Free Dante's Way by Marie Rochelle Page B

to tell my dad about you.” Trevor warned him one last time before spinning around and walking away in the opposite direction.
    “I’m so sorry about Trevor,” Keira apologized, looking back at him. “He’s so protective of me ever since Jim and I got married. I believe he’s still trying to make up for the lie he told about me. I don’t think he’s gotten over it completely. I might need to talk to Jim some more about it so we can reassure him that I’m not going away. However, he shouldn’t have spoken to you like that.”
    Dante understood what Trevor was going through. He already had one family ripped away and he was scared another one might be destroyed too. He didn’t fault him at all. Actually, he was secretly proud of how Trevor stood up to him. He was already showing signs of what kind of man he might turn out to be.
    “He’s a little boy who loves his family. I’m not offended by his comments.”
    “Well, I still want him to give you a better apology. Trevor knows better than to act that way in public. I’m going to have a long talk with him on the drive home. I can’t let him get away with it. So, are you going to tell me why you’re buying up all of those chicken wings?”
    He was a little embarrassed to admit the truth, but he didn’t see any way around it. “I forgot to order extra chicken wings for my famous hot wings. Now, I’ve been making trips to all of grocery stores buying up what they have in stock.”
    Laughing, Keira shook her head. “I can only guess what got you sidetrack. Dante, was it a woman?”
    “No, it wasn’t,” he answered a little too quickly making Keira shoot him a doubtful look.
    “Okay, I won’t dig any deeper into your personal life, but if you need a friend to talk to I’m always here for you.” Keira gave him a hug and then stepped back. “I better go check on Trevor and make sure he isn’t getting more than those packages of cookies.” She touched him on the arm one last time before walking away now with a sleeping Drew in the grocery cart.
    After seeing how happy Keira’s life was with Jim, Dante knew his decision not to pursue her when she broke up with Jim was a good one. He wouldn’t want to have been the person who kept them from finding each other again.
    Looking away from Keira, Dante took one look in the meat case rechecking to make sure he had everything he needed. He turned away hurrying back towards the front of the store. He was running late and Kent was probably almost out of chicken.
     
    ****
     
    Thirty minutes later, Dante stood at the back of his bar watching as Kent hurried up and got the wings prepared for the remaining lunch crowd and the upcoming dinner service. He still couldn’t believe the stores didn’t have more wings in stock, but he was thrilled with what he was able to buy. It would keep his customers happy for the rest of the day.
    “Look who finally made his way back to work,” a high pitched voice said behind him before a pair of slender tanned arms wrapped around his waist and a kiss was planted at the back of his neck. The scent of Charlie perfume surrounded him way before Dante had to even guess who was coming on to him.
    Dante pulled Bambi’s arm off of him and then turned around. “Haven’t I told you about overstepping the bounds at work? You are my employee and you need to learn how to respect my authority.”
    Bambi’s eyes narrowed as she placed her hands on her slim hips. “Are you kidding me? After everything we’ve been through, I think you should be treating me as more of an equal instead of throwing this employee shit in my face,” she snapped. “I was the one you put in charge when you ran out of food today.”
    Grinding his teeth, Dante took several deep breaths so he wouldn’t lose his temper. It was still early in the day and he might need Bambi’s help again.
    Now wasn’t the time to piss her off, despite the fact she was beginning to wear on his nerves. Bambi wasn’t very good at