I rolled my eyes at her borderline sexual harassment comment and nudged her back. “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. When you have a psycho stalker after you, I’ll send him over and you can see how you like having an extra shadow.”
Sabrina chuckled. “Well, if he’s going to be our designated watchdog, we might as well have some fun with the situation. Let’s see if we can make him crack a smile.”
Sabrina had a knack for turning even the most mundane situations into amusing adventures, even if they were dumb as shit. Sometimes, I wondered if she wasn’t a fourteen-year-old girl trapped inside a woman’s body.
I turned to enter the café, but Sabrina grabbed my arm and tugged me toward a street performer. We watching him juggle, clapping and cheering as he flawlessly maneuvered colorful balls through the air.
The bodyguard stood a few steps away, his expression stoic as ever. The pang of sympathy I felt for the guy surprised me. It had to be horrible to have to play the role of a guardian and be detached from the simple pleasures of life. I couldn’t do it, that much was sure.
“Hey,” Sabrina called out to the bodyguard, a mischievous challenge in her voice. “You think you can juggle like that guy?”
He turned toward us, that stoic expression unmoving on his face except for the hint of amusement that flashed across his eyes. “I’m afraid my talents lie in protection, not entertainment, ma’am.”
Sabrina feigned disappointment, placing a hand on her hip. “Well, that’s a shame. I was hoping for a show. Maybe next time.” She lowered her voice to a whisper and leaned in my direction. “Think he’d give me anadultshow once he’s off the clock? He’s pretty hot. Especially when he tries to keep a straight face.”
“Are you fucking kidding me, Sabrina? Of all the men you could pick up,thisis the guy you’re drooling over?” Not that he was bad looking—as a matter of fact, he was very delicious eye candy—but if he was doing her, he couldn’t very well do the job Ty was paying him for.
Laughing, Sabrina patted my shoulder. “It’s a joke, calm down. Besides, I think he likes the extra attention.” She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and winked at him as we walked into the café and to our favorite booth in the back. It was private, and whichever one of us was sitting against the wall could see the whole place. We took turns.
I couldn’t help but laugh, grateful for Sabrina’s lightheartedness. It was exactly what I needed to distract myself from the tension of the past few days, and it was good to finally be able to breathe for a moment.
Once we were seated, the security guard plopped into the booth directly behind me, facing the door. Unfortunately, this put him right in Sabrina’s line of sight.
“Damn, Liza. Your bodyguard has tree trunks for arms.” Sabrina sighed overdramatically.
“Pretend he’s not here.” I waved my hand dismissively. “That’s what I’m doing.”
She picked up her menu and used it as a fan. “I’ll try, but I can’t make any promises.”
I shook my head, used to her silliness. We placed our orders, and Sabrina pulled her eyes from the security guard, finally focusing her attention on me. “I haven’t seen you in forever.”
“Well, that’s probably because it’s been at least two weeks.” It was the off season, so catering jobs were few and far between.
“So, what’s new with business? Any exciting events coming up?” Sabrina asked, sipping her sweet tea like she didn’t have a care in the world. Right now, I didn’t know if she did or not, but I felt a thousand pounds lighter just being here with her.
I leaned back and shrugged. “Not much lately. I’m expecting things to pick up soon as party season approaches. You know how it gets when everyone starts planning their summer events.” I was looking forward to it. It wasn’t that I was hurting for money—the meals I cooked for my regulars kept me busy andpaid well—but I missed the hustle and bustle of three parties in a week, a cotillion, or a dance to cater on a weekend, and any number of brunches and lunches.
Even though we weren’t slammed with clients, I still stopped by the office a few times a week to work on paperwork and make sure the place hadn’t been robbed. Otherwise, the clients who hired me as a personal chef kept us afloat while we anticipated the upcoming party season.
Sabrina nodded; her eyes gleaming with anticipation. “Oh, I can already imagine the fancy parties and glamorous soirées. This year, we’re going to make a splash, Liza. I can feel it. Especially since you’ve broken into the world of the royals. Our clientele is only going to get better once you become the alpha’s mate. Can you imagine? You’ll have to turn people away. They’ll come from several towns over, maybe even out of state, to hire you.”
I tried not to think how my life might change as Ty’s mate, but I couldn’t help it. Would I even have time to continue my catering business? From what I’d seen of Persephone, I’d be expected to take on several social and philanthropic duties, which probably wouldn’t leave much room for my business.
Sabrina didn’t seem to notice the sudden shift in my mood as she continued talking. “I went on a date with a beta the other night.”
“Excuse me?” I leaned forward, my eyes wide. We’d been here for twenty minutes, and she had me blabbing on about work. “Why am I just now hearing about this?”
“It wasn’t that big of a deal.” She flicked her hair over her shoulder and glanced at the security guard again. “Well, maybe I’m lying. He was extremely dreamy, but there was just something that kept me from enjoying myself.”
“Oh? I can’t imagine you not enjoying yourself with a hot beta. You’ll have to enlighten me. Did you figure out what it was?”
Sabrina suddenly became very serious and lowered her voice. “I need to let you in on a little secret. Promise you won’t be upset.”
“Nothing you could say would upset me.” I thrummed my fingers on the table and waited. It was true. There were people in the world who could piss me off with nothing more than a look, but Sabrina wasn’t one of those. Sabrina was my best friend.
She looked down at her lap, biting her thumbnail. “I might havehooked up with Bryce.” The last four words were said in a whisper.
“What?” I shot up straight and slapped the table. “I amscandalized.I thought you hated Bryce. Am I in the twilight zone right now?”
