Page 78 of Warrior's Cross

It wasn’t unusual for Blake to call his wait staff into the back rooms of the restaurant and have meetings every now and then, but tonight it was obvious that this meeting was totally unplanned. The floor full of diners was completely unstaffed, and prepared dishes waited to be taken out. It was unprecedented.

Blake stood in front of the group of gathered servers and didn’t wait for the chatter to die. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he started, his commanding voice immediately silencing the room. “The restaurant will be closed tomorrow. You’ll all be paid overtime for the inconvenience. Those of you wishing to take the day off, I hope the weather is nice for you,” he said with a smile, but there was no humor in his voice or in his eyes as he spoke. “But anyone wanting to make a little extra cash in exchange for some heavy lifting, please come talk to me in my office at some point before you take off tonight. That’s all,” he finished, not even attempting to end his announcement with something clever like he usually did.

He turned and left the prep area, head down as he made his way back to his office.

Standing with a gaggle of waitresses who immediately began talking excitedly about the unexpected day off, Cameron frowned, wondering what was going on. Heavy lifting? He shooed the others back to work and corralled the hostesses to help deliver waiting meals as he pushed his curiosity aside.

But hours later, once most of the staff was gone, Cameron set his jacket aside on the bar and ventured down the hallway to Blake’s office, where he rapped lightly on the door.

“Enter,” Blake’s distracted voice called through the closed door.

Cameron pushed the door open and stepped part-way inside.

“Blake?”

Blake’s eyes were wide, reflecting surprise at seeing Cameron. He reached over to the phone on the corner of his desk and said, “I’ll call you back,” before hitting a button on the speakerphone to end the call.

“Are you here for heavy lifting or is there something else?” he asked Cameron curiously.

“Both, I guess. To offer help and ask if everything’s okay,” Cameron said, studying the older man.

“Everything is not, in fact, okay,” Blake answered with a hint of humor. He gave Cameron a small smile. “I have to move, you see. Very sudden thing. And I need help with all that damn antique furniture,” he grumbled.

Cameron raised an eyebrow. “Thus the need for heavy lifting,” he commented. Then he shrugged. “I’m happy to help.”

Blake looked at him dubiously. “Do you need the extra money?” he asked.

“Not hardly,” Cameron answered. Then he frowned. “Have you got enough help already?”

“Not hardly,” Blake answered wryly. “We’re starting at six a.m., but you’re welcome to get there any time you like. I cansend a driver for you so you don’t have to catch a cab,” he offered.

“Yeah, getting a cab at six a.m. would be a pain in the ass,” Cameron agreed. “So a ride would be great.” He studied Blake. The other man looked worn out and worried. “Are you okay?”

Blake ran his hand through his hair and gave Cameron a small smile. “Not at the moment,” he answered truthfully. “But I will be, as soon as Julian gets this shit straightened out.”

Cameron stiffened, unable to return that smile. He settled on a jerky nod.

Blake didn’t seem to notice his sudden discomfort, and he picked up a piece of paper and turned it around and around on the desk, fiddling with it to dispel some nervous energy. It was the first time Cameron had ever seen him fidget. “So,” he said as he folded the paper in half and tapped it on the desk. “You call me when you’re ready for the car to get you. I’m providing breakfast, lunch, and dinner, if needed. There will be copious amounts of alcohol if we finish by nightfall,” he rambled.

“In a hurry, huh?” Cameron said quietly. “I’ll call,” he said.

“In a very big hurry,” Blake muttered with a nod of his head.

“Thank you, Cameron,” he added as he reached over and picked up the phone again. “You have a good night.”

Uneasy, Cameron nodded and stepped out, pulling the door shut behind him. He should have known he wouldn’t completely get away from reminders of Julian. Shaking his head, he headed back to the bar for his jacket. It would be a quiet walk home with his memories.

“What the hell, Blake?” Julian muttered as he sat on one of the counter stools in Blake’s gourmet kitchen. Preston sat beside him, sipping from a mug of coffee.

“What?” Blake asked defensively. “I have Irish crème,” he offered with a grin as he held up the coffee-pot.

“I told you to be ready at five a.m., not wandering aimlessly in your boxers and a robe,” Julian said.

“You know, I read a study that said wandering aimlessly for an hour fulfilled a percentage of your daily exercise regimen,” Blake told them as he poured his own mug of coffee and sat opposite them. “You should wander aimlessly more often,” he advised seriously before taking a small sip of the steaming liquid.

“If I had the fucking time to wander anywhere, I would,” Julian snapped, his impatience growing as he thought about the large house full of large furniture they would need to move before nightfall.

“Technically, sir, you have quite a lot of time. You just can’t wander,” Preston pointed out quietly, hiding his smirk behind his coffee mug.

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