“Do you need anything else, Mr. O’Neil?”
“Not right now, thanks,” I replied. I looked at my watch. “We probably have about fifteen minutes before they start banging down the door.” I wheeled the cart over to the couch and handed him a plate.
“Probably less if Evan has anything to say about it,” Jeremy replied. “He’ll want to check in with me soon.” He took some of the food, starting with dessert.
“Someone has a sweet tooth,” I teased.
He scanned my body from head to foot. “For hot bartenders especially.”
“Oh yeah?” I took the plate from him and drew him into a long, languid kiss. “I’ll have to see what I can do about feeding that sweet tooth of yours.”
Jeremy’s stomach growled, and I relented and let him eat. As predicted, a knock sounded on the door about ten minutes into his break, and I heard Evan say, “Sean? Is Jeremy with you?”
Jeremy and I exchanged a glance. “Told you,” he said softly.
“Hold on,” I said as I got up to unlock the door. Evan swept in, with Raphael following close behind him. Evan went straight over to Jeremy and enfolded him in his arms. I leaned over to Raphael and asked, “How long have you been holding him back?”
Raphael chuckled. “Since you two left the dining room.”
“I kinda figured,” I replied as I watched Evan fuss over Jeremy.
“Evan worries,” Raphael explained. “It got really bad a while back, and he can’t forget it.”
“I know,” I said.
When he gave me a questioning look, I added, “Jeremy told me what happened. What he tried to do.” A cold shiver ran down my spine just thinking about Jeremy’s suicide attempt.
Raphael looked completely taken aback by my revelation. “That’s honestly shocking to me. Jeremy never tells anyone about that. The only reason I know is because I was there that night. Even his parents don’t know.”
“Wow.” Warmth filled me at the idea that Jeremy had shared something with me that so few people knew. “But why not his parents? I would think they’d want to know.”
Raphael snorted indignantly. “His parents are elitist assholes who only care about their image. It was bad enough that Jeremy had to stop playing after the accident. They’d lose their minds if they knew the rest. He doesn’t need the drama.”
“That really sucks,” I said. “I can’t imagine keeping something like that from my mom.”
He smiled. “Your mom seems like a nice lady.”
“She is. Just don’t piss her off.”
Raphael laughed. “Sounds like my mom.”
Someone else knocked on the door, and a moment later, Ellie stepped in. “People are asking for Jeremy.”
Jeremy sighed quietly. “I’ll be right there.” He took a drink of ice water and wiped his hands with a napkin.
I held out my arm for him to take. “Ready?”
He wrapped his hand around my bicep and said, “Ready.”
Before we could get out the door, Tony knocked on the doorframe. “Hey, Sean,” he said, an urgent tone in his voice. “We have a bit of a situation up front.”
“Damn it,” I muttered. I reluctantly withdrew my arm from Jeremy’s. “I have to go see what’s up.” I kissed him and asked, “Are you going to be okay?”
Jeremy nodded and brushed my lips with a quick kiss. “I’ll be fine. Evan will ward off the overenthusiastic hoards.”
“Damn right,” Evan said.
“All right. I’ll be in there as soon as I can.”
