5
A wedding, a reception, and a sprinkle of paranoia.
“Natalie, I need you to do a quick round outside with champagne. The toast is about to start.”
She nodded and instantly prepared two trays with flutes, filling each with the pale gold drink. Each serving measured perfectly as if poured with a measurement instrument.
It was no wonder Mr. DeMatto paid through the nose for this team.
Within seconds, Natalie had almost a dozen flutes on two trays balanced on her hands. She expertly maneuvered her way through the crowd of guests, tucking one tray under the other as it emptied.
Nick nodded to himself, content she had the task under control. He straightened his bow tie and tugged his cuffs, the feel of wearing a tuxedo almost foreign after so many years. He flattened his hands on his jacket, making sure everything was in place before stepping out and walking between the clusters of people. A steady chatter hummed in the crowd of the wedding party, attendees raving about the newlyweds and how everyone knew they were destined to be together.
The wedding had taken place in a gazebo by the lake behind the mansion. Gazebo might be a stretch considering the small structure was larger than most single-family homes. But the site was picturesque, outside the huge multilevel mansion, the immaculate gardens and meticulously mowed acreage proved to be a setting of a fairy-tale wedding. Hedges were shaped symmetrically and flowers were selected by color and coordinated to accent walkways and trimmings.
After the exchange of vows, the reception immediately followed, the convenience of keeping everyone on the homesite eased the guests’ tension, but did little to buy any time for the staff to accommodate last-minute changes.
The faint sound of the water rippling along the waterfront edge and the wind rustling through the leaves of the large, trimmed trees, all worked in concert to create a peaceful setting. Nick sighed, yearning for a more pleasant destiny for himself than what life had offered thus far. This peace. The sounds flowing in the air, the sun hitting his face, and the safety that enveloped him—all things he missed in this life and didn’t get a chance to enjoy.
Shaking off his thoughts, he scanned the buffet table, making a mental note of the items that needed to be replenished. Each guest had a flute in their hand, except for a few in the far right-hand side. A smile tugged at his lips when Natalie appeared, as if out of thin air, with a tray to offer them some champagne.
The hairs on the back of his neck rose, and almost instantly, the smile fell from his face. He pivoted on the balls of his feet, his heart racing. His gaze ping-ponged.
Someone was watching him.
He flattened his hand on his chest, feeling the cool comfort of his talisman’s metal press against his skin under the tux. His pulse raced as he weaved through the crowd, memorizing each face while comparing it against his mental database of familiar faces. No one seemed to notice him, and not a single pair of eyes met his.
Paranoia was getting the best of him.
He took a deep, calming breath, exhaling through pursed lips. He had to focus on his job and get through the day. Timed perfectly, the best man stood with the microphone and began his toast just as Nick casually ducked out and headed to the back area with the catering staff.
“Sir,” one of the chefs said, calling him over. “We’re running dangerously low on the filet.”
“How low?” Nick asked.
“We had enough to cover the guests plus twenty-five percent more, but the surprise additions threw off the count.”
Surprise additions. Once word got out about some of the celebrity names in attendance, RSVPed nos became yeses without formal notice and crowds of guests filled the party. The bride’s father accepted everyone, quickly signing off on the additional charges, wanting the world to share in the joy of seeing his baby girl finally marry her childhood sweetheart. Except it had thrown off the catering head count as well as the table and seating arrangements. The team had prepared for situations such as these, but all the prep in the world couldn’t have magically corrected the exponential growth of the event. Or the necessary food. Nick had arranged for extra chairs, tables, and linens, but he knew it was a matter of time before the kitchen encountered a problem.
“How short are we?”
“I’d say we need about fifty more just to be safe.”
“Anything other than the filets?”
“We can manage the other items and adjust the portion sizes to accommodate the change, but we can’t slice and ration filets without it causing a problem.”
Nick nodded and pulled his phone out of his jacket, quickly dialing the restaurant. “Hello, Mrs. DeMatto.”
“How’s everything going over there?”
“A bit of a crisis so I thought I’d call you first to check on the restaurant’s inventory to see if we had an in-house solution.” After a quick discussion and a resolution in sight, Nick ended the call and reached for the two coolers. “We’ve got enough inventory at the restaurant to cover it. Pace the service. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
He stuffed the two coolers in the trunk of Mr. DeMatto’s car and stopped, the return of the prickling at the back of his neck forcing him to scan the large valet parking area. The entire front and side lawn of the mansion was covered in cars and SUVs crammed together with just enough space between them for the valets to move them. Luckily, he had parked in a spot that allowed for a quick drive to the restaurant, just as Mr. DeMatto had predicted might be needed. After one final scan of his surroundings, he sighed, not seeing anyone. Of course not, everyone’s inside settling in to start their four-course dinner service. He set aside his paranoia and focused on the crisis at hand.
A few hours later, after the last of the guests finished off their dessert and the catering team began the cleanup tasks, Nick finally let the tension ease from his shoulders. They had managed to evade all crises and the father of the bride beamed with gratitude for the glowing praise from his guests.
Nick waited until the catering team finished and returned everything to its place, helping where possible so they could all call it a night.
With the crew on their way to their homes and a sense of satisfaction for a job well done, he slid into the driver’s side of his boss’s car and sighed. Maybe he’d get lucky tonight and get some rest. After missing so much sleep, his body protested, needing a few hours to refuel.
He leaned his head back against the leather headrest, sighing as thoughts of Ian filled his mind. The sound of his voice…those pale blue eyes. He wondered what it would feel like to be surrounded by those strong arms or pressed against the wall of firm muscles.
Nick loosened the bow tie around his neck and undid the top button of his shirt.
Life wasn’t fair. He knew that better than most. People complained about not having this or that. Material things. They weren’t important. At least, not anymore.
He had once had the big house, the fancy car, and the hefty bank account—a treat to himself after defining his future, spending so many years in school, and finally becoming his own man. He thought he had broken away from the tension and worry that had hovered over him for most of his life. But fate had different plans. Now, he lived day to day, under a mask of a semi-false name and living on a cash basis.
Alone.
That was the thorn that stung the most and twisted his heart. He couldn’t risk creating a tie, and he certainly couldn’t put someone else in the crosshairs.
Ian.
The man was an enigma. There was definitely something dark and dangerous about him, but there were also tiny glimmers of life and hope that broke through the ice of his blue eyes.
There was nothing Nick wanted more than to say “yes” and surrender to the desire swirling in his body.
Pressing his hand to his chest, the tightness around his heart eased slightly when the hard metal of the talisman touched his skin. He gripped the steering wheel and pushed the start button. He had survived another day. And that was all that mattered.
At least, that was what he told himself as he pulled out of the mansion’s driveway and drove to his lonely apartment.