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“Please. I’m a professional. This won’t even take ten minutes.”
He shot her a dubious look as she wrapped the tissue around his neck. “If I’m late, you have to explain it to Alex.”
She started her timer on her smartwatch, and eight minutes later, Jack stared at her in the mirror, his mouth agape. He shut it with an audible click of teeth. “Wow. Nice job.”
Sara gave him a smug smile. “Told you. I know what I’m doing.” She unwrapped the cape and he stood, drawing her in for a long kiss that got deeper by the second.
The bells above the door jingled as it opened, musical laughter filling the room. “Well, I wasn’t expectin’ that when I came up the steps.” Selena moved to the glass counter. “I take it you two aren’t fightin’ anymore?”
“No, we’re together again,” Sara said. They kissed goodbye, and Jack left as Sara returned to the computer to check the schedule for the day.
Selena stared at her, scowling. “Don’t you be all quiet on me. I need to know what happened. Details, girl!”
Sara sighed, but couldn’t resist a light laugh. “It’s a really long story. But the short version? Yesterday we found out we love each other.”
“Oh. Well, that’s really all that counts, isn’t it?” With a wise nod, Selena headed toward the massage room.
* * *
At noon, Sara pushed through the double doors into the restaurant kitchen, which was a busy hive. The chief worker bee, Gerold, wore a spotless white coat as he whirled between a six-burner stove and the island behind him. Several raw hamburger patties sat on a tray, ready for the grill, and multiple pots bubbled away.
Sara stopped short. “Whoa. How do you manage all that at once?”
He grinned before turning back to the largest pot and stirring it with a wooden spoon. “Practice. Besides, I live for this.” He lifted the spoon to his mouth and frowned before muttering, “Needs more salt.”
“Hope sent me here on a mission.”
“Oh yeah. Lunch for four.” He pointed with the spoon to a neatly packed selection of paper bags. “I just boxed them up, so everythin’ should be hot. Enjoy.” With a graceful bend of his elbow, Gerold poured a clear liquid into a large sauté pan and it burst into multicolored flames. His face split into an enormous grin, the fire dancing in his dark-brown eyes.
Sara scuttled around to the other side of the island, rushing to pick up the bags. “You’re terrifying me, Gerold. I’m out of here.”
“Oh, come on! It’s not even busy yet!”
As Sara walked across the warm sand, curiosity overcame her. Hope had texted her less than an hour previously, asking her to pick up lunch at noon and come to the house. As she let herself in through the slider, Hope stood in the kitchen, wiping down the island. “Thanks for picking up the food. I’ll put it in the oven to stay warm. Alex texted that they’re on their way back, so the guys should be along soon. I’ve had a bit of a crisis this morning. Clark’s new son needs surgery, so he’s going to need some time off. I’m putting together an ad for another bartender.”
“Oh no! He’s such a sweet baby.”
“Apparently, he’ll be fine, but Clark wants a couple of months off, and I’ll make sure he gets it. We’ll try to get everything settled on our lunch break, so I can get back to work.”
“Everything?”
“Alex and I came up with a plan.” She placed four cardboard boxes in the oven and several more in the refrigerator. “I got cheeseburgers for the guys and blackened fish sandwiches for us. I didn’t know if you’d rather have salad or fries, so I ordered both.”
Sara sighed, slumping against the granite island. The conversation about Clark only made it clearer how Hope always looked out for everyone. “After the last few days, make it fries.”
Hope slammed the refrigerator door and whirled around. “I can’t believe Wayne owns Serenity! I never would have rented your apartment there if I had known. That son of a bitch.”
Sara just stared at her. Her bottom lip quivered as tears threatened.
“What?” Wrinkling her brow, Hope came around the island and embraced her.
That was all it took, and Sara started crying against her sister’s shoulder. Hope patted her back, murmuring soothing nonsense, and she soon quieted.
“Sorry. I needed to get that out.”
“You ok now?”
Sara nodded. “Your statement about the apartment brought it all back.”
