The Marriage Contract

Astoria. Portland was a bigger city, obviously, and had a much more competitive bar/restaurant scene. If we were going to keep up, I needed to be on my toes and get things together. I was working on a new recipe for breading when I heard the front door open.
“We’re not open yet,” I called through the service window. The bar obstructed my view of who came in, and it took a second before I heard their voice calling out.
“Hello?” the voice said. It was a woman’s, and I figured it was a customer, wandering in early. Putting down the spices, I walked out of the kitchen and around the bar to see who it was, prepared to let them know they needed to come back when we were open.
“Oh,” was all I got out, though. The woman, a gorgeous, curvy, brown-haired woman, was squealing as she threw herself into Hannah’s arms. Hannah raised her hand to me to wave me off.
“It’s okay,” she said. “It’s my cousin, Chloe.”
“Cousin?” I muttered.
All I knew of Hannah’s family was that she practically ran away from her parents and their controlling ways, and that her family was really, extraordinarily wealthy. I didn’t know much else, but I decided in that moment that I wanted to.
Hannah took her by the hand, and they walked away, heading to the back. Suddenly realizing that I had been doing something, I turned and went back toward the kitchen, meeting Jordan on the way.
“You get the schedule all done?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he said. “I tried to give you the days off you wanted. Just let me know if something doesn’t work.”
“Will do.”
“So, how is it having Mom at your place?” he asked.
“It’s Mom,” I responded flatly. “You know how that goes.”
He nodded. “Yeah, but she chose to stay with you. She didn’t even ask us.”
“Well, I have a guest room,” I said. “You guys have a nursery now. She can’t fit in a crib.”
“True, though she would try,” he said. “Are you sure you’re okay with her being there?”
“Yeah, I’m good. So long as she doesn’t keep on about me getting married and popping out kids.”
“Hey, look, I’m sorry about yesterday, man,” Jordan said. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I was just giving you shit.”
“I know.”
“I really wouldn’t care if you stayed single the rest of your life. As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters,” he said.
“Thanks, bro,” I said. “I appreciate that.”
He slapped my shoulder in the way brothers did when they needed to break a moment where emotions might have come into play. Then he sighed and turned toward the kitchen door.
“Well, we need to get service started, and I need to find Hannah before that. If you need anything, I’ll be behind the bar,” he said.
I snapped off a salute, and he walked away. I went back to my spices and eventually just gave up. When the line cook came in, I presented him with the same menu as before. If it wasn’t broke, I guess I wasn’t going to be fixing it.
The bar opened up, and people started streaming in. Chloe was seated in a corner, in what I called the observatory seat. One could relax, have a beer and watch the bar, but also kind of blend into the wallpaper.
I couldn’t imagine her blending into anything, though. From the moment I saw her, I was struck by how beautiful she was. The family resemblance to Hannah was slight, so much so that I had to really strain to see it. But she was absolutely stunning to look at. She was also putting away everything I sent out to her table like she hadn’t eaten in a week.
When I finished up the second batch of onion rings, I decided I needed to know a bit more about her. Turning to the line cook, who was busy fiddling with his phone, I cleared my throat to get his attention. When that failed, I did it again, louder, and sounding a bit like I was gargling rocks.
“Yeah?” he asked, putting the phone away.
“You’re in charge for a bit,” I said. “I’ll be back in a little while. Just try not to Snapchat everything, okay?”
Grabbing the onion rings, I headed out, hearing the snickering of the young cook as I did. I knew I probably said something dumb, but I didn’t care. I had better things to think about. Like getting a good look at Chloe.
“Your onion rings,” I said as I sat them down on the table.
“Oh, thank you,” she said, her voice sing-songy and cute. “I don’t think I met you yet. I’m Chloe.”
She held out her hand, and I shook it gently.
“Matt. Jordan’s brother.”
“Oh, hi. Nice to meet you.” She paused like she was contemplating something and then seemed to make a decision. “Do you want to sit with me for a little bit? I’m kind of bored.”
“Sure. I have a break. As long as you don’t mind if I get some of those rings.”
“Not at all. I know I should stop, but they are just so good,” she said.
“I know,” I said. “I make them. My recipe for the breading.”
“No way. They are delicious.”
“I have to keep my cool, or else I’ll eat my weight in them while I’m working,” I teased. “I’ll be right back.”
Smiling, I headed back to the kitchen, my mind in a whirlwind. She wasn’t just beautiful; she was one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen in my life. Her eyes were bright and cheerful, and her smile had a hint of mischief to it that made her wildly attractive. And that body simply did not quit.
“Hey, I’m going to go on my break. You good?” I called into the kitchen.
“On it,” the cook said, raising his hand but not looking away from his phone. Considering I had done all the mise en place for him, it wasn’t like he had to do a whole lot. Tapping the doorframe, I turned and went back