Read Online Another Way to Fall by Amanda Brooke - Free Book Online Page B

and held it as she stared at the blank page that appeared in front of her and waited for inspiration to strike. A steaming cup of coffee, complete with swirls of creamy foam and a sprinkling of chocolate appeared in its stead.
    Emma let out a sigh and her body visibly sagged as she looked up, expecting to see Steven. However, she discovered Ben watching her instead. Ben was in his early thirties, medium height with broad shoulders and dark short-cropped hair peaking through his catering hat. His eyes were the deepest brown with the longest lashes and he had the kind of expression that Emma missed. Someone was looking at her without pity in his eyes and the look lifted her spirit and her body along with it.
    ‘Not got anything better to do than serve front of house?’ Emma asked.
    Ben looked around the restaurant in the same way that Steven had. ‘No,’ he said. ‘But I’m not here to serve, I’m here to complain.’
    ‘Complain about what?’ Emma wondered if Steven had told him about her order to crank up the heating but would be surprised if Ben would disagree. He had been in the middle of many arguments between Louise and Emma before now and, more often than not, he had sided with Emma.
    ‘I’ve been staring at the phone waiting for you to ring me with that order. I thought steroids were supposed to make you eat more.’
    Emma laughed. ‘Yes, they do, but if I give into temptation, you’d never get me out of this place.’
    ‘I wouldn’t complain and, besides, we could always roll you out when you’re done.’
    Emma’s smile was so wide that her cheeks began to ache. There were muscles being used that hadn’t been for quite some time. ‘Never mind the steroids. You’re good enough medicine, Mr Knowles.’
    She had first met Ben when she and Louise had interviewed him for the job after Joe had left. Louise had still been in shock at the time. Her heart had been broken and her confidence shattered, but Emma had believed in Louise even when Louise hadn’t believed in herself. Her sister had told her she wanted to prove that she could make it without Joe, and Emma had been determined to make that happen. So whilst Louise was assessing candidates purely on their cooking abilities, Emma was looking for something else. She wanted someone who would bring a calming influence, who would be an anchor to the occasional storms her sister could brew up and maybe, just maybe, be the person to mend her sister’s heart.
    Ben had stood out for both of them. He had learnt his trade in Liverpool and then travelled further afield to expand his culinary knowledge. Along the way he had transformed his trade into a passion, which translated not only onto the plate but came across in his whole demeanor and for once the sisters hadn’t argued about their choice. Since then, Emma had watched and waited but the only sparks between Louise and Ben were confined to the kitchen.
    ‘And you are an amazing woman,’ he said, dropping down into the seat opposite her. He rubbed his cheeks, wiping away the gentle blush that threatened. ‘I have to admit though, when I picked you up from hospital, I was scared.’
    ‘Of me or my cancer?’ Emma asked.
    Ben took off his hat and scrunched it in his hands. He looked like he was about to lose the composure that had become his trademark, in and out of the kitchen. ‘Of what the cancer might have already taken from you, I suppose. I thought you’d be a little less …’ he began.
    ‘A little less alive?’
    Instinct told Emma that the usual commiserations weren’t about to roll off his tongue and she was proven right. He rested his head on his hand as he scrutinized her face. His eyes fixed in concentration. ‘Perhaps. But you don’t look like someone who’s ready to give up.’
    Emma had always felt at ease in Ben’s company and she had often surprised herself at how much she could open up to him. She respected his opinion and his judgement when it came to the bistro and as he sat