“I assume this has to be Emily Sevenson?” he asked, his eyebrow arching.
She smiled at him, pushing her curly hair off her shoulder and flashing a gigantic diamond engagement ring. “So, he’s told you about me? All good things, I hope.”
“Only fantastic things,” Logan replied, shaking her hand. “Michael is a lucky man. He’s told me so, himself, many times.”
Pink tinged her cheeks and she gazed lovingly up at her fiancée, who looked down at her with the same fierce love flashing in his eyes. Logan took a step back and allowed them to have their moment. He was ecstatic that Michael had found someone who complemented his brooding personality so thoroughly. He’d always wondered if a man like that could find true love, especially after growing up with a father who didn’t seem to comprehend the meaning of love. If Michael could find happiness, then anyone could.
Maybe even Logan. Someday, after he’d conquered the world.
“Come in, come in,” he said, waving his hands at them. “I’ll show you to your seats. The kitchen is getting fired up.” He cringed at his choice of words, hoping that his designer suit didn’t stink of grease and smoke. “I’m afraid my friend Darren won’t be joining us after all. He had...something pop up.”
No doubt, Darren was either recovering from another bender or planning to go on one tonight. It was getting so common these days that he hadn’t even bothered to come up with a flimsy excuse for missing the dinner date on the voicemail he’d left on Logan’s phone a few minutes ago.
The two of them had been close since playing pro ball together, but lately the man Darren had become had left Logan scratching his head. Maybe, it was time he got his friend into rehab.
Michael looked over his shoulder as Emily pulled him forward. “That’s too bad he couldn’t join us. Rachel is supposed to be here soon. Thanks for letting her tag along. My little sister has been a bit lost since she got back into San Jose. Getting her out of that slummy excuse for an apartment will be good for her.”
“Anything to help,” Logan said with a shrug and a smile. “I haven’t seen little Rachel Knight since she was what, eleven? Does she still have an unhealthy obsession with Hello Kitty?”
Michael scowled and wiped a hand over his forehead. “Ugh, I hope not. No, her latest obsession was modeling, but that went bust. She’s in school now. All I want for her is to focus on the goal and graduate before she gets distracted by any other shiny things. If she could just get her degree, then maybe life wouldn’t be so hard.”
Logan led them to a round table with a heavy linen tablecloth and a fresh vase of white lilies in the middle. He pulled out a chair for Emily and she thanked him as he helped her to her seat.
“Why can’t you just give her a job in that huge building of yours?” Logan asked, his forehead wrinkling.
Last he knew, the Knight siblings were more than well off. Michael was a billionaire in his own right, but their family had plenty of dough growing up. It didn’t make sense to him that Michael’s little sister would be living in a cruddy apartment with no money. Shouldn’t she be the heir to a wealthy fortune?
“I did,” Michael growled, banging his fist on the table. “But she says she won’t take charity. She refuses money from our parents and won’t even let me get her a job. She’s so stubborn.”
“Don’t get him started.” Emily laughed as her blue eyes took in the white wainscoting around the dining hall and the elegant light fixtures hanging above them. “The Knights are all as stubborn as the last. It’s a wonder they don’t strangle each other sometimes, honestly.”
Michael sent her a dark look, but she just laughed again and leaned forward to kiss his cheek.
“Admit it, darling,” she said. “You’re a bit of a control freak.”
“I admit no such thing,” he replied, sucking in his cheeks to hide a smile. “As my lawyers often remind me, there is no fault if there is no admission. I plead the fifth.”
Logan laughed, feeling some of the strain from last week melt off his shoulders. He liked Emily Sevenson. She could keep up with Michael and match him blow by blow. He needed a woman like that. It was no wonder he’d fallen so hard and so fast for her.
“All right folks, you sit tight and I’ll go grab the starter wine,” Logan announced, eyeing the table one last time to make sure every last fork and spoon was in place. “I have an unoaked dry white wine on ice for the occasion. I’ll have a waiter bring out the beginning appetizers once our final guest has arrived.”
“Sounds lovely,” Emily said with a warm smile. “The place really is gorgeous, Logan. I think you’re going to have a great opening.”
He gripped the back of a chair and swallowed down his nervousness. “I really hope so. It’s been such a crazy mess. I’m afraid I’m so used to the business of pizza that I might not be good at anything else.”
“Well, you were one heck of a first baseman,” Michael said with a knowing nod of his head. “Don’t forget that. I’m sure the LA Suns would have to agree.”
Logan laughed and ran his hand through his short wavy blond hair. “Yes, can’t forget that. Baseball and pizza. Those are my skill sets. You sit tight. I’ll be right back.”
He ran down the hallway to the prep room and peeked in the kitchen to make sure there were no more fires that needed his attention. Everyone seemed hard at work, chopping up vegetables and frying the hors d’oeuvres to start off the evening. He backed out slowly, as not to disturb their work, and grabbed the bottle of wine he’d set out only a few minutes ago.
If only they could get through the rest of tonight without any major accidents, he could feel confident for their grand opening next week. If not, then he might have to kiss the money he’d sunk into this place goodbye and go hide in Bora Bora for a week to lick his wounds.
Wasn’t that what billionaires did? He wouldn’t know. He’d been focused on making his fortune for so long, he hadn’t really had the time to enjoy it.
He was just making his way back down the hall to the dining room when the heavy oak front door swung open and in strode a slender woman draped in a sleeveless floor-length teal organza gown with purple velvet trim. She had pulled her straight chestnut hair off her elegant neck and into a simple bun. Long earrings dangled from her ears like droplets of melting silver and her nude heels clicked on the hardwood floor.
Despite the fact that she no longer wore her black apron, Logan immediately recognized the beautiful waitress from his most recent fine-dining experience. His stomach clenched at the memory. He would’ve liked nothing better than to teach her scummy manager a lesson or two when he found him pinning her up against the wall, but she’d handled it wonderfully herself. After giving the guy a scathing lecture, she quit on the spot. The woman was far from helpless.
But what was she doing here?
Logan froze in the shadows of the hallway to watch as her dark chocolate eyes darted around the dining room and settled on something in the distance. A smile curved her generous lips and she held up an arm to wave at someone. Logan felt his heart stutter as Michael came into view and pulled the young woman into a hug. Suddenly, things were starting to make sense.
Gone was Michael’s little knobby-kneed sister who liked to follow him around and stick animal crackers in his hair. Standing in front of him was an elegant woman with fire in her eyes and a smile that outshone the San Jose summer sun.
Rachel Knight was all grown up and time had been good to her.
Chapter Three
“Come, join us at the table,” Michael said with a fond smile, offering Rachel an arm. “Logan’s just gone to fetch the wine. He’ll be right back.”
Rachel gazed curiously at the spacious dining room, taking in the elegant French decor and wide window panes lining the southern side. It was a gorgeous restaurant. Much better than the dark, musty environment of La Fete. She could work in a place like this. Maybe, Logan was hiring.
“How is Logan?” she asked, allowing her big brother to lead her to the table where
she greeted Emily with a hug and kiss on the cheek. “It’s been a long time. Is he still the pimple-faced geek I remember?”
She laughed lightly at her joke, remembering how her brother and Logan used to spend hours playing their video games. Even as an eleven-year-old, she used to tease them and call them geeks.
“Thankfully, my face cleared up in college,” answered a deep voice behind her with a lilt of humor. “But I’m afraid I never found the cure to being a geek. Not even baseball helped.”
Rachel turned to find herself lost in a familiar pair of intense blue eyes. Her mouth dropped open and she gripped the back of her chair to steady herself in her six inch heels. “You?”
“It’s me.” Logan Madison grinned down at her with a wine bottle in his hand, his left eyebrow arching in a cocky challenge. “I guess you didn’t recognize me yesterday.”
“No, I didn’t,” she said breathlessly.
His blue eyes twinkled. “I didn’t either. You’ll have to forgive me. I didn’t realize Rachel Knight was all grown up now.”
Her gaze searched him over, taking in his sculpted jaw, broad shoulders, and the suit that fit his athletic shape like a glove. She’d thought the man she’d met yesterday at La Fete had looked familiar, but she hadn’t realized it was her brother’s best friend from childhood. It had been fifteen years since they’d last seen each other. He certainly wasn’t the young boy she remembered. Logan Madison had shed the awkward teenage years and morphed into an attractive specimen of a man who could’ve turned any girl’s head.
“Come, sit down,” he said, pulling out a chair for her. “The meal is about to begin.”
She accepted the chair adjacent to Emily. After pouring each of them a drink, Logan sat next to her.
“You two ran into each other yesterday?” Emily asked curiously, taking a sip of the wine.
“Yeah, at my job. He came in with a buddy to eat.” Rachel took her water glass by the stem and gave Logan a teasing grin. “It was a case of corporate espionage.”
He laughed, deep and throaty, sending a thrill through her.
“Guilty, but not sorry. I still think that manager of yours deserved a good pummeling,” he said, his eyes flashing. “Did you report him? He shouldn’t be working in a place like that. I imagine he makes all the waitresses very uncomfortable.”
Rachel could practically feel Michael’s head snap up and his heavy gaze on her face.
“Report what?” he demanded.
She wished Logan had just kept his mouth shut. It hadn’t been her intention to break the news to her brother that she’d quit another job. He would just think she was being irresponsible, like always.
“Oh, nothing,” she muttered, swirling the glass. “Tony was just being a jerk. But he’s the owner, so there’s no one to report it to.”
“Then, it’s a good thing you quit,” Logan said, smiling at her. “You really stood your ground. It was impressive. You should’ve seen that guy’s face when she gave him a good tongue lashing.”
“You quit your job?” Michael asked in a low voice.
Rachel grimaced up at him, feeling her cheeks turn red. “Yeah, it wasn’t working out anymore. But I’ll find a new one.”
“What about school? Are you quitting that, too?”
“No!” She set her glass down and glared at him. He was sounding a little too much like their father in that moment. “I told you I would see it through and I will. In fact, I just sent out applications last night to get an internship for my business class. My teacher wants me to find a local business who will let me work on the back end and see what it’s like to run a company. I’m sure I’ll have lots of offers.”
Rachel chewed on her bottom lip, hoping she didn’t sound as nervous as she felt. The truth was, even though she’d sent out applications and emails to at least a dozen places last night, she’d already had solid refusals from several of them. It might take a miracle to get an internship with her limited skill set.
“And I’m sure you will.” Michael held his hands up in defense, his jaw working. “I just wanted to make sure you hadn’t quit school as well.”
“Well, I haven’t.” She sunk into her chair, feeling crazy for her childish outburst.
Logan probably thought she was still the bratty little kid that used to follow him and Michael around. The thought made her stomach squirm with embarrassment. She hazarded a sideways glance at him, feeling his gaze on her face. There was no annoyance reflected in his blue eyes. Just a steady, thoughtful expression that made her stomach flip.
At that moment, a waiter dressed in black slacks and a matching dress shirt came marching through the door with a tray on his shoulder, cutting the awkward tension.
“Spinach artichoke dip, anyone?” Logan asked, springing from the table to help serve the appetizers. “We’ve got mussels simmered in white wine and a lobster salad with beet root.”
“Sounds delicious.” Emily craned her neck to get a look at the delicate china platters being placed on their table. “I can’t wait.”
Logan began to place a plate in front of each diner, his attention thoroughly on the task at hand and his brow wrinkling with concentration. Rachel couldn’t help but study his serious facial expression. The boy she remembered from her youth hardly ever wore anything but a goofy grin on his face. It was such a strange opposition to what stood in front of her now.
“What if you do your internship with Logan?” Michael suddenly asked, as if the conversation hadn’t lulled. He ran a hand over his chin, his forehead furrowed in thought. “He’s building a local business and it sounds like he could use the help. Might be the perfect spot for you.”
Rachel’s gaze darted between her brother and Logan. She couldn’t help but feel a twinge of excitement at her brother’s suggestion. It would be the perfect kind of job for her. She had lots of waitressing experience and might even be a real asset to Logan’s business. And anyway, it was worlds better than taking a pity job at her brother’s company where she might run into their father.
“With me?” Logan’s startled expression was almost comical. He stared at Michael for a long, hard second as the lobster salad in his hand slid off the plate and landed with a plop on the linen tablecloth in front of Rachel.
Immediately, she rushed forth to help in the clean-up effort. Logan angrily clenched his jaw and began to pick up the mess with his bare hands, tossing it back on the plate. He paused only when they both reached for the same piece of runaway lobster, their hands brushing and sending a tingle up Rachel’s arm. Yanking his arm away, he pushed the plate toward the waiter and grumbled his request for a new one.
“What do you say, old bud?” Michael asked, his eyebrow raised. He’d watched the whole scene with a thoughtful expression on his face. “Want to hire my little sister?”
LOGAN MADE IT THROUGH the rest of the meal without any major mishaps. All five courses had wowed his guests and they expressed nothing but compliments for his new restaurant. The sun had lowered on their evening, making for a darkened dining room lit by candlelight and the soft golden glow from the chandeliers hanging above.
They’d chatted for hours, not stopping even when Logan sent his crew home for the night. It reminded him of the good old days, when he wasn’t traveling for baseball or building his restaurant empire. Just friendship and simple conversation.
Of course, there was still the issue of Rachel’s internship. He’d let the matter hang, not committing himself to anything. The longer he sat beside Michael’s little sister at the table and talked with her, the more he could see what an asset she might be to him in the coming weeks. She had a good head on her shoulders and that infamous stubborn Knight quality that seemed to make them all inherently successful. There was really no reason for him to refuse Michael this favor. After all, he was practically family. And he could handle having Rachel Knight work for him for a few weeks.
Couldn’t he?
As they finally said their goodbyes and drifted toward the door, Michael
put his arm around Logan’s shoulder and held him back. He patted him on the lapel of his suit and gave him a tight-lipped smile.
“Say you’ll let Rachel do the internship with you,” he said, his dark eyes shining. It was a look Logan recognized from their childhood. The one that told him that Michael wasn’t going to stop until he got what he wanted. “I don’t want her working with any more creeps or guys who can’t keep their hands to themselves. She doesn’t need any distractions.”
“Michael, I...”
Logan worked his jaw, unsure why he was being so difficult. It was a simple favor. He’d never let a pretty face affect him so much before now. It was just Rachel. Michael’s baby sister. He needed to pull himself together.
“I trust you, Logan,” Michael interrupted, giving his shoulders another squeeze. “I know you’ll take care of her. Since she refuses to work for me, you’ll be my stand-in. Keep an eye on her for me. What do you say?”
Logan watched the ladies chatting near the front door. His gaze lingered on Rachel’s lithe form, his brain working through Michael’s request. He was being silly. Of course he would protect her. Michael was counting on him.
“Yes, she can definitely have the job,” Logan said, meeting Michael’s eyes. “She starts on Monday.”
“Great.” Michael clapped his hands loudly, catching the attention of the ladies.
“What are you two celebrating for?” Emily asked, draping her arm across Rachel’s back. She fixed them with a curious smile.
“You may be the love matchmaker, my dear,” Michael replied with a twinkle in his eye, “but I’m the business matchmaker. Rachel starts her internship with Logan on Monday morning. She’ll pass her class with flying colors.”
Rachel beamed at them both, causing Logan to feel a twinge of nervousness course through his body. He tried to hide it with a smile that came out more like a grimace.
The Billionaire and the Waitress Page 2
