The Way You Love Me

Chapter 2

Justin looked over the menu. He was pleased at the extensive selections and finally settled on a porterhouse steak, grilled asparagus and risotto.

“I’ll put this in right away,” Bailey said. “It might be a while. Would you like an appetizer in the meantime?”

“I’m a patient man.” He slowly turned his glass. “I can wait.”

Bailey tried to swallow, but her throat was so dry that she choked.

Justin leaned forward and reached for her. “You okay?”

She blinked away the water that filled her eyes. Coughed. Coughed again and wished that the floor would open. She cleared her throat. Her vision cleared, and she realized that the fire on her hand was Justin’s.

Bailey took a step back, slid her hand away. “I’m sorry. I’m fine. Guess something caught in my throat.”

Justin sat back down. “Well, I would have been happy to resuscitate you had the need arisen.”

Bailey’s stomach danced. There was that half grin again as if he knew something that no one else did.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

She walked down the aisle to the other end of the bar to check on the customers and refills and could barely concentrate. What in the world was her problem? She was all twisted over some guy who could be a gorgeous serial killer for all she knew.

“Bailey, can you check the couple on the end while I fix these martinis?” Mellie asked.

“Sure.” That’s what she needed to be doing—paying attention to her customers, making sure that the bar was running at optimum efficiency, not getting all hot and bothered over some guy.

“What’s the deal with the two you were serving?”

“Oh, one of them had to leave. Business or something,” she added noncommitally while she prepared the drinks.

“The one who stayed is yummy. And you know he has his eye on you. You gonna talk to him or what?”

“Mellie...I talk to all of my customers.”

“You know what I mean. He’s hot. I know you have some ‘policy’ about interacting with the customers, but come on, girl...”

Hot. That he was. Her hand still tingled from his touch. But she’d never taken bar talk beyond the bar. To her it was the doorway to trouble, and she didn’t intend to open it. She talked, she joked, she provided drinks and that was all.

“There’s a first time for everything,” Mellie said as if reading her mind.

Bailey shook her head, returned the bottles to their place on the shelf and walked off to serve the customers.

* * *

Justin nursed his drink while keeping Bailey on his radar. Although he’d looked forward to an evening with his friend, he was actually glad that Carl got called back to work. It would give him some space to maybe get to know Bailey a little better. He sipped his drink. Jasmine.

When they’d met more than a year ago and went out a few times, he thought that she might be the one. Both of their fathers encouraged the relationship. Their friends thought that they were the perfect couple, but his brother, Rafe, of all people, was the only one who threw shade on the relationship. Rafe told him in no uncertain terms that Jasmine was the one “for the moment,” but not forever, and that he’d know forever when it hit him. He’d laughed off his big brother’s warning. Rafe was a notorious ladies’ man, and Justin was hard-pressed to take what Rafe said seriously. But as the months progressed, and Jasmine grew more clingy, more demanding and more of what he was not looking or ready for, he was forced to tell Jasmine where they stood.

“Dinner is served.” Bailey placed his meal in front of him.

Justin glanced up from the warm amber liquid of his glass only to swim in the depths of her chocolate-brown eyes. A slow heat flowed through his limbs. “Looks good. Thank you.”

“Can I get you anything else?”

“Not at the moment.”

“Enjoy.” She started to walk away.

“Hey, uh, Bailey...”

She stopped and turned back to him. Her brows rose in question.

“How long does this place stay open?”

“Last call is at one. We close at two.”

He nodded. “Is that when you get off? Two?”

“Yes. Late shift.”

“Then what?”

She tilted her head. “Then what?”

“What do you do after you get off?”

“I’m usually too tired to do much more than go home...and go to bed.” She swallowed.

He forked some risotto.

The smooth crooning sound of Kem’s “A Matter of Time,” moved languidly through the sound system. “Do you get a break in between?”

“Usually...when things slow down.”

He nodded again without taking his eyes off her. “Stop by and check on me when you do.”

“I can do that.”

He lifted the fork to his mouth. “Looking forward.”

Justin put the food in his mouth, chewed slowly, and unthinkable images of his mouth on her body ran havoc through her head.

Bailey inhaled deeply. “Enjoy your meal.” She hurried away and told Mellie that she needed to run to the ladies’ room.

Once in the privacy of the employee restroom, Bailey closed her eyes. She was actually shaking inside. It was obvious that Justin was making a play for her. She knew the signs and normally she was able to fend them off with a joke or another drink or deflect it with banal conversation. All of her tactics escaped her. She felt as if she’d been sucked in quicksand and couldn’t grab on to anything to pull herself free. The music floated into the restroom.

Damn, damn, damn. She turned on the faucets and splashed cold water on her face and neck, snatched up a paper towel and dabbed the water away. She stared at her reflection. Get it together, girl. She sucked in a breath of determination and returned to her station.

* * *

Justin tried to concentrate on his meal, but his thoughts kept drifting back to Bailey. He could have been eating cardboard because he was only going through the motions. He wasn’t sure what it was about her that had him thinking things he shouldn’t be thinking. She was pretty. No doubt about that. But he’d seen and been with plenty of pretty women. That wasn’t it. It was something that seeped from her pores and wrapped around him like a longed-for hug. It held him, soothed him and yes, excited him. She wasn’t working him like so many of the women that he ran across. She had no idea who he was, who his family was. He wanted to keep it that way. He wanted—no needed—to find out what she was about, and maybe that discovery would answer the question that was hovering on the edge of his consciousness. Was she the one?

* * *

The evening moved on. The dance floor filled and emptied. The soft lighting tucked away in hidden places in the floor and pillars offered a seductive ambiance that was not lost on the patrons. Heads and bodies leaned close. Bubbles of laughter mixed with the music. Drinks flowed. Food satisfied the hungry palates. And Justin and Bailey teased and talked.

“So how long have you been working here?”

Bailey leaned her hip against the bar. “Going on three years.”

“You must like it.”

She smiled. His belly stirred.

“I do. You meet a lot of interesting people.”

“Rumor has it that bartenders and hairdressers are like going to a confessional.” His eyes caught the light and gleamed.

Bailey tossed her head back and laughed. Justin memorized the long curve of her throat.

“So I’ve heard. What about you? What do you do?”

He gauged his answer. “Attorney.”

Her brows rose. “Really?”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Not at all. Actually, I’m working on getting back into law school.”

He rested his forearms on the counter. “Getting back?”

She lowered her gaze. “I had to drop out for a while.”

“Oh.” He nodded his head. “It can be hard.” He paused. “Do you know what kind of law you want to practice?”

“I know that I don’t want to work for a big corporate firm. My passion is to work with those wrongly accused and that don’t have the means for high-priced attorneys. I’m thinking the nonprofit sector.” She watched his expression and was pleased that he didn’t seem turned off by her altruistic vision.

“The business can certainly use more lawyers like you will be one day.” He reached for his drink.

“I hope so. What about you? What kind of law do you practice?”

He smiled. “The kind that you don’t want to be involved with, unfortunately.”

“Why do you say unfortunately?”

“I’ll put it this way. Sometimes we have to do things we don’t necessarily want to in order to get where we want to go.”

Bailey nodded.

“Tell me about law school Where did you go?”

“LSU.”

He hummed approval deep in his throat. He sipped his drink. “Good school. Is that where you’ll be in the fall?”

Bailey averted her gaze. “That’s the plan.”

Justin tried to reconcile her upbeat voice with her troubled expression—and couldn’t. He wanted to ask her what was really going on, but he had experience with reluctant clients. It was clear that she was hesitant and could have been for any number of reasons. What he also knew was that if asked the right questions and given enough space, a client would tell you everything you wanted to know.

“Law school, even under the best circumstances, is rough, especially if you have to take a semester off.” He casually glanced at her.

Bailey’s lips moved as if she would respond, but she didn’t. He tried again.

“My second year my best friend Carl had to drop out—family issues. In solidarity I took off a semester, too. My family had a fit. But Carl and I made a pact when we started that we would enter together and leave together.”

Her expression softened. “A man of your word.”

“I try to be.”

She offered a tight smile. “I better get back to work. Can I get you anything else?”

“No. I’m good. Just the check.”

She nodded. “Be right back.” Once he had his check there would be no reason for him to stay. She could only stall for so long. What if she didn’t see him again? Why was it even important if she did? She punched in the information for his bill. There was a solidness about Justin, a confidence and warmth that couldn’t be manufactured. She stole a look in his direction. She wanted to get to know him, and she knew deep in her soul that he was feeling the same vibe.

“Here’s your check.” She placed the bill in front of him.

He took a look at the bill. If he paid with his credit card, she’d know who he was. He wasn’t ready to cross that line yet. He wanted to get to know her on his terms without the distraction of the Lawson name. Bailey seemed down to earth, a regular woman with a good head on her shoulders, but they all did in the beginning. He needed to give this some time. He plucked his wallet from his inside jacket pocket and took out a fifty and a twenty.

“I’ll bring your change.”

“Keep it.”

Her brows flicked. “Thanks.”

“Sure,” he said quietly.

Justin pushed back and stood. “How many nights are you here?” he asked.

She blinked. “Oh, um, most nights, except Sunday and one Saturday a month.”

“In that case, I’ll see you again. If that’s okay.”

“Sure. I’d like that.”

He gave her the full benefit of his smile that caused the lights to dance in her eyes. “See you soon, Bailey.”

“Take care.” He walked around the tables to the front and out the door. And for whatever crazy reason, he already missed her smile.

Chapter 3

Bailey chopped a bushel of collard greens while Addison seasoned a tub of crawfish. Addison had a bachelor party that she was catering for on the weekend, and there was still fish to fry and sticky rice to make.

“So, he was cute, huh?” Addison asked.

“More than cute.”

“Did you give him your number?”

“Of course not.” She paused. “He didn’t ask, but he did say he wanted to see me again.”

“That’s a start. What does he do?”

“Lawyer.”

“Jackpot!”

Bailey laughed. “You would say that.”

“Well, it’s true, but what’s more important is that you actually took an interest in somebody.” She glanced at Bailey from the corner of her eye. “It’s been a long time since Adam. All you do is work and take care of your selfish family. When is it going to be your time?”

“Addy, don’t start.”

Addison stopped with her seasoning and propped her hand on her hip. “You know it’s true, B. Your sisters drain the life out of you. You have bills up the you know what and no daylight in sight. You need someone—for you. Maybe this guy is it.”

“I’m not looking for some man to take care of me, Addy. I won’t be my mother.” Her features tightened.

Addison flinched. Men. Money. Mom. The three Ms that remained a bone of contention for Bailey, and no amount of prodding or coaxing had changed any of it. She pushed out a breath of apology. “Sorry. I don’t mean to... I just know how hard things can be for you. How hard they are.” She reached out and touched Bailey’s arm. “I’m your girl, Bailey. I only want you to be happy. That’s all.”

Bailey lowered her gaze. “I know,” she murmured. She slowly shook her head. “Did I tell you that Tory called?”

“How much did she want this time?”

“Twelve hundred.”

“What! Bailey...”

Bailey held up her hand. “Don’t say it, okay? I know.”

“Tory has got to stand on her own two feet, and she never will if you keep bailing her out.”

Bailey spun toward Addison. “She’s my sister. I can’t just...” She covered her face with her hands.

Addison came to her side and put her arm around her shoulder. “Sweetie, when it’s not Tory it’s Apryl with her man-crazy self. You can’t continue to carry them on your shoulders. They’re living their lives. When are you going to live yours? What about going back to law school? How are you going to manage that if you keep...” She blew out a breath of utter frustration.

“I made a promise to myself when my mother died. I promised that I would look after my sisters.”

“And that’s what you’ve been doing. You put your entire life on hold, dropped out of school, worked like a field hand to take care of them and pick up their broken pieces over and over. It’s your time, damn it!” She slapped down the towel on the counter.

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” She focused on the sink full of greens, wishing that it would turn into dollars and make all her troubles go away. But money wasn’t the answer. Her mother was proof of that. But what Addison said was true. She knew that, as well. She did want someone in her life, someone to take care of her for a change, make her feel wanted, needed and loved. If she was waiting on that from her family, she knew she’d be waiting a very long time.

“What’s next?” Bailey asked, shaking the water off the greens and putting them in a giant pot of seasoned steaming water.

Addison looked at her friend and saw the resolute expression in the tight line of her mouth and knew that the subject of Bailey and her family drama was closed.

“The fish needs to be dredged in the seasoning.”

“Got it.”

They worked in silence for a while; the only sound was the boiling water and busy hands.

“I hope he comes back again,” Bailey said in a near whisper. She slid a glance in Addison’s direction.

Addison grinned. “She lives!”

* * *

Every night for the next two weeks Bailey went to work with the hopes of seeing Justin again. Each night ended in disappointment.

He wasn’t coming back. He talked a good game and that was it. What would a high-priced lawyer want with a bartender/would-be law student? This was why she didn’t get involved, didn’t hope for anything more than light conversation to pass the time. If you didn’t expect anything, you couldn’t be fooled or disappointed. But he’d seemed genuinely interested in her. It was probably her own need that she thought she saw reflected in him. Nothing more. He was no different from Adam. She pressed her hand to her stomach. No different.

* * *

“Hey, Bailey, it’s Addy.”

Bailey smiled. “Like you really have to tell me who you are. How long have we known each other—third grade?” She curved her body into the contours of her armchair and draped her leg across the arm.

“Must I remind you not to remind me how long we’ve known each other? It’s much too long, and we couldn’t possibly be as old as that third grade friendship would make us.”

Bailey snickered. “Whatever, girl.” She rested the novel that she’d been reading on her lap, and actually turned it facedown as if Addison could see that she was reading the steamy scene of a romance novel. “Whats up?”

“I’m in a jam.”

Bailey shifted her position. Her senses went on alert. Addison was the most together person she knew. If Addy was in a jam, what hope did she have? “A jam. What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“Yes. I’m fine. Relax. I’m in a jam because I have a mega big party to cater this weekend, and I’m short staffed. One of my bartenders has the flu, and a hostess is preggers. So I’m crossing my eyes, my fingers and toes that you’re free this weekend to help out. Pretty please.”

“Addy, you don’t have to ask twice. As strapped as I am for cash—I’ll be there. What day, time and where?”

“Saturday night. I need you at least by seven. Can you swing that with Vince?”

“I’ll make it work. I’ll do the early shift. Where is this shindig?”

“At the Lawson mansion. They are throwing an 85th birthday party for the family patriarch. The guest list is loaded with Louisiana’s who’s who, athletes, television and movie stars, the works. So I know tips are going to be off the charts.”

“The Lawsons...the father is Senator Lawson, right?”

“Yes.”

“You done made it to the big time, girl. Count me in.”

Addison breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks. I’ll text you the address. Maybe if we get lucky we’ll land us a rich ballplayer or something.”

“Whatever,” she chuckled. “See you Saturday. And don’t forget to text me the info.”

“Will do. Thanks again.”

“Not a problem.” Bailey disconnected the call, feeling a bit brighter in spirit. She could use every extra penny, so this job could not have come along at a better time. She picked up her novel and dived in with gusto. At least she could live vicariously through the love lives of the characters.

Surprisingly, Vincent had given her a bit of a hard time when she told him she would be switching shifts. They’d actually had a real back and forth until he finally conceded. It was so unlike him, at least with her. She knew he was overworked, but she carried her end and more. It had to be something else. Their little verbal sparring was days earlier and even though he’d said everything was fine, he remained distant with her, barely looking at her when he did speak, and then his conversation was minimal at best.

Well, whatever mood he was in, he would get over it, she thought as she hustled out of the Mercury Lounge to run home and change. The Lawson mansion was at the edge of the parish where the plantations once dominated the landscape. It would take her at least a half hour to get there from her house barring any Saturday night traffic.

* * *

When she finally pulled onto the street where the mansion was located, her eyes widened in awe. The sprawling lawn that had to be several acres in size was dotted with white tents that protected circular tables covered in white linen and topped with purple orchids. Red-vested valets were busy parking the cars that had already begun to arrive. Twinkling lights were strung through the overhanging trees that gave the entire space a fairy-tale feel. Soft music came from some unseen source and wafted across the warm night air.

Wow was all she could manage as a valet came to park her car after asking if she had an invitation. She could not imagine herself being invited to a place like this. Working here, maybe, but invited... It was so out of touch with her reality.

She turned over her keys, gathered her belongings and walked up the slight incline to the main entrance. If she thought only the outside was fabulous, she was sadly mistaken. The interior of the Lawson mansion was clearly out of some designer’s dream. It had the influence of the antebellum age with all of the modern twists. Stunning chandeliers spewed diamond-like light across the gleaming wood floors. The winding staircase looked as if it could lead to heaven and beyond. Long tables lined the walls on three sides, covered from end to end with silver-covered platters. There was a small raised landing set up for a band that was tuning up their instruments. Two bars were on either side of the room with an additional bar on the patio. The wide-open layout added to the feeling of spaciousness that allowed for a magnificent view of the entire ground floor. The back wall was all glass and opened onto an amazing deck and more acreage, a pool and additional outside seating.

The house was buzzing with staff, and the heady aroma of food momentarily made her dizzy when she realized that she hadn’t eaten since lunchtime.

“There you are! I was getting worried.” Addison grabbed Bailey by the arm. “They’re keeping the guests outside for the time being. Girl, I might be in over my head.”

Bailey glanced at Addison and actually saw panic in her eyes. “Why, what’s wrong?”

She lowered her voice. “I’ve never done anything this big or this important before. Suppose something goes wrong?”

Bailey squeezed Addison’s hand and looked her straight in the eye. “They’re just people who want to have a good time. You are a kick-ass caterer with an amazing staff and...you got me.” She grinned, and the tight line between Addison’s eyes softened.

Addison released a breath. “That’s what I needed to hear.”

“Good. Now, where do you want me?”

* * *

Within the hour, the front doors were opened for the guests, and the party was in full swing.

Bailey mixed a martini and handed it to the quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, followed by a gin and tonic for the morning show host for the NBC affiliate. Addison was right about the guest list. In the short time since the doors opened, Bailey had spotted several familiar faces from reality television, not to mention two Oscar winners. Addison was also right about the amount of work. They could barely keep up at the bar. She shifted her duties from one side of the room to the other and also supervised the bar outside. That didn’t include keeping up with refilling the flutes of champagne that the waiters carried on trays. Rich folks sure could drink.

She had yet to spot the guest of honor, but she did get a glimpse at a few of the Lawson clan that was pointed out to her by one of the other bartenders. They were certainly a good-looking family. What did it take to be this wealthy, to be on a first-name basis with people that she only read about? This was so not her world.

The steady hum of voices and trilling laughter mixed with the four-piece combo that had taken the stage. Couples bejeweled and bedecked made their way to the dance floor while others continued to mingle and network, eat and drink.