Chapter 15: Always there to help

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(Unedited, 2nd draft) 

Chapter 15: Always there to Help

Has the weeks past it seem that Chance and I finally found a balance on living together. He had spent a week rearranging the guest room into a temporary office till he found a building that suited his liking. He had talked to me about building a hotel out here, but since the town was much smaller than where most his hotel where he thought second on it.

By the time summer came around Greg changed my schedule, so Aunt Maria didn't have Ayanna all day. Chance had insisted that I leave my schedule the same, so he could have some father daughter bonding time, but I was used to having my schedule the way it was in the summer time that I didn't tell Greg other ways.

There be nights when we all be sitting in the living room watching a movie with Ayanna bundle up next to her dad and I see him looking over at from the other couch. The emotions flashing through his eyes seemed to always show me the wanting and need he had for me, making me see that he wasn't the same person I had known back in high school. It took all the straight I had not to get up and sit on the other side of him.

He had been giving me the space I had asked for and I didn't want to give into him just yet. After we had gotten home all those mouths back from finding out all those secrets my own parents had kept from me, we hadn't talked much about the engagement which shows me that he meant that he wasn't going to pressure me into this marriage.

Then came the night when I was at work about to leave, but I was waiting for Carlos to show up, when Greg pushed through the kitchen door hysterically. He rarely came into the kitchen when I was here unless he needed to talk to me, but seeing his face distraught I could sense something bad had happened.

He didn't say anything as he grabs my hand pulling away from the other workers and to the back to his office, shutting the door before he fell to his knees crying. I was clueless about what was going on, but knowing this guy had taken me in without a question I went and kneeled down in front of him wrapping my arms around him, "What's wrong?"

"Julia, she's in the hospital. They lost the baby." He left out in the weak voice. He just laid his head on my shoulder as his words hit me like a cold bucket of water. Julia pregnancy seems to be going fine which made me question what could have gone wrong that they lost the baby. Tears started falling down my cheek think how broken hearted I would have been if something had happened to Ayanna when I was pregnant with her.

"Go to the hospital. I know how to handle everything here." I told him. "She needs her big brother there along with Carlos. I can call Chance and tell him what happen."

"I can call Marcus to help with closing paperwork if you like." He said finally pulling away wiping the tears away with his sleeve. "I'll tell him to come in after the restaurant closes, so you won't have to worry about having any mishaps since I know you don't get along."

Knowing I didn't really have the strength to fight off Marcus, I had to do what was best to ease Greg mind during this dark hour. "Whatever would make you feel better, just go to your sister. I'll can run everything here fine with or without him."

"Thanks Lilly," he said, kissing the top of my forehead and getting up off the floor to his desk to get his car keys. As I stood back up, he was walking to the door. "I'll call you later once there news on why this has happened."

"Okay, now go before you have another breakdown." I said, seeing the tears run back down his face. He turns and walked out about the time I pulled my cell phone out to see Chance had called twice in the last ten minutes.

I pressed down on his number only to have him answer on the first ring. "Where are you? You're late getting home, is everything okay?" he started firing off, showing me how worried he had become since I wasn't home at my normal time.

I took a deep breath thinking how he was going to take this news, even though he hadn't become that close to the River family. "I'm not coming home till later. Julia lost the baby, so Carlos and Greg are with her. I have to stay later and close, will you make sure Ayanna is taken care of."

"Your joking are?" he asked, letting out a deep breath. "Did you just ask me if I could take care of my own child? Will in case you need to be reinsured, yes, I can take care of Ayanna, so don't worry about that."

"Thank Chance, I'll see you later on tonight. Don't let her stay up to late please." I said, getting ready to walk out of the office and to get back to work,

"Wait, how are you holding up? I know she's your friend and that you're really close." He asked with censure in his voice.

"Chance right now isn't the time to talk about this. It's going to make a working miracle to get through this dinner rush without crying. I have to stay calm, so the kitchen doesn't fall apart. Plus Marcus is coming in to help with closing paperwork, so I have to keep my wits about me." I told him trying to hold the tears back. "I'll see you when I get home, bye."

"Marcus," he repeated, his name like it was poison, "I don't trust that guy around you. Maybe there someone else that could come in and help you or maybe you can just leave the paperwork for Greg for later on."

A small giggle slip from between my lips at his childish believe, "Chance comes from the businessman you are that the craziest' thing I've ever heard you say. You turn my guest room into your own personal office and you have a video conference in there almost every day. But really Chance I have to go, bye."

I heard him let out a deep sigh from the other end, "If he causes any problems let me know."

"Chance," I said hearing a dish hit the floor notifying me I need to get back to work.

"I know, I'll see you when you get home. Bye Milly" he said, hanging up the phone about the time I could hear Ayanna in the background screaming something at him that I didn't quite make out.

Putting my phone back into my pocket I walked out of the back office to the kitchen see Marcus was already here yelling at one of my sauce cooks about it being cold. Letting out a deep breath I walked over to him knowing this night wouldn't run smoothly if he was going to come in here and cause problems that he had no control over.

"Marcus, leave my cooks alone. I'm in charge of the kitchen. You're not need until after close to handle paperwork." I yelled at him, letting the kitchen staff know I was back. "Now if you will so kindly leave before I have to call Greg and tell him how you're treating his staff like work slaves."

"Work slaves, they work for me." He said walking back over to me. "You and I both know when Greg not, here I'm the one in charge, minding you also work for me."

I took a step back not liking how he was pursuing me, "That's where you're wrong, I'm in charge of this kitchen and hired everyone who is working here, not you. You're only here to help Greg keep his books straight and help with any miscellaneous paperwork. Now please get out of my kitchen, since I didn't hire you to work in here with me."

"Whatever Angel, we'll have to have a talk later about your behavior towards me." He said with a creepy smile plastered across his face. "Till then I'll leave you to it and make sure those dishes get out in recorded time." Before I could say anything back, he turned and walked out of the kitchen as the tension left the room as well.

"Man that guy's an asshole, why does Greg keep him around." I heard one of the younger cooks ask. I turn and looked over at him as he shrugged his shoulders, "Sorry, but it's true." Not wanting to cause more of a scene in front of my kitchen staff, I just shook my head and walked over to help with the finished dishes.

About an hour later we're in the heat of our dinner rush with cooks pretty much running over one another trying to get dishes out in time, so we didn't have to deal with Marcus coming in asking what's taking so long, when the kitchen doors open. Turning around about to get ready to scream at Marcus to leave, but saw Chance starting walking over to one of the smaller workstations to a girl who seemed to be struggling at keeping up with everything going on.

I stood there dumbfounded, thinking what he was doing here. Taking in his appearance, though I could tell he came to help, wearing the blue chef's jacket my father would wear when working in the kitchen with the cook's hat lying flat to the side of his head just a little. He didn't seem to notice how the kitchen had gone steal with his arrival, but turns and gave me a small smile before turn back to the worker at the station he was working at before the kitchen went back into full swing.

Somewhere in the middle of the night when the dinner rush finally slowed down, he walked over to me and gave me a kiss on the cheek, "Don't worry Ayanna went to Aunt Maria's and was almost asleep when I drop her off."

"Well, there one question I was wondering about, but the other is what in god's name on you doing here?" I asked handing off a dish to one of the waitresses. "Plus, I told you to take care of Ayanna, not take her to Aunt Maria's."

Chance took a dish from one of the cooks before handing it off to me smiling, "I have you know Aunt Maria called the house asking for me to bring Ayanna over, saying something about not trusting that sack of shit. Give her telling me to come here and watch over him, but when I walked in and saw how busy you where I went and got the chef suit your father gave me and thought I try to help, which I think I did quite well in."

"Yes Chance you did great at keeping the chop vegetables stocked." I laughed, leaning up and kissing him on the cheek. "But you know I could get in trouble having you back here since you don't work here."

"Yeah, I didn't think about that." He said looking around has people started closing up some of the stations that weren't needed anymore. "Maybe I'll go wait up front and wait."

"Chance just goes home, I'll be there in about an hour." I told him to take in how tired my kitchen staff had become. "As you can see your help is no longer needed."

"No, I'm not leaving here knowing that Marcus guy is walking about and could cause some kind of trouble. I'll wait up front." He said walking out of the kitchen.

"I like him, he seemed like he really cares about you." The girl who was working at the same station with Chance. "He helps me out a great deal."

"Yeah, I'm glad you were able to get some help, but you need to learn to speed up when we get busier." I said, walking away not really wanting to talk to my staff about my personal life. Given thought I was thankful that Chance did show up to help and make sure Marcus didn't cause any more problem for me tonight, but I still could stop thinking way Aunt Maria would send him and not show up herself.

In the past three months she hadn't shown any sign on liking Chance and would always be calling him names behind his back. She didn't know the truth behind mine and Chance's relationship thinking that he had left me when I found myself pregnant. Maybe it was time to sit down with her and explain what really happen so she doesn't always hold a grudge over him about that, but then again with her calling him, maybe she was finally warm up to the idea that he was here to stay.

I went to help finish cleaning up the kitchen when Marcus walked back through the doors "Why is that guy sitting out front saying he waiting for you and refuse to go home?"

Hanging my head, knowing this was bound to happen sooner or later, but not having the strength to argue with this guy. "He's just here to make sure I make it home safe. I've been here since nine this morning and dead tired."

"I could have made sure you got home safe, he's not needed here." Marcus said, walking more into the kitchen as some of the staff leaves the room to leave for the night. Not liking the emptiness of the room now I looked around at some of the few who were still in the room, seeing them eyeing Marcus is terror flashing through their eyes. "And don't think I didn't see him back here helping out Lilly. He's not part of this company and needs to learn to stay out of the kitchen."

"Marcus he was just helping, there nothing to worry about, now please we're trying to clean up so we all can go home. It's late and we all had a long night, plus I need to check up on Julia." I said, turning my back to help with the last of the cleaning letting him know I was done talking to him. Thankfully, he didn't say anything as he turns and walked away.

"I'll say it once and I'll say it again. That guy's an asshole and needed to be put in his place." The guy from earlier said walking away from his now clean station.

"Milly," I heard Chance voice echo through the now empty kitchen. "Are you ready to go home?"

Before I was able to answer, though I could hear Marcus voice speak from behind him. "You can go home, I'll make sure Lilly here gets home safe."

Chance turned around, facing his back to me, "That's not in your job description, so go back to your office and do your job." He started, balling his hands in a fist.

Marcus though, let out a little laugh, "But it's not in yours either. You're nothing but some deadbeat baby daddy who knows nothing about treating a woman like a queen, she meant to be." I watched as Chance shoulder rise and fall as if he tries to control his anger. "Now, once again leave the building or I'll just have to call the cops for trespassing."

I saw Chance take a step to Marcus causing the kitchen doors swing shut. I ran over to them pushing through to see Chance walking over to Marcus, till I reach out, touching his shoulder, "Don't he not worth going to jail over. Let's just go home all that's left is mopping up the floor, which someone is about to do."

Chance just looked over his shoulder at me giving me that playboy smile he was known for having before turning back to Marcus, "That is where you're wrong, it is in my job description since Milly and I will be getting married. We've been engaged for the past three months, but have kept it a secret from everyone as we work on building our relationship, so people don't see me just as her baby daddy."

I stood there stunned that he would announce our engagement like it was some business deal, even though it was. Plus now that Marcus was aware of this, there was no telling who he tell and the people who would be mad at me for not telling them first. Chance has been right about us keeping it a secret since the only people who knew was our parents and I hadn't thought about telling Julia or another else since we had been working at getting along.

"You're engaged?" Marcus yelled.

"Yes, but that none of your concern." I told him walking to Chance's side, grabbing his hand, "Let's go home, I'm tired and need a warm bath before bed, maybe even a good massage." Trying to show Marcus I wasn't interested in him, but playing it off like Chance and I had grown more as a couple when in reality we were still the same as we had been three months ago, just did argue as much.

"Whatever you want Milly," Chance smiled as he intertwined our fingered, "Go finish up and I'll drive us home."

I yawn left my lips as I shook my head, "Alright, but first I need to check up on Julia."

"Yes of course." He smiled, leaned down, giving me a light peck on the lips, "Plus, we need to pick up our little angel." He said, while saying our really slow to show Marcus they we were now team. "Maybe we can get lucky and make another one."

"Okay Chance, let me finish cleaning up." I laughed not like where this was going now. He had been great giving me the space I was needing, but talking about our sexual relationship like we had one, was going a little too far for me. I walked away back into the kitchen to see everything was clean and put away.

I went and clocked out will undoing my chef coat and walking about in the dining area to see Chance leaning against the table that were put up with his arms cross over his chest wearing nothing but a white athletic shirt showing off his cut arms with the blue chef coat lying over his arm on the hat hang in one of his hands.

"So how about that message?" he asked, smiling like Chester the cat. "When do you want it before, during, or after your warm bath?"

"Chance." I pronounced getting him a pointed look.

"Hey, I'm just repeating what you said," he laughed, walking over to me throwing his arms over my shoulder, looking down at me, "You know I'll do whatever it is you want to do. The ball in your court since the day you said you would marry me."

"I know and thank you for giving me the space I asked for, but now let's go check on Julia and get Ayanna. Then we can go home." I said, wrapping my arms around his waist smiling up at him. Just looking up into those sparkling green gems I could feel myself finally warming up to him a little more, but there was still a small part that still had its guard up thinking Chance was going to hurt me.

"Has you wish." He replied, before pulling me to him and giving me a passionate kiss that made my toes curl up in my shoes. Our lips just moved in in sync with one another, but he did try to move further than that before pulling away.

"Night Marcus, have a good night because I know I will." Chance all the sudden said turning to walk away as he threw his arm over my shoulder. I had to bite my tongue from laughing at Chance's childish behavior, but it also shows me just how possesses he really was over me. 

Revised 11/10/2015

copyright © 2015 Letty Scott/Embrace_Passion (All Rights Revered)

{Happy New Years!!!!!!!}


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