Billionaire Behind the Mask

by Andrea Laurence

  Maybe she just didn’t run in the right circles to realize it sooner. Royal had a lot of rich and influential people, so one was just the same as another to her. She didn’t fit in amongst them and only interacted long enough to sell them the occasional lunch, so it never mattered if she kept up with the hierarchy of Royal society.

  That was probably at the root of her worries today. She didn’t fit in, yet through a twist of fate, she was dating one of Royal’s most eligible princes. Even having feelings for him. She was just a commoner, and she was okay with her station in town, but she was beginning to wonder if Sutton was okay with it, as well.

  Under the guise of helping, he really seemed to be pushing her to do more, faster than she planned. Do a pop-up event, open a “real” restaurant, sell the food trucks... It was the path she hoped to take someday, but his insistence made Lauren feel like maybe she wasn’t good enough for Sutton as she was. They’d been out in public together, so he wasn’t hiding her away in embarrassment, but they hadn’t spoken to anyone else when they were out, either. If he had to introduce her to people he knew, would he tell them she was a chef and conveniently leave out the trucks? Was a restaurant with wheels not esteemed enough for the Wingates and their club-going cronies?

  Lauren looked down at her fingernails, which she’d been nervously chewing the last few days. Her makeover manicure was basically destroyed now, with chipped paint and rough edges. And she’d noticed this morning when she looked in the mirror that her highlights had grown out, showing dark roots that needed a touch-up. She probably needed a blowout, too, to smooth her naturally unruly waves. She hadn’t been wearing makeup or dressing up much unless they were going someplace nice.

  She looked like the Lauren she recognized again. But somehow she didn’t feel like that was good enough anymore.

  All in all, she just didn’t feel like Cinderella ready for the ball any longer. The beautiful and mysterious woman that had enchanted the prince from behind a mask was gone. Now Sutton was left with the real Lauren and, although he’d never said anything to make her think he was disappointed with reality, he seemed determined to mold her and her life into something more presentable, like Pygmalion or Henry Higgins. An unpolished food truck chef was just not the kind of girl a Wingate wanted to take home to mother.

  And yet... Lauren brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. He was helping her achieve her dream. Perhaps she needed to look at it that way and push her doubts aside. She didn’t want to be a food truck owner forever, either. It had always been a stepping-stone for her on the way to her dream restaurant. And while Sutton might have grand ideas about a chain of Eateries across the country, she would be happy with this one and the help he gave her to get there.

  “Enough moping,” she said aloud to the empty kitchen. Regardless of why he’d helped her, she was truly grateful, and tomorrow The Eatery would be a reality, if for just a single day. That meant that today, she had a lot of work to do. She’d closed down the trucks for a few days so she could have her staff focused on helping her, and she’d need every man on deck to make it happen. Amy, Javier and his assistant Ed from truck two, plus a few waitstaff temps she’d hired from a local agency would be meeting her here at ten.

  Today, they needed to focus on cleaning the space up and getting it ready. Then she had to plan the menu, go shopping for necessary ingredients and establish a game plan for tomorrow night. It was almost overwhelming, but she kept telling herself she could do this. She made multiple dishes every day in a truck. She could handle dinner service with a team of helpers.

  A chime at the front door drew her attention from the kitchen. “We’re here!” she heard Amy shout from up front.

  Lauren went to the front of the house to greet her truck staff. The three of them stood there with dubious expressions on their faces as they looked around. Since she had already gotten that out of the way, she was prepared to be the enthusiastic leader they needed to make this happen.

  “It doesn’t look like much, but it has a ton of potential,” she started. “It hasn’t been used in a while, so we need to start with a good, thorough cleaning. Ed and Javier, why don’t you start with the kitchen. I’ve got a box of cleaning supplies back there already. Amy, help me get the front of the house ready. The rental company is coming with chairs and tables for us to set up in about two hours.”

  Everyone set out to do their jobs without question and within a few hours, things really started to take shape. Tables and chairs were delivered and went into their places, and, by lights out, the kitchen was stocked with food, supplies and all the dishes they could possibly need.

  “I’ll pick up the menus at the printshop in the morning,” Amy said as she slipped her laptop into her bag. Ed and Javier had already left for the night, hauling out bags of trash and cleaning supplies with them.

  “Thank you for all your help,” Lauren said.

  “Of course,” Amy said. “No one wants this event to be successful more than I do.”

  “And why is that?” Lauren asked, expecting her best friend to say something about seeing her achieve her dream.

  Amy smiled and held open the door for the two of them to step out into the parking lot. “So we can work in a building where I don’t have to walk to a gas station down the road every time I have to use the bathroom.”

  Lauren chuckled as she locked up the door and walked over to her car. That was more like the Amy she knew. “Think good thoughts for tomorrow,” she said. “We need this to be a success.”

  “It will be,” Amy said. “I have no doubt of it.”

  She watched her friend get into her car and then did the same. As she pulled out of the lot and headed home, she hoped Amy was right. Because if it wasn’t a success and she was right about Sutton’s real motivations, the end of The Eatery would be the end of their relationship, too.

  * * *

  Sutton was blown away by how busy The Eatery was tonight. When he pulled up, the parking lot was full and he had to walk a whole block back to the restaurant. Inside, there was a crowd waiting by the door and people at every table. With only an hour left in the service, he couldn’t imagine how much work it would take to feed the remaining customers and wrap things up for the night.

  Folks seemed happy to wait, though, and he could guess as to why. Not only was the space filled with the most mouthwatering scents he’d ever smelled, but the room had been completely transformed since the last time he saw it.

  It was nothing permanent—it still had the same paint, overhead lighting and carpeting—but everything she could change, she did. For starters, they’d kept the lights off, choosing to light the space with tabletop flameless candles, strands of Edison bulbs overhead and tall lamps in the corners. That hid a multitude of sins. Instead of white linens, each table had either a red, yellow, blue or dark green tablecloth. It might have been all the rental place had available for free on a Saturday night, but Lauren made it work by pairing it with brightly colored posters on the walls and bright yellow-and-red flower arrangements.

  If this was what Lauren could do with some donations and a couple of days, he couldn’t wait to see what the real restaurant would be like. He wished he could help it become a reality and perhaps someday he could, but this was a great start and he was proud to have a part in it.

  Sutton had done everything he could think of, called in every favor he had to make it happen, and he was thrilled by the result. And honestly, he was thrilled to have something to do with his time. The last few days, he had finally felt like he had some direction again. He’d been drifting without his job at the family business to anchor him. If Lauren hadn’t dropped into his life as both a pleasurable distraction and a fun project to occupy his mind, he was sure he would’ve gone mad by now.

  Looking around, Sutton beamed with a sense of pride he hadn’t felt in ages. No, this was more than just something to keep him busy. She was more than just something
to keep him busy. He was helping an amazing woman achieve amazing things. She just needed a little help, a little push. And she was making the most of it.

  A few people waiting for a table glanced at Sutton and murmured to one another. It was a common occurrence lately, and he had tried not to let it bother him. But now, the thought crossed his mind that maybe the best thing he could do for Lauren was leave. Sutton had given her a boost, but perhaps taking a step back now would be for the best. He wouldn’t want his family’s tainted reputation to spoil this for her after she’d worked so hard.

  Perhaps he could say hello, so she wouldn’t think he blew off her big night, then he would leave.

  “Sir, my wait list is full for the night, so we’re not taking any more names.”

  Sutton turned to the young woman who’d been hired as hostess for the night. From the weary expression on her face, he wasn’t the first one she’d had to turn away this evening. “That’s okay, I’m not staying. I’m just going to go in back and give the chef a kiss, if you don’t mind.”

  The woman’s eyes widened for a minute, and then she smiled. “Oh, you must be Mr. Wingate. Chef Roberts said you could go on back to the kitchen whenever you arrived. She also said to get you a table no matter how busy, so just give me a moment and I’ll see what I can do.”

  “There’s no need,” he said. “Let the others have it.” He would much rather leave a table for someone who hadn’t yet discovered the brilliance of Lauren’s cooking. He was already a huge fan of hers in more ways than one.

  “You’re sure? Her beef Wellington has been earning rave reviews tonight.”

  “I’m sure it has, but I’ll have the chance to try it another time. Thank you.” He made his way through a maze of tables to the swinging door that separated the dining room from the kitchen. Before he could reach it, it swung open and Lauren herself stepped out with a plate in each hand.

  “Sutton!” she said in surprise.

  She looked excited and exhausted all at once, but she grinned when she saw him. A strand of chestnut hair had escaped her bun, so he reached out and tucked it behind her ear. He’d only intended to lean in and give her a quick kiss on the cheek, but he found himself cupping her face in his hands and planting a firm, warm kiss on the lips that promised more to come later.

  Lauren seemed dazed and flushed for a moment as she clutched the plates in her hands. “I’m glad to see you, too,” she replied with a sassy grin curling her lips.

  He looked at the dishes she held out. “Are you the executive chef or the waitress tonight? If you need waitstaff, I can roll up my sleeves and jump in.”

  “No, we’re fine. This is a special delivery for a special patron,” Lauren said and gestured over to the table where Gracie Diaz was sitting with a friend. “Come with me.”

  Sutton followed her over to where Lauren personally delivered the meals to Gracie and her friend. “Ladies, I have special plates just for this table, as Gracie is one of my first and most outspoken supporters. Bon appétit.”

  Gracie lit up at the sight of Lauren and the food in front of her. “This looks amazing. It’s all amazing.” She got up from her seat and wrapped Lauren in a hug. “I don’t even need to taste it to know that you absolutely have to open a restaurant, girl. I need more than just a quick lunch on the go. I need your haute cuisine, too.”

  Lauren smiled and rested a hand on Gracie’s shoulder. “Tonight has been a great success, thanks to everyone’s help, especially Sutton’s, but I think a permanent location is still a ways off for me.”

  Gracie studied Lauren for a moment and shook her head. “No.”

  “No?” Lauren looked confused by her refusal.

  “No, I don’t want to wait. What if I offered to invest in your restaurant? As a silent partner, of course. You don’t need any input from me. But I could give you what you need to get started.”

  Both Sutton and Lauren shot to attention when they heard Gracie’s offer. He was delighted for Lauren and jealous of Gracie all at once. He wished he could’ve been the one to bankroll Lauren’s dream, but he was happy Gracie had the ability to do it when he couldn’t.

  “Are you serious?” Lauren’s hand clutched at her chest as though she were trying to hold her heart in her rib cage.

  “Absolutely. I wouldn’t joke about something like that. You’re an incredible chef and I believe in your talents. So much so that I’m willing to risk my own money to make it a reality. I’d honestly been toying with the idea for a while and now that I’ve seen what you could do with a temporary place, I know it’s the right decision. What good is all this money I won, if it’s just sitting in a bank and I can’t help my friends?”

  “I don’t know what to say.” Lauren’s eyes were glassy with tears.

  “Say that you’re happy to take my money and do something awesome with it. I’ll write you a check tomorrow morning to get things started and if you need more, just ask. I know all you need is enough capital to get this place up and running. And when you’re the success I know you’ll be, you can pay me back and buy me out.”

  Lauren’s jaw dropped and she lunged forward to wrap Gracie in another hug. “Thank you so much!”

  When she pulled away she turned back to Sutton. He’d never seen her face so full of pure excitement before. It was like Christmas morning for her. She threw her arms around his neck and he lifted her up off the ground in a bear hug.

  “We’re opening a restaurant!” he shouted to everyone in the dining room and he was answered with the roar of applause filling the space.

  He held Lauren close, brushing away the rogue strand of hair again. “Congratulations, Chef Roberts.”

  “Can you believe it?” she said.

  “I can. You deserve it. Your whole life is about to change. The whole town is going to know your name before too long.”

  The expression on Lauren’s face flickered for a moment and she nodded. “Things will change,” she agreed, with a little less enthusiasm in her voice. Untangling from his arms, she turned back to Gracie. “A bottle of wine on the house!” she said.

  “Oh no,” Gracie insisted. “I’m driving tonight. But I’ve heard there’s an amazing dessert on the menu tonight. I’ll gladly accept a free sweet.”

  “You bet. I’ll set aside a pumpkin crème brûlée for you. We’re close to running out.”

  “It sounds wonderful.”

  Lauren nodded. “Enjoy your dinner, ladies,” she said before turning back to the kitchen. “Have you eaten yet, Sutton?”

  “No,” he replied as he followed in her wake. “That’s okay, though. You need to focus on your future customers. I just wanted to say hello and get out of your way.”

  She wrinkled her nose at him and pushed open the swinging door. “Absolutely not. You’re a customer, too. Come on back and I’ll make you a plate if you’re worried about taking up a table. What do you want?”

  He supposed that if he hid in the kitchen, his presence couldn’t cause a stir with customers. And he was hungry. “Anything.” He meant it. He doubted anything she made would be bad.

  Lauren smiled. “I need a Wellington on the fly please!”

  “Yes, Chef!” Javier yelled from the far side of the kitchen.

  “And I need a crème brûlée set aside for table 8.”

  “Yes, Chef!” Amy echoed, turning to the refrigerator to move the dish aside.

  “I’ve also got some great news to share with all of you.”

  The chaos in the kitchen stilled for a moment, with everyone looking at the two of them standing near the entrance.

  “What is it?” Amy asked.

  “Guys, we’ve got an investor! We’re opening a real restaurant!”

  Everyone in the kitchen dropped what they were doing and rushed over to give Lauren a hug. There were words of encouragement and excitement, but the celebration was short-lived. After
each person had their moment with Lauren, they headed back to the dishes and tasks they had in progress. Apparently there was no such thing as downtime in a kitchen during dinner service, no matter the good news.

  Sutton watched as they all returned to their stations, but this time, with a new spring in their steps and smiles on their faces. Lauren stepped right back into her role, calling out meals from the tickets the servers brought back and finishing off plates with garnishes as they came up for service.

  “I’ve got a Wellington and a chicken roulette for table four!” she shouted and slammed a bell to call the servers back to the kitchen.

  In a well-choreographed dance, the servers scooped up the plates, moved around Sutton and each other, and disappeared back through the door in a moment. It was chaos of the likes he’d never seen before, but he could see the rhythm of it, too. It was nothing like the corporate environment he was used to, and he was the first to admit he wasn’t sure he could hack the high pressure of the kitchen.

  Then again, maybe he wasn’t suited for the corporate environment either. He thought he did a good job running things with his brother after his father passed away, and yet everything had unraveled so quickly and easily. Someone hated them all enough to destroy his family, their careers and his father’s legacy. If they didn’t catch the culprit behind it all and there was no future for him with Wingate Enterprises, Sutton honestly wasn’t sure what he was suited for.

  He didn’t have a passion for his work like Lauren did. He’d been groomed his whole life to run his father’s company and he’d never given anything else much thought. If the person who set them all up succeeded in getting Sutton and Sebastian put behind bars, there would be a bleak future for both of them. In a year’s time, Lauren would be fulfilling all her dreams, and Sutton would be... He shook his head. He didn’t want to know.

  “Here you go, sir. One beef Wellington with whipped potatoes and grilled asparagus.” Amy approached him with a beautifully assembled plate and gestured over to the side of the kitchen where there was a clear bit of stainless-steel countertop and a stool where he could sit. “The best seat in the house,” she added with a smile.