Page 10 of Falling for My Boss

“I’m sure if Ally pulled you in, that means you have prior experience waiting tables?” I asked.

“Yup,” she said. “Tons.”

“Alright then, Charlotte is in the office now. Head on in to her and tell her I hired you under the table. She will get you set up and tell you what the specials and stuff are. The whole lay of the land. Welcome to the King Vineyard Restaurant.” I held out my hand again, and she took it and shook gently.

“Thanks,” she said.

She walked away, heading to the little office Charlotte was in and knocking on the door. Ally went with her and introduced her, and I overheard a bit of their conversation as I continued on the prep work. I watched her through the reflection of one of the silver pots and tried to force myself to look away.

She was stunning, absolutely a knockout, and I wasn’t entirely sure how to handle it. My hand was still buzzing from where I’d touched her; just shaking her hand sent me into a tizzy. What was going on with me? I never got this flustered. There was something different about Jodi, but I couldn’t put my finger on it just yet.

I found myself glancing back to the glass door of the waitstaff office over and over. I watched as she brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face and smiled. Her full, ruby-red lips were so enticing, and I found myself gawking at her as she talked. Thankfully, no one else seemed to notice, and I went back to my work, only to find myself watching her again minutes later.

What the hell was going on with me?

Eventually, Ally left the office, catching me glancing in the window, but thankfully pretty far away and not actively gawking that time. She smirked as she walked over to her station and began to work. I put my head down, focusing on the food and the menu at hand, willing myself not to look at the office anymore.

After a little time, the door opened again, and Charlotte led her out. I looked up and made very brief eye contact with Jodi, felt my pants tighten, and looked away. It was like I was a high school boy all over again. Something about those mesmerizing green eyes and the way her pants hugged her tight, round ass made it hard for me to think about anything else. If I wasn’t careful, I was going to end up taking a finger off with my prep knife.

After Jodi and Charlotte disappeared through the door, I finally was able to focus again. Like a fog had lifted, my brain cleared, and I went back to being able to obsess over flavor and plating in such a way that I would be willing to take pictures of it for Alex’s social media pushes.

Ally began to warm up as the morning got into high gear, which made me feel a bit better about the day. It was tough being at odds with her, not only because she was my best friend and most respected colleague, but also her relationship with my brother complicated things. With her back to being silly and having me taste her dishes and vice versa, it made the day go by a lot smoother and a lot faster.

Still, I found myself walking slower when I crossed by the doors to the seating area, letting my eyes search for those ruby lips and green eyes. Every time I found them, she only seemed more enticing, more alluring. Thankfully, things got busy, and I didn’t have time to do much else other than cook.

6

JODI

Iwas going to have to talk to Ally about her descriptive skills.

The way she made it out, the restaurant just needed a little boost, a server to act as a patch when they didn’t have enough people on the floor or there was a day when more than one person needed the time off. It sounded like a good filler for a time while I looked for something else, but probably not enough to really sustain me.

And then I got to the restaurant.

The place was in chaos. It was the type of smooth, controlled chaos that came from people who knew what they were doing and worked hard at not letting their customers know what was really going on. But it was chaos, nonetheless.

They weren’t just looking up for another server or someone they could have on call. This place was desperate for help. They needed someone who knew what they were doing, and they needed it fast.

I had to admit, I was leery when I agreed to apply for the server position at the vineyard. That didn’t get any better when I actually pulled in to meet Ally. If anything, I felt even more unsure of my decision. It seemed like things were falling into place too easily with this position, and things like that never happened for me. Not since realizing my life was in my family’s hands and they were planning on more or less offering me up to the highest bidder.

That was when I left. Before then, life was pampered, luxurious, and easy. At least, for the most part, in the ways most people immediately think about. I had everything I wanted and needed. Doors were opened for me both literally and figuratively. For that part of my life, everything came easy.

But I had never really had to try for anything, so I didn’t know what that meant. Now, I knew. And I knew roads were hard, obstacles were plentiful, and people weren’t to be trusted.

Only, I didn’t get that same vibe from Ally. She was sweet and friendly, but more than that, she seemed honest as hell. And I couldn’t overlook the reality that I needed the money. I couldn’t stay ahead of my family if I was broke. I just had to get through one more year. Just one more year of staying under the radar and I would be just fine.

Once that year passed, I would be old enough to gain access to my trust fund. My parents didn’t have the legal ability to touch that money, and there was nothing they could do to hinder me getting it. The money was left for me by my grandparents with strict protections, and the lawyers had all been very clear that no one could access it but me when I came of the age that was set with it.

That meant in just one year, I could take my money, do whatever the hell I wanted, and never have to worry about my family again.

But that was still a year away. Until then, I had to keep going. I had to find every grind I could just to keep myself afloat until I actually did get to that point. And this position was right here in front of me. It seemed almost too good, but at the same time, it did involve Derek. So maybe that was the flaw that was there to prove to me this was a genuine opportunity just waiting for me to take it.

So, I did.

As soon as we stepped into the restaurant and I saw the state of things, Ally looked both embarrassed and worried.

“Let me try to help them get things a bit under control, and then I’ll be back to bring you to the office to fill out an application,” she said.

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