Page 19 of Release Me

“I think it can,” he says, eyes sparkling as the server places our individual glasses of wine in front of us. His long fingers curl around the stem of his glass before he raises it in the air and tips it towards me. “To the future.”

I pick my glass up and clink it against his. “To the future and whatever it entails.”

Stirring the conversation back to his botched job offer wasn’t my intention, but that’s exactly what my addition to his toast does. In an instant, Sebastian turns serious, not that dangerous kind of serious that made me want to run earlier, but something else. Something softer than before but still commanding and weighted.

“Are you ready to hear my offer?”

Anticipation rushes over me in a wave that I attempt to squash by pulling in a deep breath. I don’t know what Sebastian wants from me, and I’m not confident I’ll be able to deliver, but I can listen.

I guess.

My wine glass is at my lips before I make the decision to take a drink, and Sebastian waits patiently while I savor the buttery white wine. After a long silence and a less than lady like gulp, I set the glass down. “I’m ready.”

“I want you to come work for me.”

“So you said.”

“True, but you didn’t let me get past that part last time.”

“You’re right.” The laugh that passes my lips surprises me. It surprises Sebastian too. I can tell by the way his eyes widen just a bit. He’s trying not to make a big deal of it, but his expression suggests that he didn’t think I was capable of a sound like that. “So, let’s hear it. You want me to come work for you at one of your many establishments.”

“At Cerros,” he specifies.

“Doing what?” I sit back and cross my legs. “You already told me I’m not qualified to be a waitress at your restaurant.”

He rubs at his chin, fingers moving through the thick, dark hair of his beard as he tries to figure out if this conversation is about to go left like the last one did. “To be fair, your resume didn’t indicate you were qualified to do much of anything.”

I could argue with him but that would probably mean having to tell him why my resume doesn’t reflect any of my actual skills, and that would mean getting into things I don’t feel comfortable discussing with Sebastian or anyone else for that matter.

“And yet, you still want to hire me.”

“I do.”

“To do what?”

“To manage the restaurant you wanted to be a server at.”

I don’t know what I expected him to say, but it wasn’t that. My mouth drops, and a shocked laugh spills out from between my lips. Sebastian doesn’t look the least bit amused. “You’re kidding right?”

He shakes his head. “No, Nadia, I’m not kidding.”

My chance to respond is stolen by the appearance of two servers with our food. As expected, Sebastian’s pasta looks amazing. The nutty aroma of the browned butter and the slight sweetness of the tomatoes makes me wish I felt comfortable enough to take him up on his offer to share.

“Is everything to your liking, Mr. Adler?” Albert asks, appearing out of nowhere once the servers are gone.

“Everything looks perfect, Albert.”

Albert turns to me. “Miss Hendrix, can I get you anything else?”

I glance down at my plate, appreciating the fullness of the heap of fries underneath the sliced steak. They’re clearly hand cut and fried perfectly. I couldn’t be happier. “No, Albert, I think I’m fine.”

“Very well.” He taps the edge of the table twice and smiles. “You two enjoy.”

The moment he’s gone, I pop a fry into my mouth and let out a happy sigh around the crispy goodness partially scorching my tongue. Sebastian is still staring, but I don’t care. Nothing is going to stop me from appreciating a good french fry, not even this confusing man who apparently wants to hire me.

“Why me?” I ask after I swallow the fry and wash it down with another swig of wine.

Sebastian is quick with his response, pausing mid bite to say,“Why not you?”

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