“You’re right, it’s not. But I know you have my best interest at heart. I should’ve told you at dinner. I just knew you wouldn’t approve. I promise not to fall in love with her or anything. It’s just a bit of fun. Purely sex.”
“I think I would rather not hear any of the sordid details….not sure I could stomach it,” I joked.
He pinched my side for my comment, knowing how ticklish I was there. I squealed and laughed, moving away from him. He hooked his arm around my shoulders, guiding me out of the office to the main dining room for our shift.
The night was going great. I felt like a weight had lifted, now that Stephen and I were back to normal. We bantered between waiting on our tables and made plans for the trip. The two of us were in the kitchen, chatting up Mike, when the hostess came thru letting me know I had a new table of six in the private dining room. Apparently, Hank wanted to make sure these guests received the best service possible and to make sure I was on my “A” game. Stephen was to help back me up with my other tables, so I wouldn’t be distracted.
“They must be a big deal to get a private dining room without a reservation,” Stephen noted. There was no reservation for the room, so we knew it was an unexpected guest.
“Well, here’s to hoping their deep pockets leave a generous tip.” I winked at him as I walked out of the kitchen to greet the new table. I rounded the corner into the private dining room, preparing to give the rehearsed greeting that Christopher required. I stopped short, rendered speechless. Shit.
He was here. I stood dumbfounded, once again, like a total moron. His eyes bored into me as they seemed to do automatically. The others at the table noticed his attention was distracted from their conversation. The conversation faded, the room falling silent. They were all looking at me, expectantly.
I couldn’t find the words I was supposed to say. I couldn’t even find my voice. He started to stand up as if to come to me, when the beautiful blonde sitting next to him grabbed onto his arm, “Rhett, dear, what are you…,” she started to question him, but I didn’t hear anything else she had to say.
Rhett. That was his name, I thought. He interrupted her, “This is…uh…” He started to speak, not breaking eye contact with me. He was stumbling for how to introduce me, as if he knew me. He did I guess. But not really. We had just crossed paths a few times.
His voice knocked me out of my daze. “Ava,” I finally spoke, breaking our eye contact, “I will be your server this evening.”
I found my voice and the words I needed flooded back to me. I gave them the required introduction about Christopher’s and thanked them for choosing to be our guests this evening. I avoided any further eye contact with him, afraid I may be knocked back into a stupor. Still, I could feel his eyes on me the whole time.
Luckily, when I asked for the drink order, one of the older gentlemen ordered wine for the table. That saved me from having to speak to Rhett directly. The older man looked to be in his fifties and had a slight resemblance to Rhett along with the lady sitting next to him. I made the assumption that these must be his parents. There was another older couple with them and an unfairly gorgeous blonde holding onto Rhett’s arm. I told myself they must be dating. That these were their parents, and they were having a family dinner.
I exited the room, stopping just down the hall, leaning my body against the wall. I needed a moment to get my head straight. He had a girlfriend or a fiancé. I didn’t think to look at her hand. This could be a celebratory engagement dinner. Why do I feel heated and jealous? I don’t know him. He isn’t mine. I barely learned his name.
I took a deep breath and peeled myself from the wall to continue to the server station. I needed to place the order for the wine. Stephen was at the station, filling up glasses of water. He could sense the change in my light hearted mood from earlier. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Damn it, don’t lie to me. We just made up. You look like you’re going to be sick.”
I didn’t respond. I wasn’t even sure what to tell him. I felt ridiculous and my emotions were all over the place. Emotions I didn’t understand enough to even explain.
“Ava? Does this have to do with the guy in the private room?”
Shocked how he could even know that, I looked up at him, trying to hide the panic in my eyes.
“No, what are you talking about?”
“I was passing by the room to see who the guests of honor were. I’ve seen that guy before. The night we fought at the pub. I saw him watching you that night, and then you took off out of nowhere. He disappeared, right after you. Do you know him? Who is he? Did he do something to you?” I could see the anger and protectiveness starting to rile him up as he let his imagination run wild.
“No! No, nothing like that. I don’t even know him. I ran into him earlier that day at Brewed. Literally. I ran into him. Spilled my notes all over the floor and knocked his phone to the ground. That’s it. I promise. It’s nothing more than embarrassment and nervousness. I just hope I don’t spill their wine all over their expensive clothes tonight.”
Which was true. I apparently couldn’t help from making a complete fool of myself anytime he was near me. “Okay,” he relaxed, “Do you want me to take their table?”
“And you get to pocket the big tip? Hell, no!” I teased, trying to get back to the lighter, fun mood we were enjoying before Rhett’s arrival. I plastered on a big smile and headed to the bar to get their wine. I kept reminding myself embarrassment was all it was.
Somehow, I managed to serve them their wine and get their food orders without humiliation. It helped that the gentleman, whom I assumed was Rhett’s father, was in the habit of ordering for the table. What didn’t help was Rhett’s fiery, blue eyes following my every move. Stephen helped me avoid them where he could. He took it upon himself to stop by the room and refill their glasses while they waited for their food. I was so thankful I had made up with him earlier in the night. Otherwise, I probably would have lost my job.
Since Christopher’s requires all guests’ plates to be placed on the table at the same time, I was able to avoid having to place his plate in front of him. Stephen along with four other servers helped serve the food. After confirming everything was to their liking, I left the room, knowing the end of the tortuous dinner was near.
It turned out Christopher had their dinner put on the house, and he would be stopping by to deliver the news personally. Relief washed over me. I confirmed that Hank wouldn’t need me any further in the private dining room before going back to the main area to attend to my tables. I stayed in the kitchen and server’s station as much as I could, hoping to avoid seeing them upon their departure from the restaurant.
I managed to make it through the rest of the night intact. I finished up my closing duties as the night’s head server, before heading to the office to cash out. Hank handed me five hundred dollars. “What’s this?”
“From the Blackwood party,” he said without looking up from what he was doing.
“The Blackwood party?”
“Yes,” he looked up at me, “The group in the private room. That’s your tip. They asked that Christopher make sure you got it, saying you took excellent care of them.”
“Wow. Sorry…it’s just more than I expected.”
He looked up, smiling at me, “You obviously earned it.”
I nodded, not sure that was true. I pocketed the money with the rest of my tips before telling Hank goodbye.
Stephen and Mike were waiting for me outside the back door to walk me to my car. I think he still worried that Rhett had hurt me somehow. I gave them both a big hug and told them to be ready by eight tomorrow morning. I was picking them up after I picked up Amber.
When I got home, the apartment was dark other than a lamp on in the entry. Lizzie must have left it on, so I didn’t have to stumble through blindly. I noticed my bag was packed and next to the door with a note from Lizzie.
You’re welcome ;)
On the w
ay to my room, I glanced down the hall, finding Lizzie’s door closed, her room dark. She must have called it an early night, again. Very out of character for her. I didn’t dwell on that too long. I was too tired and had to get up early to make the drive to the Hamptons.
I honked the car horn repeatedly in a catchy rhythm outside of Stephen and Mike’s house. Amber and I were wired with caffeine and ready to get the party on the road. We were trying to make it to the Hamptons around lunch time, so we had half the day to mill about.
We had to be at the venue by two on Saturday. We were needed for setup and were to familiarize ourselves with the venue prior to the event. We figured we would likely be partying late tonight and nursing a hangover in the morning which wouldn’t leave us much time to enjoy the Hamptons on Saturday.
I continued to obnoxiously tap the horn until Stephen and Mike graced us with their handsome faces. “Even early in the morning they’re a sight to behold,” Amber mumbled under her breath.
I laughed, agreeing with her. They were a very handsome pair of brother’s. I wasn’t quite as enamored with them as Amber seemed to be. At least, not in the same way. They were too much like family to me.
Amber opened her door, jumping into the backseat of my car to free up the front seat for Stephen. I popped the trunk, allowing them to throw their bags in before they joined us inside the warm cozy car. Stephen slid into the front seat, immediately reaching to change the music. I slapped his hand. “Ouch, what was that for?” he rubbed his hand.
“My car. My choice.” He gave me his pouty lip, and I shook my head no. “That doesn’t work on me.” I laughed. He sat back pretending to pout like a toddler. “Buckle up, pumpkin,” I mocked him.
The drive to the Hamptons was close to five hours. It felt like minutes with all the laughter and fun we had along the way. I hadn’t laughed that hard in a long time. It felt good, making me excited for the weekend.
The hotel was one of the few beachfront properties that was not a private residence. It was located in Montauk. The newly renovated guest rooms had floor to ceiling windows that looked out on to the beach. Each room had its own private veranda. I already planned to have my morning coffee there.
The beach itself was breathtaking. I walked out onto the veranda of the room Amber and I were sharing and was hit with a cool breeze that sent my hair swirling around my head. The salty fragrance made me think of summer vacation, even though the wind was cold from the fall weather. I pictured what it would be like here in the summer. Crowded beaches, warm sun, feet sinking into the golden sand while running into the cool salt water.
I was pulled from my daydream when Stephen walked up behind me, gripping my upper body in a bear hug, lifting my feet off the ground.
I screamed with laughter, “Put me down!”
When he released me, I gave him a swift punch to his shoulder, knowing even my hardest hit would barely inflict pain on him.
He laughed. “Hurry up, we’re ready to check out the rest of the Hamptons.”
We spent the first hour driving around, checking out the scenery. We stopped at a few shops that were still open, even in the off-season. Everything was too expensive for any of us to buy or be willing to buy. One of the local shop employees mentioned that the wineries were great this time of year and recommended one not too far from where we were. We agreed, doing a wine tasting was a great way to spend the rest of our afternoon.
The whole day felt relaxing and easy. I didn’t realize how stressed I had been the last couple of weeks. As we drank our glasses of wine, I could feel the tension in my shoulders easing. I had a slight buzz and decided it was best I stopped drinking, since I was driving. At least, until we made it back to the hotel. We decided to purchase a couple bottles of our favorite wines to take back to the beach.
Some of the others on the trip with us had arrived while we were at the vineyard. They were building a bonfire on the beach for us all to hang out around. The sun was setting as we trudged through the sand onto the beach towards the group. They had ingredients for s’mores, which seemed like a good enough dinner for me. Chocolate and wine. You couldn’t go wrong with that combination.
The heat of the fire warmed me from outside while the wine warmed from within. I was wrapped in a blanket, listening to all the chatter amongst friends while resting my head on Mike’s shoulder. Stephen was across the fire, talking with Amber and the two other servers that came along. I was glad Deanna was too late to sign up for the trip. I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much if she were here.
A sudden wave of exhaustion hit me. I yawned, lifting my head. I decided it was time for me to turn in. I hated being the first to leave the party, but I knew I would be regretting it tomorrow if I didn’t get some rest. Mike decided to walk back to the rooms with me. I think he was a bit nervous about the event tomorrow. His cooking career was important to him.
I blew Stephen a kiss across the fire. He winked at me as to say goodnight, without skipping a beat in the animated story he was telling the group of people around him. When we reached my veranda, Mike gave me a hug and told me goodnight before walking away towards his room.
CHAPTER 5
The event was being held at a private estate in the East Hamptons. We drove through the enormous iron gates after identifying ourselves to the intimidating guard on duty. The tree lined drive to the mansion built the anticipation for what was to be revealed at the end of the road. Towering above us was a stately home that looked more like a luxurious resort than a private residence.
We had been instructed by the guard to drive past the estate to the back of the home, where the entrance to the server’s quarters were. We were to drop our bags in one of the servers’ rooms where we could shower and get ready for the party.
The interior of the server’s quarters focused around a large central hallway that led to the main house. There were eight private rooms that flanked each side of the hallway, four of which were occupied by the year round staff that kept up the estate. The rooms looked like a luxurious hotel room, each with their own en-suite. We dropped our bags in one of the rooms, before heading to the server’s kitchen as instructed.
We loitered around, waiting for everyone in our group to arrive. Christopher was already in the chef’s kitchen, going over some details with whom I assumed was the head housekeeper. They had various beverages and food laid out for us to help ourselves to as we anxiously waited for further instruction and a tour of the estate.
We weren’t going to be given a tour of the whole home, only the main areas where the party would take place. They wanted to make sure we were familiar enough with the path from the party to the chef’s kitchen, so we wouldn’t get lost or wander in areas we weren’t allowed.
“I wonder who owns this place,” Amber glanced around the kitchen in awe.
“The Blackwood family,” Mike stated very matter of fact, “Christopher told us the night we were practicing plating tonight’s menu.”
Blackwood. I swallowed hard, my body feeling dizzy and nauseous all of a sudden. I recognized the name and knew what that meant - who might be here.
“You’re kidding!” Amber exclaimed. “The Blackwoods that own Blackwood Industries? I’ve heard of them. They’re a very wealthy New York family.”
I barely registered what she was saying. I could hear them carrying on, but the conversation was drowned out by the loud beating of my heart and heavy breathing. I excused myself before sneaking outside for some fresh air.
It’s fine. I’m fine. Just because the name is the same from the other night doesn’t mean it’s him. There were lots of Blackwood families in the world, right? Unlikely. Well, it didn’t mean that he was part of the Blackwood family. The Blackwoods could have been either one of the couples there that night. I have a good chance that he would not be here. There was no point in working myself up over it. Even if he is here, what does it matter? He means nothing to me.
I continued to give myself a pep talk until I was interrupted by S
tephen popping outside to find me. “Hey,” he waved from the door, “They’re ready for us. Come on!” I took one last deep inhale before going back inside with him.
The little bit of the house we were allowed to see was overwhelmingly grand as expected. We all remained speechless as the head housekeeper walked us through the sprawling floor plan. The great hall was where the party would be held. We were to circulate our serving trays around the room, not allowing our trays to have less than five pieces or filled glasses on them. Half of us would be walking around with beverages and the other half with various small bites.
We were to stay invisible to the guest and only speak if spoken to. We were not to entertain or take part in conversations with the guests. She turned to look at all of us, assessing us with her eyes. After repeatedly roving her eyes up and down my figure, she added, “You are to politely buff any advances made towards you from the guests.” She gave a second look at Stephen who was grinning ear to ear, “That includes males and female guests.”
We all nodded our understanding. She wrapped up her instructions, reminding us drinking before or during the party was prohibited before she dismissed us to head to the server’s quarters to prepare for the party. We rushed off to our rooms elated and filled with anticipation for the party, our adrenalized chatter echoing through the halls. Everyone was throwing around names of what famous people might be among the guests and how hard it would be to not act like a crazed fan. I couldn’t help getting sucked up in the excitement, even though I was still a bit nervous of running into one particular guest.
Awaiting for us in our rooms were the servers’ attire we were to wear during the party. They had multiple sizes available for us to select from to make sure we had the perfect fit. The men were to wear black slacks with a white server’s coat that had a long line of buttons that stretched up to a mandarin collar. The ladies were to wear a mid-length, fitted, black dress with capped sleeves that seemed to hug my curves no matter what size I chose. The dress was classic and understated with a boat neck collar and a small slit over the left thigh.
A Reason to Stay Page 5
