Tropical Leopard's Longing (Shifting Sands Resort 8)

It was best if she never saw him again.

Chapter 12

Staring at his warped reflection in the refrigerator door, Breck had forgotten about the champagne, had forgotten about the suspicious man, had forgotten about everything but the perfect heart-shaped face, flushed and forlorn, that would haunt his dreams forever.

His mate.

Here to marry another man.

It couldn’t get worse, he decided.

Then he heard familiar heels clicking across the tile kitchen floor, and he knew that it could.

“Breck.”

Scarlet’s reflection next to his had unnaturally bright red hair and Breck could tell that she was frowning.

He turned to face her.

“I’ve gotten a complaint,” she said without preamble. “The mother of the bride has requested that you not be permitted to serve in the restaurant for the remainder of their contract.”

“I’m… sorry,” he said, filled with so much regret that it felt like he would fall apart at the seams.

“I am too,” Scarlet said unexpectedly. “It’s disappointing when you run into that kind of prejudice. I certainly don’t agree with her views and I don’t like to further them by agreeing to Mrs. Grant’s request… but…”

She looked conflicted and Breck suddenly realized that she had no idea that he was the mate of the bride. Mrs. Grant was asking Scarlet to relieve him of duty because he was openly bisexual, not because he was hopelessly in love with her daughter.

And Mrs. Grant was paying ridiculous piles of money for exclusive use of the resort.

“I don’t want to pull you off duty,” Scarlet said firmly, to Breck’s surprise. “But it would make my job a lot easier if you could dial things back and act more strictly professional for the duration of the wedding. I know you never cross the line of actual impropriety, but someone who didn’t know you migh

t consider your flirtations too forward.”

“No,” Breck said swiftly. “No, you should pull me off the floor.”

He couldn’t go out there. He couldn’t go out there and watch her cozy up to her fiance, knowing that he could never have her. He couldn’t serve her food and watch him feed it to her.

Scarlet blinked at his vehemence. “Should I know something?” she asked suspiciously.

“No.” Breck dug deep for anything resembling steadiness and took a slow deliberate breath. “She’s already made up her mind about me,” he pointed out. “And you’ve made it clear how important this contract is. I’ve got more than enough staff to cover the floor for now, and Jenny or Laura or Saina can step in when things get busy. You could even stuff Graham in a uniform if things are dire. Watering people isn’t much different than watering plants. There are a whole lot of things I can do behind the scenes. I can help Chef in the kitchen. The van needs a new alternator.”

Scarlet furrowed her brow at him and Breck realized that he was talking too fast.

“Are you sure you don’t mind?” Scarlet asked. “It would simplify things, but I’d back you up if you wanted to keep serving.”

“I would too,” Chef said in his deep, booming voice, unexpectedly appearing from behind Scarlet. “You’re the best waiter I’ve ever worked with, and I hate it when bigots win.”

“I’m sure,” Breck said, touched by their support. “It’s just about making sure things run smoothly.”

And he knew there was no way things could run smoothly if he tried to go out there and see his mate being courted by someone else.

It was more likely that he’d give the fiance a black eye ‘by accident,’ and Mrs. Grant would end up demanding his resignation, not just his absence. Maybe she’d sue the resort.

Chef gave a skeptical harrumph. “Well, you can make yourself useful by getting these plates ready,” he said, and something started to boil over on a distant stove that called him away down the kitchen aisles.

Scarlet continued to scrutinize him, not looking entirely convinced.

But if there was one thing Breck was good at, it was keeping up appearances. He put on his most charming smile. “You’ve saved me a fortune in dentistry from grinding my teeth to stumps serving that woman. If this were the kind of place where you tipped, she’s the type to tip spare change from her purse on a hundred dollar meal.”