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“Looking for something in particular?” she asked. It was unusual to find a guest in the kitchen during a catered event. In fact, it was her entire job to make sure guests never had to step foot in the kitchen, so as she watched him turn around with a mouthful of food, his pale skin turning pink, she wasn’t sure whether to feel disappointment or pleasure. At least it looked like he was enjoying the food.
“Oh, hey,” he said, trying to cover his still-full mouth and swallow quickly. Once his mouth was empty, he let out a sigh. “You caught me.”
She smirked. “It’s okay…can I get something for you?”
“Honestly, if you can just forget that you saw me, that’d be great,” he said, leaning across the marble island with a cocky grin.
“Right,” she said, unsure of how to take his request. “Okay, sure.” She picked up a tray of food, turning to walk back out into the study where a swarm of guests would be waiting for the next round. “Consider yourself forgotten.”
“Wait,” he said, pausing for her to turn around before he spoke again, “what’s your name?”
She shook her head, caught off guard by the question. “Um, I’m Blythe.”
“Blythe,” he said, smiling as he said the word. “I like that.”
She nodded. “My mother would’ve been happy to hear that.” There was that pang of grief again at the mere mention of her mother.
He laughed. “I’m Asher.” His hand extended out for hers, and she balanced the tray with one hand to reach back. He held onto her for longer than necessary, but the pounding in her chest told her that didn’t matter. “Do…uh, do you want to get out of here?”
She furrowed her brow, motioning toward the tray of food. “I’m kind of working.”
He scowled. “Oh, come on, I’ll pay you double whatever they’re paying you. Let’s slip out and go grab a drink. This party is…stuffy, isn’t it?”
She bit her lip, contemplating it only for a moment. “I’m sorry, I can’t.”
He looked disappointed, though he recovered quickly. “Okay, fine. I guess I can stick around until you’re done. Just…if anyone asks, you haven’t seen me.”
“You’re just going to stay in here?” she asked.
He tossed a torte in his mouth from her tray. “Yep,” he said, popping the p.
“But why? If you hate this party so much, why are you even here?”
“It’s…well, this is an old-friend-of-the-family thing. And I’m supposed to be here because of family obligations, yada yada yada. Truth be told, I’m bored to tears.” He fidgeted with his tie as if it were suddenly choking him. “This isn’t typically my scene.”
“What is your scene, then?” she asked.
He narrowed his eyes at her. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” he said cockily. “So, anyway, you down to be my lookout?”
She smiled, easily charmed by his warm smile and dark eyes. “Sure, I’ll do what I can.”
“Thanks,” he said. “And remember,” he said as she opened the door, “you never saw me.”
“You who?” she asked, closing the door behind her as she re-entered the study, greeted quickly by hungry guests.
* * *
Two hours later,the party was over and Blythe was exhausted and wanted to get home to her aunt’s. After the dishes had been washed and she collected her check and loaded up the company van, she was surprised to see Asher appear behind her in the alley where she’d parked. He hadn’t been in the kitchen when she returned, so she assumed he’d gotten bored with the party and ditched, but she was relieved to see that wasn’t the case.
“Well, glad that’s over,” he said, leaning one arm against her van as she leaned back against it. She jingled the keys in her hand.
“It must’ve been so exhausting for you,” she teased.
He chuckled, patting his stomach. “It was a lot of work. So, where to next?”
She shrugged. “I have to take the van back to the shop, but after that, I guess we can hang out for a little while.”
His eyes were suddenly filled with heat, and she felt flushed. “Well, I like the sound of that,” he said, his voice a low growl. “Come on,” he cleared his throat, “the night is young.”
