“I know you’re busy,” he tells me gruffly. “It’s not a big deal.”
But it is. He was hired on years ago as the bartender, but since my parents died, he’s helped me in so many different ways. He still tends bar, but he helps me keep everything else in line. He even oversees the cooks and makes special desserts from time to time. I would be lost without him and both of us know it.
The evening breeze is blowing the hair off my face when Jacey bursts through the doors, her brown eyes sparkling in anticipation.
“It’s a perfect day to have a birthday,” she announces, and like always, I have to admire her.
Jacey looks at life with childlike wonderment, something I’ve always loved about her. She can make even the most boring thing fun.
We’ve been friends since we were teenagers. She used to spend the summers here with her grandparents and one day she breezed into the Hill with them for lunch and breezed out with a summer job. She’s been with us every summer since then. She’s fun, she’s carefree, and even though it’s gotten her into trouble from time to time, she’s a refreshing change from the mundane.
I cherish that even more now that I am the queen of mundane.
“Happy birthday,” I tell her as Tony hands her the card. She grins and opens it, finding a hundred-dollar gift certificate from Tony and me for a massage in town. I mouth Thank you to Tony as Jacey throws her arms around my neck.
“Thank you,” she squeals. “You have no idea how stressed out I’ve been. I need this.”
She releases me and hugs Tony, then digs into her tarts, inhaling three of them before she glances at her watch.
“We’ve gotta hurry,” she tells us. “We’re booked solid tonight. You’re probably going to have to help out on the floor, Maddy, which is fine because you definitely look comfortable enough. You’re taking business casual to a whole new level.” Jacey looks at my clothes curiously and I sigh.
“When don’t I help out on the floor?” I demand. “I’m out there every day. I have the blisters to prove it. And I’m dressed like this because I got all muddy on my way to work and had to change into my gym clothes. ”
Jacey grins, her eyes sparkling. “Well, with bike shorts and a little bitty T like that, I’m sure the guys will be leaving you big tips. So there’s a plus.”
I groan and swat at her before I turn to follow her inside, but Tony snags my elbow and points at my salad.
“Eat.”
I glance at him and from the look on his face I know it’s useless to argue. I bend and shovel five bites into my mouth.
“Good?” I ask with my mouth full as I wipe at it with a napkin.
He gives me a dubious look and I take two more bites before I scoop up my plate.
“I’ll eat the rest later,” I promise him. He shakes his head.
“No, you won’t,” he sighs. “You’ll go home and eat a frozen burrito.”
He can’t see me grinning as he follows me inside, which is probably a good thing. I absolutely hate being told what to do, which is probably a result of watching my father boss my mother around with his fist for years, but I don’t mind Tony’s fussing.
For all Tony’s gruffness, he’s got a heart of gold, and he tries his hardest to watch out for both Mila and me. He’s the closest thing to family that we have now.
As we walk back into the dining room, we are just in time to meet Mila and Pax coming in the front doors. Pax holds Mila’s elbow as she trips over the doormat.
I have to laugh at the stricken expression on his face. I think Pax would pick Mila up and carry her for the next four months if he thought he could get away with it. He’s been more than a little overprotective lately. And as I stare at his tough exterior, it’s so hard to believe that it’s true, but it is.
My brother-in-law is like a rock-hard, tattooed sex god or something. Seriously, the guy exudes sex appeal. My first thought when I first met him was Holy shit, he’s trouble. And he really was.
Pax grins at me now, his hazel eyes twinkling.
“See something you like, Mad?” he teases. And I realize that I’ve been staring. I grin back, not at all chagrined.
“Yes, surprisingly enough. I do like you, little brother. Who would’ve thunk it?” Being the protective older sister, I told Mila to stay away from Pax, and of course that made her even more attracted to him. He had that bad-boy thing going on, that cocky attitude and dangerous demeanor that Mila couldn’t resist. Pax’s issues had issues, and he and Mila went through hell and high water together, but they stuck it out.
Pax shakes his head. “Yeah, it’s hard to believe you ever misjudged this awesomeness.”
I roll my eyes and lead them to a table, chatting with them while they get settled. Pax pulls out Mila’s chair and drops her napkin onto her lap for her.
“Are you going to chew her food for her too, or…?” I raise my eyebrow but Pax just grins.
“Happy wife, happy life,” he rattles off as he sits down. “It’s something I live by.”
“And you’re very good at it,” Mila commends him, but her eyes are frozen with interest on something behind me. “Maddy, isn’t that Ethan Eldridge?”
I turn to see my hostess, Julie, seating our old childhood friend at a small table by the window.
“Holy crap,” I answer. “I think it is. I haven’t seen him since he went off to med school. He never came home for the summers. His mom used to come in here and complain about it.”
“He looks good,” Mila says, pointing out the obvious. I stare at him, taking in his blond hair and blue eyes, and his lanky, lean frame. “You should go talk to him. That’s your job, anyway. You need to make him feel welcome.”
I scowl at her. “I’m not going over there and flirting with him. It’s not happening.”
“I didn’t say flirt,” Mila answers innocently. “I said talk. He always had a thing for you, though. And you do need a social life.”
I’m just debating whether to stab her in the eye with a fork when Ethan glances up and notices me. He gives me an excited wave.
“Hell,” I mutter, as Mila crows triumphantly. “I’ll be back to deal with you in a minute.”
I can hear her laughing as I make my way over to Ethan.
“Madison.” He smiles, reminding me exactly how gorgeous his smile is. “I was hoping you’d be here.”
“I’m always here,” I tell him wryly. “I think I practically live here. Are you back for good? I thought I’d heard that you were coming back to the ob-gyn department at the clinic.”
He smiles again and I briefly wonder why I don’t feel a reaction. Is it because I’ve known him so long?
“Yeah, that’s where I’m at. If you ever want to switch from Dr. Hall to me, I’m sure I can make your yearly exams much more pleasant for you.” He waggles his eyebrows in the ridiculous way I remember, and for a minute he seems just like the kid I knew in high school.
I roll my eyes.
“Oh, yeah, that’s just what I want. The guy who vomited up his chocolate milk on me in kindergarten doing my pap smear. Besides, you’re not even a real doctor yet, are you? And I’ve had Dr. Hall for years. So… it’s not gonna happen. Your hands aren’t getting anywhere near this.” I gesture toward my downstairs area and he shakes his head. “It’s good to see you, though. It’s been forever.”
“I am a real doctor. I’m a resident doctor. That counts, you little brat. I can even prescribe medicine and shit. But whatever. It’s good to see you too. You look fantastic, exactly the same as you did the day we graduated high school.”
I grin at his compliment. “Thanks, Ethan. I’ve been feeling old lately, so that’s good to hear. You look pretty good too.”
He throws his most charming smile at me. “We need to sit down and catch up sometime soon, Mad. I’ve missed you.”
I stare down at him, trying to see him in the way any other female would.
He’s tall, at least six-two, blond and blue-eyed. He looks like a descendent of Viking
s or something. Well, without the muscles of a Viking. We’d make gorgeous babies together, if I’m honest. But I’ve known him since preschool, which means that I know all the dumbass stuff he did between then and now. I still vividly remember him eating a grasshopper on a dare in fourth grade. His tongue isn’t getting anywhere near mine, doctor or not.
He winks and I shake my head. I’m just getting ready to tell him how terrifying it is that people are putting their health in his hands when the restaurant door opens, letting a slice of sunlight in to shine across the floor. I follow the light to the man who just walked in from the rain. He’s sliding his cell phone into the pocket of his jacket.
He looks up and his eyes meet mine and there’s no way in hell.
No effing way in hell.
My heart is slamming a million miles an hour in my chest.
Because it’s Gabriel.
Chapter Five
Gabriel
You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. The universe obviously has a strange sense of humor. After lusting after this girl last night and wondering what happened to her all day today, I’m now standing face-to-face with her? What are the odds of that?
Pretty fucking small.
Yet there she is.
Madison stares at me in shock as she stands next to a guy dressed in fancy jeans and a button-up shirt. The guy is clearly a candy-ass, but he’s not my concern.
I’m totally fixated on Madison: her wide eyes, her mouth slightly open.
That’s exactly how I feel. But unlike her, I manage to keep the surprise off my face.
I’m trying to process the crazy coincidence of us meeting like this, the second meeting in two days, when I see my sister emerge from a back hall, carrying a large tray of drinks. As Jacey glances up at me, everything suddenly clicks together and makes perfect sense.
Jacey mentioned that she was going to bring a friend with her to the club last night.
And Jacey has told me about her boss before, a supposedly cool girl who had to grow up way too soon for reasons that I don’t remember right now. What I do remember is that she called her Maddy.
Maddy is Madison.
Jacey is the common thread, the root of this unholy coincidence.
Of course.
I shake my head and watch while Jacey sets her tray down and bounds across the room to grab me in a bear hug.
“Gabriel!” she squeals. “It’s about time you got here. I’ve missed your ugly face.”
I can’t help but hug her back, even though I’m annoyed about the whole Madison thing. I almost feel like Jacey finagled all of this on purpose, but I know that can’t be right. There’s no way she could’ve arranged our meeting behind the club.
I can feel Madison’s cool stare, but I refuse to look up and meet it because I can’t tell if she’s annoyed or intrigued that I’ve intruded upon her life.
For the life of me, I can’t remember much after that fucking taxi accident last night. It was a total blackout, the first one I’ve had in months.
I don’t remember what I said to her, I don’t remember how I acted around her, I can’t remember shit. I do have strange little flashes of Madison tucking me into bed, but I don’t know if those are real memories or if my mind was just playing tricks on me. You never know with me, not when I’m in that fucked-up state.
But if it was real, I hate that she saw me like that. It’s humiliating, which is as good a reason as any to ignore her.
“Hey, Sis,” I murmur into Jacey’s blonde hair. “Happy birthday! You smell like spaghetti.”
She rolls her eyes and lets go of me, turning to Madison.
“Maddy, you’ve got to come and finally meet my brother.”
Madison looks stricken, but she manages to put one foot in front of the other, leaving the candy-ass’s side to stand reluctantly in front of me.
Even though I’m uncomfortable about this myself, I fight the urge to laugh at the distinct expression of discomfort on her gorgeous face. No matter what else she might be feeling, it’s clear she’s not sure how to handle this situation, just as it’s clear that she’s not used to not being in control. She has no idea what to say to me. At all.
It’s pretty fucking funny.
“This is my brother Gabriel.” Jacey looks up at me proudly. “He just got back from Afghanistan a few months ago and he’s hardly made the time to come see his poor little sister. Gabriel, this is my friend—and boss—Madison. You’ve heard all about her.”
Madison’s blue eyes are frozen on me, a question gleaming in them.
What the fuck?
I can hear it just as clearly as if she’d said the words. And it makes me wonder again just how much she saw last night. It puts me on the defensive and I smirk, just to prove that none of it matters.
When Madison sees it, her eyes harden even more.
Jacey stares from Madison to me.
“Um. Aren’t you going to say anything? ‘Nice to meet you,’ maybe? What’s wrong with you two? Did I miss something?”
Madison finally blinks and breaks our gaze, glancing at Jacey.
“It’s, uh, nice to meet you.” She looks uncertain of what to say next so I clear my throat.
I don’t see the point in mentioning what happened last night. Or what almost happened. Mentioning any part of it would open a can of worms that I don’t want to discuss.
Madison looks grateful for a moment before her face closes up and she turns cool once again. For some reason, I’m guessing that’s her normal persona… cool and collected.
It seems very her.
Or maybe she’s being cold because she’s mad that I left her at the accident? I internally flinch. I hate that I did that. It was a dick thing to do. But I wasn’t myself. If she’s judging me for that, fuck her. She doesn’t know shit.
I grin widely to show her that she’s not always in control.
Because that’s very me.
“It’s nice to formally meet you, Madison. I’ve heard a lot about you. Some of it was even good.”
Jacey gasps and punches me, but I ignore her quick protests about how everything was good and how she’d never say anything bad about Madison. I even ignore her whining about how my arm hurt her hand.
Instead I glance down and notice the way Madison’s chest fills out her snug T-shirt, and I briefly flash back to the way her nipples tasted in my mouth, pink and sweet. My groin tightens and I quickly return my attention to the present as Madison slides her slender hand into mine.
“It’s a pleasure,” she answers coolly. “And Jacey, don’t worry. I know you only say good things about me. Your brother was just joking, I’m sure.”
I swallow a snort, but Jacey looks appeased.
“Sorry, Maddy,” she mutters. “My brother didn’t used to be so rude. He’s still adjusting from being overseas.”
Anger flashes through me, quick and hot, but I tamp it down. I meant to be a little rude. I can’t get mad for being called out on it.
“I’m sure I’ll be back to normal soon,” I agree with her smoothly before I change the subject. “Do you have a table for me? We’re gonna need a table for three. Brand’s coming too.”
Jacey’s face lights up at the mention of our childhood friend.
“Thank God! I haven’t seen him in at least a month. You both suck at coming to see me. You should be ashamed of yourselves.” She turns to Madison. “Can I give them the window table in the corner?”
Madison nods.
“Of course. It was nice to meet you, Gabriel. I hope you enjoy your meal.”
She abruptly turns and joins a couple at a different table. Not that I’m going to show it, but I’m a little flabbergasted at the change in her. This cool, unflappable woman is nothing like the hot-blooded chick I met last night. I find myself staring at her tight ass for a minute, wondering how such a small ass fits such a big stick in it. I’m chuckling at the thought as Jacey leads me to my table.
“I’ll bring you a beer,” Jacey tells me as sh
e hands me a menu and eyes the wrapped gift that I set on the table next to me. “What will Brand want?”
“A beer is fine,” I tell her as I look over the food selection. “Thanks, Sis.”
She nods as she leaves and I glance around.
The restaurant is nice, although Madison doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would own a restaurant. At least she didn’t seem that way last night. Today, though, who knows? I think about it for a second, and vaguely remember Jacey telling me that Maddy inherited it from her parents. That would make more sense.