At Any Price

by Theresa Leigh

  But it wasn't like I was ever going to see him again. He was definitely an out-of-towner. I knew the type. They came here to this restaurant and gushed about the scenery and the quiet small town ambiance, then got back into their cars and left the moment the weather turned bad.

  Which it would be in a few weeks. Hell, they were already forecasting frost in the mountains. Summer was almost over and soon the town would be ours again.

  Except for the patrons of Indigo. They never seemed to stop coming. From as close as Rochester and as far away as Florida. I had a couple from LA the other day and wanted to ask them what the hell they were doing flying across the entire country just to come to my little town. But I knew the answer. It was Indigo. This restaurant had quickly gained a reputation for the best cuisine in the Northeast and I had a part in that, however small. That was something that made me really proud.

  Once I had reassured Finn that I wasn't going to succumb to my injuries and die in front of him, I started rushing around, trying to complete all my normal work in half the time. Checking in with my servers, running down the specials list, and double checking, yet again, with the head chef-slash-genius weirdo Jackson Nye that yes, the servers definitely were supposed to set the fish on fire tableside.

  The fact that I was no longer slinging plates of slop at the diner never ceased to amaze me.

  "Charlie?" one of the servers called, just before we were ready to open. "Gina's in the back!"

  I nodded and immediately moved to the front of the house. Our hostess was breast-feeding, and needed to break a couple times a night to pump. I knew what hell that was, so that I'd arranged with Finn for her to use his office whenever she needed to. It was no big deal for me to spot the hostess, since I'd been doing this same job at the diner for years prior. I took my place and nodded at Benny to unlock the front door. I rolled my head from side to side, feeling the twinge of tenderness in my neck from the accident, but I pasted on a bright smile.

  Which faded the moment Jameson Tellar walked through the door.

  Chapter Six

  Jameson

  "I promise you, man," Parker said, clapping me on the shoulder as we stood outside of Indigo. "And I'm not one to go back on my promises, you know that. We go way back, you and I, don't we?"

  "College wasn't that long ago, Parker," I said evenly. "What has it been, honestly? Five years?"

  "And look what you've done since then," he said smoothly.

  I swear he was flattering me so hard I may as well have whipped it out and allowed him to give me fucking hand job right here on the sidewalk.

  He grinned that grin of his that always made me want to count his teeth and see if there really were more than should be in a human mouth. "You're gonna be thrilled with the numbers we're working with here," he said, clapping his hand down on my shoulder again.

  The wide sidewalk was empty of people, but I could hear the hum of diners inside. It sounded like the place was packed and it was only four in the afternoon. If it was this busy during the down-season, I couldn't imagine the throngs that must gather here in the summer time when the tourist season was at its height. A quick glance around me told me that Cole was working in smart phases, making certain everything was leased before the next round. He'd paid careful attention to fitting the development in with the landscape, building a pretty promenade that jutted out into the water. Seagulls wheeled overhead and I could hear the lapping of the water against the pier. It was altogether a pretty place and I was clearly not the only person who wanted to get in on the action. Coming Soon signs were in the windows of nearly every unopened shop.

  But I kept my face studiously neutral as I regarded Parker coolly. "Let's hope I'm thrilled," I sniffed, shifting from one foot to the other like I was in pain. "After everything that's gone wrong."

  The overgrown frat boy snatched his hand back then took a step back and winced. "Sorry man, was that too hard? Your assistant told me about the accident."

  "Yes, well..." I trailed off, glancing away without bothering to hide my contempt. I'd never liked Parker Henley, not even back in our early days at Penn, but he was a brilliant money manager and Cole Granger had snapped him up to run the investment side of his little real estate empire up here. It was too bad Parker looked like a Ken doll with his overly gelled hair and toothy grin. Plus, I was pretty sure his nails were manicured. They were far shinier than any man's fingernails had business being.

  Parker was an overgroomed idiot, but he was no fool. He could see that my interest in being chatted up was waning so he quickly stepped aside. "How about we head in?" he asked. "Man, I am so glad you rescheduled. I've been wanting to come here for ages and you've given me the best excuse possible."

  "What, you can't get in?" I jeered. "Your company owns the building."

  He shrugged. "The chef is a bit of a control freak." He moved to open the door for me. "You'll see. Staff is excellent though. And so is the food."

  "Better be, I'm starving."

  "Uh oh," Parker joked. "You're a beast when you're hungry. Hey, remember that time in junior year when we broke into the cafeteria..."

  He launched into some sordid tale of college debauchery that I immediately tuned out. The fact I'd gone to the University of Pennsylvania on scholarship was something that very few of my peers knew about. I was good at keeping up appearances and fitting in, and my luck had held pretty well the whole four years. Only Cole, a fellow scholarship kid, knew the real story. That I had run away from home, gotten myself legally emancipated from my parents at seventeen and worked my way through business school by writing code in my dorm room.

  Cole knew all this and that's why he'd called me, but Parker still thought I was part of his crowd. The trust fund babies and their never-ending flow of money. Sure I was one of them now, but it was hard to shake the feeling that it would all disappear tomorrow, which was why I was always seeking out more of it.

  Investing in Granger Point was a big step towards doing that. Provided my luck continued to hold. I brushed my hand over the lucky coin in my pocket and followed Parker into the restaurant.

  "It's kind of amazing we got a table on such short notice," Parker piped up as we stepped into the dark wood and glass expanse.

  I didn't answer. I was too busy staring at the hostess's stand.

  "I said, it's hard getting in here," Parker prompted, wanting desperately to impress me. "You're pretty lucky."

  The woman at the hostess's stand caught me staring at her and she froze in place, the crown of blonde curls on her head bobbing slightly as she recoiled. She stared at me, open mouthed and I broke out in a smile and touched my hand to my coin, resisting the urge to yank it out and kiss it right there in front of her.

  "Yeah, Parker," I said, clapping my old nemesis on the back. "I'd say I'm pretty fucking lucky indeed."

  Chapter Seven

  Charlie

  I felt like I was rooted to the spot as he moved towards me with that giant grin on his face. "No," I whispered.

  "Yes," Jameson Tellar said with that grin.

  And I blushed right up to the roots of my hair, realizing I'd said it aloud.

  "It's good to see you again too, mysterious lady," he said moving to the hostess's stand.

  I looked down and saw I was gripping it so tightly that my knuckles were white. This close I could see the different shades of blue in his eyes, the lighter burst around the pupil and the dark oceanic ring at the edge.

  I swallowed hard blinked away from the blue of his gaze. There was a warm feeling settling in the pit of my stomach that made no sense. "Did you follow me?" I hissed at him.

  But I already knew that answer. He was standing there in his suit with a guy I recognized from around town, one of the people in charge of the new development down by the waterfront. It was pretty clear that this was a business meeting, the one he had been heading to when we got into the accident in the first place.

  But I refused to believe that this was all pure chance. "Did you try to track m
e down or something?" I demanded, lashing out so he'd think the heat in my cheeks was from anger rather an excitement.

  Jameson looked highly amused. Rapping his knuckles on the wood of the hostess stand, he turned back to the man in the suit that he came in with. "You know the staff here, right Parker?" he asked, ignoring me entirely.

  "Yeah, of course I do," Parker huffed. "I know everyone there is to know."

  Jameson looked back at me. "Can you tell me this girl's name right here?" he asked.

  Parker stared at me, letting his eyes trail up and down my body in a way that made me distinctly uncomfortable. "Unfortunately, no I can't," he said with a sharklike grin. "What's your name, sweetheart?"

  I gritted my teeth. And looked over at Jameson. His smile had faded and the muscle at his jawline was twitching. I got the feeling he didn't like the way that Parker was looking at me, although I had no idea why that would bother him. He had no claim on me.

  Though part of me wanted to see what would happen to Parker if he did.

  I shook my head to derail that train of though. I was at work. I needed to be polite and formal and businesslike above everything else. "My name is Charlie," I said through gritted teeth.

  Parker sniffed. "Like a boy's name?" he asked.

  I opened my mouth to correct him that clearly no it wasn't a boy's name because it was my name and did he have a problem with his hearing?

  But Jameson stepped back into my line of vision. "No, let me guess," he drawled. "It's short for something, right?"

  I pressed my lips together and forced them upward into a smile. "That's right,” I said, seething.

  "Give me three guesses," he told me.

  "Can I show you to your table now?" I said instead. "Gina will be your server."

  "Oh no," Jameson said. "I'd like to request that you serve us tonight."

  "I'm not a server," I said proudly. "I'm the front-end manager."

  The way his eyebrows went up, I could tell he was a little impressed, and I felt good that his assumption about me had been wrong. Hell yeah I was the front-end manager, my serving days were behind me. I was moving up in the world, and I didn't give a shit how rich he was, that did not mean he was better than me. "So, Gina will take care of you tonight, okay?" I said with a bright positivity in my voice. "Here she is right now as a matter of fact."

  "Charlene," Jameson blurted.

  I shook my head, letting my smug smile speak for itself.

  He growled a little, and put on a fierce expression. "Cheryl," he said again.

  I couldn't help but grin. "Not even close," I said. "Here's your table. Gina will be with you right away. I hope you enjoy your meal."

  Frustration clouded Jameson's face. "I still have one more guess left," he grumped.

  I licked my lips, enjoying his irritation way more than I should have. I put my hand on his table and leaned closer. "Looks like your luck is not really holding," I said primly.

  "Charlotte!" he burst out. I froze and straightened up. And his eyes widened. "Ah, that's it!"

  "No," I lied. "Wrong again."

  He grinned and leaned forward, resting his hand on mine. "Liar," he murmured.

  I looked down at my arm and inwardly cursed the goosebumps that were marching up my forearm. "How on earth did you guess that?" I sighed.

  "Luck, I guess," he said. He leaned forward and his whisper sent a shiver down my spine. "Looks like you really are my lucky charm."

  I felt my toes curl inside of my sensible shoes and opened my mouth to say something cutting and found I couldn't form words. Not with his warm hand on mine.

  Finally, blessedly, he leaned back and slid his hand back. "Charlotte, who goes by Charlie," he mused. He tapped his finger against the side of his mouth. "That's kind of cute."

  "I'm glad you think so, Jameson," I stammered. "Here's Gina right here. Enjoy your meal."

  As I walked away, I could feel his eyes on me and I swear I heard him start to say something but I hurried away before I could find out what it was.

  "Finn, I'm taking my break!" I called out as I rushed past his office.

  "You okay?" he asked, turning in his chair. "You sound weird."

  I cleared my throat but it was no use, my voice still came out strangled and wispy. "Maybe I'm still shaken up?" I ventured. "From the accident?"

  Finn nodded seriously and stood up. "Sit down. Take a moment. I'll take care of the front."

  I sagged into his chair and nodded gratefully while he looked at me with concern. "That accident messed you up pretty good, didn't it?" he asked kindly.

  I closed my eyes, but that was a dangerous thing to do, because Jameson's face was the only thing I saw when I did so. Alarmed, I opened them up wide.

  "Yeah, I guess so," I said to Finn.

  I was a mother. I was only just starting to get back on my feet. I couldn't afford a single distraction. And charmingly arrogant rich men with blue eyes and a fetish for lucky charms were as distracting as they came.

  I licked my lips. "Yeah, that accident messed me up. For sure."

  Chapter Eight

  Jameson

  Parker was talking about something important. Something that had to do with asset portfolios and double returns on investment.

  I should probably be listening to him.

  But how was I supposed to concentrate when Charlie wouldn't look my way?

  I'd watched her after she emerged from the back, looking far more composed than she had before. And I smiled to myself knowing that I'd had some kind of effect on her, even if she was trying to pretend otherwise.

  "And the biggest asset, we feel..." Parker droned on, nose-deep in his sales spiel and showing no signs of coming up for air. I tuned him back out again as Charlie rushed past our table, studiously avoiding my gaze, and went back up to the front of the house to talk to one of the servers. I couldn't hear the sound of her voice from way back here, but I liked watching the shapes her lips made. I shifted in my seat, discreetly moving my stiffening cock away from my leg as she dashed back to the kitchen.

  "Knowing you like I do," Parker smarmed, "I think the aspect that will attract your notice the most is—"

  She was always running. She ran with her head up, eyes darting everywhere but over towards me. I had the strangest compulsion to strip naked and stand up on the table just to see if she could pretend not to notice that.

  "So I'm pretty sure this is the best we can do and you know I was trying to do right by you, Chance-y boy," Parker concluded. I had missed ever single word of the offer so I just blinked at him and kept my face neutral. He squirmed a little and looked down at his phone. "You're right," he said. "I can ask about that, give me a sec."

  His fingers flew over the keys of his phone as I sat there wondering what I had just asked for. Parker was one of those people who couldn't stand silence, had to fill it at all costs. My distracted attention was making him antsy and on edge.

  Without even meaning to, I had him right where I wanted him.

  I felt like jumping up and kissing Charlie right on the lips in front of everyone. Ever since I'd bumped into her, literally, she'd done nothing but make this deal better.

  "Gentlemen." Our server appeared at the side of the table, all smiling deference. "I hope you enjoy your meals," she said, laying out our plates. "Can I get you anything else?"

  I looked down at the artfully prepared presentation. It was clear that the chef was no slouch here, and the food looked like it cost an arm and a leg, and possibly a head too. But I didn't give a fuck, it was Parker's business account we were spending from, not mine. "Maybe another bottle of wine?" I asked.

  She nodded crisply. "Of course sir, another bottle of the Cabernet Sauvignon?"

  I shrugged, smiling. "Surprise me," I told her. Leaving it up to luck, like I always did.

  She grinned, and dashed back to go find something that I was certain would be perfect. That was the way to go with these things. Let other people think they're helping you. People loved to help, ev
en if they claimed otherwise.

  I looked back over towards where Charlie was standing. An idea was starting to form in my head, and as I took a bite of the food that I intellectually knew was delicious, I couldn't taste it, because I was so focused on her.

  "Tell you what," Parker said, sounding a little irritated as he looked down and read from his screen. "Since you’re giving me the hard sell, let me show you another property we have in our portfolio."

  I blinked and sat back in my seat. "I didn't realize I had to give you the hard sell to get that, Parker," I said carefully. It was the truth too, just not the way that he'd expected. I wasn't holding out on him. I'd just been ignoring him entirely in favor of watching Charlie.

  "What property is that you want to show me?" I asked.

  Parker's eyes widened, and I had the feeling that he must have already named it, but he plowed on anyway. "The casino," he said triumphantly. "We only just got the licensing finished last week, so it's brand-new. Kind of the biggest jewel in our crown."

  The only crown I was interested in was the crown of blonde curls on the top of Charlie's head and what it would look like wound around my fist as I kissed those stubborn lips.

  I looked up to find her again and this time when I spotted her the idea that had been forming in my head suddenly burst forth crystal clear.

  "—test your luck." Parker said.

  "I'm sorry what was that?" I asked.

  He repeated his line, but I missed it again, because in that moment, Charlie finally met my eyes.

  For a second it was like everything tunneled down to pin prick, and the connection between us vibrated across the room. I smiled at her, and her lip lifted up in the corner — just a fraction — before she scurried away.