Page 77 of On Her Team
We bypass the line and enter the restaurant. “Hi,” I greet Hazel. “I thought you weren’t working here anymore since you’re working full-time at the resort as a physical therapist.”
“They begged me to fill in.”
“And rumor has it you can’t resist begging.”
She slaps me with the menus. “Behave or I’ll sit you in the middle of the action.”
“You should definitely sit us in the middle of the action.”
“Why would you…” She trails off with a smirk. “He doesn’t know?”
“Know what?” Gage asks.
I hurry to answer before Hazel can ruin the surprise. “How good the food is here.”
“You probably shouldn’t eat here if you want to make weight,” Hazel adds.
Gage waves away her concern. “Weekly weigh-in was today. I have an entire week to make up for whatever I eat tonight.”
Hazel shows us to our table. She slaps the menus down. “Your waitress will be with you soon.”
Gage holds out my chair for me. “Someone’s a gentleman.”
“I did as you said and researched wooing.”
I bark out a laugh. “Don’t be surprised if you get a dictionary for Christmas.” Christmas? Christmas is months away. We might not be dating then. I backpedal faster than a mermaid who caught sight of a smuggler. “I don’t expect us to be dating in December. No pressure from me.”
He lays his hand over mine. “I do. My digital shopping cart is already full of presents for you and your family.”
My mouth gapes open. “It is not!”
“You won’t know if you don’t give us a chance,” he sings.
“You are seriously incorrigible.”
“You say incorrigible, I say—”
He’s cut off when the door bangs open and several men rush inside the restaurant. They’re dressed as bootleggers from the Prohibition.
“The Prohis are right behind us,” the first man says.
“We need to hide.”
The first man scans the room. “Or we couldtake a hostage.”
Gage leans across the table. “What’s going on?”
“Shush.”
But it’s too late. The bootleggers are already coming our way.
The first man narrows his eyes at me. “She’ll do.”
“She’ll do for what?” Gage asks.
The bootleggers ignore him. “Get up,” the man orders me.
I push to my feet. Gage growls and stands in front of me. “You’re not taking her hostage.”
