In Good Company: Chapter 5

“So, are you going to tell me how your test cook went with the Bouchers, or am I just supposed to be left wondering all day?” Charlotte, my closest coworker and best friend, asks, resting her elbows on the bar and looking around the empty club restaurant.

I meet her eyes, lifting my shoulders in a shrug. “They offered me a position for the summer, so I think it went okay.”

Charlotte lets out a loud squeal as she pushes her body off the bar and runs to me. “What? We’re two hours into our shift, and you’re just now telling me this?” She grabs my shoulders and gives me a shake. “Well, get on with it. Did you accept?” She pauses for a moment, her bottom lip jutting out in a pout. “Does that mean you’ll be leaving me?”

I laugh before shaking my head and softly pushing her off me. Luckily, our boss, Loretta, is nowhere to be seen. If she saw us acting anything but prim and proper, she’d be threatening our jobs.

“I haven’t accepted the job yet. I still have to think about it.”

Charlotte narrows her eyes as she scans over my face. Her fingers twist in the long strands of her ponytail as she processes my response. “What do you have to think about?”

I bite my lip, thinking of Cal’s offer from a week ago. “It’s just a big decision. If I take the job with them, I have to cut my hours here at Pembroke Grill. They want me Wednesday mornings to Sunday afternoons. Who knows if Loretta will even let me go that part-time or if she’ll make me quit.”

Charlotte waves her hand through the air dismissively. “Loretta has a terrible way of showing it, but she loves you. She’ll let you work whatever hours you want. You have to take the job, Lucy.”

My eyes scan the restaurant, making sure no one’s been seated in the time Charlotte and I have been lost in our own conversation. This afternoon has been rather slow because the weather outside is so beautiful, but it’ll get busy the moment people finish their rounds of golf. Until then, I’m left with a bit of downtime to talk with Charlotte.

“I think I’m just nervous,” I answer honestly, focusing on neatly folding a crisp green napkin in case Loretta walks in.

I keep it to myself that something inside me is still considering Cal’s offer. Part of me feels bad for even thinking about it. It doesn’t quite feel right to accept a job from my ex-boyfriend’s brother, but the other part of me feels silly for feeling that way. Cal is just asking me to cook for him, not marry him.

Yet, something has still stopped me from texting him for the last week. I’ve typed something out every single night but always end up deleting it. I can’t explain why I can’t just say yes to him, but I need to make up my mind soon. Part of me wonders if it’s less about Cal being Oliver’s brother and more about me feeling the need to tell Cal no. The shock on his face was evident when I denied his job offer. It’s obvious he’s not used to it. It’d be good for him to hear it every once in a while.

Plus, something about the conversation outside Laurent’s house felt different. I’m not normally one to get sassy or really argue with anyone, but Cal pushed my buttons enough that I couldn’t help it with him.

Maybe working for him would be a bad idea regardless of who he’s related to. If he can get on my nerves like that in one night, I can’t imagine what would happen over an entire summer.

I sigh, wondering why I’m thinking so hard about it. The job with Cal might not even be on the table anymore since I’ve taken so long to get back to him.

And the Bouchers want me to make a decision by the end of the weekend, leaving me only two more days to decide what the hell I’m going to do for the rest of the summer.

“That might be the most neatly folded napkin ever,” Charlotte comments, breaking me from my thoughts.

I jump, looking up to meet her eyes. A nervous laugh escapes me. “I got a little deep in thought.”

Charlotte tosses her blonde ponytail over her shoulder. Her eyes soften as she pins her full attention on me. “I gathered. Tell me where your head’s at. What’s stopping you?”

I sigh, chewing anxiously on my lip for a moment. Charlotte has become my best friend. We started here at Pembroke at the same time and immediately clicked on the first day. I should be honest with her and tell her about Cal’s offer. Maybe she’ll be able to talk it over with me and help me make a decision.

I’m about to tell her when the familiar sound of Loretta’s heels stops me from continuing the conversation.

“Lucy!” Loretta’s tone is hushed but serious. It makes my spine straighten as I spin to face her.

“Yes?” I ask nervously. I smooth out the pleats of my skirt, hoping there aren’t any wrinkles in my uniform. Loretta takes the dress code very seriously.

“You’ve been requested at table eight.”

I look over my shoulder to see table eight, but it’s out of view from where we stand at the end of the bar. “Table eight? Isn’t that Charlotte’s section today?”

Loretta gives me a tight smile. “The patrons at table eight have requested you. You’ll take it today.” Her words come out strained, but her tone leaves no room for discussion.

I nod, running my fingers through my hair to smooth it out. I have no idea who’s requesting me, but I know if I don’t show up looking fully put together, Loretta will have my job. I’ve seen her fire people for less. And with my inability to commit to either one of my other job offers, I might need to keep hold of this gig. “Yes, Loretta.”

Charlotte gives me a reassuring smile. Luckily, it doesn’t seem like it hurt her feelings to have someone from her section request me.

“Well, get going,” Loretta scolds, giving me a curt nod and shooing me away.

I shuffle away from them, still trying to make sure my hair is tamed. I hurriedly make sure my polo is completely tucked into my skirt. If someone is going out of their way to request me as their server, I want to make sure I’m looking my best. I’m busy adjusting the waistband of my skirt when the table comes into view.

Cal’s eyes immediately meet mine, and my steps falter for a moment.

I should’ve known the moment I’d been requested that he was behind it, but for some reason, it hadn’t even crossed my mind.

“Lucy!” His voice carries across the empty restaurant. He holds his arms out, gesturing for me to come to the table.

I swallow, closing the distance until I’m standing above Cal and a man I vaguely recognize as a member, though I don’t know his name.

“Mr. Hastings.” I give both of the men a polite smile, trying not to stare at Cal for too long. It’s impossible to not notice how handsome he is. His hair is one shade away from being jet-black, and it’s styled to near perfection. An unwelcome thought pops into my mind, wondering what it’d feel like to run my fingers through his perfectly tamed locks. I swallow, trying to push the thought to the very back of my mind.

Cal’s dark eyebrows raise on his tan forehead. The smug look on his face is infuriating. “So, now I’m Mr. Hastings? You’re really keeping things professional, aren’t you?”

“Hi, I’m Jude,” the man sitting next to Cal pipes up. He sits up straighter, holding out his hand for me to shake.

“Lucy,” I respond, placing my hand in his. It’s a firm handshake, but he’s gentle. Some men—especially here, where egos are through the roof—squeeze far too hard when shaking hands.

“Lucy, what a beautiful name,” Jude tells me with a smirk. He emphasizes the word “beautiful” with a mischievous glint in his eye.

I give him a cautious smile, wondering why he keeps looking at Cal out of the corner of his eye with each word he says to me.

Cal rolls his eyes at his friend. “Ignore Jude. He flirts with everyone.”

The casual tone of Cal’s voice eases some of my nerves at seeing him again. I let my body relax a little as my eyes shift between the two men sitting in front of me.

Cal can only be described as tall, dark, and handsome. He keeps his cards close to his chest, his icy blue eyes almost always narrowed on you like he’s trying to figure you out. Jude couldn’t be more opposite. He had a smile on his face before I even made it to the table. His brown eyes are warm and inviting, even crinkling at the corners, which makes him appear a little more boyish.

Jude is approachable. Cal is anything but.

Both men stare right at me, one with an expression that gives nothing away and the other with a wide grin. I focus on Jude, plastering a polite smile on my face. “And here I thought the flirting was because I was special.”

Jude throws his head back and laughs, the sound filling the quiet restaurant. He playfully elbows Cal. “I like her.”

The heat of Cal’s gaze on me forces me to meet his eyes. His thumb traces over his bottom lip as he thinks over his friend’s comment. Eventually, he smiles, but again, it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Good, because you’ll be seeing her a lot this summer.”

What does he mean by that?

Jude leans forward, rubbing his palms together in his lap. “I can’t wait, Lucy. You work a lot of shifts here?”

I’m about to answer him when Cal clears his throat. “That’s not what I meant. You’ll be seeing a lot of her because she’s my new private chef.”

My jaw drops as my head snaps in his direction. “What?” I ask in disbelief. I haven’t given him any indication I was going to accept his offer. In fact, the last time I saw him, I’d adamantly denied the offer of working for him for the summer.

“What happened to Randall?” Jude asks, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Cal ignores Jude completely. He keeps his focus on me instead, his head cocked to the side and his eyebrows raised as if he’s just waiting for me to argue with him.

A strangled sound leaves my throat as I scratch at the back of my neck. “I’m actually not his private chef,” I explain to Jude, even though I can’t pull my gaze away from Cal.

Cal’s smile widens, showing off his perfect set of white teeth. “Yet. I’m here today to convince you.”

I roll my eyes at his confidence. I’m sure he’s used to getting everything he wants. Even though I know the best thing for me from a financial standpoint is to accept his offer, I want to continue to tell him no just so he gets the taste of being denied for once.

“It’s a waste of breath,” I finally reply.

Cal shakes his head. “Accept my offer, Lucy.”

“No.”

Jude lets out a low whistle. “This meal is about to be far more interesting than the nine holes we just played.”