Page 12 of Billionaire Daddies Next Door

I had marks from Chase to think about right then, though, and they were making me forget about the shortness of the dress. I looked in the small mirror hung on the back of the office door and went to work with the foundation I kept in a spare makeup bag in my desk. I still felt completely on display when I walked into the front of the diner and started serving customers. I felt like they could each see every bite mark or finger shaped bruise Chase had left. He’d branded me and in doing so, he’d succeeded in making sure he stayed on my mind well after our night ended.

The morning rush was never the same, despite The One and Only being the only restaurant in Harmony Valley. Some mornings the military training center in town seemed to send all their soldiers to us at the same time. Other days, they trickled in throughout the morning and it was peaceful. That morning, it was organized chaos. Nearly every seat in the diner was filled and I never stopped moving.

After my first run through, I stopped thinking about my uniform or Chase. I could only focus on taking care of everyone and keeping Aaron and Charlie on task in the kitchen. Aaron was never distracted, but when Charlie joined him in the kitchen, my tried-and-true cook and friend got flustered. I was pretty sure Aaron had a crush but I wasn’t going to pull a Margaret and meddle. Not as long as he kept his head above water with the dishes coming out.

Things didn’t slow down until mid-morning and by that time, part of my hair was doing its best to escape the bun I’d put it in and I’d worked out most of the soreness in my limbs. Nothing touched the ache between my legs, though. That was still firmly in place.

A deep bark drew my attention to the sidewalk in front of the diner and I swore as I saw Mack running through the street with his leash trailing along behind him like some sort of skinny cape. Most people drove the low speed limit through town, but if someone hit him, it wouldn’t be good. I couldn’t imagine seeing the dog hurt so I shoved the plates I was carrying onto an empty table and sprinted out the front door.

“Mack!” I ran into the street and grabbed his collar just as a horn blared and a hand wrapped around my upper arm to yank me out of the road. I looked back to see Smith glaring at me and a white pickup truck speeding away from where it’d come inches from hitting me.

“Are you fucking crazy? You almost got yourself killed! Mack would’ve gotten out of the way! He’s an idiot but he lives for his afternoon snack and it makes his self-preservation skills incredible. You, on the other hand, just ran into traffic to save a dog who isn’t even yours!” Smith was shouting at me, his green eyes narrowed and his mouth pinched as he shook me. “Jesus. If that guy hadn’t been watching, you’d be roadkill right now.”

I swallowed down the urge to vomit. I hadn’t looked at all to see if there was a vehicle coming. I really could’ve ended up as roadkill. I wouldn’t admit my fear to Smith, though. Not after I’d already painted him into the enemy’s corner. “Why didn’t you have Mack? How’d he get away from you? He could’ve gotten hurt.”

I forcefully pulled myself away from Smith and shoved the handle of Mack’s leash into his chest. Without waiting for him to answer, I looked both ways and then crossed the street to get back to work. My hands shook with adrenaline but after I cleared a few tables, I was back to normal.

Charlie hung out of the kitchen window and raised his eyebrows at me when I moved behind the counter. “Did I see you run into traffic?”

Frowning, I shook my head. “Doesn’t sound like something I’d do.”

“Oh, look, the gang’s all here.” Charlie looked over my shoulder as the bell rang. “They look unhappy. I’m guessing they saw your traffic hop, too.”

I bit back a smart reply and glanced over my shoulder. There they were, the three stooges. Chase, Bear, and Smith. They really did look unhappy, too. It was hard not to feel like I’d done something wrong when they were all glaring at me as they walked towards the corner of the counter I stood behind. I sank my teeth into my bottom lip and prepared myself for a lecture about expanding the diner, but I was saved by an unlikely hero. Mayor Stevens stepped in front of the guys from out of nowhere and stopped them in their tracks.

I turned back around and met Charlie’s eyes. “How’s my order for table six coming?”

Without glancing back at Aaron, he nodded. “It’s coming.”

“Don’t turn into your brother. I’ve got more than enough Daniels attitude in my life without you adding to it.” I reached up and patted his cheeks. “I like you sweet.”

He blushed and disappeared back into the kitchen. A beat later, my order appeared where he’d just been. “Here you go.”

Aaron laughed easily. “So sweet. I don’t know how you and Chase are from the same family.”

I heard Charlie say something which made Aaron giggle but I was too far away to make it out. I didn’t know what Charlie identified as, but I knew he and Aaron would make the cutest couple. I dropped the food off for table six and then looked around to make sure everyone was okay before I had to make my way to the table Mayor Stevens had commandeered for himself and the guys.

In the few seconds it took me to make my way over, Mayor Stevens was already snapping his fingers at me. Seeing red, I stalked over and snapped my fingers back at him, right in his face.

“Do. No. Snap. Your. Fingers. At. Me.” I braced my hands on the table and leaned down so we were eye to eye. “I won’t accept that kind of behavior for my servers and I won’t accept it for me. We’re not dogs. Do not snap at us. We’ll get to you as soon as we can. Have you ever come into this restaurant and not been served, Mayor Stevens? Snap at me again and you won’t get service here ever again. Understand?”

His cheeks went red and I could see a vein pulsing in his forehead. “Well, Ms. Joanie, I didn’t mean to offend you. There’s no need to get all bent out of shape about it.”

I was opening my mouth to rip him a new one when Chase gripped the back of my thigh. His hand was way too high for anyone who saw it to ever doubt that we’d been together. He squeezed me twice and then just kept his hand there.

“Mayor Stevens, Joanie’s approach is a bit abrupt, but she’s right. Please, don’t snap at our servers.” Chase saw the mayor start to lose it and rushed on. “I’m sure it was a mistake. Either way, it’s over now. Keep telling us about your idea for the battle.”

I scoffed. “Trying to gather more troops in hopes of beating us ladies? It’ll never work.”

Smith cleared his throat and leaned forward in the booth. “Well, I wasn’t too sure I could buy into the whole battle of the sexes thing, but with that kind of trash talk coming from you, Joanie, I think I’m in.”

I took out my order pad and tapped it. “You boys want something or will you just be filling my booth today?”

Chase’s hand inched higher. “Filling your booth. Is that okay with you?”

I stepped away from his grip and flashed him a dirty look before leaving to check on my other tables.

CHAPTER 10

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