by Laurie Roma
“Hillary knows what you’re looking for. Let her narrow down the list for you. And you don’t hate interviewing people. You just hate change.”
“Can you blame me?”
“Needing more people is the price you pay for having such a successful business,” Elle said without sympathy. “Then again, you’re already adjusting to two new chefs in your kitchen and a new hostess, so I guess this is a lot to deal with all at once.”
“I would have hired more people sooner if I’d known Griffin wasn’t actually taking the loan payments I was giving him. I can’t believe everyone was hiding a second restaurant account from me.”
Elle winced when Nia punched her arm. “We weren’t hiding it from you.”
“You’re my best friend. You’re supposed to tell me these things.”
“Griff told you what he gave you when you opened this place wasn’t a loan, but you wouldn’t listen. The money was yours, free and clear. All he wanted in return was for you to cook for him on occasion. Those were the terms he’d set as your silent partner. All of the information for the second account is in your office.”
“Yeah, in a folder Heath had conveniently misplaced until a few days ago when he finally told me about it. I feel like an idiot for being such a crazy person about our budget when it wasn’t necessary.” Nia let out a resigned sigh as she came to a stop. “I told all of you I didn’t want any of your money.”
“Get over it.”
“I still don’t know how I feel about this…”
“Get over it,” Elle repeated. “You are family. End of discussion.”
Nia rolled her eyes. “What’s a few million compared to my crème brulee? God, even saying that makes my stomach hurt. I’m off to the kitchen. We’re serving wine with dinner, so don’t get too much champagne.”
“You can never have too much champagne. Remember, you aren’t working tonight. If I have to come fetch you from the kitchen, penalties will be paid with tequila shots.”
“That’s fighting dirty,” Nia muttered before stalking away.
CHAPTER SIX
Sectioned off from the main dining room, the tavern part of The Bower Tavern and Grill consisted of a lounge area with comfortable seating and a more informal section with high-top tables and cushioned bar stools. Every seat was currently occupied, which was standard for a Saturday night at the Ever After hotspot, and more people were standing around the bar talking with friends or waiting for a table to open up.
Working her way around the tables, Elle smiled and waved to several people she knew. As she scanned the room, there was no sign of her brothers or any of the guys. That made sense since the men were off having their own celebration somewhere, but some of them were bound to stop by later to make sure all the ladies got home safely.
That was just what they did.
Since everyone had been pretty busy over the last few days, they deserved a night off to enjoy themselves. On top of all the wedding stuff, Elle also had schoolwork to finish which had left her with very little free time to do anything besides eat and sleep. Now that she had a nice buzz going, she was finally able to relax.
The alcohol made it easier for her to admit that she had been hoping to see Kade tonight. It was selfish of her to want time with him when the night was supposed to be all about Vivienne, but she couldn’t help hoping she would get to see him later.
Texting with him was nice, but she missed hearing his voice.
She missed seeing him even more.
As she made her way toward the wine room located in the back of the bar, she noticed two men arguing near the entrance. The slurring of their voices told her they had been drinking. That in itself wasn’t that notable, especially for the weekend. However, when the two men started talking about driving to another bar, she took a detour and headed in their direction.
She’d gone to high school with Brian Dunham and Robert Anders. Brian had been one of the few boys who had been brave enough to ask her out on a date back in high school. It had only been a group thing to a movie, but it had still been thrilling at the time. She had thought he was sweet and attentive at first. He’d said all of the right things, but something about him and the entire situation had put her on guard.
It hadn’t taken her long to figure out he was just as cruel and spoiled as his friends were. He’d simply been better at hiding it. The date had ended abruptly when she’d overheard a few of the girls from the group in the restroom. They had been giggling over the bet Brian had with the other guys to see how long it would take to convince her to have sex with him. She’d left the theater without saying a word to any of them, and she’d never mentioned the incident to any of her brothers.
That was probably the only reason Brian and his friends were still breathing.
Since Brian and Robert lived in Houston, they only made it back to Ever After for the occasional getaway. They were self-entitled assholes, but she couldn’t let them drive if they were drunk. They could hurt themselves, or worse, someone else. And since the bartenders and wait staff were all currently busy, she’d have to deal with them before they left.
“Fuck this place. Let’s go to The Dunk Tank.”
“I’m not taking my Jag there at this time of night. One of those bikers would steal it before we ordered our first drink,” Brian slurred.
“Come on,” Robert complained petulantly. “I want to find some X or coke before my buzz wears off.”
“I told you, I’m waiting for my guy to text me back. We can just meet up with—well, hello.” Brian’s eyes narrowed as if he were trying to figure out who she was, then he blinked in surprise. “Giselle? Wow, you look amazing.”
His appraising perusal made her want to flee in the opposite direction, but she stood her ground. His glassy eyes confirmed her suspicion that the two men were too drunk to drive anywhere.
“Brian…Robert.”
“Gis.” Robert laughed like a demented hyena at the snide nickname he and his friends had tormented her with all through high school. “We’re heading out. Want to ride us? I mean, want to take a ride with us?”
“That would be a hard no,” she said coolly. Before he could stop her, she snatched the keys out of Brian’s hand. “I don’t think you should be driving right now. I’d be happy to call a car for—” Her words ended in a gasp of shock when he shoved her up against the wall.
“If you want to play, I don’t mind searching you to get my keys,” he said menacingly, caging her in with his bigger body.
Elle felt a twinge of panic, and the smell of sour whiskey on Brian’s breath made her feel a little sick. Leading with her own anger, she shoved him back a few steps. “Hands off, asshole.”
“Don’t touch my boyfriend, you bitch!”
Elle wanted to groan when she recognized the voice of her high school nemesis. Sabrina Post was the epitome of a mean girl. At first, Elle thought she had been a friend, but after figuring out Sabrina had only been nice to her in order to get close to Zane, there had been nothing but mutual dislike between them. In retaliation, Sabrina had done her best to turn anyone who would listen against Elle. When that hadn’t worked, it had just made the animosity between them worse.
Another woman was trying to calm down the enraged Sabrina, but it wasn’t working. “Did you hear me? Stay away from Brian,” she hissed. “I know you’ve always wanted him, but you can’t have him. He’s mine!”
“Get over yourself. The only thing I want from him is his keys. He shouldn’t be driving in—”
“Liar!” Sabrina tossed the contents of her martini glass right in Elle’s face.
The cosmo stung her eyes, and the liquid dripped down her face, staining her dress.
“Screw it,” she muttered, ready to kick the bitch’s ass.
When she lunged forward, Sabrina let out a squeak of surprise and stumbled back several steps to hide behind her startled friend. Elle wasn’t about to let that stop her, but Brian distracted her when he grabbed her arm in a punishing grip.
> A strong arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her free. Instinctively, she threw her elbow back and she winced when she felt like she’d hit concrete. A second later a large fist slammed into Brian’s face, knocking him out cold.
Everyone froze in stunned silence.
Elle blinked down at Brian’s unconscious form, then she glanced over her shoulder and saw Kade was the man holding her. She immediately relaxed against him, but he wasn’t paying attention to her. Instead, his dark, predatory gaze was locked on Sabrina and Robert.
“Leave,” he snarled, low and deadly.
“We’re not going anywhere,” Sabrina hissed haughtily. “I’m calling the police and you’re going to be arrested for—”
“Oh, I don’t think so,” Heath Harper countered cheerfully as he joined them. He briefly glanced at Elle, then looked again and winced slightly as he pulled the bright pink pocket square out of his bold floral print suit jacket.
“Thanks.” Elle smiled weakly knowing she probably looked like a wilted flower. She took the pocket square from him and did her best to pat her face dry without smearing her makeup all over.
Heath patted her hand, then stepped forward. “I warned you guys the next time you caused a problem here you’d regret it.” His voice turned hard as steel. “If you want to call the police, you’ll be the ones sitting in a cell tonight.”
“We didn’t do anything,” Robert whined.
“This is all her fault,” Sabrina accused, her hate-filled gaze focused on Elle.
“Shut it,” Heath ordered, making her jump. Fortunately, she was wise enough to keep her mouth shut. “Elle, would you like to press charges?”
“You can’t—”
“I have the security video showing that you threw a drink at her,” he countered with a vicious grin.
The color drained from Sabrina’s face, and she shoved the empty glass in her hand at her friend. The other woman just looked down at it with a baffled expression.
“I think they should just leave,” Elle said softly. Kade’s grip on her tightened, and she could practically feel his anger pumping off him in waves.
Heath pouted for a moment as if she were ruining his fun, then he sighed. “Fine. You heard her. Get out.”
“What?” Sabrina screeched. “But he hit Brian—”
“He put his hands on her.” Kade’s furious growl made it sound like that offense was enough to warrant a death sentence.
Trying to calm him down, Elle stroked the arm that was still locked around her waist. It took a lot to push him to the point of violence, but he was very protective of her.
Heath nodded soberly. “I know, big guy. But I still can’t let you kill him.” Squatting down, he slapped Brian’s cheek a few times until the other man groaned. “Wakey, wakey. Time to go home.”
“Bitch took my keys,” Brian slurred as Robert helped him to his feet.
Kade’s body stiffened in outrage at the insult, and Elle tried her best to hold him in place. Good god, Brian was still a pain in the ass even though he was barely conscious.
“I noticed they were drunk and took Brian’s keys. Sabrina misunderstood the situation, and it turned into this whole thing,” Elle explained.
Heath accepted the keys she handed over, but instead of giving them back, he slipped them into his pocket. “If you try driving anywhere, I really will call the cops. Do you guys want to spend the rest of your night in jail? Oh, and you should consider yourselves no longer welcome in this establishment. Now, we can call you a car or—”
“I can drive everyone home. I got here late and didn’t even finish my first drink,” the other woman in their group said nervously.
“That works. You may come back anytime, sugar. Just ditch the losers before you do,” Heath added with a wink.
“Thanks,” she murmured, blushing a little.
“Why would she want to come back to this shithole?” Sabrina snapped.
“Since you’re here all the time, you might want to ask yourself that again once you sober up. Clay, why don’t you help me escort them out of here.”
“You got it, Heath.” A burly waiter stepped forward from where he had been waiting a few feet away.
“We don’t need your help,” Robert said stiffly. He put his arm around Brian, helping his friend toward the entrance.
Heath rolled his eyes, then he and Clay followed after the group, making sure they left without causing any more trouble.
Once they were gone, Kade turned Elle around. His eyes narrowed as he examined her for injuries. “You okay?”
“Don’t worry. I’m fine.”
She lowered her head in embarrassment, sure she looked like a hot mess. At least she didn’t have to worry about the rest of the room seeing her since Kade’s big body shielded her completely.
“Your dress is ruined.”
That made her wince. “I really should have punched her for that,” she muttered. Suddenly desperate to get away from him, she patted his chest awkwardly. “Thanks for the rescue. Will you do me a favor? Could you please find Nia for me and ask her to meet me up in her office?”
“Elle—”
“I’m heading up there now to change.” She definitely wanted to fix her appearance before anyone else saw her. “Oh, and can you ask someone to send up a couple bottles of champagne to our private dining room? That’s what I came down here for, but I got sidetracked by those idiots. Thanks!”
Before he could say anything, she hurried away from him, practically running toward the elevator. When the doors opened, she got into the car and covered her face to cover her groan of mortification. Once the doors slid opened on the second floor, she made sure the coast was clear before dashing down the hallway.
Thankfully, she knew the code to unlock the door, and after hurrying inside the room, she slammed the door shut. The whole situation in the bar had been embarrassing. Sabrina had been out of line, and Elle wished she’d gotten a chance to kick her ass for throwing a drink on her. That said, Brian had been the bigger threat. She couldn’t believe he had shoved her against the wall and grabbed her like that.
Perhaps it was a byproduct of constantly being surrounded by protective males, but she hadn’t felt that kind of alarm in a long time. Then again, most men in Ever After knew better than to try something so stupid.
Since the guys were supposed to be having their own little party at a different location, she hadn’t expected for Kade to suddenly appear out of nowhere. She wasn’t sure how he had known she was in trouble, but she was grateful that he’d arrived when he had. Elle wasn’t sure what it said about her but watching Kade knock someone out with one punch had been sort of exhilarating.
Hell, who was she kidding?
It had totally been hot as hell.
Witnessing his protective fury had made Elle feel a little faint. She hadn’t been afraid of him, though. She knew without a doubt he would never hurt her. Instead, she had been turned on. Although she knew it was wildly inappropriate, she had wanted to climb his hard body like a tree to reward him with a passionate kiss for saving her from her high school bullies.
Maybe if she had been a little more buzzed she would have. She was pretty sure being doused in vodka and cranberry juice didn’t exactly set the right mood for romance, but perhaps she could try again once she changed and freshened up a bit.
Muttering under her breath, she raided Nia’s closet for something to wear. The office was a large room with its own private bathroom and enough storage space in the walk-in closet for several shelves stacked with supplies, a large safe, and a selection of clothing hanging on one side. While her best friend usually worked in leggings and tank tops under her chef coats, Nia always kept a few nice dresses in the office in case she needed to make a quick change.
Since it suited her current mood, she chose a simple black dress from the closet. Because Nia was a few inches shorter and almost a size smaller than she was, Elle was going to have to squeeze herself into the damn thing. Making her way toward the
bathroom, she started to pull her own dress off, then cursed when she got stuck with it halfway over her head.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t the first time she’d forgotten about a stupid zipper. Trying to get out of her awkward predicament, she tried to maneuver the dress back down, but her arms were stuck over her head. Leave it to her to get herself trapped in her own clothing. Added to that, she was freezing standing there in the air-conditioned room in nothing but her bra and panties, but her face was getting hot and sweaty.
She felt like a complete idiot, and the more she struggled, the worse it got.
When she heard the office door open, she breathed out a sigh of relief. “Help me, Nia! I’m stuck,” she wailed. “And don’t laugh. The dress is already ruined, so you can just cut the stupid thing off me.”
She could have tried to save the dress. She probably should have, but she knew she’d never wear it again. In fact, she might burn the damn thing once she was free.
Elle waited for the inevitable sound of Nia’s laughter, but thankfully, her friend did as she’d asked and remained silent. She let out a gasp of surprise when she was almost jerked off her feet as the back of the dress was ripped open. The material hadn’t been completely torn apart, but enough of it had opened so she could finally free herself.
Pulling the material over her head, she blew hair out of her face and said, “Thanks, I really…”
Her words trailed off when the door closed with an audible click. Confusion flickered through her as she glanced around the empty space. Suddenly, the door opened again, and Nia hurried into the room.
“I can’t believe that bitch threw a drink in your face. Next time I see her I—” Nia came to a stop in the middle of the room. Her eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open. “You…you’re naked! Well, almost naked.”
“Duh. You just helped me get this thing off.” Elle waved the torn material at her.
Nia visibly gulped and shook her head. “That wasn’t me. It was Kade.”
