Читать книгу The Bachelor's Baby Surprise - Teri Wilson, Teri Wilson - Страница 12

Chapter Four

She’d done it.

The job offer was conditional. After Ryan told her she was hired, Zander had added the caveat that she continue studying for her sommelier certification exam. If she didn’t pass on the first try, she was out.

But that was okay, even though the test was notoriously difficult and people often had to repeat it several times. Evangeline didn’t care. She’d make it work. She’d study until she knew every wine in existence.

She was a wine director! She’d gotten the job, and she’d done it all on her own.

Probably.

Maybe.

She liked to believe the tonging had secured her the position or that her knowledge and passion superseded the fact that she had no official qualifications. Or actual work experience as a sommelier, unless she counted pouring wine in the tasting room at her family’s vineyard as a kid.

But that had been ages ago—nearly seventeen years. She’d been playing catch-up ever since, trying her best to put her world back together after her mother left, ripping the rug out from under her.

Ripping the rug out from under all of them.

Evangeline’s heart gave a little tug, just like it always did when she thought about her mother, but she swallowed her feelings down. She shouldn’t be dwelling on loss right now—not when she had every reason to celebrate.

“Almost every reason, anyway,” she muttered.

Olive swiveled her head and gazed up at Evangeline. Bee stared straight ahead. They trotted at the ends of their leashes, tails wagging as they headed toward the dog park at the end of the block.

Their coats were dusted with snow, and tiny puffs of vapor hung in the air with every breath from the happy dogs’ mouths. Despite their advanced ages, they loved going for walks. Unfortunately, the fact that they weren’t supposed to be living in Evangeline’s apartment meant they only got to go outside early in the morning and late at night. Thank goodness for puppy pads.

Now that she had a job—a great job—she needed to do something about the dog situation.

And she would.

She just wished she could shake the nagging feeling that the only reason she’d gotten the job in the first place had been because of Ryan Wilde.

He’d hired her, not Zander. And there’d been an unmistakable flash of surprise on the CEO’s face when Ryan announced that the job was hers. She’d told herself to ignore it. She deserved the job. Wine was in her blood. She’d be great.

She’d simply have to avoid Ryan as much as possible. That shouldn’t be too hard. He worked business hours, and Evangeline’s day started at 4:00 p.m. That meant an hour or two overlap. She could survive that. Couldn’t she?

Eventually, she’d be able to look at him without imagining his lips against her throat, his body rising and falling above hers. She’d be able to say his name without remembering the way she’d cried it out in the dark.

Ryan.

Ryan.

Ryan.

“It’s going to be fine.” She swallowed. Hard. “It’s going to be fine, because it has to.”

At the sound of her voice again, Olive’s tail wagged even harder. Olive and Bee were the sweetest dogs in the world. She’d have kept them even if they’d been monsters, though. Even if it meant she was at risk of getting tossed out of her building.

Dogs weren’t allowed at her grandfather’s new extended care facility. But if Evangeline kept Olive and Bee, she could at least bring them to visit him every once in a while. She owed that much to her grandfather. Robert Holly was the one person who’d been there for her when the vineyard, and all that went with it, withered and died. The only one.

“You guys aren’t the worst cuddle bugs to have around,” Evangeline said as they waited to cross the street. Taxis whizzed past in a dizzying blur of bright yellow against the early morning snowfall.

She glanced down at Olive, and a memory flashed instantly into Evangeline’s consciousness—Ryan, shirtless, standing beside her bed, petting the little dog and looking like something out of a beefcake-bachelors-with-puppies calendar.

Oh God.

How was she supposed to work with the man every day when she couldn’t stop thinking about what he looked like beneath his exquisitely tailored suit?

She’d slept with her boss. Granted, he hadn’t been her boss at the time, but still. It couldn’t happen again.

Obviously.

Not that Ryan had hinted at that possibility...other than a tiny wink, he’d acted purely professional during her interview. She probably should have been relieved.

Scratch that. She was relieved. The annoying pang in her chest wasn’t disappointment. It couldn’t be.

“I need to nip this situation in the bud. Right?” She clicked the double gate of the dog park closed and bent to unfasten Olive and Bee from their leashes. Olive let out an earsplitting bark—the sort of bark that would ensure their eviction if she dared to do it indoors.

Evangeline nodded. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

* * *

“Again?” Ryan paused in the doorway of his office and took in the sight of Zander sitting behind the desk, waiting. “Your new early hours are becoming a habit.”

“Indeed they are. Get used to it.” Zander shot Ryan a tight smile and waved him inside.

So this was it.

Zander had been called into a meeting immediately after their interview with Evangeline the day before, and then he’d gone home. He no longer worked late as often as he did before he married Allegra. A year ago, Ryan might have envied him.

He knew better now.

Ryan wasn’t cut out for marriage...for family. He’d tried. He’d tried really hard, but it wasn’t in his blood.

He’d suspected as much all along. Only a fool would grow up the way Ryan had and not wonder if a normal, healthy relationship was even in the realm of possibility. Still, when Natalie turned up pregnant, he’d allowed himself to believe.

What a mistake that had been.

A dull ache took root in Ryan’s gut. He’d moved on from Natalie and her baby over a year ago. He shouldn’t be thinking about that mess now—and he wouldn’t be, if not for the damned Gotham cover hanging above Zander’s head. Being heralded for his bachelor status was a pretty potent reminder that he was meant to go it alone.

“Any particular reason you’re reading the morning paper in my office?” Ryan sank into one of the guest chairs. “Again?”

Zander lifted a brow. “You have to ask?”

So this was it.

Ryan was facing his moment of reckoning for making the unilateral decision to hire Evangeline Holly. He should have known Zander wouldn’t let it go.

“She was the right person for the job. End of story.” He shrugged.

“That might be true, but as CEO I would have liked an opportunity to weigh in on the matter.” Zander folded his newspaper closed and rested his elbows on the desk. “But what’s done is done.”

Ryan nodded. “I’m glad you see it that way.”

“Are you still going to be glad when I tell you that you’re going to be personally responsible for making sure Ms. Holly is a success?” Zander sat back in his chair, waiting.

Personally responsible.

What did that mean, exactly? Was Ryan supposed to hold her hand while she went table to table, recommending wines?

He’d heard worse ideas.

She’s your employee now, remember?

Ryan cleared his throat. “Fine. She comes in around four. I’ll plan on spending the last hour or so of each work day checking in on things upstairs.”

He’d planned on keeping close tabs on Bennington 8, anyway. The chef and the rest of the staff were already aware that Carlo Bocci could turn up at any time, but Ryan wanted to ensure they were prepared. Overprepared, if possible. The Michelin ranking was too important not to oversee things personally.

“Think again,” Zander said.

Something in his tone caused the ache in Ryan’s gut to sharpen. “Explain, please.”

Zander shrugged. Somewhere beneath his irritation, Ryan spied a hint of a smile, and he got the definite impression his cousin was enjoying playing the CEO card. “You’re working nights now.”

Ryan blinked.

“We’ll split shifts. I’m taking days and you’re handling nights. Four p.m. to midnight,” Zander said.

“Whatever for?”

“So you can keep an eye on Bennington 8, obviously.” Zander stood. “Someone needs to see Ms. Holly in action to make sure she’s working out, and since she’s your hire, that someone is you.”

Ryan opened his mouth to object, then promptly closed it.

What Zander was proposing made sense on every level. Not to mention the fact that when Ryan made the decision to hire Evangeline on the spot, he’d known he’d eventually have to face the music.

And he’d done it, anyway.

Zander lingered in the doorway, arms crossed, leaning against the doorjamb. Now was the time for Ryan to fess up and tell his cousin everything.

Just say it. Do it now. Evangeline and I have a history, albeit a brief one.

He met Zander’s gaze. “How long?”