by Shelly Ellis
“Well, thank you for the wonderful dinner.”
“You’re welcome,” Lauren said, finally regaining her calm. “Thank you for patronizing our restaurant. We hope you’ll come back soon.”
“Oh . . .” He gave a slow and meaningful nod. “I most certainly will.”
Butterflies started to flutter in her stomach again.
Don’t start, she silently told herself. He enjoyed the food. That’s all he meant.
He stared at her for several seconds more, not saying anything. Lauren stared back. Paula coughed loudly to break the awkward silence and he smiled.
“Well, it was nice meeting you ladies.” He headed back out of the kitchen. “Good night.”
“Good night!” Paula called after him.
“ ’Night,” Lauren whispered.
The door shut behind him.
Paula grabbed Lauren’s shoulders and turned her around. “Oh my God, he was so checking you out!”
Lauren yanked her bandanna off her head. “No, he wasn’t! He was staring at me like I was an escaped mental patient. I wasn’t making any sense.”
“Yeah, what was all that stuff about ‘team effort’?”
“Don’t remind me.”
“He made you nervous, didn’t he? You liked him, didn’t you?”
“I don’t know him, Paula.” Lauren walked across the kitchen to a door that led to the women’s locker room. “I talked to him for two minutes.”
“Thirty seconds is all it takes. Ever heard of love at first sight?”
“Ever heard of a quickie divorce?” Lauren muttered as she shoved open the wooden door. “Because that’s what happens when you believe in love at first sight.”
She slouched onto one of the wooden benches perched in between two rows of green metal lockers.
“I told you to stop being so cynical. It doesn’t become you.” Paula began to tap her fingernails on one of the lockers. She dropped her other hand to her hip. “Is it just me or did that guy look like someone I’ve seen before?”
Lauren nodded. She unbuttoned her chef’s jacket and opened the locker directly in front of her. “No, it’s not just you. I thought I recognized him from somewhere, too. I just can’t place where. He must be someone important, though, if he was the VIP Nathan was raving about earlier.”
Each woman tried to summon a recollection of his face.
“I know his name,” Paula said. “It’s right on the tip of my tongue. But I just can’t think of it.”
“Well, don’t strain yourself. It’s not like you win any money for remembering.”
“He said he’d be back here to eat again. Maybe you’ll find out his name and you two will have a chance to talk a lot longer than two minutes.”
“I doubt it.” Lauren tossed her chef’s coat into her locker and retrieved her sandals. She sat down and changed out of her tennis shoes and sports socks. “Besides, I’m not interested.”
“Oh, come on, Lauren! How can you not be interested in him? Are you blind? That man was beautiful! Did you see his tattoo?” She closed her eyes and groaned. “Oh, I love a man with tattoos!”
“Yes, Paula, I noticed him . . . and his tattoo.” Lauren rose to her feet and shut her locker door. “But he just didn’t do it for me,” she lied. “Besides, I’m just focused on other things.”
“Like what?”
“My life . . . my goals . . . me. I’m focusing on me. I’m making myself better. I’m my biggest priority—in a good way.”
And I’ve still got a lot of work to do.
Lauren climbed over the bench and waved. “See you tomorrow.”
“Wait! What are you going to do if he comes back?” she called as Lauren walked toward the door.
Lauren glanced over her shoulder. “If who comes back?”
“The guy from ten minutes ago! Mr. Gorgeous! Who else?”
“Feed him, I guess,” she answered nonchalantly. “Nighty-night.”
Paula sighed. “Good night, Lauren.”
DAFINA BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2013 by Shelly Ellis
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
Dafina and the Dafina logo Reg. U.S. Pat & TM Off.
ISBN: 978-0-7582-9037-3
eISBN-13: 978-0-7582-9096-0
eISBN-10: 0-7582-9096-9
First Kensington Electronic Edition: September 2013