I exited my office to say hello and to check in on things. I had a good crew, so I knew everything would be running smoothly.
"Hey, Boss, are we planning on a Halloween party like last year? My parents are downsizing, and they have some really cool Halloween decorations they’re trying to get rid of. They'd be really fun in the restaurant," Carlo, the head cook, asked as he pulled out vegetables from the refrigerator. He liked to get all the chopping out of the way first thing. The rest of the kitchen staff were busy with other prep work, including cleaning fresh fish Carlo always managed to get first thing in the morning.
I nodded. “Of course, we’re having a Halloween party." The image of Sam and hisCaptainAmericacostume flashed in my head. Inwardly, I growled and forced myself to remember the party we hosted at the Sea Siren last year. I hadn’t been open very long. The party was a marketing effort to get people through the door. It was a great success, and since then, the Sea Siren did well.
"Cool. If you want, I can bring the stuff by and you can decide what you want to buy. I’ll take the rest to a charity shop or maybe donate to a school or something." His knife started rat-a-tatting on the chopping block. I was amazed but also terrified that he’d cut off a finger.
"That sounds good. I’ll let you get to work.”
With everything running smoothly, I went back to my office. I needed to go through inventory and determine what I needed to order. After Ethan’s party last night, I was sure I needed to do a booze order. Probably corn chips, too. The guests scarfed down a lot of chips and salsa last night.
At a knock on my door, I braced myself thinking Sam was making good on his promise. The door opened, and Ethan popped his head in. Disappointment rushed through me before I could stop it.Goddammit, Sam.
I put on a smile. "Ethan. I figured you'd be at home nursing a hangover after last night."
"I didn't get that drunk, not that you noticed." He sauntered into my office, taking a seat in the chair in front of my desk.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means the minute Sam Clarke walked into this place, you were MIA. Not just hiding in your office, but emotionally as well." He shook his head. "Maybe I should've tossed him the minute I realized the guy with Zach Clarke was Sam. Then again, he didn't come back after he took Harper and Noel to the hospital. By the way, have you heard what they had?"
I felt guilty that in my pity party, I hadn't thought about Harper and Noel. I shook my head. "I haven't heard yet."
"They're going to have their hands full with two little ones."
“I’m surprised you and Lucy haven’t been working on giving Kira a brother or sister.”
Ethan grinned like a lunatic. “Who says we’re not?”
I was happy for him and Lucy, but good gracious, sometimes, he acted like such a sap.
His expression turned serious. "Tell me the truth. How are you feeling about Sam's return?"
I shrugged like I didn't care because I didn't, right? "It's a free country. He can go wherever he wants."
Ethan laced his fingers together and looked down for a moment. My gut clenched knowing he was going to say something that I probably wouldn’t like.
He looked at me. "I know Sam did a number on your heart. But maybe his being back could be your second chance."
"No."
He studied me for a moment. I glared at him, hoping he’d get the clue that Sam wasn’t a topic of discussion.
He huffed out a breath. "I get it. I’d like to kick his ass for what he did to you—"
“Then why are you suggesting I give him another chance? Why do you think he even wants another chance?"
Sam had said he wanted to explain things to me and that he wanted me to change my mind about him, but that didn’t mean he wanted to reconcile. So it was strange that Ethan would suggest it... unless he knew something I didn’t.
I tilted my head to the side. "Did he say something to you?"
He looked down again, and I got an unsettling feeling in my stomach. "What did he say?"
"Nothing last night. But five years ago, he came back to Los Angeles looking for you."
"What?" Why was this the first time I was hearing of this? Not that it would have mattered. I was a fast learner. Sam taught me that love ever after was a myth. Oh, sure, my brother and Lucy seemed to have it, and even my friends Lane, Anne, and Harper were living happily with their husbands. But Sam taught me that love wasn't for me.
"It was a few months after he left. I didn't tell you because I didn't think it would matter. At the time, you were struggling after Sam left and then with what Grandfather did. You’d been spiraling downward. When he showed up, you were just starting to get your footing again. I didn't want anything to mess that up. Was I wrong? Should I have told him where you were?"