The Devil's Playground Read Online Free PDF Page B

off. I’m not big on the whole chivalry thing.
    “Shouldn’t your hostess be taking care of this part of the job?” I couldn’t help teasing.
    Dom darted a quick, surreptitious glance at the kitchen, then bent to whisper in my ear. “To tell you the truth, I suspect she won’t last until opening day. I can’t keep her and Adam apart much longer, and they’re destined to get along about as well as your average snake and mongoose.”
    I grinned. “Sounds like you’ve got a really passive-aggressive plan to get rid of her.”
    He gave me a “Who, me?” face while his eyes twinkled with humor. “I’ll send a server out with a menu. They just came back from the printer today.”
    He started to head toward the kitchen, excited to show me the menu, but I grabbed his sleeve to stop him.
    “Just to warn you,” I said, “I did come here with ulterior motives.”
    “Other than wanting a free meal?”
    I grinned. “Let’s say
in addition
to wanting a free meal.”
    “Okay.”
    “Can I chat with you for a while when you have a few spare minutes?”
    He heaved a dramatic sigh. “What’s going on between you and Brian
now
?” he asked.
    I think I blushed, though I supposed I should be used to being transparent by now. “Actually, it’s between me,
Lugh
, and Brian.”
    His eyes widened. “Oh.” He picked up the napkin from my plate and shook it out, laying it over my lap as though I wasn’t capable of doing so myself. “Better order an appetizer and dessert. This might be a long conversation.”
    I made vague grumbling noises at him, which he ignored completely. I’ve never been one to share my troubles with anyone, having pretended to be an island for as long as I can remember. But Dom is different. I’ve talked to him about things I’d never dreamed I could talk about. And though the idea still made me uncomfortable, I knew it was good for me.
    “I’ll set things in motion in the kitchen,” he told me, “and then I’ll be right back.”
    “Thanks,” I said, fighting my usual urge to flee from conversation.
    A couple of minutes later, a waiter who obviously had an unhealthy love of hair gel emerged from the kitchen carrying a menu. I politely listened to his spiel while he told me which items on the menu were actually available tonight. Next Wednesday night they were going to have a special dinner service just for friends and family so that everyone got to practice before the grand opening, but tonight they only had a few basics available.
    I couldn’t remember ever eating something Domhad cooked that was less than delicious, so I made some snap decisions and sent the waiter on his way.
    I’d never considered Dom a control freak—and I’m an expert on the subject—but he remained ensconced in the kitchen until the waiter arrived with the bowl of minestrone I’d ordered. Dom took the seat across from me as the waiter laid a second bowl of soup in front of him. Dom cast a wistful glance at the kitchen door as the waiter retreated, and I had to smother a laugh.
    “It’s just me, Dom,” I said as I inhaled the fragrant steam that wafted from my soup. “I promise I won’t be writing any scathing reviews.”
    He laughed, and some of the tension eased from his shoulders. “I know, I know. I’m just getting a head start on being nervous for the grand opening.”
    I tasted the soup and sighed in contentment. “Trust me, you have nothing to be nervous about.”
    “Do you have any idea how many Italian restaurants there are in this city? Or how many restaurants of any kind fail in their first year? Adam’s sunk a lot of money into this place, and—” He cut himself off with a look of annoyance. “But never mind all that. You came here to talk about what’s going on with you and Brian. And Lugh.”
    I was tempted to spend more time reassuring Dom about how great his restaurant would be, but I doubted it would do any good. Despite the confidence I had in him, I couldn’t blame him for being