“You do that,” I replied. “Close the door, and have a seat.”
Today the new manager was coming into the restaurant, which was going to give me more time to spend with Franny—and her mother. Because I intended to spend time with Addy. Even if she seemed unsure about me.
“Brad, what’s your relationship with Ad—I mean, Rose?” I corrected myself quickly. Calling her Rose was hard now. Remembering at work would be difficult. Explaining a name change to everyone wouldn’t be easy.
Brad frowned and shifted in his seat. “Nothing yet. I mean, I think we’re friends. I like spending time with her. Is that against policy? I assumed since you dated Elle, it was OK.”
He went from nervous to defensive fast. “No, it isn’t against policy, but I’m going to ask you to step back in your pursuit of Rose.”
His frown deepened. “Why?”
Because she was my Addy, and I didn’t want him fucking near her and making her laugh. “Because you have a kitchen to make first-class. Flirting with the servers isn’t something you have time for. Rose has a daughter. She needs to focus on that when she’s not here. So back off.”
Brad stared at me a moment, then moved to stand up. “Not sure how me being her friend and seeing her after hours affects any of that. She’s the best server we have, and you know it. She doesn’t let anything affect that.”
He needed to back down. My hands clenched tightly as I glared at him. “Don’t push me on this,” I said, lowering my voice to meet his challenge.
“Do you like her? Is that what this is about? Because last time I checked, she isn’t your speed. You go for the Elles of the world. And Rose isn’t like Elle. Not even close.”
I agreed with him completely on that. “I’m watching out for her. That’s all. You can leave now.” I didn’t want to leave any room for argument.
He looked like he wanted to say more, but he didn’t. I knew how I looked to him right now. He wasn’t going to say anything with the warning in my glare. With a frustrated expression, he turned and left my office.
That had gone as expected, but it had to be done. Brad was the best chef around here, and I’d hate to fire him because he couldn’t back off from Addy.
• • •
I got lost for the next few hours in paperwork and phone calls. When Jamieson Tynes finally showed up, I was annoyed and relieved. Arthur had said he’d be coming today, and I needed him here now more than ever. He would be my way to create the free time I needed for my daughter.
Leaving Rosemary Beach was no longer the plan. I’d come to terms with that immediately. Time with Franny and Addy was my top priority. I wanted to introduce them to my sister and bring them into my world. But Addy needed more first. She wasn’t the same trusting girl who’d looked to me for everything.
My chest ached at the thought. I wanted that back. I wanted her looking at me as if she knew I’d make it all better. I knew she was strong. God, she’d proven that already with the way she had survived and raised our daughter. She was so much stronger than I realized.
But I didn’t want her to have to be so fucking strong. I wanted to be there to give her someone to lean on. To share life with. My feelings for her had never changed. Even when I’d thought she was dead, she’d controlled me. She was the only reason I held on to the sliver of soul I had left. I wanted to keep some part of me for her. Even if she wasn’t here.
“Are you Captain?” Jamieson asked, and I realized I’d gotten lost in my thoughts of Addy.
I stood up and held out my hand. “Yeah, that’s me. I assume you’re Jamieson.”
He shook my hand and nodded. “Sorry I’m late. My flight from Dallas was delayed.”
Just so, he was here. “No worries. I had stuff that I needed to straighten out this morning. I’ll spend the rest of the day showing you the place and introducing you to the employees.”
Jamieson was younger than me, but he had that fresh-out-of-business-school look about him, with his slacks and Oxford shirt. I knew he was taking in my faded jeans and black T-shirt. Sure, I always changed clothes before dinner service began, but during the day, I was comfortable. He’d need to learn to relax a little, too.
“Great. I’m excited about this opportunity.”
I refrained from rolling my eyes. He was a kid. He’d lose that enthusiasm soon enough. He was about to enter the real world.
I walked past him and opened the door. “We’ll start in the kitchen, and I’ll show you around the back side of things. Introduce you to the culinary staff. We’ll meet with the servers when they arrive in an hour.”
Jamieson pulled an iPad Mini out of his briefcase. What the hell was he doing? “Can I leave my bag here?” he asked.
I just nodded, still trying to figure out what the iPad was for.
“Great. I’m ready to take diligent notes,” he explained, holding up the iPad.
This was going to be interesting.
Addy
Franny had begged to come to work with me tonight. She wanted to hang out in the back with Captain. She didn’t understand that he was busy all evening, and he couldn’t have her tagging along. But from the moment we had gotten back to the car after ice cream, she had talked nonstop about her father. She didn’t call him Captain anymore, either. She referred to him as her dad when she talked about him to me. I knew she liked the way it sounded, but I worried that she was rushing things.