“But I—”
“Don’t argue with me, Monroe. Just… put it on. Please.”
Eden hesitates, her mouth opening only to snap shut again. She nods and accepts the gift.
Alexander leaves in a hurry, making a pit stop in the walk-in freezer so that he has a chance to calm down and ignore the growing stiffness in his pants. It takes him a minute—or five—before he manages to get everything under control and return to his spot at the head of the line.
Eden shows up a few minutes later, and she looks…
Beautiful.
It’s a perfect fit and far more flattering than her previous jacket, which was clearly two sizes too large for her small frame. She looks elegant and professional, where before she looked inexperienced and barely keeping things together. Her hazel eyes look that much brighter in contrast—dazzling.
“It suits you,” he says before he has the chance to think about it.
Eden laughs politely, her cheeks turning an even richer shade of pink. It’s not a real laugh, he knows. Just one to ease her nervousness. “I don’t know if that’s true, but thanks. I promise to pay you back.”
“Don’t bother.”
“I can’t accept—”
“I’ll write it off as a business expense.”
“Chef—”
He turns to shout over his shoulder. “I need the appetizers for table four! Drenton, where’s the filet mignon?”
“Twenty seconds out, Chef,” Peter calls.
Eden hasn’t moved an inch, prompting him to say, “Don’t you have work to do?”
She nods, quietly getting back to it.
Alexander grins to himself when he catches Eden briefly admiring her blurry reflection against one of the large stainless-steel pots at the entremetier’s station.
* * *
He’s thankful when service is over. They had a good night. They all made plenty in tips, closing duties were taken care of quickly, and they were out and headed home in under twenty minutes.
Freddie, Peter, and Rina leave with Eden as one big group. Alexander is the last one out, locking the door behind him.
Rina slings an arm over Eden’s shoulder. “Feel like joining us for drinks tonight?”
Peter smiles. “I scored some cheap beer. You a Jeopardy fan?”
“I am,” Eden replies with a wry smile.
“Then you should join us at my place,” Freddie says cheerfully. “Nothing beats a long day at work like getting buzzed and yelling at a TV screen.”
“That sounds like fun, but I’m still all gross and sticky. I should probably shower and change.”
“Then how about we go to your place?” Rina suggests. “Come on. We really want to hang with you.”
“Yeah,” Peter says with a nod. “You seem like a cool kid.”
Eden laughs. “Do I?”
“Don’t make him give you puppy eyes,” Freddie warns. “You’ll be a guaranteed goner.”
