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“Well, finally we have a winner.” Eric strode in as the new recruits were heading to the break room. “We’re going with champagne linens, copper candle holders, and white roses.”
Thank god. The table presentation had been an issue for days. “Excellent. I’ll have the servers set two tables if you would like to join Tiffany and me for lunch. I think it would help our servers to have two tables full of picky customers to deal with.”
He planned to be incredibly obnoxious. Tiffany would almost certainly make up for him by being sweet, but he intended to give them a challenge.
“Sure, sounds like fun. I think Javi can handle lunch,” Eric replied.
“It’s already in prep.” Javier wiped his hands off and joined them. “The kitchen is ready. These guys are pros, but I have some questions about the servers. Mostly, though, I have to ask about the service trainer.”
He wanted to ask about Tiffany? “If you’re trying to imply that Tiffany has something to do with the quality of the server trainees, I’m going to take offense. She didn’t hire anyone.”
Javi held up a hand. “My question is far more personal. I know what a great job Tiff does. I’m not asking in a professional way. I’m asking as her friend. What the hell are you playing at, Sebastian?”
He had to do a double take because it wasn’t every day he got called out. No one called him out. Not since he’d left Georgia for the last time. He’d kept his head down, his nose clean, and he never placed himself in a position where he could be questioned on a moral level. He hated being called into question. Loathed it.
“I think you should explain yourself.” He couldn’t help the fact that the words came out in an icy tone.
If it bothered Javier, he didn’t show it. “Tiffany is a nice lady. She’s genuinely kind. She’s got no men here looking out for her. I would like to know what your intentions are when it comes to her.”
Eric frowned. “Seriously, you’re taking the moral high ground here, Javi?”
Javier crossed his arms over his chest. “Yeah, I am, because I know Sebastian is a hard case and though he won’t mean to, he’s going to break her heart.”
“Why would I break her heart? I like Tiffany. We get along well together and I think when our contract is up we’ll both want to sign a new one.”
Javi pointed at him. “Yes, see, that’s what I’m talking about. You plan to put her in a box marked sub and take her out when you want her. Can’t you see that’s not going to be good for her? Look, I’ve known her for years. We worked together at a restaurant before Top. There’s a reason I’ve never hit on her and it’s because she’s like a sister to me. The problem is I know too many dudes like you and while I respect everything you’ve done for our country, you have to get right with yourself before you drag someone else into it.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” He could feel his anger starting to well.
Eric held a hand out as though ready to come between them at any moment. “I think Javi is putting some of his own problems on you.”
“I’m not. I’m taking what I know and applying it to the world around me.” Javi’s eyes drifted down. “That leg hurting you? You think I don’t know the signs? My oldest brother came back with most of the left side of his body blown off. He came back to a beautiful wife and a three-month-old girl he’d never seen before.”
He knew Javi’s oldest brother, Rafael. He’d seen him at the VA a few times. He was a shell of a man. Sebastian was fairly certain he’d gone down a very dark hole. “I’m sorry about your brother. I don’t know what he has to do with me.”
“He wouldn’t let Sonja help him. Wouldn’t let her see him most of the time. Said he was a monster and she shouldn’t have to live with him like that. The divorce came through a few months back and now my brother drifts around. I know you won’t see it, but you drift around, too. You don’t let anyone really know you. You never let anyone help you. You’re favoring your right leg heavily. You tripped and caught yourself while you were running the servers through kitchen training. That was why I nearly burned myself. Not her. It was you. I would bet it’s because you’re spending far too much time on your prosthetics. Did you get a scratch or a cut that won’t heal because you’re so afraid of letting her see you as less than whole?”
He’d put extra padding in to ease the pain, but the scratch had opened up again. He’d knocked into one of the tables and he’d felt it.
Not that any of it was Javier’s business. The way the younger man was talking to him was stirring up a mess of old emotions. “I’m fine and I’m not your brother. I wouldn’t have left my wife and child behind.”
Javi’s jaw went tight. “That’s not what I hear.”
Eric straightened up, his shoulders stiffening. “What? Sebastian’s never been married.”
Javi’s eyes met his, the knowing stare in them telling Sebastian he’d been doing his homework on him. “No, but he had a fiancée he left at the altar.”
His stomach took a heavy downturn. No one knew about Alicia. He never talked about her. Never.
He’d given up a relationship with his family because he wouldn’t talk about Alicia.
Javi’s eyes had gone stubborn. “You didn’t want her to see you as less than a man, did you? It’s been years but you still don’t accept what happened to you.”
“Leave him alone, Javier,” an unwelcome voice said.
He turned and Tiffany was standing in the doorway.
Javi frowned her way. “I know you have a thing for him, Tiff, but you don’t know about his past. I looked into him when I found out you were living with him. I get it. You were doing Big Tag a favor, but I know you. I know you want him and you’re going to get hurt. You need to understand that he’s left women before. He left his fiancée and she was pregnant. He walked out on her and his family and never said a word to them again.”
