett left, it was of his own accord. Otherwise, Tidy would never forgive him. “If you genuinely want to go, I can’t stop you. But if you’re doing this on my behalf, I don’t want that. I was very stressed last night. It’s possible I would’ve acted differently under better circumstances. Probably not,” Fabrice added with a laugh. “But still, never would I want you to leave because of me.”

Jett nodded. “About the being stressed thing, I realized last night I don’t ever see you taking a break. You don’t get to participate in family events. Maybe no one notices that, but I see it now. You do a lot for this family behind the scenes. Truthfully, it’s not fair.” There was no missing how Jett never looked Beau’s way. His words might be seen as an insult. Fabrice had no idea. Jett kept talking anyway. “So I spoke to Beau last night, and he agreed to let me call in Pierre. By first thing tomorrow morning, you,” he nodded Kirkland’s way, “and Kirkland, of course, will be on a plane to Vegas for two weeks. On me, of course. Gamble, drink, relax; you know, a vacation.”

Fabrice didn’t know what to say. He didn’t take vacations. He lived in one of the most beautiful spots in Hawaii. Fabrice didn’t need to go on a trip. He had to admit, the thought of being alone with Kirkland for two weeks straight appealed to him. Fabrice wasn’t certain he could leave his kitchen that long. “You don’t have to do that. It would take two more weeks to get my kitchen back in order if I left for that long. No one keeps things running the way I do.”

Beau inserted himself. “Pierre is staying until you return. You learned from him. The kitchen will be fine.”

Fabrice wanted to argue. Even Pierre didn’t know the exact way he ran things. Everyone looking at him broke him down. He swore he felt Kirkland’s desire to have those two weeks alone.

“Oui. Okay. We’ll go.”

Kirkland squeezed his hand, making Fabrice realize he held him in a death grip. He loosened his grip. Tension seeped from his shoulders. His gaze turned Kirkland’s way. He found love and hunger staring back at him. Yeah, this was a good thing. They needed this.

Chapter Ten

Vegas was a lot more fun than Kirkland had expected. He had been before and found it a tad boring, to be honest. When he had gone years ago, he hadn’t eaten a single meal he enjoyed. If he wasn’t gambling, there was nothing much to do. Kirkland didn’t enjoy slots enough to make a whole week of it. Two weeks would have sounded like hell if it wasn’t for the fact that he had Fabrice to himself. With Fabrice at his side, they had uncovered a ton of various experiences throughout Vegas. Fabrice knew all the best restaurants. The alcohol flowed. They should have steered clear more than once. Since they had been more shameless than ever in the bedroom when they went back to their room drunk each night, they kept drinking. For once in his life, Kirkland felt young. At least until the alcohol wore off, anyway. Once that inebriated feeling passed, he felt every minute of his age.

“Do you need anything?”

Fabrice answered for them. “Could we get two more of these vodka lemonade things?”

The server smiled, already anticipating another large tip from them. She never went too far. “Of course, I’ll be right back.”

They went back to playing slots. They were nearly alone in the high-roller room. The atmosphere was gloriously smoke free and as quiet as a casino could be with thousands of machines set to full blast. They had sat at the same two machines, side by side for hours. As long as the winnings stayed at a certain level, they didn’t move. In fact, once they had found two machines that didn’t bore them with nothing more than siphoning money in under two minutes, they had stayed glued to the same two machines each time they gambled. While they had jumped from casino to casino, where they stayed was the most entertaining. The Luna was the nicest and had the most to do. They hadn’t bothered leaving the hotel casino again.

“Here you go.”

They had their shoulders together, leaning against one another. With the server’s reappearance, they parted long enough to retrieve their drinks and tip.

“Thank you.”

“Gracias.”

At the sound of Fabrice’s French accent speaking Spanish, Kirkland couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Do you speak Spanish?”

Fabrice nodded even as he took a drink. The moment he was free to do so, Fabrice answered, “I speak seven languages. Beau provided us with the best education money could buy. What about you? Any hidden skills?”

Kirkland shook his head. “My life hasn’t been like yours. After I ran away, I didn’t go back to school. I got my GED, though.” Even three sheets to the wind, Kirkland felt out of his league with Fabrice.