an elegant dinner dress on, she looked the part. Gerard wouldn’t know what hit him.
Byron draped her coat over his arm and escorted us to the table. She sat down, glancing around nervously. I knew she was looking for Gerard. Byron winked at me, and I stood beside the table, chatting to Lila.
“Aren’t you going to sit down?” she asked, eyeing me suspiciously.
I saw Byron return, Gerard in tow. I stepped back, and he froze when he saw Lila. Then the warmest smile broke out on his face and his hazel eyes lit up. Glancing at her, I saw the same warmth being returned, her dark eyes glowing. He stepped forward, and I indicated with my hand he should sit. I beamed at them, while Byron stood beside me. He cleared his throat.
“Welcome to Creations. Tonight, you’ll both be my guests as I prepare you a special dinner. Julia—” he lifted my hand and kissed it “—has arranged for this special evening for you, and she’ll be acting as your server.”
Gerard chuckled, and I fought the urge to kick him. Instead, I glared, and he ducked his head. Byron kept talking. “Do you have any dietary concerns I should know of?”
They both shook their heads “no,” and Gerard spoke up. “Byron—”
“Everything is looked after, Gerard,” he assured him.
“Of course it is. I was thinking perhaps, though, I might take care of the wine myself. I have a special bottle in mind.”
Byron tilted his head. “By all means.” He held out his hand. “Come, my Julia. I need your help.”
I stood beside him, almost bouncing with excitement as I looked over at the table. They were already laughing, and I had no doubt Lila had told him the whole I-thought-you-were-her-boyfriend-story.
“Do you really need my help?”
Byron chuckled. “You can carry the food to the table.”
“I could chop stuff.”
“Ah, we don’t have any dollar store knives here.” He held up his shiny, lethal blade. “I don’t think our guests want blood in their food, either.”
I sighed. “Carrying plates. Yeah, I can do that.”
Byron bent close to my ear, indicating the table with a subtle tilt on his head. “Besides, you can watch the show from here.”
I peeked over his shoulder and giggled. Lila’s and Gerard’s foreheads were practically molded together, and whatever they were discussing was obviously intense. They were totally focused on each other.
“I have a good feeling about this,” I observed with a huge smile on my face.
Byron brushed his lips over my forehead. “I have a good feeling about you. Now, move or become part of the dinner!”
I rolled my eyes.
“Yes, Master…I mean, Chef Lord.”
Two hours later, I was exhausted. Byron slipped his arms around me. “Go upstairs. I’ll finish up.”
I leaned back against him. “How can they possibly still be talking?”
He chuckled. “They took breaks to eat.”
I shook my head. “I don’t think so. They both talked with their mouths full.”
“Go. I’ll get Tom to clear the dessert. I’ll just make sure everything is done, and Gerard will close up when they’re finished.” He snickered into my ear. “I have a feeling they may be here for a while yet.”
After I gave a small wave to Lila and Gerard, I slipped out of the kitchen and trudged upstairs to Byron’s private office. I sank onto the sofa and kicked off my shoes. I had no idea how anyone stood on their feet for hours on end or carried plates of food all night. I only had to go from the counter to the table a few times, fill up their water glasses, and make sure they were happy. Most of the time, Gerard simply waved me away, taking the plates right from my hands and serving Lila himself. He obviously didn’t want me to interrupt the flow of their endless conversation.
It made me happy, seeing how much they were enjoying themselves. I curled into the corner of the sofa, wondering how long it would be before Byron joined me. I was glad tomorrow was Friday. It was going to be a long day, but my classes started later. My last class was Lila’s, and I would meet her in the afternoon before it started to go through anything she wanted to discuss. I yawned and shut my eyes. I would just rest them until Byron came upstairs.
Warm lips brushing my cheek and his low voice in my ear woke me. “Sit up, my love. I brought us dinner.” Sleepily, I allowed myself to be lifted into the sitting position