by I. T. Lucas
“I’ll see if she needs help.” Eva followed the girl to the kitchen.
She found Tessa leaning against the counter and fanning herself with her hand.
“Nathalie’s cousin is hot,” she whispered.
Eva chuckled. “Yes, he is. I would’ve thought that a guy that big would scare you.”
Tessa shook her head. “Not at all. He has a protector’s vibe. Having someone like him around would actually help me sleep better at night.”
Eva caressed Tessa’s cheek. “Why didn’t you tell me the nightmares were back?” she said softly.
Tessa leaned into Eva’s palm and sighed. “You’ve done so much for me already. I didn’t want to burden you. Besides, there is nothing you can do.”
“Not true. You could sleep with me like you did at the beginning. Remember? You couldn’t sleep without me cuddling you.”
Tessa smiled a sad little smile. “I was a kid then, and I thought of you as this grown-up, strong woman. But now I’m a grown woman too. I can’t sneak into your bed like I used to.”
“Yes, you can. You’re welcome whenever you can’t sleep.”
Tessa’s eyes filled with tears and she brushed them away with the back of her hand. “I owe you my life, Eva. You’re the best person I’ve ever met. I love you.”
If she only knew…
Pulling the girl into her arms, Eva kissed the top of her head. “I love you too, sweetie.”
Chapter 22: Bhathian
Bhathian knew he was making Eva uncomfortable, staring at her like some lovesick puppy, but he couldn’t help it. Everything she did was sexy. The way she lifted the pastry up to her mouth, putting it between her plump lips, the way she laughed at the silly jokes Nick the wonder boy hacker was making.
It was a relief to sense no attraction between Eva and Nick. The boy was a scrawny geek, and it was no wonder that Eva didn’t feel anything for him, but that the pup wasn’t attracted to her was strange.
No healthy male could’ve helped it.
Maybe Nick was pitching for the other team?
Bhathian hoped so. One less male to worry about.
“We should head back, Bhathian.” Nathalie patted his thigh. “Andrew is probably on his way home, and I want to be back in time to have dinner with him.”
He pushed to his feet then offered her a hand up. “It was nice to meet you all,” he said.
“Same here.” Nick got up and offered his hand. “I hope you guys will come visit often and bring those delicious pastries with you.”
Sharon slapped his back. “Nick, that’s not polite.”
“What if I say please?” He steepled his hands and put on a pleading expression.
Nathalie laughed. “You guys should visit my old café. You’d like Jackson. He is the one who’s in charge now that I can’t work.” She patted her belly. “He and his friends are using my father’s recipes to bake these.”
Eva lifted a brow. “You didn’t make them?”
“No. The guys bake double the quantity and deliver half to the ke… I mean the executive lounge. There is very little I can do these days.”
Eva hugged her daughter gently. “You shouldn’t be working at all. You huff and puff when getting from the couch to the door.”
“That’s what Andrew and I have been telling her too. She doesn’t listen to us, but maybe she’d listen to you.” Bhathian crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Nathalie.
She sighed. “Two more weeks and then I’m going to leave it all to someone else. But I know that with nothing to do I’ll go crazy from boredom.”
Eva laughed. “Enjoy your free time. You’re going to miss it once this little one is out and demanding every moment of your day and night. I still remember…” She caught herself in time. “I still remember babysitting for my neighbor when her child was born. Poor woman, she didn’t get any sleep. I took care of her little girl so she could grab a nap.”
Eva’s crew was eyeing her as if she’d sprouted horns. “What?”
Sharon shook her head. “I don’t know. It’s just weird to think of you holding a baby. You’re so…”
Eva narrowed her eyes. “I’m so what?”
“Worldly and mysterious?”
She smirked. “I can live with that. Let me walk you to your car.” She hooked her arm through Nathalie’s.
“That was a close one,” Nathalie said when they were a few feet away from the house, walking to Bhathian’s car.
Eva nodded. “More than one. A couple of them.”
“Do you think they suspect something?”
“I don’t think so, and if they do, so what? They would never guess what the real deal is. Let them speculate.”
Bhathian clicked the remote, then opened the passenger door for Nathalie. “Give me your hand. I’ll help you get in.”
Nathalie sighed. “I feel like an elephant.”
“You’re beautiful.” Bhathian kissed the top of her head before helping to lower her into the seat.
“When are we going to see you again, Eva?” Nathalie put the emphasis on the name. “I’ll better get used to calling you that.”
“I’ll give you a call tomorrow. I need to get settled and organize my caseload.”
Nathalie looked disappointed.
Eva leaned inside and kissed Nathalie’s cheek. “I promise I’ll come over. I just don’t know when yet.”
“Okay.”
Bhathian closed the door and glanced at Eva. She looked uncomfortable again, not sure what she was supposed to do next. He was no better. They were like a couple of teenagers trying to figure out each other. At least he was. Maybe for her it was something else.
Eva hadn't given him any indication that she was even attracted to him other than that kiss almost a month ago. But then he hadn’t seen her in the interim.
If he had any chance to win Eva over, he would have to work hard at seducing her.
“Are all the guys that run Fernando’s café immortal?” Eva asked.
“Jackson and Vlad and Gordon are. They recently hired a human girl to waitress.”
Eva nodded. “I think I’ll take my crew there and introduce them. It would be good for them to hang out with some young people. Maybe the guys can recommend popular clubs.”
“I’ll give Jackson a call and tell him to play nice.”
“He seems nice enough.”
Bhathian grimaced. “Yeah, a charming little bastard who’ll get into your girls’ panties in no time at all.”
“I’m not their mother. Besides, they sure can benefit from a good tumble in bed. Sharon, that is. Tessa is a different story.”
“Why? What’s wrong with her?” Bhathian asked.
“It’s her story to tell, not mine.”
Bhathian shifted his weight to the other foot and offered his hand. “I don’t want to keep Nathalie waiting.”
“Goodbye, Bhathian.” Eva shook his hand. He was about to pull her into him and steal another kiss, but he felt as if they were being watched and glanced at the house. Sure enough, Nick was standing on the balcony of the third floor and looking down at them.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” He let go of her hand.
She nodded and turned on her heel, but not before Bhathian caught a fleeting look of disappointment on her face. She’d wanted him to kiss her, and if not for the little bastard on the balcony he would’ve.
Damn.
Bhathian got behind the wheel and slammed the driver’s door shut.
“What’s the matter?” Nathalie asked.
“I want to strangle that Nick fellow.”
“Why?”
“Look in the rear-view mirror. The little prick is standing on the third-floor balcony and spying on us.” Bhathian eased out of the tight parking spot.
“I can’t see anything,” Nathalie said, cranking her neck to look at the mirror.
“Never mind. I don’t want you to strain a muscle.”
He needed a strategy. Hell, he needed coaching on how to cou
rt a woman. Maybe he could use his mandatory sessions with the therapist to ask for her advice. Or, if he wanted a male's perspective, he could ask Jackson.
Yeah, not in this lifetime or in the next.
Andrew, however, would know a thing or two, and he wasn’t a snotty teenager.
“What made you fall in love with Andrew?” he asked Nathalie.
“He’s a great guy. Any woman would’ve wanted him.”
Bhathian growled low in his throat. If he didn’t tell her why he needed to know, Nathalie would keep talking in generalities in an unnecessary attempt to spare his fatherly feelings. Humans had all kinds of hang-ups about things of that nature. “I need to learn how to charm a woman.”
“You mean my mother?”
“Yes.”
“And you want my advice.”
“You know her better than I do. I hate to admit it, but I don’t know how to go about it. I’ve got the seduction part down, but that won’t be enough to win Eva over. I need to know what Andrew did to make you fall in love with him.”
Nathalie chuckled. “It started with the physical attraction. I wanted him so badly, and the silly man was trying to be a gentleman. Eventually, I just told him to stop treating me like a breakable doll or something.”
“I don’t get it. Are you telling me I need to just go for it?”
She shook her head. “No. I knew that Andrew was treating me like that because he was afraid of scaring me off. I was too important to him. He admitted that he’d never behaved like that with any of his other girlfriends. So even though I was impatient and I wanted him to make a move, I appreciated what he was trying to do.”
Bhathian shook his head. “I’m never going to understand how women think. So you wanted him to initiate sex, but you were glad he didn’t.”
“Yes.”
Hopefully, Andrew’s side of the story would make more sense, because Nathalie’s didn’t.
Chapter 23: Eva
“Hello, Jackson.” Eva smiled at the young immortal managing her ex’s coffee shop. “I have some hungry customers for you here.” She waved a hand at her crew. “My employees. Sharon, Nick, and Tessa.”
Jackson bowed his head. “Welcome to Fernando’s café. You came to the right place. Can I start you off with some cappuccinos?”
“Yes, please.” Sharon pushed past Eva to get a better look at the hot guy behind the register.
He’s too young for you, sweetheart, Eva wanted to whisper in Sharon’s ear. But then Jackson would’ve heard it.
“I’ll pass for now,” Nick said. “Maybe after I eat.”
Everyone turned to Tessa, who hadn’t said a thing and was hiding behind their taller frames and trying to stay out of Jackson’s view.
“What would it be for you, Miss?” Jackson leaned forward and flashed the girl a charming smile. “A cappuccino? Tea? Me?”
Tessa blushed redder than Eva had ever seen her blush before. Not that the girl blushed often, and certainly not because of a handsome guy flirting with her. Other than that one blush Bhathian had elicited yesterday, all the others had been due to embarrassment over mishaps at work. Tessa was scared of making mistakes as if Eva was a horrible boss who would chew her up for every little thing.
“Do you have herbal teas?” Tessa asked in a tiny voice, looking at the shelves behind Jackson, probably to avoid looking at him.
“We have a nice selection.” Jackson dropped his flirtatious tone, replacing it with a gentle and coaxing one. He was talking to Tessa as if she was a skittish mare who needed to be handled with care. “I’ll bring you the box so you can take your time and choose what you like.”
She abandoned the shelves and dared a quick glance at the boy. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure. I suggest you guys snatch that booth over there before someone else does.” He pointed at the only free one up front.
“Can I grab a few menus?” Eva asked as her crew took ownership of the booth.
Jackson leaned over the counter. “I’d rather bring them over myself if you don’t mind.” He winked.
Eva narrowed her eyes and whispered. “Aren’t you a little too young to be flirting with adult women?”
He shook his head. “There is no age limit on flirting. Besides, the little one is younger than me.”
“She’s not. Tessa is twenty-one.”
Jackson’s smile was so bright it could’ve blinded someone less jaded than Eva. “Perfect, then she’s legal.”
Oh, the boy was asking for trouble. “But you’re not.”
“Yes, I am. I’m eighteen. She can have me any way she wants me without breaking the law.”
Eva leaned, so her nose was practically touching the boy’s. “Tessa is not for you, Jackson. She is fragile and needs to be handled with extreme care.”
Jackson’s expression turned serious. “I know. I’m not blind. But she looks like she needs a friend. Someone to make her laugh. I’m good at that.”
Eva lifted a brow. “A friend? I wasn’t born yesterday, Jackson. I know what boys your age want, and being just friends with a girl is not it.”
“But I’m not a regular boy.” He winked. “Don’t worry. I promise to be on my best behavior.”
Who did he think she was? A naive soccer mom? “Like that’s supposed to make me feel better? What’s your best behavior? Waiting for the second date to make a move?”
Jackson frowned. “Why are you getting so worked up about it? I’m not some evil incarnate who’s out to harm your employee.”
Shoot, he was right. Jackson wasn’t the enemy. He was a charming young man, and the fact that he was younger than Tessa was actually an advantage. Tessa had been brutally forced to grow up too quickly. As a teenager, she’d been snatched before having a chance to flirt with boys her age. Maybe Jackson was exactly what she needed to get over the trauma that had stalled her growth, physical as well as emotional.
“I’m sorry I overreacted. You’re a nice guy, Jackson. It’s just that Tessa is…” How could she say what needed to be said without saying too much? Tessa’s past was her own, and she had the right to tell it to whomever she deemed trustworthy. To this day, the only one who knew the whole story was Eva. Sharon and Nick had been told a censored version with the worst parts omitted.
“You were saying?” Jackson prompted.
“Sensitive.”
“Got it. Fragile and sensitive and needs to be handled with care.”
“Exactly.” She smiled at him.
As Eva slid into the booth next to Sharon, the girl eyed her suspiciously. “What were you talking about with Jackson?”
“This and that. He took over for Nathalie, and I was wondering how a guy this young is handling running a business.” After many years of working undercover, Eva was an expert liar. Trouble was, Sharon had a talent for sensing things like that. Fortunately, it seemed not to work where Eva was concerned. Sharon never asked her about the solo, off the books, missions Eva was running from time to time.
None of her crew ever had.
The lie worked, and Sharon seemed satisfied. “What’s the story with that? How come she lets a kid run the place?”
Over the course of the long month Eva had been away, she and Nathalie had chatted on the phone at least once a day. Nathalie told her how the whole thing had started with Bhathian and Andrew one day showing up at the café and everything that had followed.
As long as she omitted the immortal part, there was no harm in telling them. “Nathalie was running the place basically on her own. Her father, the original owner and the one who’d come up with the recipes, was diagnosed with dementia, and she had to take over.”
“What happened to her mother?” Nick asked.
She is sitting here in front of you.
Eva shrugged. “She disappeared. So one day, Bhathian, the cousin you’ve met yesterday,” who isn’t her cousin but her real father, “came to visit, and when Nathalie complained about her waitress quitting, he suggested a distant relative of his who just
graduated from high school.”
“Jackson,” Tessa said.
“Exactly. He started as Nathalie’s helper. Despite his young age, Jackson proved a savvy businessman, and Nathalie ended up relying on him more and more, especially as her pregnancy progressed and it became difficult for her to work. He brought over two of his friends, and eventually she let him run the place so she could take some time off before the delivery and later to be with her baby.”
Jackson had probably been listening to Eva telling the story, and waited for her to be done before showing up with the tray.
“One cappuccino for Sharon.” He placed the cup in front of her. “Another one for Eva.” He handed her the cup. “And tea for Tessa.” He put down a large wooden box and then a steaming teapot. “And the menus.” He handed them out.
Tessa mumbled a quiet thank-you and lifted the lid, avoiding looking at Jackson while sifting through the assortment of teas.
“You’re welcome,” Jackson said softly.
“I think he likes you,” Sharon said as soon as Jackson left.
Tessa blushed again. “You’re imagining things. I’m invisible to guys like him.”
Sharon snorted. “He saw you all right. He didn’t look at anyone else.”
Eva cast a quick glance at Jackson, expecting to see a satisfied smirk on his handsome face. Instead, she found a scowl. The boy looked annoyed. Was it because of Sharon’s taunting?
“Enough of that, kids.” Eva lifted the menus and handed them out. “Hurry up and choose what you want to eat so we can order. I’m hungry.”
It was almost seven when they were done eating, and most of the café’s clientele had left. Jackson turned the sign to ‘closed’ and joined them.
“Do you guys have plans for tonight?” he asked.
“We’ve just got here, dude,” Nick said. “First time in Los Angeles for all of us, except for Eva.”
Jackson grinned. “Then you need someone to show you around.”
“You volunteer?” Sharon asked with a quick glance at Tessa who was very busy looking into her cup.
“I sure do. My friends and I are performing at a club that’s not too far from here. Good music, good drinks, you’re gonna love it.”