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“What?”
“It’s keeping my hands and lips off of you.” I pulled her to me, fusing my lips to hers. Warmth flooded my body. This was what I’d been missing the last few days. This connection. This heat.
I was thrilled when she went soft in my arms and met my kiss with her own.
The sound of the door opening, had us both jumping apart and me cursing.
A distinguished looking older man walked in. “I’m Allan Barney.”
“Mr. Barney,” I said standing and extending my hand. “I’m Kade Raven, and this is Morgan Andrews.”
He shook our hands and sat down.
Morgan took a slightly different approach with Mr. Barney. Perhaps it was because it was his age; he had to be at least sixty.
“What makes you want to work for us?” she asked him.
“I’ve worked in the restaurant business all my life. Despite what people keep telling me, I’m not interested in retiring. But I’m also not interested in being in the fast lane.”
“You don’t think this place can be in the fast lane?” she asked.
“It can get there. But right now, you’re small and unknown. You have Raven input, which will help, but you’ll have to prove yourself. I’m calm and even tempered, which will be an asset as you move through the growing pains.”
“And then what?” Morgan asked. “Will you move on to another pet project?”
He jerked a bit. “I assure you I take my work seriously. I’m looking to be a part of a team, not another cog in the wheel.” He glanced at me, and I guessed he though my restaurants were run more like machines, and not with any thought to my staff. That wasn’t the case, but I knew it was for many restaurants.
“I didn’t mean to offend you,” she said. “But I want someone who plans to stay. I don’t want someone who sees this as a stepping stone or a part-time gig to fill the time.”
“I don’t see it as either. I’ll work until I drop because I like to work. The only reason I left my last place was the owner sold, and the new management wanted younger people.”
“It doesn’t seem smart to get rid of people who helped make a restaurant successful,” she said.
He shrugged. “Not everyone is as astute about such things as you.”
We finished the interview, and since he was our last, I escorted him out and locked the door. Maybe if I was lucky, I’d have some alone time with Morgan.
“I liked him,” I said as I made my way back to her. She was packing up her bag with her folders.
“Me, too. But I still think John is a better choice.”
“John? You’re going by first names already?”
She rolled her eyes. “Mr. Parker. He has the energy and excitement. I think people will respond to him.”
“You want them responding to you, if you plan to be onsite. You do plan to be onsite, don’t you?”
“Yes, of course.” She pulled her bag strap over her shoulder. Clearly, she was heading out. There wouldn’t be any fucking today.
“Because for all the emphasis you put on your manager being dedicated, you don’t seem very committed to this place.”
She stopped and looked at me. “Yes, I am. I just have a lot going on right now.”
I sighed. “Morgan, you can’t pull this off if you’re not one hundred percent dedicated. Whatever else you have going on, needs to stop.”
Her voice went cool. “It can’t.” She looked at her watch. “I need to go. I’ll call Mr. Parker and get all the paperwork done on his hiring.”
I shrugged, not sure what to do. I wanted to ask her what the hell was going on. To soothe whatever was happening that had her eyes filled with pain. But I also had my pride. If she wasn’t going to be honest with me, then the hell with it. I stepped aside to let her go.
16
Morgan — Thursday, Two Weeks Later
In two weeks, we would be doing a soft opening for the restaurant. I was so excited, and yet nervous as hell. I was also exhausted. My mother was still recovering from her lupus flare up, so I was having to take over the cleaning work to make sure we had income coming in until the restaurant opened. But then there was all the work going into the restaurant. The only thing that helped was when my mother insisted that we hire some college students to do the cleaning, and she’d train and supervise them.
“I think we can charge the clients a little bit more, and this way the work gets done without you,” she said.
“It will still mean less money initially,” I argued.
“If it goes well, we can take on more clients and more workers, so it could be a more lucrative option.”
“That’s so much, Mom.”
“It’s how the Ravens do it,” she said.
