Chapter 107

“Is that your not so subtle way of asking my sexual orientation?”

Chris frowned. “No. No. Um. I just wondered.”

“No wife, no girlfriend. I like guys. No boyfriend though either.” Ryan winked. “Got all that?”

He cleared his throat. “Yeah. Well, I should go back to the dining room. I’ll check here later.”

“Chris?”

He stopped just before he went through the swinging doors. “Yeah?”

“You got a wife?”

Still feeling like he was blushing, he didn’t turn around. “No, I’m the same as you.”

And then he left the kitchen.

* * * *

The night had gone well. Better than Chris had expected. Several diners had complimented the chef. Which had gone a long way toward making Chris believe hiring Ryan hadn’t been as big of a gamble as he first thought.

As Chris said goodbye to the last guests, he locked the front doors of the restaurant. Business had been good for a Thursday night and he expected the next couple of nights to be better still. He might make a go of this after all.

He’d had his naysayers when he’d decided to move to Sutter’s Bay to open a restaurant. His parents had been among them. They’d wanted him to open a bar and grill in San Mateo where they lived. His father had even offered to invest in it with him. It had been a hard deal to turn down, but Chris had.

One of the last things his father had said to him was that when his fish restaurant didn’t work out he could come back to San Mateo and still open the bar and grill. It had stung Chris to know his parents completely expected him to fail.

It only made Chris more determined than ever that would not be the case, and he was grateful to have his brother Damon’s support.

When everything was cleaned up and locked away for the night, Chris found himself standing in the parking lot watching Ryan get on his motorcycle.

Ryan glanced around the empty parking lot. “Can I give you a ride somewhere, Mabry?”

Chris shook his head. “I live right here.”

“In the restaurant?”

He laughed. “No. Below. There’s an apartment there. You should see it sometime. Great view.”

Ryan’s eyebrows rose. “Is that an invite?”

Chris felt himself blush. He hadn’t meant it that way. “No, not really.”

“Relax,” Ryan said with a smile. “I’m kidding. You’re totally not my type.”

“Oh.” He tried not to feel disappointed by that. He didn’t want to date Ryan anyway.

Ryan laughed. “I’m kidding again. You’re totally my type.” He started his motorcycle. “I mean, really, what’s not to like? You’re gorgeous, built, and a total snob.”

“Wait, what? I’m not a snob.”

“Yeah, you are. But I kind of like you anyway. See you, Mabry.” And he drove his motorcycle out of the parking lot. 4

Whether he wanted to admit it or not, Ryan had started to really like Chris. Sure, the guy was hot. Whenever Ryan witnessed him smile, Chris flashed perfectly white, straight teeth. And his eyes were soft and intense at the same time. Hell, Ryan couldn’t describe it. But yeah, Chris was hot. But there was more to his increasing admiration than the guy’s extreme good looks.

Chris worked his ass off at his restaurant. He seemed to be there all the time as far as Ryan could see. Mabry’s was open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and Chris was there when it opened and there when it closed pretty much every day, with just an hour or so break here and there. The guy cared about his business, and the employees around him adored him and spoke very highly of him. That went a long way in Ryan’s mind.

Saturday night after he cleaned up, Ryan once more found himself in the parking lot with just Chris as he locked up the restaurant after everyone had left.

“So, I was thinking,” Ryan said, as he got ready to put on his helmet.

“Hmm?”

“Monday is probably your slowest night, right?”

Chris nodded. “Pretty much.”

Ryan turned to pretend to mess with his motorcycle. “What if, this Monday, you let me cook for you?”

Chris was silent for so long that Ryan already felt his gut twisting. He’d made a mistake obviously. He was about to tell Chris never mind. He opened his mouth to do just that.

“Are you asking me out? Well, that is, on a date?” Chris asked.

Ryan shrugged, trying to show it was no big deal. “Yeah. I don’t have much at my house still, so I’d have to cook for you in your apartment. Might be a good thing, actually. You wouldn’t be too far from the restaurant.”

Now he did turn to Chris, unable to resist seeing if the man was outright rejecting him. It would suck if he was, but Ryan needed to know if Chris just wasn’t interested.