A recipe for Secrets

sauce broke under heat, the way a new hire moved through her territory. And lately, she had been watching Liam Cross. There was something

aurant room, the walls lined with faded photos of opening night an

eyes fixed on Ivy. "Close the door," Ma

ward. "Tell me a

He's solid. Fast on the line, quiet,

is surgical, and he handles a rush like it's a Tuesday lunch shift. I asked him where he worked

t private. Not everyone like

d, studying Ivy. "You

ng the hem of her apron. "He's... different. Easy to work wi

like this without a reason. He's not some kid fresh out of culinary school, and he's not burned out like Marcu

tion she had started to feel with Liam. "Got it," she said, her voice quieter th

ion, kneading dough with flour-dusted hands, her jazz playlist barely audible over the clatter of pans. Marcus grumbled about the fryer's temperamental th

rms crossed, a faint smile on her lips that didn't reach her eyes

xtension of his hand. Maria's smile tightened, her eyes narrowing as she leaned against the c

p a beat. He focused on the onions, the sha

in?" Maria's voice was light, but

asual body language. "Just learned on th

er than any question. She nodded slowly, as if

not pushing. "Kee

or, Ivy slid up to Liam's station, her voice low. "Just so y

pt his expression neutral, slicing

d, her eyes searching his face. "She thinks

viating. "Guess I need to m

atch your back, okay? Mar

"Thanks for t

without the shadow of his past. But time was slipping away. As the lunch rush kicked in, the kitchen roared to life, burners hissing, tickets piling up, and voices shouting over the clatter of pans. Liam moved through it all with his usu

yson name was a ticking bomb, and Maria's curiosity was the fuse. If she dug too deep, she wo

Another message from his assistant: "They've traced you to Atl

m chaos, was the first place in years that felt like home. Ivy's laugh, Dani's jazz, even Marcus's grumbling felt real, untainted by the expecta

She was n