Chapter 119


    Abby


    My eyes snap open to discover that someone, in the span of what feels like five minutes, my office has


    grown dark. There’s a hand on my shoulder, and an all-too-familiar face—with a smirk on it, of course—


    staring down at me.


    “Sleepy?” Karl asks, his lips twitching into a grin.


    I shake my head and sit up, trying to regain a sense of reality. The re of the deskmp scatters


    across stacks of invoices and order forms, casting a dim amber glow over everything.


    “No,” I lie, looking away as Karl crosses the room back to the doorway. “I was just putting my head


    down for a few minutes.”


    A quick nce at the clock reveals that it’s almost eight o’clock, and considering the fact that it’s a


    Wednesday, the restaurant is already mostly quiet. Through my half-open office door, I can just barely


    make out the faint sound of scattered voices and silverware on tes from the few customers who are


    still hanging around, post-dinner rush.


    Karlughs and leans against the doorframe. “Sure. And what looks like drool on your cheek must just


    be condensation or something, right?”


    Drool? I swipe my cheek with the back of my hand and sure enough, ites away wet. Great.


    “Okay, you go me,” I mutter, smoothing down my messy hair. “This morning was hectic, and I didn’t


    sleep too wellst night…”


    Karl shrugs. “Don’t sweat it,” he assures me. “In fact, you’ll be happy to know that after the health


    inspector left, everything else went smoothly. No more food critics, no sick servers, no arguing


    employees.”Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    I force a half-smile. So word really does travel fast; or rather, Karl is more attuned to the drama than I


    thought. I never mentioned the sick servers and arguing employees to anyone, but someone must have


    noticed.


    “That’s… good,” I sigh, rubbing my eyes. “Did you need something?”


    Karl pushes off the doorframe and saunters in again, perching on the edge of my cluttered desk. “Well,


    I had a question for you about tomorrow’s delivery schedule, but it’s really not that important,” he says.


    “You look like you could use some rest instead.”


    I shake my head, pushing myself up to my feet in an attempt to make myself look morepetent as a


    restaurant owner than I really feel right now. “I’m perfectly fine,” I lie, hoping that he won’t notice the


    fact that I’m wavering slightly where I’m standing. “What’s your question?”


    For a few moments, Karl gazes at me without answering. There’s something gentle in his eyes,


    something that I haven’t seen in a very long time. And something about it makes my knees just the


    tiniest bit weak. I cross the room in a feeble attempt to hide the blush that’s creeping into my cheeks,


    and stop by the window, peering out into the dimly lit city street. It’s pouring rain.


    “Look, it’s gettingte and the kitchen will close soon anyway,” Karl says after a moment, snapping me


    back to reality. “You should go home, Abby.”


    I shrug. “I’ll be fine. I’ll at least wait until—”


    “Until it stops raining?” he asks. I nod, and Karl sighs. “It’s supposed to rain all night. Just let me drive


    you home, okay?”


    I stare out the window for another few moments at the rain, listening as it patters against the ss. A


    quick nce at my coat hook reveals that my umbre is nowhere to be found, and I yawn, realizing


    that my nap on my desk didn’t really do much to cure my exhaustion.


    “Alright, fine,” I finally say, turning back to face Karl. He’s got an almost triumphant look on his face, but


    hides it quickly. “Let’s go.”


    …


    The transition from the dim, cramped space of my office to Karl’s sleek, ck sedan is an unexpected


    the rain, bounce off of the windshield as we drive. I’ve always loved the city in the rain, especially the


    way the neon signs look on a stormy night; it’s like something out of a movie.