That Secret Crush (Getting Lucky #3)(66)

“Did you bring more chocolate raspberry?” I ask. “Griffin’s been going insane since we ran out.”

“Brought two batches, so he can pull his undies out of his ass.”

I chuckle as I set a dozen blocks to the side and help my dad pull the rest of the fresh fudge out of the coolers. “What’s this?” I ask, holding up a pan of pink-and-orange-swirled fudge.

“Sherbet. Don’t tell your mother, but I slipped that one in last night. Thought I’d try something new in preparation for summer.”

“A new flavor without the family taste testing it first? Do you think that’s smart, Dad?”

He waves his hand at me. “I know when fudge is good, and this is good.”

“You think?” I take off the clear plastic cover and flip the block over on the table. With my metal scraper, I slice off a piece and take a taste. I’m immediately hit with an overwhelming wave of sweet that nearly rips my tongue in half.

“Good, right?” Dad is nodding as I run to the fridge for water.

“Dad, that was . . . oh fuck, that was gross. You need to get your taste buds checked.”

“What?” His brow furrows as he reaches for a bite. He chews and then grimaces before letting out a deep, throaty chuckle. “Well, that teaches me to make fudge while drinking beer. Let’s just chuck that slab, huh?”

“Good idea.”

While I’m clearing the sherbet fudge from the counter, Dad says, “You know, I’m glad I have you for a second. I wanted to talk to you privately.”

“Is it about bombarding me yesterday?”

“Maybe.” He smiles and leans against one of the stainless steel countertops that stretch along the side of the kitchen. “I could read it all over your face that you were shocked, to say the least. I was, too, when Eric and Eve approached me without you, but I had to admire them. Eric insisted that I’d either take on him and Eve together or neither of them. He stepped up for his sister, told me why she would be perfect for the job and why all three of you would be perfect for the job. His parents would have been proud.”

“He said all three of us?”

He nods. “And he said that Bar 79’s success didn’t come from either one of you but from the chemistry you two had in the kitchen. I couldn’t agree more. With Eve at the helm managing everything, I know that this is going to be successful. I did mention to Eve that while you two are working out the details of the menu, I’d want to put her through some vigorous training during the little spare time she has. She said she was ready for it and will do anything to make this a success. Those are the kinds of things I want to hear.”

“This means a lot to her,” I admit. “It means a lot to us, Dad. I don’t really know what to say about the chance you’ve given all three of us, but I feel like I’ll forever be repaying you.”

He shakes his head and pushes off the counter, stepping closer and placing his large hand on my shoulder. “Don’t you realize, Reid, that I’m not doing you a favor? You’re actually helping me out. You’re bringing a dream of mine to reality, and for that, I’ll always be grateful to you, son.”

Fuck.

What’s with the emotions I’ve been having lately? You’d think I was a pubescent tween. It’s been getting goddamn annoying.

But there’s something that happens to you as a man as you get older and watch your parents age, especially your dad. There is this innate need to help him, to impress him, to garner his forever respect, to make sure you turn out to be the man he’s always dreamed you’d be. But after the restaurant crashed and burned, I gave up hope of being much more than an embarrassment.

Now, though, there’s hope—a whisper in my mind that I’m on my way to becoming the man he raised me to be, and that means more than anything.

This is the man who put his faith in my talent, who took a chance on a young punk who wanted nothing more than to cook. He invested in me, cheered for me, and stood by my side when the worst happened. He’s picked me up when I’ve been down, he’s lifted me up when no one else would, and he’s trusted me with his dream.

In this moment, I make a silent promise to myself. I will do everything possible to make sure this restaurant is not only a true success but also a legacy.

I reach out and pull my dad into a hug, and we take the moment to pat each other on the back, a silent exchange of appreciation passing between us.

“I’m really excited about this, Dad,” I say as we pull away. “The design meeting is going to be amazing, and I actually cooked something for Eve last night.”

His brows shoot up. “You did?”

“Yup.” I decide to leave out the cooking-naked part. “Made spaghetti and meatballs. It felt really fucking good too, like I was breathing again.”

He breaks out into a grin. “That makes me happier than you could ever imagine. And I think it has to do with the woman you were cooking for.”

I couldn’t agree more.

“She’s everything to me, Dad.”

“I can see it in your eyes.” He pauses. “Eric doesn’t know yet, does he?”

A wave of anxiety hits me, and I shake my head. “Because of Janelle and what she did to us, we thought keeping things quiet right now might be a good idea. We plan on telling him but want to prove to him how well we can work together first. Are you going to be okay with that?”