For Everly

by Thomas, Raine

  Wyatt shook his head. “There isn’t anyone more experienced than Everly. She might still be a couple of semesters from earning her doctorate, but she could pass the needed courses with flying colors right now. I’d wager that girl has more practical experience in her field than any doctoral student at GSU.”

  They stopped conversing when Everly walked up with a tray. She placed their bowls of crab risotto in front of them, as well as Cole’s drink. The smell of the food was amazing.

  “Is there anything else I can get you two right now?” she asked.

  “No, I think we’re good here, thanks,” Wyatt said.

  “All right. You know how to reach me if you think of anything.”

  This time she winked at Wyatt before she walked away. Cole couldn’t deny the strange resentment he felt that the wink wasn’t for him. He shook his head at himself. Finding a hot date hadn’t ever been a problem. He didn’t need to worry about that right now.

  “I feel like you’re forcing me into this decision,” he told Wyatt, picking up a fork and stabbing his risotto with it.

  Wyatt’s brown eyes leveled on his. “Cole, I’ve reviewed the scans we took when you were in the hospital. You should have started treatment weeks ago to get ready for the season. If you feel like I’m forcing you into this decision, well, that’s probably because I am. You’ve got three choices: don’t do anything and deal with the pain, go public about the injury and seek the services of a specialist…or Everly.”

  * * *

  “What are you, stupid?”

  The loud question had Everly turning from table twenty and finding the blonde woman’s gaze centered on her. After issuing a few words to the guests at twenty, she stepped over to the blonde woman.

  “I’m sorry,” Everly said. “Are you speaking to me?”

  “Of course I’m speaking to you,” the woman spat. “I specifically asked for the halibut to be prepared without peppers and with extra heirloom tomatoes, and I wanted the baby artichokes substituted for the asparagus as my side. You had them serve me fish covered in peppers with no tomatoes and some kind of spinach. This must be someone else’s plate.”

  Everly barely had time to react before the woman shoved her plate at her. Fortunately, she managed to stop the food from progressing beyond the front of her uniform and onto the floor. Still, the damage had been done.

  “My apologies, ma’am,” Everly said, holding the plate in front of the enormous stain and maintaining her calm veneer by the skin of her teeth. She noticed that all of the people at the table looked embarrassed, none of them meeting her in the eye.

  “You apologize a lot,” the woman said, doing the hair flip again. “That certainly tells me a lot about how well you do your job. A good waitress would do things right the first time.”

  Drawing forth an image of her grandpa to help keep her from clocking the woman with the plate, Everly nodded once. “I’ll be right back with your halibut prepared with only fresh heirloom tomatoes and a side of baby artichokes. Does anyone else need anything?”

  “Just go,” the woman said, shooing her with a wave of her hand. “I hate being the last one still eating.”

  “Absolutely.”

  Everly walked to the back of the house with the plate covering her uniform. The moment she stepped out of view of the dining room, the plate was taken from her by Anne.

  “She did exactly what you predicted and added the plate toss as a topper for her act,” Anne said, shaking her head in anger. “She’s a doozy. Jonathan has your spare uniform in the first stall of the ladies room. I’ll do a drive-by of your tables while you change.”

  Everly was already out of her vest. “Tell Chef I need a halibut—”

  “Already done. Told him you need it on the fly. You had us all prepped, so we’ve been keeping our ears open. Kathleen is out there offering them complimentary wine.”

  Anne’s voice trailed off with a disgusted, “What a bitch,” as Everly hustled into the bathroom. Everly couldn’t disagree with the other server. This customer was the worst she’d had in all of her time at Prix Fixe.

  Still, in the scheme of things, this woman was a small blip in her life. She’d weathered far, far worse. She’d be damned if this would bring her down.

  Chapter 4

  Cole couldn’t believe how calm Everly looked when she returned with the new entrée for the customer at the next table. How she had managed to place the new order, get changed, and return with the cooked food within the span of five minutes completely mystified him. He heard nothing but professionalism in her voice as she made sure the woman and everyone at the table had what they needed.

  “I would have used a corkscrew on her,” Cole said in a low voice as he finished his excellent risotto. “I heard that woman place her order. She got what she asked for the first time around.”

  Wyatt nodded. “There’s no pleasing someone like that.”

  Everly approached and smiled. “It looks like you enjoyed the risotto,” she said, collecting their empty dishes. “I’ll go and check on your entrees.”

  “I’d like another Jack and Coke,” Cole said.

  He thought he saw the faintest lines of disapproval crease her forehead before she replied, “No problem. I’ll take care of that for you.”

  Great. Another Wyatt around measuring his alcohol intake.

  This was a very bad idea.

  “Everly, we’d like to speak with you after your shift,” Wyatt said before she could walk away. “Can we steal a few minutes of your time?”

  She blinked at that, then said, “Sure. Anything for you.”

  “Thanks.”

  Cole lifted an eyebrow as she moved out of hearing range. “Anything for you?” he repeated.

  Shrugging, Wyatt said, “I’m Everly’s mentor for her graduate assistantship and I put in a good word with Rowan for her to get this job. She’s grateful.”

  That would definitely come in handy as leverage to keep her quiet if they moved forward with this, Cole mused. He had serious concerns that a student would be unable to resist blabbing about working with him.

  They discussed other things as they finished their entrees. He was relieved when the table next to them passed on their dessert course and gathered their things to go. There was some kind of low-volume discussion among the group before the blonde woman made a hissing noise and the others gave up. Cole thought they all looked miserable.

  “I’m going to see if I can find Rowan,” Wyatt said. “I’m sure he can secure a space for us to use to meet with Everly.”

  “Sure.”

  Cole watched his brother go. He realized Everly wasn’t in the dining room, so once the coast was clear, he reached across to the spot the blonde woman had just vacated and peeked inside the payment folder.

  Just like he suspected. They’d stiffed her.

  “Unbelievable,” he muttered, reaching for his wallet. The movement jarred his shoulder and he struggled not to wince in case any of the diners recognized him.

  He’d just returned the payment folder to the other table when Everly walked back in. She delivered some appetizers to one table, collected the payment folder he had just replaced, and stopped at a third table to greet some new guests. She moved in a way that conveyed competence and expediency, he thought. Although he knew the difference between her professional smile and her genuine one, he admired how well she connected with her customers.

  He also couldn’t deny that he really enjoyed watching the sway of her hips as she moved around the dining room.

  His brother returned a few minutes later. Before he could speak, Cole said, “Okay, I agree to work with Everly.”

  Wyatt grinned as he picked up his water glass. “I never had a doubt. But that’s the easy part, little brother. The hard part is going to be convincing Everly to work with you.”

  * * *

  Everly felt Cole’s gaze on her as she greeted the new guests at table eighteen. She couldn’t say she had ever actually felt her pulse in her neck befo
re then. Her heart beat so wildly in her chest that she could feel it with every breath.

  Cole Parker was sitting in her station.

  She couldn’t decide what amazed her more…that a super-hot Major League ballplayer was sitting in her station, or that she had been friends with his brother for a couple of years without knowing of their relationship. Wyatt would have some answering to do when she next worked with him. He loved to talk baseball with her, but he’d never mentioned the connection.

  Of course, she wasn’t exactly one to go into her personal life during school and work time either. She couldn’t be too hard on him.

  Passing Wyatt as he returned to his table, she smiled at him and headed to get table eighteen’s drinks. Once she was out of sight of the diners, she pulled the payment folder from table nineteen out of her apron pocket. She feared they had walked without paying, but Rowan forbade the servers to look in the folders until they were in the back of the house, not wanting the guests to be offended.

  Five crisp one hundred dollar bills sat on top of the signed credit card slip. Everly stared down at them for a full minute. She picked them up and verified that they looked and felt genuine. Then she realized the credit card slip was signed in a feminine hand with the words, “If I could tip negatively, I would,” written across the gratuity line.

  Clearly, Blondie hadn’t left her the largest tip of her life.

  Following a hunch, Everly eased her head just beyond the etched glass barrier that separated her from view of the dining room. Cole met her gaze.

  She knew in an instant that he had left the tip.

  Stepping back behind the barrier, she stuffed the money into her pocket. Now wasn’t the time to wrestle with how she felt about the fact that Cole Parker had just given her a five hundred dollar tip…and she fully intended to keep it.

  She made a decent amount of money in other tips, too. By the time her shift ended and the restaurant was empty of customers, she knew she’d be able to pay for her grandpa’s in-home nurse for another week and possibly cover her car insurance to boot. It was a good night despite the wretched guest at table nineteen.

  And soon she was going to meet with Wyatt and his little brother. As she collected salt and pepper containers from the tables and carried them to the back for refilling, she wondered what they wanted to discuss with her.

  “Everly, I’m gonna give you a pass on side work tonight.”

  She looked up upon hearing the New York-Italian accent and spotted Rowan Ferullo as he emerged from the kitchen wearing an apron. Although he had hired the best staff in the city to run his restaurant, he often had a hand in the kitchen. Everyone affectionately called him a fireplug. He stood only an inch or two taller than Everly’s own five-foot, nine-inch height and didn’t carry an ounce of fat on his wide frame. There was no need for a bouncer with Rowan in the house.

  “Thanks, boss,” she said.

  “No, thank you for dealin’ with Lady of Bel-frickin’-Aire. I still wish you’d a let me ban her from my place of business.”

  “That would have only made her night complete. This way, she gets to burn by knowing we weren’t at all affected by her behavior.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Rowan’s dark eyes crinkled with mischief. “But just let her try comin’ back in here.”

  Everly smiled. She could admit to herself that she’d pay money to see that woman try to go head-to-head with her boss. Blondie had no idea what she’d escaped thanks to Everly’s intervention.

  “Go on back to my office,” Rowan said. “Wyatt and Cole are in there waitin’ for you. Wy’s bein’ very secretive about all this. Maybe he’s tryin’ to hook you two up, eh?”

  He laughed when Everly’s face started burning. Then he turned and headed back into the kitchen.

  Everly stopped to get her coat and purse before heading back to Rowan’s office. She considered his words. Could Wyatt be playing matchmaker? Why would he need to do that? Cole surely had access to all kinds of women. Wyatt knew that she didn’t have a social life. School, work, and caring for her grandpa took up her time.

  Good Lord. Was he setting her up with Cole?

  She paused outside the office door and tried to decide how she felt about that possibility. Insulted? Flattered? Horrified? Giddy?

  Her pulse thrummed as she knocked once and then opened the door. Wyatt turned from where he stood looking out a window and smiled at her. She’d always found his smile delightful and engaging, the perfect complement to his Prince Charming looks. Now she found herself wondering what that smile masked.

  Glancing at the small couch in the ten by ten office, she saw Cole sprawled across both cushions, his long legs stretched halfway into the middle of the room. His dark hair was more tousled than it had been when he first arrived. She found herself thinking he must be grateful he could wear a ball cap over it half the year so he didn’t have to style it. His dark suit jacket was folded over the arm of the couch and his white shirt sleeves had been rolled up enough to reveal his muscular forearms.

  Her mouth went dry. She supposed that was better than drooling, which is what she was doing in her mind.

  Okay, she thought, taking a deep breath. Remember you’ve dealt with some of the worst life can hand you. You can handle anything.

  Then she squared her shoulders and pulled the door closed behind her, bracing herself for whatever Wyatt had up his sleeve.

  Chapter 5

  When Everly just stood inside the office door for a minute without speaking, Wyatt said, “Thanks for coming and meeting with us, Everly.”

  Cole shifted on the couch in case she wanted to sit. Her eyes moved from him to Wyatt. He realized she was clutching her purse with enough pressure to whiten her knuckles.

  “Rowan suggested you might be trying to set me up with Cole,” she blurted at last.

  Wyatt chuckled. “He’s grasping at straws. Fear not, Everly.”

  One of Cole’s eyebrows lifted as Everly’s shoulders loosened in apparent relief. Was he offended that she didn’t want to go out with him so much that she looked ready to bolt? Yeah, he thought he just might be. Did she find him repulsive for some reason? He didn’t want to work with someone so opposed to his presence.

  “Wy, I don’t think—” he began.

  “I know you’re not seeking any romantic connections right now, Everly,” Wyatt interrupted, giving Cole a quelling look. “We’re here in a strictly professional capacity.”

  Now she looked more at ease. “I see. Are you seeking a consultation over Cole’s rotator cuff injury?”

  Cole stiffened. He glared at Wyatt.

  “I haven’t told her a thing,” Wyatt said with raised palms.

  “You didn’t have to say anything,” she said with a shrug, leaning back against Rowan’s desk. Her keen gaze met Cole’s. “I noticed that you favored your left hand throughout your meal, using it to drink, eat, and bring your napkin to your mouth, but you’re a right-handed pitcher. And just now, when you moved to clear space on the couch, you stopped breathing and swallowed hard when you moved your right arm, telling me you’re hiding pain and have a reduced range of motion.”

  His mouth opened over her observations. He looked again at Wyatt. His brother gave him a look that said, See?

  “But how do you know it’s a rotator cuff injury?” Cole asked. Could other people see what she did? If so, he was so screwed.

  “That, I’ll admit, was an educated guess based on your age and profession,” she answered. “I’ve only observed your symptoms and haven’t done any scans or tests to confirm. You’ll want to rule out bursitis, tendonitis, adhesive capsulitis, and other possible causes of your shoulder pain, of course.”

  Despite what he’d seen this evening and his brother’s assurances, Cole was surprised by Everly’s quick assessment. She looked like she should be out club-hopping, not spouting medical jargon with such an intent expression on her face.

  He also realized, since she knew his profession, that she had known who he was the mom
ent she saw him. So why hadn’t she mentioned that before now? Maybe she wasn’t a fan.

  “We’ve had scans done,” Wyatt said. “X-rays, an MRI—the whole load.”

  He moved over to the desk. Everly stepped to the side as Wyatt reached over to retrieve the large manila envelope resting there. She hit Cole’s leg and nearly toppled onto his lap. Out of instinct, he reached out to help her maintain her balance. His hands ended up on her nicely shaped rear end.

  She sprang away like a gazelle fleeing a lion. When she turned to look at him, he realized her cheeks were nearly as red as her hair. Her reaction went a long way toward putting him back on an even keel.

  “I don’t bite,” he said with a grin. “Come and have a seat.”

  He patted the cushion beside him. She looked at it warily, then moved her gaze to him. He patted the cushion again. Her lips moved on a whispered comment of some kind as she stepped around his legs and sat down. It was a small victory, but he felt better.

  When he turned to look at her, he caught her scent, a unique fragrance that reminded him of whipped vanilla cream and frosted wildberries. She met his gaze. The combination of her nearness, her scent, and the cautious look in her lovely eyes had his whole body reacting.

  Oh, this was such a bad idea.

  Wyatt pulled the contents out of the envelope. “You’ll see that the scans show—”

  “I’d prefer to make my own judgments on them, if you don’t mind,” Everly interrupted.

  She gave Wyatt a smile that had Cole shifting in his seat. He shook his head at himself for wondering if she’d ever smile at him that way. He had to get a grip.

  “Of course,” Wyatt said. “I’ve taught you well.”

  “You’re the best,” she agreed, setting her coat and purse beside her and taking the films.

  It was strange watching her pour over images of his body, even if they were internal scans. Having seen the scans before, he focused on her face instead. Her brow had a faint furrow in it, her eyebrows drawn together as she flipped from one image to another, holding them up to the light as needed. The corners of her heart-shaped mouth pinched in a study of concentration. She occasionally muttered to herself or held the nail of her thumb between her front teeth as she studied. He realized that she had a light smattering of golden freckles across the bridge of her nose. They somehow made her even more appealing.