by Tee O'Fallon
She held out a napkin with writing on it. “I believe this is for you.”
He took the napkin and read the words neatly scrawled in flowing script. Nick, call me. Gigi. Instead of dots, Gigi had topped her i’s with little flowers and written down her phone number. When he looked back at Andi, she was smirking, which only served to draw his attention to her mouth, and the rosy pink lip gloss she wore. Not that he was thinking of kissing her or anything
She dipped her head to the napkin. “That must happen to you a lot.”
“It’s irrelevant.” He tossed the napkin in the trash bin beneath the bar. Since he’d started working at the café, women gave him their numbers all the time, but he’d never felt the remotest desire to hook up with any of them. Funny how he never paid attention to whether those women wore rosy pink lip gloss. Shit.
“That’s the fifth napkin in three days, and those are just the ones we know about. The staff has been collecting them. We call them the Napkin Girls.” She narrowed her eyes. “Remember, you’re here to work. Not to get laid.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He grinned, but she didn’t grin back at him. It was obvious she didn’t like having him in her place. Control was her thing, and allowing him in her restaurant was tantamount to submission. But he sensed there was more to it. She didn’t like him. Understandable, given the circumstances. Probably for the best.
As she turned and walked into the kitchen, he followed the motion of her gently swaying hips, then his eyes were drawn to the cell phone clipped to the waistband of her short khaki skirt. Most women didn’t wear their cell phones, so he was gratified to see she was taking their deal seriously. If—no, when—Myer called, she’d be able to answer right away.
Andi emerged from the kitchen, expertly balancing four plates, which she brought to a table in the corner. He liked that she didn’t hesitate to lend a hand to help out the waitresses, and that she took pride in her establishment. The place wouldn’t have survived this long without hard work and perseverance, things she clearly wasn’t afraid of.
After chatting for a minute with the party of four, she went to the coffee maker adjacent to the bar and began setting up a fresh pot to brew. Nick was heading her way when she picked up a cheeseburger from a plate Kara had set for her at the end of the bar, took two hefty bites then groaned in obvious pleasure. Standing over her shoulder now, he hmphed. “You’re a carnivore. I had you pegged as a strict fruit, nut, and salad-eating woman.”
Without turning, she set down the cheeseburger and dabbed at her mouth with a napkin. “Technically, I’m an omnivore. And why does it come as such a shock to you that I eat meat? Are you profiling me?”
“No, I—”
Something shattered. Andi spun as they both jerked their heads to the source of the noise—plates crashing to the floor. Not realizing he was so close, she plowed headfirst into him. As he clasped her arms, her hands flew to his chest. As gentle and soft as her touch was, it burned straight through his shirt to his skin. Holy hell. He hadn’t been this affected by a woman since he first met his wife. God help him if Andi ever touched him directly… The image of a fireball streaking across the sky came to mind.
“Sorry,” she said. Their gazes locked, then she quickly averted hers.
“No problem.” He released her arms but not before getting an eyeful of cleavage at the deep V of her pink blouse, and a disconcerting whiff of her flowery perfume that had him wondering if she’d dabbed some between her breasts. He cleared his throat. Keep it professional. “Can you cover the bar for a few minutes? I’ll clean that up.”
“Um, sure.” She slipped past him to check on the few remaining people sitting at the end.
As he watched her go, he dragged a hand down his face. The air conditioning inside the restaurant was cranked high, but the place was hotter than a sauna. She might still be a suspect, but that didn’t stop him from being attracted to her. That, he could live with. Attachment was where he’d drawn the line with any of the women who’d come and gone lately.
He grabbed a broom, waste pan, and an empty plastic dish bin from the kitchen then went out to the dining area where he found Zoe standing over the broken pile of plates. “I got this.” He crouched and began collecting the larger pieces and putting them in the bin.
“Thanks, Nick.” She smiled gratefully. “I’m a klutz, and you’re a doll. A really big doll, but you’re still a doll.”
“Get out of here.” He winked at her.
After he’d swept the area for smaller shards, he set the bin on a table and paused to look at one of the photos on the Wall of Dog. Andi’s face was framed by a black hood as she knelt in the snow, flanked on one side by a black and white Alaskan malamute, and the other by a pure white Samoyed. All three were smiling.
He leaned in to read the handwritten notes on the matting. Orion and Venus…gone from this earth, always in my heart. Love you always, Andi.
Before she spoke, he knew she was standing behind him. Even if he hadn’t heard her light footsteps, he recognized her flowery scent.
“They were my babies. My friends.” Her voice didn’t tremble, but there was deep emotion in her words.
“They were beautiful.” He turned to see the sadness in her eyes, but there was also love, and he wondered how a woman like her was still single. She had a helluva lot going for her. Intelligence, beauty, guts. From what he’d seen, any man with half a brain would be stupid not to jump at the chance to have her on his arm.
Aside from the possible money laundering thing.
“They were.” She nodded and swallowed. “Inside and out.”
“How long has it been?” Judging by her reaction, he’d guess not long.
She reached across the table and straightened the photo. “Venus left me three years ago, and Orion’s been gone almost five now.”
Longer than he’d thought. She was a woman who loved and experienced loss deeply, canines being no exception. “What’s with the celestial names?”
Aside from interacting with customers, he hadn’t once caught her in a genuine moment of joy. Now she surprised him by giving a quick laugh. “Amateur astronomy runs in the family.”
Interesting. “How long have you had Stray?”
She shook her head. “Stray’s not mine. She wandered onto the deck about a month ago, looking for food. She was emaciated, poor thing. I’m only taking care of her until I can find someone to adopt her.”
That explained why the dog wasn’t named after a planet, or comet, or some other celestial body. “You should keep her. You two are good together.”
Before lunch, they’d put Saxon and Stray up in Andi’s garage kennel, and during the walk to the garage Stray had never left Andi’s side. The dog was devoted to her.
She gave a wistful sigh, still staring at the photo. “I can’t go through that again. It was too painful.”
He understood that for some, the death of a dog could be as painful as the loss of a human family member. He resisted the urge to comfort her, to reach out and stroke her hair. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you. It isn’t that I haven’t thought about keeping Stray. After Orion and Venus died, the house was so empty without them. Empty and quiet. But this place”—she gestured to encompass the Wall of Dog and the dog run outside—“gives me my dog-fix every single day. This restaurant is my dream.”
A gentle smile lit her face, one that tugged at his own deeply buried dreams. Dreams that included growing old with someone. Something that would never happen now. “After suffering a loss, it takes time. For some, longer than others. A dog’s life is far too short, but our lives are far richer for it. When the time is right, you’ll open your heart again.”
For one infinitesimal second, he didn’t know if he’d been referring to her heart, or his. Then a shot of cold, hard reality hit him over the head. Not yours, that’s for damned sure. His heart had a big ol’ “Closed for Business” sign hanging on it.
She turned from the photo. Cornflow
er-blue eyes pinned him, and he couldn’t look away. He had the distinct impression that she knew he’d unintentionally revealed something about his personal life, and it left him feeling exposed and edgy.
Just as he cleared his throat, movement over her shoulder caught his eye. Eric stood just inside the front door, watching him. Nick subtly canted his head to the bar.
He returned his gaze to Andi’s, wishing there was something he could say to make her feel better. There wasn’t, and it was better that he maintained a professional distance, anyway. “I’d better get back to work. You never know when the boss is lurking around.”
“Funny.” She gave him a sarcastic look then eyed Eric. “He looks familiar.”
“He should. He was at your boyfr—” He’d been about to say boyfriend but caught himself. “Correction. At your ex-boyfriend’s house.”
“You’re learning.” She feigned a glare of indignation.
By the time he made his way behind the bar, Eric had settled onto a stool at the corner near the outside deck. Without asking, Nick poured a Sam Adams on draft. He tossed a coaster on the bar, then set the glass on top.
“On the house.”
“That’s mighty generous of you.” Eric lifted the glass and took a long swallow. “Nice place. How’s the food?”
“Kick-ass. I was about to order lunch.” He grabbed a menu and slapped it on the bar.
“No need,” Eric said. “I’ll have a turkey club.”
Nick placed their orders then leaned closer so they wouldn’t be overheard.
Eric took another swig. “You never said how Andi took it when you proposed working here?”
“Not well at first.” He turned to watch the subject of their conversation cooing at yet another baby. When he looked back, his friend was grinning stupidly. “What?”
“Nothing.” Eric held up his hands in surrender. “How’d you sweet talk her into it?”
“I appealed to her logical side. She wants to clear her name and get her money back.” Nick picked up the soda dispenser and squirted club soda into a glass for himself. Again, he watched Andi as she lifted a hand and gently caressed the baby’s cheek.
“She’s hot,” Eric said.
Nick set his glass onto the bar with more force than intended. Some of the contents sloshed over the rim.
Eric laughed. “Just checking.”
“On what?”
“To see if you give a shit.”
“I don’t. She’s a suspect, not a prospect.”
“Right.” He nodded, too emphatically for Nick’s taste. “I only came by to give you an update.”
“So start updating.” He grabbed a cloth to clean up the mess he’d made. What Eric had said about Andi had royally pissed him off. More irritating was that he didn’t understand why he cared.
“I called Kade again. Myer still hasn’t crossed any borders. His trail is dead. So to speak. His family hasn’t heard from him, and traces on his credit cards are still coming up empty.”
“Then wherever he is, he’s paying for everything in cash.” He served Eric a bowl of pretzels. “Got any good news?”
“Not really.” He grabbed a handful of pretzels. “Some of Andi’s background check is in.”
Nick froze. While he still had to treat her as a suspect, he hadn’t really expected the feds to dig up more dirt on her.
“She paid for the Dog Park Café in cash.” Eric stuffed a few pretzels into his mouth.
“How much?” He already had a bad feeling.
“One point five million,” Eric said as he chewed. “For the restaurant, the house, and nearly ten acres. Based on county permit applications, she probably sank another half million into the renovation.”
Not a good sign. Money launderers usually paid for big-ticket items with untraceable cash.
A flash of pink had him look over to see Andi rise and turn, a smile on her face. When she caught sight of him watching her, her smile disintegrated as she rightly interpreted his dark look to be bad news.
Marty took that moment to bring out their sandwiches. “Here ya go, guys.”
“Thanks.” Nick took the plates and set them on the bar.
“I know you want her to be innocent.” Eric plucked a toothpick out of a wedge of club sandwich. “But maybe she’s not.”
“I don’t want her to be innocent.” He picked up his sandwich. “I don’t want her to be anything. If she’s got a role in Myer’s money laundering scheme—let alone running guns—I’ll arrest her myself.” He grabbed his panini and bit into it. Based on the smell wafting into his nose, he was sure it was kick-ass. The possibility of arresting Andi made it taste like cardboard.
Eric picked up a fry and dipped it in ketchup. “Have you heard from Matt and the guys?”
“Yeah, they’re—”
Nick spotted two burly guys in suits at a table near the front door, giving Kara a hard time. One of them had an arm around the waitress’s waist, while the other was licking his lips in a sleazy, suggestive manner. Kara managed to extricate herself from the man’s grasp, but the douchebag grabbed her arm. Other people in the restaurant were starting to stare.
“Ah, hell.” Nick dropped his sandwich on the plate and rounded the end of the bar. By the time he’d gotten to the table with the two assholes, A-hole #1 was on his feet, still trying to cop a feel.
“Got your back,” Eric said from where he now stood behind Nick.
“Let her go. Now.” He towered over the jerk, who unwisely failed to follow his order. A-hole #2 wisely stayed in his chair.
Kara struggled to escape the guy’s grip on her wrist, but he only tightened his hold, hooking his arm around her waist. From the corner of his eye, Nick caught Andi rushing over.
“Who the fuck are you?” A-hole #1 was about five ten, with beady, dark brown eyes and slicked back hair. Great. A friggin’ mobster wannabe.
Nick leaned in, intentionally getting in the guy’s face. He really wanted the little prick to take a swing at him so he could pound his face into the pavement. He had no tolerance for dumb shits who thought they could press themselves on women. “I’m the fucker who’s about to throw you out on your ass.”
“Nick.” Andi touched his arm. “Don’t.”
“Oh, yeah?” A-hole released Kara and stupidly took a step closer to Nick.
Oh, yeah. Before the guy could react, Nick grabbed his wrist, spinning him, then wrenching his arm behind and high on his back. The guy struggled, but he was no match for him.
“You motherfu—”
Nick shoved the guy’s arm higher, and he yelped. “Language.” Then he propelled the A-hole straight out the front door. He released the guy’s arm, and with more than a little shove, sent him stumbling into the parking lot.
Andi came up behind him, along with Eric, who’d escorted A-hole’s buddy outside.
Nick clenched his fists. It was all he could do not to ram his boot up the guy’s ass or lock him up for assaulting Kara. “Show up here again, and I guarantee you won’t leave looking so pretty.” Not that the little fuck was pretty now.
“Sonofabitch,” the guy muttered, massaging his shoulder as both men headed for a black BMW.
Eric chuckled. “You exercised great restraint. I’m proud of you. Personally, I would have mashed my fist in his face.”
“Do me a favor, and follow them outta here.”
“My pleasure.” Eric headed out the door.
Andi rested her hand on Kara’s shoulder. “Are you all right?”
The young waitress nodded. “I’m fine. Thanks.”
“Are you sure?” Andi asked, concern evident in her eyes.
Kara nodded. “I did just what you trained us to do if male customers start harassing us or try to get physical. I kept calm and gave him the opportunity to back off.”
“I know. You did great,” Andi reassured her. “But remember, you don’t ever have to accept a customer pawing you or making suggestive comments, and I’ll back you up every time.”
&nbs
p; “Thanks. I was about to kick him in the nuts.” Kara gave her a quick grin. “Like how you said we could.”
Nick held back a snort. Andi was telling her staff to kick sleazy customers in the nuts? His admiration for her was growing every day. She had even more guts than he’d given her credit for.
After the waitress headed back into the dining room, Andi turned on Nick, giving him an undisguised look of irritation. “I appreciate you stepping in to help, but you didn’t have to be so aggressive.”
“Yeah. I did.” He met her stare with a hard one of his own. Without waiting for a response, he turned and went back inside.
As soon as he crossed the threshold, customers began clapping and cheering, including Zoe, Kara, and Marty. As he made his way behind the bar, the clapping died down. He picked up his sandwich, which had turned cold. Figures. No good deed…
Andi came behind the bar. “We need to talk. In my office. Now.”
He took a deep breath and let it out. Great. He followed her into the little office off the kitchen.
“Close the door.”
He did, and when he turned back, she got right in his face.
…
“I agree that guy deserved to get thrown out of here.” Andi sat on a corner of her desk, then pointed a finger at herself. “But I would have taken care of it, and not so violently. Do you think this hasn’t happened before? I’ve never had to resort to launching a customer out the door with enough force to land him in the next town.” She jabbed a finger in his direction. “The way you handled him was unnecessary and bad for business.”
“The asshole had it coming.” Nick leaned back against the door, crossing his arms, drawing her attention to his thick biceps. “Trust me, once guys like him think they can get away with forcing themselves on a woman, they’ll never stop.”
She sighed. “I don’t disagree with you on that, but we’re not on the street, and you’re not here to police the place. This is exactly what I was afraid of, that you’d scare customers away with your storm-trooper attitude.”
“Do you have any idea how terrifying it is for a woman to be held against her will?” He pushed from the door and moved closer. “No, you don’t. But Kara does, and so do the thousands of other women who get assaulted every year in this country by bullying trash like him.”