Vicious Valentine by Patti Benning (best fiction novels to read txt) 📗

apartment buzzer a few times, and when I called down to see who it was, they didn’t answer. Nothing serious, but enough to make me uncomfortable. Then, one night, I went outside and I saw Corbin hanging around by the corner of my building. I don’t think he saw me. I went inside and texted him, just asking what he was up to, and he said he was at home making dinner. I decided to end it then. Not just because of the lying, but because of the fact that I’m pretty sure he’s the one who was stalking me. I mean, sure, he didn’t ever do anything threatening, but it was creepy and I would rather not end up on an episode of unsolved crimes.”

“That sounds like a good choice,” Hannah said.

“I always seem to draw in the creeps,” Vanessa said with a sigh. She paused as Shayne returned with the drink. “Enough about me, though. I want to hear what you two ladies are doing on Valentine’s Day. If I don’t get my romantic date, I can still live vicariously through yours.”

“Well, unlike you assumed, I do have plans with Ben,” Hannah said. “We’re having dinner here after the restaurant closes. We’ll have the whole place to ourselves. I’m looking forward to it.”

“That’s such a good idea,” Caroline said. “I wish I had thought of that. Dean and I are getting takeout and we are going to have a romantic evening at home. We already promised to keep our phones off for the whole evening. It will be just the two of us, no distractions.”

“Are you planning on getting something from the restaurant?” Hannah asked. “If you are, I will whip up a cake or something special for the two of you.”

“We haven’t decided where we’re getting food yet,” Caroline replied. “We might pick it up from somewhere out of town. It will just depend on what we are both in the mood for that evening.”

“I think Hannah wins,” Vanessa said, taking another sip of her drink. “It’s hard to beat having a whole restaurant to yourselves for a date.”

“It’s not a competition,” Caroline said, rolling her eyes. “Not everything is a contest, Vanessa.”

“Maybe not for you,” Vanessa replied with a grin. “I’m glad both of you have nice plans, though. I know it’s silly, but I love Valentine’s Day. The hearts, the chocolate, focusing on someone you love... it’s an underrated holiday.”

“It’s going to be a busy holiday, that much is certain at least,” Hannah said. “We’ve got reservations all evening. It will be our busiest night so far this year.”

“It sounds like you hired the new guys and gal just in time,” Vanessa said.

“They’ll still be too inexperienced by Sunday to take much of the pressure off of everyone else, but any help is good.”

“I can come in early in the evening if you need more hands in the kitchen,” Caroline said. “Dean and I aren’t having dinner until later anyway. I feel bad leaving you to manage the holiday by yourself.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Hannah said with a wave of her hand as she rose from her seat. “You’ve got Dean, and I’m glad you two will be able to spend the day together. Besides, you’ll owe me.” She grinned. “This way I won’t feel guilty the next time I ask you to take an extra shift.”

Caroline chuckled as Hannah walked away. Taking the time to chat with her friends had been nice, but she had to get back to work. The new employees couldn’t train themselves after all.

Chapter Two

Before Hannah knew it, Valentine’s Day arrived in a flurry of pink and red decorations. She blinked as she stepped into Hawk’s Place on Sunday morning. Hoping to build some excitement for the holiday that would have them all working themselves to the bone, she had given the employees free reign on decorating the night before. They… may have gone a little bit overboard, she thought as she stared at a huge cut-out of Cupid hanging from the ceiling high above. She knew she certainly hadn’t bought anything like that, so someone must have made it. It was impressive; one of the employees was a hidden artist.

While the decor wasn’t much to her personal tastes — she hadn’t seen so much pink in one room since her obsession with the color when she was eight — it certainly looked festive. The decorations weren’t the only preparations they had made for the holiday either; she and Caroline had bought special heart shaped pans and molds the week before in preparation for Valentine’s Day. While not a necessary purchase, they were doing well enough that they could afford it and the pans would also be used for weddings and anniversaries that they would cater once they got that part of the business up and running.

There was so much to do. She blew out a breath and continued in, moving through the… festive… dining area toward the kitchen. It had been nearly a year since they’d opened Hawk’s Place, but she and Caroline were still just beginning their journey. They had barely begun to touch all of their plans for the restaurant’s future. They had a long way to go before Hawk’s Place was truly the restaurant they had dreamed of.

The first few hours were blessedly easy. They had a few couples come in for lunch and prepared nearly an equal number of orders for take-out, but they had plenty of time in between orders to prepare for the swiftly approaching dinner hours. Even as Tony and Brian chopped, sliced, and diced vegetables for the coming evening, Hannah swiped bowls and plates holding the finished products to add to the soups and roasts that had to be ready in time for dinner. Many of their entrées were made fresh as soon as an order came in, but cooking a melt-in-your mouth pot roast from start to finish in twenty minutes was a stark impossibility.

The scent of roasting meat,