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That was the honest truth. He’d had no desire to be a diner owner if Chi wasn’t with him.
“I don’t want you giving me anything I didn’t earn.”
“You put in just as many hours as I have over the last few years. You certainly have earned the right to be co-owner of a diner with me.”
“Co-owners?” she asked, lifting her brows.
“I won’t accept anything less.”
She jerked her chin up, then looked back down at her hands. “I wasn’t even thinking that you were going to offer me that much. I thought maybe you would hire me to manage it.”
“I guess I assumed we’d continue to have the same kind of relationship that we had that works so well. Why fix it if it’s not broken?”
“You doing the cooking, creating new recipes.”
“And you making people feel welcome, caring about them, making the diner’s atmosphere feel welcoming and cozy. I guess I can give you a hand with the books if you need me to.”
“I suppose you’re a little more qualified to do that than I am.”
“I don’t think either of us is qualified to be accountants, but I suppose between the two of us, we can make it work.”
“I don’t like it, it’s my least favorite part of my job, but I understand in order for me to do what I do, I have to do it.”
“A necessary evil,” he said.
She nodded, and their eyes caught and held for a moment. His heart kicked up a few notches, and his breath hitched.
The way she looked at him, with admiration and affection, he wanted to eat it up.
He tried to remind himself that she only liked him as a friend, but it was difficult to do.
She looked away first. “Now that you’re up, I’ll grab the leftovers from outside and start warming them up.”
“There’s something to be said for having a woman who knows how to start a woodstove and get the cabin warm for me before I have to get up and walk around.”
“Well, I’m depending on you to split more wood. So, I guess I need to keep you fed so you can keep me warm.”
“That seems like a good deal.”
“It works for me.”
