“Who the fuck does he think he is, coming here and ordering her around like that, like she was some kind of bubble-headed twit?” Of course, Alice Benedict had handled her brother beautifully. Leesa was proud of the young woman but still felt very unsettled about the entire tableau that had just played out before her in full living, breathing color.
She tried to temper the force with which she shoved canned goods aside as she searched for a tin of prunes. Under the heading of “just desserts,” prunes would be perfect. Her father had once quipped that if a person acted as if they were full of shit, they might just actually be so.
“Just because he’s handsome as hell, looks like sex on a stick, and makes my mouth water doesn’t mean….”
Fuck.
Leesa closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against the cold metal of the shelf. She’d felt hot and had chalked that heat up to having been furious that any man—family or not—would think he had the right to demand a grown woman do his bidding. That he would storm into the middle of her engagement party and try to put a wet blanket on the whole thing was particularly odious.
Leesa shook her head and gave up her search.
There was no way she was going to find a can of prunes on Kelsey’s shelf, because that particular fruit wasn’t used in a single recipe served at Lusty Appetites. Kelsey only stocked what she needed.
But it had been a good thought. Or it would have been if I’d left it as a thought. I can’t believe I suggested out loud that Jason Benedict’s problem was constipation, and that he needed a good serving of prunes as a remedy. Leesa giggled then turned her attention back to the storage shelves.
She took a moment to ensure her vigorous search hadn’t disorganized things too badly. She’d spent too many years in the army, ensuring all was done to exacting standards, to leave her workstation in a mess now. Orderliness was ingrained in her psyche. Satisfied the shelves were as they should be, she turned off the light and closed the door behind her.
Leesa took a moment, leaned against the closed door, and tried to get a grip. The kitchen was quiet, as the only other two staff members on duty for the night were Tracy Alvarez-Kendall and Michelle Grant, both of whom were in the dining room, ensuring that everyone had all they needed as they visited with family and friends.
The sounds of the restaurant-wide party being held in honor of the engagement of Alice Benedict to Ian and Ken Kendall came through the kitchen door. Everyone else in the place was in the dining room, enjoying themselves.
Good. No one will hear me lecture myself about the folly of being attracted to another asshole. Leesa shook her head. “If you’re going to lecture yourself, at least be honest about it. You really have no idea if Jason Benedict is an asshole, or not.”
And she didn’t. She knew what she’d heard about the man, including Alice’s father’s comment, only a minute or so before Jason had made his entrance. Her father had said that her brother Jason had always been funny about her. Perhaps Jason was guilty of no more than being overly protective of his baby sister.
Leesa knew that wasn’t uncommon in the least. She’d noticed that so many of the men she’d served with over the years, men stationed in dangerous parts of the world or just at home on one of the many army bases around the country where she’d been stationed, were very protective of their sisters. She’d figured the reason for that was that they knew firsthand how obsessed—and downright sneaky—men could be when it came to sex. Some of the raunchiest men she’d ever met held tight to the double standard that they could get laid as often as they liked but their sisters had better remain pure and virginal.
Leesa had never understood that kind of thinking, but she knew it was very common. You’re supposed to be focused on being honest with yourself, remember?
She poured herself a glass of sweet tea and sat down on her stool by the work counter. Leesa calculated she had a few more minutes before one or both of her coworkers came in to get her. She’d already been told that she was welcomed to circulate, to chat and mix with the guests. The need for more food on the buffet counters had tapered off. There really was no reason to sequester herself. She’d mingled some earlier, even as she’d helped see to it that the buffet was well stocked, the guests’ beverages were kept filled, and the empty plates cleared away.
Leesa had made several friends in her few short months here in Lusty, and those friends would wonder why she wasn’t out there, taking the opportunity to socialize.
Leesa inhaled deeply, held her breath for a moment, then let it all go.
“The man who just came into this restaurant is named Jason Benedict, not Bryce Jordan.” There, she’d even said it out loud. Until a few minutes ago, Bryce had been the only man she’d ever met who’d been able to engender that sort of attraction in her. He’d been the only man who’d ever made her heart race, her palms sweat, and her lady parts tingle. Never mind that what she’d just felt surpassed anything Bryce had caused.
That’s the damn problem. You do have to mind it. Remember what those tingly feelings led to the last time. A ton of fast disappointment, beginning with the wedding night and lasting until the divorce had been filed and he’d been in jail.
Sometimes, she still couldn’t believe it. The first time she’d ever felt sexually attracted, and what the hell had she done? She’d married the man, never realizing what a complete
