The Allure of Dean Harper (The Allure #2)(63)

“Oh really?” I asked, trying to keep my cool. Inside, I was pushing down the urge to shove the dishes off the island and throw myself at him.

“I sold off four of my restaurants, I hired three new managers to help with the workload, and I promoted Zoe so that she can help with daily operations. I won’t ever fully retire, but I’m not going to be a workaholic any more.”

“What about Lirio? You didn’t sell it, right?”

I’d kill him if he had.

He shook his head. “I still own Lirio. It’ll always be our restaurant.”

I smiled and leaned in, whispering against his lips just before I kissed him.

“The first of many.”





Epilogue


Dean





I reclined in the back seat of the town car and let the city lights ease my growing headache. My flight from Iowa had landed an hour ahead of schedule, but the traffic from the airport to Lirio was about to drive me insane.

The driver’s voice broke me out of my haze. “How was your trip, sir?”

I turned toward the front seat and met his eye in the rearview mirror. “The usual.”

My parents had badgered me the same as they always had, but this time Lily had been the topic of discussion.

“When are we going to get a grandchild? We’re only getting older.”

“Are you sure you want to stay in New York City? Is that really where you want to raise your family?”

“Aren’t you ready to make an honest woman out of her?”

I swore they were still living in the 1800s, but I’d tried my best to appease them. I’d had a ring burning a hole in the pocket of my pants for the last two months. I’d picked out a ring that was big, but tasteful. Julian had set the bar high a few months earlier—the bastard—but I’d been happy to spoil Lily. She’d flip when she saw it. If she saw it.

Our lives had been so busy the last few months. Opening Lirio had taken a lot of work and the restaurant still wasn’t running smoothly. Most nights, Lily and I were both working like dogs.

“Here you are sir. Would you like me to wait?”

I shook my head and offered him a tip. The night was still young and I knew Lily and I would be at the restaurant for quite a while.

“Go on ahead and drop my luggage at the house. We’ll catch a cab later.”

“Sounds good, sir.”

Lirio was packed when I walked in, busier than usual for a Wednesday night. The New York Times had featured our restaurant the week before and we were already starting to see the effects of the article.

“Hi Mr. Harper,” the hostess said, nodding at me as I walked in and hung my jacket on the coat rack near the door.

“Hey Sarah. What’s it looking like tonight?”

“We have over a hundred reservations and I haven’t tallied the walk-ins yet. There are two parties taking place in the back rooms at the moment.”

I nodded. “Good. Where’s Lily?”

She smiled and angled her head toward the center bar.

“Again?”

“Yeah, Todd called in sick.”

That was fourth time he’d called in sick in two weeks, and I knew for a fact the kid was calling in so he could make it to last minute auditions.

“All right, thanks,” I told her, moving past the hostess stand so I could find Lily.

We’d designed Lirio to be much smaller than Provisions. We’d wanted the experience to feel intimate. The tables were covered with white tablecloths with fresh flowers and tea candles. The lighting overhead was soft and meant to be forgotten. Beautiful abstract paintings hung sparingly on the walls, but the real art was the food. Antonio had created dishes for us that were jam-packed with color and flavor.

“Two jalape?o margaritas!” Lily called, sliding two drinks across the bar. There was a small crowd around her, watching her work and waiting anxiously for their turn to get a drink.

There was another bar on the other side of the restaurant, but like always, people were drawn to her. She had her blonde hair twisted up in a bun atop her head, but a few strands had slipped out. She huffed out a breath, trying to blow the strands out of her eyes as she dried her hands on her black apron. She wasn’t in the standard black uniform the other employees wore; she never was. Just like the food, she was a constant source of color in the restaurant. Her royal blue wrap dress curved around her, completely modest but lighting a fire inside me even still. She was beautiful. Hours of working behind a bar would never dampen her glow.

I walked up to the edge of the bar, a few feet away from where she was stationed. She bent forward toward a patron to hear his order over the hum of the crowd. When she leaned back and reached for her shaker, I spoke up.

“You told me you were going to catch up on admin stuff tonight,” I said.

Her bright eyes slid from the shaker up to me and she squealed.

“Dean!”

She took two steps closer and leaned over the bar to plant a kiss right on my lips. I wrapped a hand around her neck, holding her against me.

“I missed you,” I breathed against her lips.

“I need to make this drink,” she laughed, peeling out of my hold.

I regretted having to let her go, but there were customers waiting for drinks.

“You want me to help?” I asked.