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Chapter 5
Erin’s first day on the job was a whirlwind of activity. The party of twenty-two showed up at one o’clock and after that there was a steady stream customers so that by the time the restaurant closed at ten o’clock that night she was worn to a near frazzle. How was she going to keep up with this pace, pregnant as she was?
She’d rejoiced at the job offer and she’d appreciated it. Really, she had. But what she hadn’t anticipated was to be on her feet for twelve hours at a stretch with only two fifteen minute breaks and a half an hour for lunch.
That night when she got home, despite her best intentions, she was too tired to tackle step two in her plan - look for a cheaper apartment. She needed to move as soon as possible but her search would have to wait one more day.
Day two was almost as busy as the first. Benny’s Restaurant was clearly a popular destination for all three meals of the day. From the moment Erin got to the restaurant she was kept running back and forth between the kitchen and the tables. Now she realized why ‘Yogi Bear’ as she’d come to think of him had hired her on the spot. She’d learned he’d lost a server the day before and clearly he had too much business to be short-staffed.
The work was tiring but her greatest consolation was the tips. She was almost collecting enough in tips as she would from her salary. Yet another perk of working at a restaurant and one she was so grateful for. She was saving every cent of it for the time when she’d need it most.
By nine o’clock that night the ache in Erin’s feet turned to numbness and she kept glancing at the clock, willing it to speed up toward closing time. The crowd in the restaurant had thinned out with just a few diners lingering for dessert and coffee. Those, she could handle. With a sigh she was turning toward a high stool by the counter, intending to rest her feet for a minute, when a man, tall and dark-haired in a dark, immaculately tailored suit, walked in.
Erin frowned, feeling a twinge of recognition, and then her heart lurched as she recognized the man who filled the doorway. She could never forget those steel-gray eyes, eyes that now held her transfixed. It was Dare.
Suddenly feeling faint, Erin grabbed for the counter and held on. What was he doing here? He was from another time, another life. How in the world had he ended up at the very restaurant where she was working, thousands of miles from Santa Marta? He hadn’t come looking for her, had he? He was walking toward her now, his eyes never leaving hers, and she stumbled back against the counter then froze. There was nowhere to run.
Why had he come? To insult her again? To throw her wantonness in her face? Her breath caught in her throat, her anxiety rising, knowing that his appearance could only mean trouble.
Dare was right in front of her now, looking down at her as if the two of them were the only people in the place.
“Erin Samuels. We meet again.” His lips curled in a sardonic smile as he rested a hand on the counter beside her, trapping her into a corner.
“Dare, what are you doing here?” Her voice was little more than a strained whisper. She was fighting to regain her composure but his nearness, the earthy fragrance of his cologne, were overwhelming her senses. At that moment all she wanted to do was lean into him, feel his hard body against hers, have his arms wrapped around her. But it would not happen, it could not. Not when he despised her so much.
That thought ripped her out of her trance. Dare hated her. He’d used her then thrown her out of his bed. Now he’d strolled back into her life thinking she would do what? Swoon and throw herself at him again? He must be out of his mind. She glared up at him as he towered over her. “Excuse me but I have to get back to work.” Her voice was as cool as the steel of his eyes. “I’m sure there is someone else who can assist you.” If he thought she was going to serve him he’d better think again.
She stepped around him, intent on putting as much distance as possible between them.
His hand shot out, halting her flight. “Not so fast, honey. We need to talk. When you finish working I’ll be waiting. Over there.” He jerked his chin toward an empty booth by the window. Without another word he released her and walked away.
For a second Erin could only stare. The nerve of him. We need to talk? About what? Apart from one night of mind-blowing sex there was nothing that existed between them. Absolutely nothing for them to talk about. And then she remembered. The baby. How in the name of heaven had he found out about the baby? That had to be the reason why he’d suddenly stomped back into her life. And what was he planning to do about it?
She gasped as a thought flashed into her mind. Had he come to demand that she terminate her pregnancy?
Blindly, she stumbled into the kitchen and leaned against the counter to catch her breath.
“Hey, are you alright?” Mildred, the sous chef, approached her, a look of concern on her face. “You look like you’re about to pass out.”
“N…no. I’m fine,” she whispered then sucked in a deep breath. Come on, Erin. You’re stronger than this. She lifted her head and gave Mildred a smile. “It just got a bit too hot out there. I’m okay now. Are any trays ready?”
Mildred pointed to a tray laden with cups and a pot of coffee. “Table sixteen.” She shook her head. “Thank God the day is almost over.”
Those last thirty minutes of her workday were the hardest of her life. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Dare sitting in the far booth, a glass and a bottle of wine in front of him. She’d moved with feigned ease, serving the customers, chatting with them and laughing where appropriate. But she could feel Dare’s eyes burning into her. As discreetly as she could she slipped a paper napkin into her hand and turned away to dab at the perspiration beading her brow. She would never let him see her sweat.
As it neared ten o’clock Erin sidled into the kitchen then headed for the changing room. Moving swiftly, she shed her uniform and donned her street clothes then grabbed her purse. Tonight she would not leave through the front door as she normally did. She almost giggled as she thought of Dare waiting patiently for her return. He’d have a long wait.
She bid her farewell and slipped out the back door that led into a dingy alleyway then she hurried up the path and out to the main road where she took off, walking at a brisk pace.
She heard the purr of an engine and looked up just in time to see an ink-black Mercedes Benz convertible pull up beside her.
“Get in.” Dare was scowling at her and his tone brooked no argument.
“I…don’t need a ride,” she said, clutching her purse tightly to her chest. “I’m fine.”
She was backing away when his voice, clipped and cold, stopped her. “Don’t make me come get you. I’ll lift you up and throw you in here if I have to.”
Erin froze. Then she slowly approached the car. He would do it. She could see it in his eyes. This time, she knew, it was best to give in. With a sigh she pulled the door open and slipped into the passenger seat.
She hadn’t even settled in before he took off down the road, making her whip around to stare at him. “Where are you taking me?” she demanded.
“Home.”
“But…you don’t even know where I live.”
He didn’t even bother to respond. That was all the answer she needed. He did know. Was he having her watched? Had he been spying on her ever since she’d returned to Canada? Erin’s heart pounded at the thought. He knew she was pregnant. He knew where she lived. What else did he know about her? Did he know about her past, too?
That thought was sobering, so much so that it left her at a loss for words. She’d meant to blast him with her rage, demand an explanation, but she could not. She was too worried about how much he knew.
Within minutes Dare was pulling into the visitors’ parking area in front of Erin’s apartment building. He switched off the engine and turned toward her. “Let’s go,” he said. “We need to talk.”
Erin did not even bother to object. Before he could move to get the door she climbed out of the car and marched toward the entrance. If he had to run to catch up with her then it would serve him right.
Unfortunately for her, he didn’t need to. Within seconds his long strides had him by her side so that by the time she got to the entrance it was he who held the door open for her. They crossed the lobby then rode the elevator in silence. Deliberately, she kept her eyes averted, breathing slowly, trying her best to calm her nerves. It was not an easy task, not when she was so close she could breathe in the masculine fragrance of his cologne. There was no way on earth she could ignore the fact that he was there, mere inches away from her. The shallowness of her breathing, the tautness of her nipples in her bra, were evidence of the effect he was having on her.
As soon as the elevator door opened Erin was out and away, eager to put distance between them. Her physical attraction was too strong, too disturbing. She had to regain control.
When he strode up behind her she was still at the door fiddling with her keys, her palms slippery with perspiration.
