Samara managed to nod, not sure if Carlie was making a double entendre. "I also got to meet his friends."
"Leo and Steven?" Carlie gave her a firm nod as she switched out the menus with the day’s specials. "Also good men, though Leo is a player. Watch yourself around him or he'll break your heart."
There was something else there. "Did he break yours?"
"As if." Carlie sniffed. "I'd already found my George by the time Leo figured out what he was missing. George decked him something good, and that put a stop to Leo's flirting."
Carlie sounded proud of what George did to defend her.
"Did Leo fight back? Did he hurt George?"
"Hurt George? Hardly. My man's tougher than that, but the fight ended there. Kellen and Stephen got in between the two while Leo was still flat on the ground."
Samara didn't believe for a second that Leo couldn't tear George apart if he wanted to, though it did explain Leo's comment from yesterday about George killing him.
"What happened after that?"
"Kellen banished Leo from the restaurant if either George or I were on duty. That was twenty-seven years ago, and the banishment still stands." Carlie smiled, showing her approval of the punishment, but then she frowned. "Of course, if there's an emergency, the rule is suspended."
Wow. Just wow. "I guess that's why Leo is still standing after he talked to George about what happened to me yesterday. And Leo never tried to retaliate outside of the restaurant?"
"Nope. Boy learned his lesson the hard way. You never mess with Navy if you want to keep your head on your shoulders."
Navy had nothing to do with it. Either Leo learned his lesson or Kellen had alpha-level control over Leo. Not a pack, her ass. There wouldn't have been enough of George left to bury if he'd even raised a fist to Josiah, even without his omegas around to fight for him.
"Anyway," Carlie continued. "I'm going to unlock the doors. Are you ready?"
Samara picked up her pad and pen. "As I'll ever be."
"I'll still be nearby if things go sideways, or you can always talk to George in the kitchen."
"Thank you."
Everything went smoothly for the shift until Kellen entered from the sun deck. For the briefest of seconds all she could think of was curling into his arms, just like she had with his wolf that morning. Her distraction was long enough for her to miss the coaster and drop the drink in her hand off the end of the table. It crashed to the ground, but didn’t splash anyone. Apologizing profusely, she cleaned it up while Carlie quickly found the family a new table.
The crash of the drink drew Kellen's attention.
Damn, can he read my mind? He sure looked at her as if he could. If he had, he would know exactly what she was thinking, which was highly inappropriate between a boss and his employee. She shivered but not because she was cold.
No. There was no way Kellen could read her mind. If wolf shifters were capable of that, she never would have escaped.
The moment passed and Kellen disappeared into the kitchen.
She lost track of him after that. The days ticked by. For the next week, she only saw him out of the corner of her eye while she worked. She'd started to recognize the daily customers, and a few tourists who were here for the season. The brown-haired guy who'd asked her out on her first day also became a regular, but her luck held, and another waitstaff showed him to his seat each day.
The end of the week came, and the weekend rush tapered off as closing approached.
"I'm heading home," Carlie announced, "but Kellen asked to see you in his office."
“Okay thanks. Have a good night,” Samara said as she rolled her neck. It ached, but it would still be a few more days before the stitches could be removed. She decided to hold off on more painkillers until she got to her room. Today had gone smoothly with no spilled drinks or screwed up orders. Working gave her a sense of purpose, and she didn't feel quite as lost as she had. In her heart, she held onto a small dream of returning to Helena and resuming her life as a paramedic, but she shied away from that sensitive area.
Once Carlie locked the door behind her, Samara walked back toward the office. Kellen sat behind his desk, staring at his computer screen, not acknowledging her even after she sat down in the guest chair. After a minute he said, "Another railcar exploded in Lincoln. A wolf was inside."
Samara gripped the edge of the desk to keep herself from falling over in shock. "Are you sure?"
"The sheriff in Lincoln said as much."
"These railcars aren't just blowing themselves up, but I can't explain why it’s happening. Josiah's not the one destroying them."
