Page 2 of The Waiter at Table 6

I don’t know if it’s just that I’m taking notice, or if it’s because he just said my name, but his voice is so smooth and sexy that a shiver runs through me at the sound of it.

“If you need anything tonight, anything at all, please don’t hesitate to call for me,” he adds. And yeah, that sparkle is definitely shining in his eyes.

“Okay,” I manage to get out.

His attention drops to the menu, his hand reaching to take it from me. “Would you like another glass of wine while I put your order in?”

When I lift it toward him, his fingers brush mine. I’m hit with a sudden rush that’s there and gone too soon.

Dizzy from the contact, I clear my throat to answer. “No, thank you, one glass should be fine for now.”

He inclines his head. “I’ll be back with your food in a little bit, then.”

Over the next ten minutes, I find myself feeling impatient. It doesn’t matter that I’m sitting at the table with the most gorgeous view of the ocean, or that I should be absorbing this time alone. More than once—more like five times—I glance toward the entrance to the kitchen.

Where all the waiters go in and out.

When I spot Ryder a few of those times, I look away before we can make eye contact. But when he finally appears beside my table with my food, a huge smile on his face, I can’t not look at him.

“Your dinner,” he says in a silken voice. After he places the plate before me, he straightens, and his eyes lock onto mine. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to make sure the chef cooked it perfectly for you.”

My brow furrows in confusion. But then I realize…he wants to stay for my first bite.

The silverware clatters as I fumble to pick it up. I hurriedly cut through the steak and tug the bite off my fork.

I moan, my eyes closing as I savor the tenderness, before looking back up at him. “My compliments to the chef, because this is the best steak I’ve ever had.”

But I’m met with silence. And I realize…I just moaned like a weirdo.

His eyes flash with something I haven’t seen in a very long time, something that makes my stomach flutter.

And his voice is rougher when he finally speaks. “I’ll make sure to pass that on.” He clears his throat. “Anything else I can do for you tonight?”

I swallow thickly, hoping the blush isn’t visible on my face. Get a grip, he doesn’t mean it like that. He’s just doing his job. “No, thank you. I think I have everything I need.”

“Well, then, bon appétit, Vanessa.”

It takes me a second to focus back on my food—I’m too stuck on the sight of Ryder walking away, his gait stiff. But eventually, I snap out of whatever haze I just fell into and turn back to my dinner.

My lonely, stood-up dinner.

It really is some of the best food I’ve ever had. Which is saying something, because with a pretentious ex-husband, I’ve eaten at some of the best restaurants in the world.

Although, the lack of said husband—and the million work calls that would either interrupt or cut short almost every meal—probably makes this steak taste a little better.

That and the tinge of pride I feel for staying and having a meal by myself despite the horrendous start to my night.

With the ocean winds on my skin and the waves in my ear, I can’t stop the contented smile that stays on my face all throughout.

When Ryder appears beside my table again, I’ve eaten almost the entire plate. He actually looks a little guilty when he sees that I’m done eating.

“I’m so sorry, I should have come over sooner to check on you, but we had an issue in the kitchen. Was everything okay?”

I wipe my mouth with the linen napkin before I respond, my smile only growing. “It was absolutely delicious. Best dinner I’ve ever had.”

His eyebrows shoot to his hairline. “High praise, indeed.” He glances down at my plate again, then back to my face. “Is there anything else I can get you? Another glass of wine? Dessert, maybe? The restaurant would be happy to comp something for you. As a thank you for the…substandard service.”

Another shiver runs through me under his gaze. “Dessert sounds great.” I only debate for a moment before I add, “And the service wasn’t substandard.”

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