The Mogul and the Muscle: A Bluewater Billionaires Romantic Comedy(28)

The back of my neck tingled as they clinked glasses. I glanced toward the terrace doors.

A second later, I heard the hostess inside. “Sir, you can’t go out there.”

A man was hurrying through the restaurant, heading straight for us.

Straight for Cameron.

Everything snapped into focus. I noted the exits. The number of tables and the reactions of the other patrons. People watched as the man strode quickly past them. No one responded with recognition. He was alone.

I stepped in front of the doors, blocking his access.

“Sir, that’s a private dining area,” the hostess said. “You don’t have a reservation.”

I knew who he was the second he stopped in front of me. Shepherd Calloway, Everly’s boss. I’d seen photos of him when I’d looked into Everly, although he looked different from the slick business mogul with a reputation for being a hardass that I’d seen. He was oddly disheveled. Plain white t-shirt and jeans. Hair out of place. A beard more than a few days past neat stubble.

“Shepherd?” Everly asked behind me.

“Jude, let him by,” Cameron said.

I could tell by the look in Shepherd Calloway’s eyes that neither of the women in my care were in any danger from him. Not physical danger, at least. Everly’s heart might be another matter. I was pretty sure he hadn’t come all this way to interrupt her interview because she was a good employee.

The shocked yet hopeful look Everly gave him as I stepped out of his way confirmed my theory.

“Sorry to interrupt, Ms. Whitbury,” Shepherd said. He moved closer to their table and held out a hand. “Shepherd Calloway.”

“Cameron,” she said, shaking his hand. The slight curl in her lips left her looking both curious and amused.

“I need to ask you not to offer Everly the job,” he said. Cameron raised her eyebrows and Everly’s mouth dropped open. “Not yet, at least. Don’t get me wrong. You should absolutely hire her. You’ll never meet someone who’s as smart, kind, hard-working, diligent, and passionate about everything she does. As her boss—or former boss, I suppose—I give her my whole-hearted, unequivocal recommendation. But as a man, I’m asking you to do me an enormous favor and give me a few minutes to talk to her first.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Calloway, I’ve already offered her the position. And she accepted.”

The moment of silence that followed made me feel terrible for the guy.

“Of course,” Shepherd said. “As she should have.”

Cameron picked up her purse. “I just remembered, I have another meeting to get to. Everly, thank you so much for coming. We’ll connect later and work out the details. Mr. Calloway, it was nice meeting you. I hope you both enjoy your visit to Miami.”

She met my eyes and I gestured for her to go ahead of me.

“Nice one,” I whispered as she walked by, then followed her into the restaurant.

“Give them some privacy,” she said quietly to the hostess. “They’re my guests and if they need anything, I’ll take care of it.”

“Of course, Ms. Whitbury,” the hostess said.

We left and turned up the sidewalk toward her building. I shifted so I was on the street side of the sidewalk.

“Was that what it looked like?” Cameron asked. “Because I think we just witnessed something in there.”

“Everly and her boss? Oh yeah. That was something.”

“I bet he chased her here because he’s in love with her,” she said, a hint of excitement in her voice.

“Definitely.”

“Oh my god, it’s like something out of a book. Do you think he deserves her?”

“I couldn’t say.”

“I wish I knew what was happening. I’m glad I trusted my instinct to offer her an office in Seattle. She’s perfect for this job. I really want her.”

“Looks like Shepherd Calloway does too.”

She took a deep breath. “Exactly. Well, maybe she’ll have her happy ending. A new job and the man she loves.”

The hint of longing in Cameron’s voice surprised me. No sarcasm. No snarky remark. That little glimpse of vulnerability did something weird to my insides.

“Aldrich would never have chased me like that,” she said.

I wasn’t sure what to say. “No?”

“After I ended things, I didn’t want him to try to convince me to stay. And it still hurt when he didn’t. What’s that about?”

“You wanted to know you’d mattered.”

From the corner of my eye, I could see her glance at me as we walked. “That’s exactly it. And I don’t think I ever did. Not really.”

I squashed down the urge to reach over and clasp her hand. “At least you know you made the right choice.”

“Yes, I did.” She took a deep breath. “Sorry, I probably shouldn’t have said all that. I guess now that you’ve witnessed sex in my kitchen, been interrogated by my gardener, and I’ve made things weird by oversharing, all we have left is for one of us to accidentally see the other one naked and we’ll have our awkwardness bases covered.”

I chuckled.

“Oh my god, did I make Jude Ellis laugh?” she asked. “I didn’t know you did that.”