As we entered Gael’s Place, it was moderately busy. Dave, Gael’s father, was still here. He came over and greeted me. “Hey, Ashlin. I’m glad I got to see you before I left. Hopefully, you can come over again soon.”
I was too shaken to engage in a deep conversation. I slipped behind the training I had for the last seven months when situations became uncomfortable out with Harris.
“That sounds lovely.” My tone was neutral.
From the corner of my eye, I could see Gael looking at me as his head cocked to the side.
“Good. I’ll have Erica get in touch. Gael, I’ll make sure everything is running smoothly before I head home if that sounds good.”
I hadn’t realized Dave was so involved in the restaurant, though it made sense with his cooking abilities. A group of patrons clapped in the corner in what seemed to be a celebration of some sort.
Shaking his dad’s hand, Gael responded, “Thanks, Dad. I owe you.”
“Nah. Anytime, Son. I’ll call ya’ later.” There seemed to be a lot that they weren’t saying in this moment. I kept a pleasant smile on my face.
We passed another diner who was eating. “Gael, is this your girl you were talkin’ about?”
Keeping the same look as I had with Dave, I waited for the appropriate interval to respond. Gael eyed me, “Yes, Earl. This is Ashlin Thomas, and indeed the girl I was talking about earlier. She stopped by to get some lunch.”
Sticking my hand out, I shook Earl’s. “Earl, it’s nice to meet you.”
Gael continued to look at me speculatively.
“Nice meetin’ ya, too. I’ve known this boy for awhile. He’s a fine fellar.” The gray-haired man looked at Gael with admiration as he rubbed the stubble on his face.
I nodded politely. “I think so, too. It was a pleasure to meet you.”
“You too, darlin’. See ya around, Gael. You know I’ll be back next week for the chicken pot pie special.”
“We’ll have a plate waiting for you, Earl.”
Gael gave Earl a friendly pat on the back before we continued toward the office. Gael’s grip tightened on me. As the office door closed, Gael came up and cradled my face in his hands. “Come back to me. You never have to be afraid of showing what you feel around me regardless of where we are. Sweetheart, what is going through that beautiful head of yours?”
Clearing my throat, I tried to shake the old habits I had become accustomed to. “What are you thinking?”
I needed to know where Gael’s head was in all this before I bore myself to him.
“Seeing that bastard near you had me wanting to lose control and beat the shit out of him. He deserves it and worse for what he did to you. I wanted him to know that you’re mine. I don’t want you hiding behind barriers. I want to see the real you.” There was a fierceness about him that I hadn’t seen before.
A few sniffles emitted from my nose and there was a knock at the door. “Let me see who this is. It’s been a little more hectic than normal with all the changes in vendors. It also may be our lunch.”
“Okay.” Gael walked to the door and I turned to face his desk as I wiped away the couple of tears that trailed down my face. Trying to focus on the brick that was on the wall, I worked on calming myself.
Wheels on the hardwood floor sounded in the quiet office. They stopped. A hand touched my shoulders, sending warmth through my body as Gael turned me to him. “Now, will you tell me what you’re thinking about?”
I looked down at Gael’s stripped button up shirt and traced the lines. “There’s a lot on my mind. I wonder why Harris is here and if he’s been watching me. The timing was almost too perfect. I’m worried about what he’ll do to you next, to us.”
“Is that it?”
The question lingered out there and I knew Gael deserved the truth. Or at least the truth I was willing to admit to myself. “Since last night, I … I … I …”
I looked away and tried to put some space between us. Gael didn’t let me move. Bending his knees, Gael brought his eyes to mine. Conflict rose within me. I knew my heart told me one thing and my head the other. The problem was I wasn’t able to decipher which thoughts were from which place even though moments ago I thought I had known.
“Ashlin, we’ll work through it. All I want you to do is be honest with me.” Gael’s words encouraged me to keep going.
Taking a deep breath, I tried to put my thoughts together. “You’ve just met me, but you sound like you’re willing to lose your restaurant to my ex. It’s a sobering thought for me. You’ve just gotten back from Europe. Last night has me terrified with what happened and how intense it felt. I feel like you’re expecting something from me that I’m not ready to say. It’s all really fast. Maybe too fast.”
Gael looked at me for a second before bringing us over to the black leather couch against the wall. Scrubbing a hand down his face, he looked at the opposite wall. He took a deep breath, then faced me. “Ashlin, I’m not rolling over and handing my restaurant to him. I’d fight like hell to keep it, but Harris needed to understand how serious I am about us. I’m a grown man that isn’t going to shrink at his demands because he messed something up he shouldn’t have. But, Ashlin…”