Chapter 3

Amara’s POV:

I turned around, holding my breath as I looked up at him, waiting to see what he had to say now that he recognized me.

“It bothered me why I couldn’t figure out where I knew you from.” Zavier chuckled, hands on his hips as he stared at me. What was I supposed to do now?

“This is a good job opportunity, and I couldn’t let it pass because of something in the past,” I replied truthfully, though there was more to the story. He didn’t need to know it all.

“We’ll continue this conversation later. Right now, we have to go,” Zavier mumbled, staring at the watch on his wrist before letting the sleeves roll over it again. I nodded and grabbed my purse, following him out.

~~~

In the car, I took out my notepad and wrote down the questions I needed answered by his family for this dinner.

“When do you want to have this dinner, sir?” I asked, still writing down whatever questions I had along with some ideas I had. Of course, if those went against his family’s tastebuds or allergies, I’d have to cross them out.

“Hmm, probably this Saturday. That’s not too soon, is it?” he asked, starting the engine and letting the car warm up first before speeding out onto the street.

“No, of course not. I’ll just have to check in with your people and see what they like.” I shrugged. I could tell he was truly waiting till later to have the conversation, which worried me. What would he ask? What if he asked about Sebastian?

“As far as I know, one of my sisters is vegan, though she switches up her diet a lot. Three months ago, she was pescatarian,” Zavier spoke, laughing at the story.

“I see. Either way, it will be done. I’ll have no trouble making several dishes,” I assured him and tucked away the notebook.

“Tessa will most likely be with us, but she has no allergies and loves just about anything that tastes good.” He shrugged again, punctuating the last words we spoke.

~~~

We arrived at what I assumed was his childhood house. The place was huge with big black gates that had floral designs on the iron bars. There was a long stone path with a water fountain in the middle. He parked his car alongside all the others that showed just how rich these people were, as if the mansion didn’t do that already. When I got out of the car, I noticed all the flowers that grew here and could tell they were tended to with care. Zavier led the way inside, his hand hovering over my back as we walked in together. The moment we stepped in, I could feel everyone’s eyes on me.

“Amara, hey.” Tessa stepped closer to me and pulled me into a hug as if we had known each other for years. I appreciated the friendly, familiar face, though.

“It’s good to see you.” I smiled and let go of her.

“Tessa, do you mind introducing her to the others?” Zavier asked, looking over at his friend, who nodded.

“Hmm? No.” She smiled at me and motioned for me to follow her.

~~~

I looked over at two women who seemed like twins. They had hazel-colored eyes with brunette hair that differed in length, which seemed to be the only difference they had.

“Let’s start with the twins. This is Charlotte and Carolyn.” Tessa introduced me to the one with short hair first then her sister next to her. If it weren’t for the hair length difference, I’d probably struggle to tell them apart.

“Hello, nice to meet you.” Charlotte smiled, shaking my hand while her twin sister just stared at me.

“Who are you?” Carolyn asked, raising a sharp brow while Tessa just gave me an awkward look along with the chance to introduce myself.

“Amara Reid, Zavier’s new cook. He has this dinner planned, so I’m hoping you don’t mind me asking if you have any allergies?” I introduced myself then started immediately with what I needed from them.

Once we finished up with the twins, Tessa led the way to a man who looked similar to Zavier, except he had lighter hair and darker eyes—way darker.

“This is Arlo, Zav’s older brother,” Tessa said, unamused as the man had a smirk on his face when he saw us approaching him.

“Who might you be, cariño?” he asked, taking my hand in his and bringing it to his lips.

“Arlo, stop being a creep. This is Zav’s new cook.” Tessa smacked his chest, making him let go of my hand.

“A snack making a snack?” Arlo winked at me, making me chuckle nervously and look over to the side.

“So, Mr. Fuentes has this dinner planned, and I’m hoping to get you—” I tried staying professional.

“Actually, you don’t have to bother with him. He eats anything edible,” Tessa said and took my hand and walked away from the man.

“You’re a mean woman, chiquita,” he said, making her groan and roll her eyes.

“I’m not little anymore, cabron.”

“Hmm,” I remarked.

“What?” She raised a brow at me.

“Nothing,” I teased and jabbed her. It was clear there was something between those two—maybe not romantic, but some type of one-sided hate.

“Listen, one Fuentes brother is more tolerable than the other.” She winked at me.

“Which one is it then?” I joked, making her laugh.

“Your boss shouldn’t hear you talking like that,” she warned playfully and brought me into one of the rooms where I saw an older woman sitting with one leg over the other, her eyes focused on the book in her hand.

“Tessa! It’s so good to see you. Please don’t tell me that’s one of Arlo or Zavier’s playthings?” the woman asked, glaring me down and leaving me surprised.

“Excuse me?” I asked, raising a brow at her, watching as she was ready to tell me off, but Tessa spoke up before something could happen.

“Tia, this is his cook, Amara,” she introduced me, watching as the look on the woman’s face changed a little, though I was still offended.

“My apologies, dear. These boys of mine have put me through hell.” She closed the book and focused her attention on me now.

“So, you just call any woman a plaything?” I asked. Her olive eyes glared at me again as if I were in the wrong for asking something like this.

“Uh, Amara’s here to get some information about any allergies and such for the dinner Zav is planning.” Tessa was quick to change the subject.

~~~

By now, I had all the information I needed. Arlo and Tessa had no issues. Charlotte and Zavier had the same allergies: almonds, hazelnuts, peaches, and kiwi. Tiffany, Zavier’s mother and the woman who called me a plaything, just mentioned hating fish. Carolyn was now on a keto diet, so I’d have to make something fitting for her. These people would have me cooking for hours.

Zavier offered me a bonus, but I declined, and now, I hoped I could instead ask for a Saturday off. That way, I could spend the whole day with my boy.

~~~

Zavier’s POV:

I had to have a little chat with Tessa. She recruited Amara, so she might know a little more. I walked up to her and Amara.

“Hey, Tess, can I talk to you privately?” I asked, looking over at the others and then at her. Tessa hummed and followed me to one of the rooms, closing the door behind her when I signaled her to do so.

“Remember Amy?” I asked, looking over her shoulder though the doors were closed.

“Oh yeah, your party hookup?” Tessa and I had this chemistry that just worked well together. We’d always had each other’s back and just understood each other in ways others couldn’t. We’d been friends since high school and seen each other through phases we wished we never even went through.

“Yeah, now remember when I told you Amara had a familiar face?” I asked, resting my hands on my hips.

“No way…” Her eyes widened.

“Yes. Should’ve seen the look on her face when I called her Amy,” I scoffed, shaking my head as I looked down at my socks for a moment.

“Wow, what a surprise, man,” Tessa mumbled, still in disbelief.

“Now you know how things are with the women in my past. They always come back for something, so what will we do about this one?” I looked over her shoulder again to make sure no one was snooping around.

“Honestly, Zav, she hasn’t asked for anything. Usually, they’d claim to be in love or carrying your child, but she hasn’t done either of those,” Tessa mumbled, walking over to the desk and leaning against it.

“She told me this job was too good to pass up because of her past,” I explained, turning to face her. She’d have to know more about Amara as she was the one who interviewed her.

“It is a good job—and a very well paid one at that.” She shrugged, making her thinking face.

“Are you sure she’s legit? What happened at her previous job?”

“The restaurant she worked at was a front for a mob boss. She and the whole staff lost their jobs, so it’s real—no lie there,” Tessa responded, the sound of her long nails tapping on her phone catching my attention. I looked over the article she showed me on her phone that backed up Amara’s story.

“I see…I should probably have this conversation with her later.” I sighed, holding my hand out to her to help her up so we could get going.

“You should,” Tessa hummed. “Has she done anything you don’t like?”

“Nope, she’s truly a professional. Every time I compliment something other than her cooking, she just gives me a nod,” I replied honestly, stopping our movement as we continued to talk.

“She did the same thing with Arlo,” Tessa mentioned, making me roll my eyes.

“Arlo’s already flirting with her?” I didn’t know why I felt so invested in this or why it bothered me so much.

“You know Arlo—stringing people along just to disappoint them,” Tessa replied in a tone I was familiar with. Seemed like she was talking from personal experience.

“What’s that’s supposed to mean, hmm?” I questioned, raising a brow at her.

“Nothing,” she mumbled, flashing me a quick smile followed by a nervous giggle. Funny how she still tried to lie to me even when I knew her so well.

“No, it’s something. Tell me.” I blocked the door so that she couldn’t move. She opened her mouth but then closed it.

“Dinner’s ready, sir,” the butler said as he entered the room. Tessa took that as her moment to go.