So good for her.
But she wasn’t a woman who hid from the truth. Before Hogan, the business had steadily grown under her management.
With Hogan, it all but exploded.
If she hoped to maintain the current momentum—and she most definitely did—she needed him.
Blast the man—he’d even done a miraculous job with her bookkeeping.
Did he still want her? Was he as sexually frustrated as she was? Had he given up on her, or was he just biding his time?
God, she didn’t even know what she wanted, not where it pertained to an intimate relationship. When it came to business, she wasn’t nearly so indecisive.
Taking advantage of a fifteen-minute break, maybe the only one she’d get, Violet strolled around back to see Hogan. She paused just inside the prep area, making note of his organizational skills even here. He’d set up the area himself, taking it over without a qualm. An interior door kept the hot summer air from competing with the air-conditioning inside and allowed him to leave the exterior door open so that he could easily move inside and still keep an eye on the grills.
A man of many talents.
Something sweet but uncomfortable crowded Violet’s chest, making her heart ache in an odd way. The emotion was unfamiliar and, damn it, unwanted.
Giving herself a moment, she quietly stood there and watched Hogan, wondering what it was about him, specifically, that affected her in such a startling way.
Gorgeous, yes. No one could deny that. The Guthrie brothers had some amazing genes coasting through their bodies. But there were others in the area who were also very attractive, and Violet knew she’d never been even remotely tempted by any of them. Well, the idea of sex had tempted her, certainly. But not all the other stuff, not the confusing emotions that tried to take priority over her restaurant.
And sex, just for the sake of sex, had never really been her thing. Not in a small town like Clearbrook. Not with men she’d later have to regard as customers in her diner. The idea of sex had been nice but, in the end, just not worth it.
Now with Hogan, the complications would be tenfold, and still she couldn’t stop thinking about it.
Standing in front of one of three grills, an apron tied low on his hips, he turned a rack of ribs. The man had an organizational skill that blew her mind. He never looked frenzied or overwhelmed. Even now, under a broiling sun while tending multiple hot grills, he moved with efficiency.
At the table closest to him, his brother, Jason, and sister-in-law, Honor, sat with neighbors Sullivan and Lexie. Hogan laughed at something Lexie said, then shook his head.
Violet could remember a time when she’d thought something might’ve been going on between Lexie and Hogan. After all, Lexie was an extremely pretty woman with her short, pale blond curls and her very up-front sexuality.
Then Lexie had moved in with Sullivan, and Violet quit worrying about it. Talk about gorgeous—Sullivan, with his inky-dark hair and midnight eyes, killer instincts and ripped body, would keep any woman happy. He was very intense, mysterious and almost intimidating.
He was fantasy material, but not once had Violet been tempted to seek an involvement.
“So admit I was right,” Lexie said to Hogan while turning to Sullivan for backup. “He looks blissfully happy, doesn’t he?”
Sunlight glinted off Sullivan’s black hair as he pretended to survey Hogan. “You know, honey, I think you’re right. Hogan looks peaceful.”
“She’s absolutely right,” Honor chimed in, aligning herself with her best friend. “Seriously, Hogan, you do look somewhat blissful.”
“Peaceful? Blissful?” Jason hugged his wife and said, “I don’t want to be left out, so can I admit that it does seem to suit you, Hogan?”
“It’s a gift,” Lexie claimed. “A real talent. A man should never ignore the calling of a talent.”
Hogan laughed again. “You’re all nuts. Yeah, I enjoy it, okay? But it’s hardly a calling.”
“You’re wrong,” Lexie insisted. “You were meant to do this.”
“This?” Hogan waved his long metal tongs at the grills. “Come off it, Lexie. I can’t see myself working in a restaurant for the rest of my life.”
That smacked of an insult and Violet decided to announce herself. “Something wrong with working in a restaurant?” All eyes turned to her as she stepped out of the preparation area and into the side yard. “It’s not good enough for you?” Am I not good enough?
Hogan took in her frown. “I never said that.”
“Maybe it’s working for a woman that you find objectionable?”
“I work for a woman at the accounting firm, too.”
She hadn’t known that and it threw her, but only for a second. She squared her shoulders, ignored all the others and stared up into Hogan’s eyes. “I think it’s out of your hands. The demand now is too high. You’ve spoiled all the customers—”
Their own little audience cheered at that, sounding very spoiled.
“—and now no one is going to want to give up having your ribs whenever they want them.”
The grill hissed and spit, flames licking upward. Turning away, Hogan rearranged the meat and adjusted the heat.
When Violet glanced at the others, she saw they wore varying expressions of encouragement, amusement, agreement—and worry. The last was from Jason.
Did he expect his brother to bully her? Ha. Not likely.
In front of all those rapt faces, she demanded, “Well?”
Occupied with the grill, Hogan asked, “Well what?”
“Sign on. Agree to work here for a full forty-hour week.” She gave that quick thought then amended, “Maybe a little more than forty given how crazy the weekend gets.”
He didn’t look at her when he said, “What makes you think you can afford me?”
He wasn’t saying an outright no? Hope blossomed. Hope and something else. “Let’s discuss it.” Thanks to Hogan, she not only had a better grasp of her own finances, but she was making more per week. She could give him a bump in pay, no problem.
Finally, he set aside those long sturdy tongs and faced her. “You want to negotiate right now? In front of them?” He nodded toward their friends.
His mood seemed off. The idea of trying to discuss this, alone, made her tingle. Could he keep to business?
Could she?
They hadn’t had any alone time in far too long now. And damn it, she missed him. She saw him every day, but not like she had while being sick.
Dumb as it seemed, she missed having him touch her.
She missed him holding her while she slept.
At her long internal debate, he gave her a mocking grin. “Having second thoughts?”
“Tonight.” Risky. Once she had him alone, or he had her alone—but this was too important. “After we close up.”
“Ohhh,” Lexie whispered, sotto voce, “to be a fly on the wall during that meeting.” Then she squeaked, thanks to Sullivan’s squeeze.
“All right,” Hogan said. He turned back to his grill. “If you see Colt, have him come out on his break, okay? I haven’t seen him yet today.”
Relief flooded through Violet until she almost felt light-headed. Hogan hadn’t flat out refused. “If I can pry him away from the girls, sure.” While Hogan might be great for