Bet in the Dark (11 page)

             
“No sir,” Steve frantically shook his head.

             
“Do you want to scrape gum from the bottom of every table?” Ty took a menacing step forward.

             
“No, no sir,” Steve stammered. All of these tasks were dreaded and obnoxious, but I knew it was Ty’s authoritative manner that really had Steve shaking in his boots.

             
“Then stop harassing Ellie, or Britte or any other girl on or near this restaurant’s premises. Do you understand?” Ty finished and
I
almost saluted.

             
“Yes, I understand,” Steve obediently responded.

             
“Good, then go do a bathroom check.” Ty jerked his chin in the direction of the restrooms and Steve went scurrying off to fulfill his duty.

             
I sighed a breath of relief and then patted Ty on the huge, steroid-esque bicep. “Thanks, officer doom.”

             
“Why are you so much trouble tonight, Ellie?” Ty turned on me, his face still rigid planes of irritation.

“Who me?”
I squeaked, so not ready to have the wrath of universal soldier teeming down on me.

“Yes, you.
You’re not usually the one causing problems around here,” he lectured.

Before I could respond the doors opened and college-aged boys pushed their way through. They were rowdy and laughing and I immediately recognized some of the faces from around campus. I ducked my head, letting my hair fall over my shoulders.
I didn’t know very many guys from school. I wasn’t super outgoing to begin with, but Colton had occupied my time up until now and he didn’t have very many guy friends.

That should have been clue number one….

“What are you doing here?” Ty bellowed in a playful tone. What? Ty was
never
playful.

“Hey man.”

Oh no. Oh, no no no no no.

“You here to eat?
Or just dropped by because you missed my beautiful mug?” Ty laughed in a gruff way I imagined his laugh would sound like, if I had ever heard it before.

I kept my chin tucked to my chest and counted pairs of shoes so I could discretely pluck the exact number of menus I needed without having to address the males gathered around the host stand.

              “Mainly I have business with your hostess,” Fin announced loud enough for probably everyone in the restaurant to hear. If he was trying to get my attention, he succeeded.

             
Too bad I was not about to let him know that.

             
I felt Ty’s gaze intensely on my back, but decided now was a perfect time to make sure every menu was facing the right way and all the inserts were tucked uniformly just inside the front cover. Finally a protective hand covered my shoulder and Ty gave it a squeeze. I couldn’t tell if he was trying to shake me into lifting my head or what, so I chose to ignore him too.

             
I dropped down so I could rifle through the cabinet for a handful of after dinner mints to refill the bowl. Not that it needed refilling, but it was something. And at this moment I would take anything to occupy my time other than looking Fin in the eye or acknowledging him in any way.

             
I heard Fin finally say, “But we’re here to eat too. It’s been too long Ty. I haven’t seen you at Sunday dinner in months. What gives?”

             
From my position on the floor I watched Ty’s shoes shift uncomfortably back and forth. What in the world? Ty never got nervous, and now
Fin
was making him fidget? Plus, Sunday dinner? How in the world did these two know each other? There was absolutely no family resemblance, not even of the distant cousin variety. While they were both tall, dark and handsome, Fin was golden tanned skin and wild, wavy hair. Ty was mocha-toned with perfectly creamy skin and short, but obviously stick straight almost black hair. I didn’t want to assume Ty’s heritage, but he was in no way descended from Fin’s obviously Caucasian ancestors.

             
“Uh, yeah, I’ve been working a lot,” Ty explained. And while that was true I suspected there was more to his avoiding of the “Sunday dinners.” “But I am planning this Sunday for sure. You grandmother has been after me. I promised her I would show.”

             
“Awesome,” Fin grunted in a way that said he was too masculine to reveal how truly happy he was with that answer.

             
“So four?” Ty asked, indicating the guys surrounding Fin.

             
I pulled myself up off the floor in time to drop the mints into the plastic dish on the edge of the host stand and grab the menus again. As much as I didn’t’ want to I was ready to do my duty and then hide in the kitchen for the next hour. I finally lifted my head up to meet the eyes of everyone but Fin. They were watching me carefully, obviously speculating how someone as insignificant as me caught the attention of the campus track star turned organizer of all illegal activities.

             
Ok, maybe that was a little unfair. He wasn’t the organizer of
every
illegal activity. But enough of them so that my personal morality judge and jury ruled their final verdict: life in prison without parole.

             
“Right this way,” I grabbed the menus and then turned quickly, my eyes on the table I was set on taking them to.

             
Fin cleared his throat from behind me.

             
“I’ll take them, Ellie,” Ty offered before I could take a step in the right direction.

             
What?!?
How did Fin get his way with even Ty? Ty was a drill sergeant. Ty fought in Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia and countless other places in his seventeen yearlong army career! And with a simple throat clear, he was willing to do Fin’s bidding? This was not real life. I was not living real life anymore. Somehow Fin had sucked me into his alternate reality where he reigned as king while the rest of us lowly subjects were allowed to survive only if we carried out his infallible bidding.

             
“It’s alright,” I grated out. “I can take them. It is after all
my job
.”

             
“Ellie,” Ty intoned in the voice that brokered no argument. Gah! “I know she’s a troublemaker Hunter, but if you upset her in any way I will physically hurt you.”

             
Aw. Ty’s sentiment warmed my cold, bitter heart even as I resented yet another male standing up for me. Could I not be left alone to fight my own battles?

             
Oh wait. When left to my own devices things like Fin Hunter happened.

             
“You are a traitor,” I hissed as Ty awkwardly carried the menus in his big, bulky hands to one of the booths that surrounded the bar area.

             
“You love me,” he called over his shoulder.

             
I had no response, in fact I was speechless. I pressed my hands against the host stand and stared down at my uneven nails with contempt.

             
“Hey, Ellie,” Fin finally said after a few moments of silence. He leaned against his own hands, although they were positioned higher than mine on the outer ledge of the podium. When I said nothing he prompted, “Aren’t you going to say hi?”

             
“Hi,” I gritted out, finally lifting my gaze to meet his. He was clean shaven today, his jaw was smooth and unshadowed, showing of those great lips and strong jawline.
Focus
. “What are you doing here?”

             
He nodded toward where his friends sat. “Eating.”

             
“You said you had business with me,” I reminded him. “But tonight is not one of the nights I am scheduled to,” before I could finish the sentence I wiggled my fingers in those annoying air quotes, “work. If you remember we worked out a Monday, Thursday schedule.”

             
“You are right. But I forgot to get your number last night. Ridiculous oversight on my part. But I was a little distracted, so….”

             
I rolled my eyes. Way too obvious. How in the world did he get so many girls? “Why do we need to exchange phone numbers? We have a schedule; I’ll be there when I’m supposed to. I’m very reliable. If you need me more than that you just have to work it out with me when you see me.”

             
He stared at me, hard. His dark chocolate eyes were intense and thoughtful; the only thing softening his expression was the small quirk of his lips like he was trying to hold back whatever he wanted to say. Meanwhile electricity seemed to zip back and forth between us, charging the air. Maybe it was one sided on my part, but even his hands, as they rested just inches above mine, felt like a physical weight against my skin. There was this invisible pull, this complete awareness of everything about him and I was becoming helpless to acknowledge it. The only problem was that if I let myself recognize I felt this
strength
between us, what was I supposed to do with it?

             
“I’m sure you are very reliable,” he finally said sounding sincere. “But I might need you in an emergency. Or you might need to get ahold of me.” When I opened my mouth to protest he continued quickly, “Like if you get sick. Instead of having me hunt you down again, you could just text me and let me know you can’t make it.”

             
A vision of me in my rattiest sweats, my hair a matted mess, leftover puke dried in the corner of my lips and a cold sheen of sweat running down my temples while I answered the door to an irate Fin made that hypothetical situation crystal clear. He had a point, and I didn’t really feel inclined to argue with him anymore.

             
“Ok, that’s a decent enough reason.” I pulled my phone from my apron and opened it to my contacts. “Give it to me.” I held my thumb poised over the touchscreen keypad, ready to act.

             
“Here, let’s just switch phones. That will be easier.”

             
I thought over the repercussions of handing Fin my phone, but in the end relented. I could easily keep an eye on him for thirty sEconds. With the swap of phones I entered my number into his contacts list, saved it and then discretely scrolled through the rest of his contacts with a casual swipe of my thumb. So. Many. Girls.

             
In fact, so many girls with only first name entries. Which told me he didn’t have to try very hard to earn their number and they didn’t care enough to make him.

             
I stifled a groan and then held his phone up impatiently while he finished entering his number into my phone. “Did you come here on purpose? Or is running into you just a coincidence?”

             
He traded phones with me, and then shoved it into his pocket without even glancing at my entry. Either I was way too suspicious of people for no reason other than I grew up with three, pranking, cruel brothers. Or he was just used to people- read girls- doing whatever he wanted them to.

             
“I’ve known you work here since you entered my game,” he said matter of factly as if all his extensive knowledge of my life should not still freak me out. “But I don’t know your schedule because you haven’t given it to me yet.  So this was coincidence.”

             
“Oh,” I breathed, feeling silly for thinking he searched me out.

             
“But I can’t deny that I chose this place hoping I would find you working tonight,” he smiled crookedly at me, innocent and a little embarrassed.

             
Ok, I wasn’t feeling silly anymore. I was feeling a thrill of pleasure. No, that was wrong. I was feeling a
flare of panic
because he was obviously stalking me and it was obnoxious if not a little scary.

             
“So we could exchange numbers,” I hedged.

             
“Yep.”

             
That was way too casual. I looked down at my phone, deciding to ignore him and went about changing Fin Hunter to Econ Tutor. I smiled a little at my inside joke.

             
“What did you just do?” he demanded and plucked my phone from my fingers before I could stop him. “Econ Tutor? Why don’t you want my name in your phone?”

             
Did he sound hurt?

             
No, obviously not.

             
“I have three brothers that routinely go through my recent calls and text messages. I really don’t want them finding out about any of this.” I tilted my chin defiantly when something flashed in his eyes. Not anything like hurt, because then I might have felt bad. It was more like challenge, possession. And those were emotions I did not feel equipped to defuse.

             
“Are you…. embarrassed of knowing me?” he asked like he didn’t really want the answer.