Chasing His Kickass Luna Back

#Chapter 20 - Accepting Help

Abby

“Stop joking around,” I say, placing my empty glass on the ground. “This is serious.”

“I’m not joking.”

We stare across the room at each other. I kind of want to laugh, but something tells me he wouldn’t

appreciate that. Still, there’s no way he’s going to come into my restaurant and work in the back. He

might think he wants to help, but I’m not sure he knows what that job actually entails. Plus, it’s not like

he has tons of free time on his hands. He’s an Alpha. Even if the pack is in a better position, there’s still

a million things he has to do on a daily basis.

“Okay, whatever you say,” I answer, opting for levity.

He frowns, a determined look on his face. “Why won’t you let me help you?”

“I just don’t think you understand what you’re saying.”

He rolls his eyes. “I understand perfectly fine, thank you.”

I can tell I’ve offended him a little, but I don’t feel all that bad about it. I need real help. Actual

employees. Not my ex-husband stacking dishes in the back. I doubt he’s cleaned a dish in his life.

“I just don’t think you have the time.”

“I know what I have time for and what I don’t,” he answers. “And I’m no stranger to hard work.”

“Well, Ethan and I are going over everything at the restaurant tomorrow. So, if you still want to help,

you can show up sometime in the morning.” I don’t expect him to show up at all. “Fine,” he says,

leaning back in his chair with a self-satisfied smile. “Then I’ll see you there.”

Ethan watches me finish my second coffee of the morning, a look of concern on his face. After last

night’s debacle, I’m both hungover and exhausted. By the time I went to bed, I had maybe four hours of

uninterrupted sleep before I had to wake up and drag myself over here.

If this headache isn’t a sign that I shouldn’t drink that much ever again, then I don’t know what is.

“We need to get up and running before those negative reviews have time to fester,” I say.

The most important thing is that I get ahead of the competition. I can’t disappear completely, and just

recede into the background. If I’m going to maintain my position as a must-go spot, then I need to

reopen immediately.

I made Ethan my new restaurant manager on the spot, a promotion he took with a mingled look of

excitement and fear. While he doesn’t have a ton of experience yet, he’s loyal, and I value loyalty the

most out of everything. Especially after what happened with Olivia.

I have total faith he’ll step up to the task. He’s already proven a delight to work with. He’s kind,

conscientious, and one of the most hardworking employees I’ve had. I know his injury makes things

difficult for him sometimes, but it hasn’t slowed him down yet.

He never complains, and he seems to work around the pain. And now that he’ll be spending more time

behind the front desk, hopefully his shifts will be easier for him. If I can even stay afloat after this, that

is.

“The most important thing is getting new people,” he says. “We need workers.”

I nod. When we got here, we started by taking stock of the food and all future orders. By the time we

finished, I’d broken out into a nervous sweat. If I don’t hire new people soon, I’m basically screwed.

“I need to hire staff on an expedited basis,” I say, turning to my computer. I’ve already written the ad,

and I quickly post it online. “Even if some people don’t last, at least we’ll have workers for the time

being. They just need to be good enough to get things going.”

“I agree.”

“You’ll work at the front desk taking reservations and greeting customers. I’ll work back here as the

primary chef. If we can get a few good waiters and a decent bartender, then we’ll be alright.”

“Exactly.”

There’s a loud knock at the front door, and Ethan gives me a curious look.

“I’ll get it,” I say when I see him start to stand up.

He nods and sinks back into his chair. I cross the restaurant floor and unlock the door. Karl stands

outside, a pair of sunglasses on. His business suit looks freshly pressed, and he’s carrying a tray with

two coffees on it.

“For you and Ethan,” he says, handing it off to me.

I’m not surprised he remembered Ethan’s name. He’s always been good at that, making note of

people. It’s partly what makes him a good Alpha. He remembers people even if he’s only met them

once. He knows how to make the people who work for him, and the members of his pack, feel special.

I step aside, and he slips past me into the restaurant. I lock the door behind him.

“So, you came,” I say, turning to face him. I don’t bother to hide the fact that I’m surprised.

He slides his sunglasses into his pocket, looking around at the desolate room. “I said I would.”

His phone rings before I can reply, and he picks it up, giving me an apologetic smile. “Kimberly, hey.”

He turns slightly away, and I give him his privacy. I can still hear his end of the conversation, but I at

least pretend like I’m not listening.

“I don’t have time to take on another job right now,” he says. There’s a muffled response on the other

end. “That’s great, but I still don’t have the time. I’ll call you back later. I’m in the middle of something.” All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

Another muffled response. “Last I checked, I’m your boss. If I want your advice, I’ll ask for it.”

My eyebrows shoot up.

“Alright, bye.” He hangs up, turning to face me again.

“Your secretary?” I ask, even though I already know the answer. Her smug smile during that dumb

interview she did flashes across my mind. The memory of it makes me angrier than it should.

“Yup.” “Sounds like there’s something else you need to be doing.”

He shakes his head. “There’s nothing else.”

“Karl, you’re an Alpha, not a cook or a waiter or even a bartender. You seriously want to work in the

back during a dinner rush? It’s not exactly fun work, and it’s not like you have free time.”

“I have the time.” “I think you need to get your priorities straight,” I grumble, walking past him to deliver

Ethan his coffee. Three in the span of a few hours probably isn’t a good idea, but I definitely plan on

drinking mine. I need the energy.

He reaches out and grabs my wrist, stopping me. His grip is gentle.

“Abby, look at me.” I glance back at him and force myself to meet his eyes. “You’re my priority.”

It certainly sounds nice, but that doesn’t mean it changes anything. I pull my arm free. “Come on,” I say

with a slight smirk. “If you’re so eager to help out, then we might as well get you started.”

He follows me into the kitchen and Ethan joins us there, his gaze darting between us. I hand him the

coffee. “Thank you,” he says to Karl, a nervous edge to his voice.

“Why don’t you start by polishing the counters,” I say. They’re already gleaming, but I want to see if he’ll

do a task that I’m sure he considers beneath him.

He shrugs and takes off his suit jacket.

“I’ll hang that in the office,” I say, reaching out a hand.

He gives it to me and turns to Ethan. “Will you show me what I need to do?”

Ethan nods.

I turn to go back to the office, trying to hide my surprise. “Wait,” he says. I look over my shoulder at him,

and he has the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up to his elbows. “I have a proposition for you.”

“Oh yeah, what’s that?”

“If I do a good job, then you have to come to the Alpha party with me. You know, in exchange for all the

hard work.”

I roll my eyes. “Fine, but you have to last the day.” I’m already cataloging all the menial tasks I can

make him do before the day is out.

I know he can’t possibly afford to spend a whole day here, stacking dishes and mopping floors, but I’m

happy to let him try. If he’s so determined to be helpful, then I might as well take the free labor while it

lasts.

“Easy enough.”

“Alright then,” I say. “You have a deal.”

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