The Running Series Complete Collection: 3-Book Set plus Bonus Novella (94 page)

Evan takes Reese around and introduces her to our guests.  Shaun’s eyes light up when Evan introduces them.  He offers Reese his chair and orders her a Red Zone.  Derek does not look happy at all as he makes the drink and hands it to her.  “Let me know if you need anything else,” he tells her, leaving his hands on her glass just long enough that their hands touch when she reaches for her drink.

I turn to ask Evan if he just witnessed the same thing, and when I do, I’m shocked by what I see.  Standing near the door talking to Emmy with a drink in hand is Ryker. 

No Strings Attached

I
can’t imagine what Ryker is doing here.  Emmy is showing off her new tattoo, courtesy of Ryker’s artistic interpretation, but that can’t be the reason why he’s here.  Emmy may be a hopeless optimist, but even she wouldn’t dare invite him here tonight. 

When Evan sees the pained expression on my face, he turns to see what I’m staring at, and his jaw drops.  “What the fuck is he doing here?” Evan growls.

The expression on Ryker’s face quickly changes when he sees Evan.  The hostility between the two is unmistakable. 

“No idea,” I tell him truthfully.  “We are open to the public, you know.  Maybe he just came in for a drink.  He knows the staff’s schedules.  I’m not usually here right now.  We’re supposed to be out to dinner, remember?  I’m guessing he came by to see Emmy and Reese.”

Evan scowls at me, not satisfied by my answers.  “Well, I don’t like it.”

Before either one of us can do anything about it, Ryker spots us sitting at the bar, and makes a beeline directly for us.  He puts out his hand.  “Congratulations, Evan,” he offers. 

“Thanks,” Evan responds curtly.

“I just stopped by to check on my girls.”  There’s something confrontational about the way he said
my girls
.  I hope he doesn’t include me as a part of that guild.  “Listen, Jette, I was wondering if I could talk to you?  It will only take a minute.”  Ryker steps away towards the kitchen and he obviously wants me to follow him.

I turn to Evan, “I’ll be right back.  If I’m not out in five, come get me.”  I can tell by the look on his face that he doesn’t want me to go.  “Don’t worry.  Trust me.  I love you.”

“I do trust you.  It’s him I don’t trust.  You have exactly four minutes.  Go.”  Evan looks down at his watch and I know he means what he says.  If looks could kill, Ryker would be ten feet under by now. 

“Ryker, what can I do for you, tonight?  It’s a little busy out there, you know.”  I do my best to let him know that he only has my attention for a limited amount of time.

“Big Mac has you on a pretty short leash, I see,” he says sarcastically.

“No, not really.  Don’t confuse caring for controlling,” I correct him.  “Why do you feel like you need to say things like that?”

“You’re right.  That’s not why I wanted to talk to you.” 

“Good.  What’s up?”

“I didn’t get to see you after that night at the bar last week and I just wanted to make sure you were okay.  I’ve been worried, that’s all.”  There is real concern in his eyes.

“Well, there’s no need to worry.  Everything is fine.”  He looks at me sideways, raising his eyebrow and smirking.  “Seriously,” I tell him.

“That’s good to hear.”  He chuckles sarcastically, but at least he got the hint. 

“Is there anything else you wanted?  I have a busy party to get back to.”

“Well, I was wondering how the business is going.  Is Reese using all the techniques I taught her for keeping the kitchen running smoothly?  There’s a pretty big crowd out there tonight.”

“She’s doing an excellent job, actually.  I’m glad I have this chance to thank you.  You really worked a miracle in here.  Our ticket time is down to fifteen minutes.  The customers are happy and the staff is, too.  Thank you for all you’ve done.”

“You’re so very welcome.  I’m glad to have been of service, ma’am.”  He grins.  “If you’re ever in need of assistance, I hope you’ll call me.”

“Thank you, again, Ryker, but I’m sure we’ll be just fine.  And by the way, thank you for stopping by Evan’s and returning my sweater.  Where did you say you found it?”

“You dropped it in the parking lot at work.  I thought you’d want it back.  Besides, I was curious about that big old beach house you all keep talking about.”  He pops a few bits of chocolate in his mouth, eying my reaction.

“Funny, Evan said you found it at the bar.”

“He’s confused.  I said I found it the other night, that’s all.”  He says it with such conviction, I almost believe him.  “How have the female customers been?  Have there been any more non-paying customers loitering around?” he asks, genuinely concerned.

“No, it was just that one time.  It’s not a regular occurrence.  It usually happens the day after Evan’s been in the news and it only lasts a day.  The locals are pretty good.  They leave him alone.  It’s mostly the Benny’s that are a hassle.”

“Benny?” he asks.  I forgot he’s not originally from here.

“Yeah, Benny.  Have you seen the
Benny Go Home
bumper stickers?”  He nods.  “Well, Benny stands for people from Bayonne, Elizabeth, Newark, and New York.  Basically, the tourists who come down here just to cause trouble.”

“Well, I’m not from the shore.  Does that make me a Benny?” Ryker asks.

“That all depends on where you grew up,” I explain.

“Well, I grew up in Pennsylvania, near the Poconos.  It’s a great spot for romantic getaways, you know.”

“Nope, sorry, you don’t qualify.”  He’s making me feel uncomfortable, so I try to change the subject.  “So let me ask, are you here to see anyone in particular tonight?” I ask, wondering if he’s really here for Reese or Natalie.

“No, just checking in on my crew.  Making sure they didn’t forget everything I taught them,” he says as his eyes scan around the kitchen.

“I know you and Reese were getting pretty tight.  I thought maybe . . .”

“Nope.  Not my type.  Besides, there’s someone else,” he says, looking directly at me.

“That’s great, Ryker.  I didn’t know you had a girlfriend,” I tell him, genuinely happy to hear it.

“I don’t.  She’s with someone else right now.  But it won’t last.  I just hope he doesn’t break her heart too badly.”

Just as I’m about to respond, I hear the kitchen door swing open.  I turn my head and see Evan walking straight towards us.  The smile immediately evaporates from Ryker’s face, replaced by a look of pure contempt.

“Juliette, sweetheart, everyone’s looking for you,” Evan says as he places a kiss on my forehead.  “Are you finished up with everything in here?” he asks.  I can tell by the tone of his voice that there is only one correct answer.

“Absolutely, Evan.  Let’s go.”  I wrap an arm around Evan and place a hand in his back pocket, making sure that there is no question where my loyalties lie.  “It was nice seeing you again, Ryker.”

“Sure.  Talk to you soon, Jette.  Take care of yourself.  I’ll be around.”  Ryker is undoubtedly trying to get underneath Evan’s skin, but Evan’s not biting.  He just places a loving arm around me and walks me back to our party.

Evan takes me to a quiet corner of the restaurant, away from the crowd.  “I hope you made it clear that this was his last visit here, Juliette.  The last thing we need is some cowboy coming in here trying to stir up trouble.”

“I can’t ban him from the restaurant, Evan.  He has friends here, remember?  I don’t see what the big deal is.”  Evan looks at me like I just grew another head.

“No big deal?  You can’t be serious, baby.  I thought Emmy was the one who sees everything through rose-colored glasses.  He wants you, Juliette.  You have to see that now.”

I just roll my eyes.  “Who cares?  My heart is already taken and I’m pretty sure it’s mutual.”  I give Evan a kiss.  “I love you, sweetheart.  Forever.”

“I love you, too.  Just be careful around him, promise?”

“Promise.”  I wrap my arms around his neck.  “Take me back to our party.  I want to get you drunk so I can take advantage of you later.”

“Oh, there you are!” Emmy calls out, followed closely behind by Adam.  “Come on you two.  Save it for later.”  Emmy grabs both of us by the hands and drags us to the bar.  Evan shrugs his shoulders.  Sometimes it’s just easier to go along with Emmy rather than fight it.

Marcus is locking the front door and it appears the last of our customers have left for the night, including Ryker.  Emmy pleads, “Marcus just sent most of the staff home for the night.  It’s just us Jette.  Can we clear a few tables to make a dance floor?”

I look over to Evan.  “Do what you want, babe.  I’m going back to the bar.  If you girls want to dance, have at it!”  He swats me on the ass and rejoins his friends.

I shrug my shoulders and tell Emmy, “Why not?”

“Woo hoo!  Thank you, Jette.”  She and the girls make quick work of making a dance floor.  Not to be outdone, the boys pull a few tables together near the bar, making a beer pong table. 

Everyone is having a great time.  Evan stopped doing shots, but he didn’t stop playing beer pong, so the alcohol is still flowing.  Most of the girls are on the dance floor, except for Reese.  She and Shaun are still sitting at the bar together.  His eyes haven’t left her since they were introduced two hours ago.  Reese is laughing at his jokes and touching his arm flirtatiously.  I know Reese’s moves, I’ve seen her reeling-in a guy before, and she’s definitely got him on her hook. 

When Reese turns up the volume with Shaun, Derek does the smart thing and walks away.  He’s now playing beer pong with the guys and seems much happier.

We take a break from dancing and fill the empty seats at the bar left behind by the guys.  Marcus takes over the bar when Derek leaves to play pong.  I haven’t seen Marcus behind a bar in months.  He’s mixing drinks and tossing bottles in the air with flair, entertaining the ladies.  They’re mesmerized by his mad skills.  Camilla is beaming with pride watching her man flex his bartending muscles.  They met when Marcus was behind the bar, and I’m sure this brings back all sorts of sweet memories for her.

Callie and Dean are the first to leave.  They’re soon followed by Troy and Delaney.  Both couples have young children and babysitters at home, so they’re returning home tonight.

Brianna and Jocelyn insist on taking me shopping next week.  They want to bring me to their favorite boutique in SoHo.  I have no intention of spending money so soon after buying a car, but window-shopping is still free. 

Reese interrupts our conversation and pulls me to the side to speak privately with me.  “Jette, would it be okay if I took off with Shaun?  He wants to bring me back to his hotel room.  The shuttle car just got here.  Do you think Evan will be pissed?”

She looks so hopeful.  I doubt Evan will be upset.  Or surprised.  “No, of course not.  Have fun.  Be smart, please.”  She gives me a kiss and the two sneak out the front door.  I lock the door behind them.

Evan spots me locking the door.  “Hey, who just left?”  He scans the room and finds the two empty chairs at the bar.  “Never mind.”

Slowly, our guests begin to depart.  Camilla drives Marcus and Derek home, and the rest of our guests, including Adam and Emmy, take the car service to the hotel.  Evan and I are the last to leave, arriving home around two thirty in the morning.

After letting Maddy out, I retreat to our bedroom to turn in for the night and I find Evan sprawled out on our bed, buck naked, wearing nothing but a pickled grin.  Time for me to get a proper thank you.

I
go in early the next morning, leaving Evan home alone to nurse his hangover.  I call in a few of the waitresses and offer them overtime to come in early to help put the restaurant back together again.  With the help of my dedicated staff, we get the tables rearranged, the floors mopped, and the bathroom cleaned with a little time to spare.  When the doors open at eleven, the place looks good as new.

Marcus, Derek, and Emmy are all working the second shift today.  Reese stumbles in five minutes after the doors open.  By the look of things, I’d say she had a good night.

It’s raining outside, and business is slow today.  I bide my time cleaning behind the bar, the only place we didn’t get to clean this morning.  I hear a familiar voice call to me, “Jette, can we talk?”  I turn to look and Reese is standing at the edge of the bar with a hopeful look in her eyes.