Bidding War (11 page)

“Tell me what your ideal day looks like.” He voice was soft, almost hypnotic. “Where are you living? What are you driving? Who are you with? Where are you going?”

She grabbed his wrists, trying to force his hands away. This was silly. She didn’t have time to sit here and indulge in daydreaming. And even if she did, she knew verbalizing those fantasies would only scare him away. “I don’t want to do this. I don’t feel comfortable…”

“Why? What are you afraid of, sweetheart?”

She was afraid of hoping for too much, only to be disappointed. “Nothing.”

“Okay, let’s start with something easy. If money were no object and you could drive any kind of car you wanted, what would you choose?”

“A van would be practical for work, but the cost of gas, having to drive to see Tommy on the weekends…”

He flattened his finger against her lip, silencing her. “This is about you and what you want. I don’t want you to think about anyone else right now.”

That was impossible for her. She’d been thinking about what was best for Tommy ever since they lost their mother. “I don’t know… I don’t know what you want me to say.”

He sighed. “Open your eyes.” Glaring at her, he said, “Don’t you see a problem here, Lacy? You’re so focused on what’s best for your brother, you’ve lost sight of what’s best for you.”

Her spine stiffened as she pulled away from him, flattening her back against the door. “You don’t understand what it’s like…”

“No, you’re right, I don’t,” he said, quietly. “Your job may be to take care of your brother, but I’m making it my job to take care of you.”

She didn’t know if she should argue or be flattered. He made it sound like a threat, but she couldn’t help but hear the underlying compassion. “You don’t have to do that. I don’t need you to take care of me, Shane.”

“What if I want to? Would that be so terrible?”

Would it? Only if things didn’t work out, and she was alone again. That’s what made this so risky for her. She was used to being alone, but she wasn’t used to having a partner to lean on. Could she accept his help? If she couldn’t, would he still want a relationship with her? “I don’t know.”

He scrubbed his hands over his face, revealing his frustration. “Look, I don’t know how to do things half-way, okay? I usually just charge ahead and deal with the consequences later, but I don’t want to do that with you. I don’t want to screw this up.” He took her hand, kissing her palm. “I want to know what you want so I can give it to you. Please, just help me to do that.”

Her heart began to race. She almost felt like someone gave her a winning lottery ticket, but she was afraid to redeem it in case they told her it was a mistake. “Expecting anything of you isn’t right. Taking care of me is not your responsibility. I have to take care of myself and my brother. That’s my job.”

He sighed, leaning back against the seat. “Damn it. Why are you making this more difficult than it has to be?”

She reached for the door handle. She didn’t want to argue with him, but she sensed it was inevitable if she stayed in this car one more minute. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

He got out of the car, muttering a curse as he slammed his door. “I’m coming in with you.”

“Why?”

He glared at the plastic shopping bag containing her uniform. “I have a feeling the guy who bought that isn’t going to be willing to let you walk out of here without trying to change your mind about quitting.”

He was right. Her boss, Carlos, had made it blatantly obvious he was interested in her, even though fraternizing with employees was strictly against their code of conduct. “You don’t have to do that. I can handle Carlos.”

After grabbing her hand, he led her along the paved path up to the front door of the restaurant. “I have no doubt you can handle him by yourself, but that’s my point. You don’t have to as long as I’m here.”

She crossed the threshold, drawing a deep breath. Approaching the hostess stand, she smiled at the pretty young college student behind the podium. “Hey, Linda, is Carlos around?”

The young woman’s eyes drifted over her shoulder to Shane. Without a word, she started fanning herself with a leather-bound menu.

“Hello?” Lacy said, snapping her fingers to draw the other girl’s attention. “Is Carlos here or not?”

Linda giggled as a faint blush stained her high cheekbones. “Uh, sorry about that. I guess I got distracted there for a minute.”

Shane was busy watching the hockey game on the screen perched above the bar, so he failed to notice Linda’s reaction.

Lacy had no doubt he was used to the attention. He was sexy, smart, successful… She groaned inwardly. What had she gotten herself into? Is this how it was going to be whenever they went out together, women flirting with him while she sat back wondering whether he was interested?

Linda pointed at Shane behind the menu, mouthing, “Oh my God, he’s gorgeous. Is he your boyfriend?”

Before she could respond, Shane settled his arm around her waist, pulling her into his side. He chuckled self-consciously. “Sorry about that, hon. I’ve got $100 on the Blues to…” His words trailed off when she looked up at him, daring him to continue. “Never mind. It’s not important.”

“I’ll go and get Carlos,” Linda said, slipping out from behind her post.

“You always bet to win, Shane?” she asked, folding her arms.

He thrust hands through his hair. “No, it’s just that Danny, our electrician, was talking trash about…” He sighed. “Never mind. I’m sorry I brought it up. Can we just forget about it?”

Before she could respond, Carlos came barreling toward them. He took her hand, pulling her into his arms as he kissed both of her cheeks. “There you are, bella. When I heard you weren’t coming in tonight, I was worried that you were sick.”

She tried to withdraw when she heard Shane snarl behind her, but Carlos held both of her hands firmly in his, making it impossible to retreat without making a scene. “Uh, Carlos, I was wondering if I might talk to you alone for a minute.”

“Of course, my beauty,” he said, revealing a flash of white teeth. Carlos was in his mid-forties with a middle-aged paunch and receding hairline, but according to the female employees, he considered himself a modern day Casanova.

“Looks like that table’s available,” Shane said, pointing to an empty table near the pool tables.

She knew he chose that one so he could keep an eye on them from the bar, but she didn’t care where they sat. She just wanted to get this over with so she could get out of here. “Do you mind?” she asked, pointing to the table Shane referred to.

“No, of course not,” Carlos said, taking her hand and leading her toward the small table.

She watched Shane claim a seat at the bar and order a beer. He glanced up at the screen, but she could feel his eyes boring into her from across the room.

She slid an envelope across the table. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to resign, Carlos. Thank you for giving me the opportunity…”

He seized her hand, a frown drawing his bushy eyebrows together. “No, you can’t quit!”

Clearing her throat, she tried to re-claim her hand, but he refused to relent. “I’m sorry. I only took this job to help me through a rough patch…” She glanced at Shane, who was glaring at the back of Carlos’s head. “It seems that my business might be picking up again and I…”

“I’ll give you a raise.” When she failed to respond, he said, “I’ll let you pick and choose your shifts. I’ll put you on the schedule whenever you’re available.”

She knew the employees who had been loyal to him for years wouldn’t appreciate the newcomer being given preferential treatment. Carlos was trying to sweeten the deal for one reason, to get her into bed, and with or without Shane in her life, that would never happen. “I’m sorry. I just don’t have time for a second job now that business is picking up again.” She was well within her three-month probationary period, so she didn’t owe it to him to provide notice. Still, she felt guilty for leaving him short-handed. “I know you have that private party on Sunday night. Maybe I could manage to work that for you, if you still need the extra help?”

She would have enough time to visit Tommy on Saturday morning and return home late Sunday afternoon to work the party. She knew private parties usually paid well and she could use the extra money.  

He sighed. “Very well. I’ll take what I can get. We’ll keep you on for private parties.” only.”

She didn’t intend to work every private party, just this one, but she saw no reason to tell him that now. She would respectfully decline the next time he called to ask her if she could work. “I guess I’ll see you Sunday then?”

He grinned, revealing a mouthful of pricy veneers. “Indeed you will. I’m looking forward to it.”

Too bad she couldn’t say the same. She offered a weak smile when he stood up, bending to kiss her hand. “Good-bye, Carlos.” She watched him walk away before propping her elbows on the table and resting her face in her hands. What the hell was wrong with her? She’d come here to quit, and instead she’d agreed to take another shift. Melanie always complained she was too nice, too afraid of hurting people’s feelings. But trying to spare their feelings often meant discounting what she wanted.

Shane approached the table, looming over her. He glanced at the shopping bag containing her uniform. “Am I to assume that didn’t go as planned?”

She sighed, gesturing toward the chair Carlos had vacated. “They’re having a private party here on Sunday night. I told him I would work it.” She held her hand up when he started to protest. “Listen, I could use the money. I’m doing this because I want to, not because he’s forcing me to.” That wasn’t entirely true, but he didn’t need to know that her conscience was to blame.

“Can’t you see that guy has a thing for you?” he demanded, leaning forward. “The only reason he’s not willing to accept your resignation is because he’s holding out hope that he can get you into bed.”

She couldn’t argue when she knew he was right. “I’m a big girl, Shane. I decide who I sleep with, and I can assure you it’s not going to be Carlos.”

He sighed, swiping a hand over his face as he leaned back in his chair. “You’re gonna be the death of me, girl.”

She raised an eyebrow and leaned back in her chair, folding her arms. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He chuckled. “If it’s not my own brother, it’s contractors on the job site or horny restaurateurs…”

“I don’t follow.”

“Do you know what it does to me, seeing all these guys making a play for you and knowing I can’t do a damn thing about it?”

She imagined how she would feel if the situation was reversed. She leaned forward and took his hand. “I told you earlier, you’re the only man I want. I’m not interested in Carlos or Jason or contractors on the job site.”

He lifted her left hand, kissing it as he smiled at her. “I love hearing you say that, but putting a big diamond on this finger would buy me a hell of a lot of peace of mind.” His smile fell as his expression turned somber. “How would you feel about that?”

Part of her was jumping up and down like a six year-old who just found out they were taking a family vacation to Disney, but the pragmatic side of her knew it was too soon to consider that kind of commitment. They were still getting to know each other and she had a long way to go before she was ready to take that long walk down the aisle. Withdrawing her hand, she shook her head, “I care about you, but…”

He sighed. “But you’re not ready to go public with our relationship.”

She could tell he was disappointed, but she wasn’t going to be bullied into an engagement she wasn’t ready for. “I didn’t say that. I said I wasn’t ready to get engaged. That doesn’t mean I’m not ready to be in an exclusive relationship with you.”

He rolled his eyes, tipping his head back to look at the ceiling. “What are we, fifteen years-old? Are you suggesting we ‘go steady’?” He curled his fingers in the air to emphasize the words.

She didn’t appreciate being patronized or made to feel like she was somehow lacking because she wasn’t ready to pursue a more serious relationship until she was sure about him and them. “Take it or leave it, Shane.”

He glared at her as he stood up. “I guess I don’t have a choice, do I?”

Chapter Ten