Before I could turn away, Nick caught me staring at him. I raised my hand to wave as one of my servers came over to get me. With a parting glance, I walked away as Nick served Greer Rowan the Pinot he’d wanted with a smile that I hoped was meant for me.
An hour later, the once-vacant space was filled with people. The players were easy to spot since most of them stood at least a head over everyone else. Not to mention their physiques gave them away.
I made sure to stay out of the way when someone I recognized came through. I busied myself with checking the entrees, and preparing fresh appetizer trays for the waiters to circulate with around the room. Alex Hayes would be the only one I’d speak to if the opportunity arose.
When dinner was over, a man I assumed was the coach began to introduce his staff to the audience. Draftees and their families were being introduced to a new life in professional football. When everyone got up to tour the stadium, my staff cleared away the buffet service while I plated slices of cheesecake with fruit compote on the side. We had prepared crème brûlée and chocolate mousse, along with a variety of fruit and cheese.
Resetting the buffet line for dessert and coffee, we began clearing away dinner plates and silverware. Another vendor would take care of them. All we had to do was stack them in the bins.
The area that had been crowded just a few minutes prior was now quiet, except for a handful of people who stayed behind. When everything was taken care of, I gave my staff the opportunity to eat dinner while I went to talk to Nick.
I’d watched on the sidelines for almost a year, and that was long enough. There was something about him that lingered in the back of my mind. I decided a while back to ask him out, but it never seemed like the right time. If I did it now, at least I wouldn’t have Alejandro breathing down my neck.
Time was ticking by, and if I didn’t act soon, I might lose my chance.
Striding over, I locked eyes with him and smiled. “Hey, how’s it going over here?”
His blue eyes sparkled in the light when he smiled, making them even bluer. “Good, actually. Mr. Rowan stopped by a few minutes ago and offered both of us a job bartending in the VIP Suites.”
The smile on my face slipped a bit. “What did you say? Alejandro will be…”
Ben chuckled and shook his head. “We couldn’t leave him.” His affectionate tone wasn’t to be missed, and it was obvious that Ben was very loyal to my friend.
I looked at Nick. “You wouldn’t want to work here?”
“Nah,” he said, smiling. “I’m happy where I am. Alejandro works around my school schedule, and I love it there. He’s a good boss.”
I was proud of my friend. “That he is. What are you studying?”
I shifted closer to him to keep from missing a single word. Leaning against the bar, wearing my most interested expression, I leaned into find out some new intel on him. Just as he started to speak, the voice of a woman I knew very well called my name.
“Preston James. I wondered when you were going to come out of hiding.”
With a smile on my face, I turned to find Eliana Sanchez making her way to me. Closing the distance, I walked up to the stunning beauty in front of me with my arms wide open.
“It’s been forever, Eliana. How are you?” I took her into my arms for a long hug.
Dr. Eliana Sanchez was an orthopedic surgeon at OHSU and Alejandro’s ex-wife. We’d met in our communications class at UC-Berkeley. When I decided I wasn’t ready to settle down, I’d introduced her to Alejandro after letting him beg for three days. That’s just how we rolled.
“I’m doing really well. Long hours at the hospital, and these guys have kept me pretty busy. So much so that Greer hired me on as the team’s orthopedic doctor.”
Dressed in a dark gray pantsuit with a vibrant red blouse that complimented her dark wavy hair, Eliana was a stunning woman.
“That’s impressive. I bet that’s really cutting into your social life.”
She smiled, but shrugged. I could still see the exhaustion in her eyes. “What social life? Goes with the territory, I suppose.”
I laughed. “Tell me about it. We workaholics have to stick together.”
“I know, right?” Eliana looked down at her vibrating phone and sighed. She lifted it into the air. “Duty calls. I’ve got to go. But it was great seeing you again. Maybe we can have dinner sometime and catch up.”
I smiled and hugged her again. “I’d love that. Give me your phone, and I’ll give you the number for the restaurant, just in case. You call me when you’re free, and we’ll definitely meet up for dinner. Maybe I’ll cook for you one night.”
She handed me the phone after opening the contacts. I typed in my number and name, then hit save before handing it back to her.
Eliana brought her soft hand up to graze my face, and I leaned down to kiss her cheek. She pulled back and smiled. “I’ll call you.”
I nodded. “You better. I’ll be looking forward to it.”
