Page 59 of 1001 Dark Nights: Bundle Forty-Seven

“No, that’s still here.”

“Fine, I’ll have that. Thank you.”

She smiled and walked away, stopping by Bear to check on him. The family at the table was pointing and smiling at him, while the little girl with pigtails called him a magical creature from the book she was reading. Bear loved the attention, giving them a goofy, drooly grin and cocking his gigantic ears as if he knew they were talking about him.

That table had wanted the pancakes, too.

Devon checked in with Layla. “Table four asked for the charcuterie board,” she whispered.

Layla noted it on the pad of paper. “Got it. He’s going to be pissed.”

“Probably. By the way, what do you think of the uniforms?”

She wrinkled her nose. “Hate ‘em. I asked for pink. The guys wanted it, too.”

“I hear you.”

“When is Mac coming back?”

Devon patted Layla on the shoulder. “When his sister is ready to let him go. Hang in.”

She kept careful tally of the orders and comments, while keeping an eye on Jameson. He seemed to be doing his own survey, stopping at each of the tables before they left to chat, looking distinguished in a black suit with a silver blue tie. She wondered what his body looked like underneath all those designer fabrics. She wondered if he had tats anywhere else. She wondered if those lips could dazzle in bed as much as they pricked in speech. She wondered—

No. She would not think about him like that. Since the moment he got into town, he’d tried to wrestle control of Vintage, cancel the Fur Gala, force her to work for him, and challenge her to a bet he believed was impossible for her to win. It was rare her body craved someone her mind didn’t. Her past relationships had always been in sync with no hesitation regarding what she wanted. This odd interest in Jameson had thrown her off.

Devon reminded herself she just needed to teach him a good old-fashioned lesson. If she won the bet, he’d be taken down a notch, and maybe it would slow down his roll with trying to change Vintage.

The rest of her shift flew by, and finally they reached the dead zone between brunch and dinner. Her feet and arms ached but a sense of satisfaction buzzed through her. Another reminder of how her energy surged when she was helping people.

She pressed her lips together at Jameson’s usual frown. Seems like he didn’t share the same buzz. Why would he have gone into the restaurant industry if he didn’t like customer service? Devon imagined he’d be better suited to research, where he was contained in a back room and could rule his own world, on his terms.

He strolled toward her with a purpose that made her wonder what it would be like once he claimed a woman. Was he possessive? Direct? Would he approach seduction as a goal to be met, or did he ever let go during the journey? He stopped a few inches from her and she caught his scent—clean and crisp, with a hint of lemon. Those cool pewter colored eyes flared with a hint of smoke and threw her a tiny bit off balance. “Did you cajole them?”

She blinked. “Cajole who?”

He cut a hand through the air. “The customers. Did you cajole them to order the charcuterie so you could say it’s off the menu?”

Oh, this was priceless. His face tightened with annoyance. “Cajole, huh?” she drawled. “Bringing out the big words, restaurant boy?”

“No, I just happen to read.”

She ignored his biting comment. “Are you pissed off you lost the bet and looking for excuses?”

He practically spluttered with outrage. “I don’t welch on bets, flower girl. But I wouldn’t put it past you to flirt to get your way.”

This time, she spluttered. “Flirt? With who? There weren’t even single men here for brunch!”

He snorted. “You don’t need a single man to flirt. You do it with everyone.”

“That’s called being nice. Maybe you should try it sometime. You may get what you want.”

They glared at each other. His nostrils flared. She watched with fascination as he got himself back under control, and the smoke in his eyes turned to burnt charcoal. “Bring the beast to Mac’s place tonight.”

Devon knew her smile dazzled. She couldn’t help leaning close and lowering her voice to a sexy whisper. “Pleasure doing business with you.”

She didn’t wait to relish his reaction. Just spun on her heel and walked away.

Her encounters with Jameson Franklin should not be this much fun.

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