least the tips were good. Pulling her pad out of her apron pocket to take an order, she again approached the table of three college-aged men. She pasted a smile on her face although it was an effort to keep it in place after her last encounter with them.
“You all ready to order?” She positioned herself a little farther away than usual to avoid the roaming hands of one of the customers.
“What did you say?” The massively built young man with rippling biceps who had been extra friendly slurred his words, making them run together. He bent toward her and nearly fell out of his chair.
Blasted with the scent of alcohol, she stepped back. “Are you ready to order?”
“You don’t have to shout.” He straightened, tossing back his head so hard his blond curls bounced.
Lord, patience is usually one of my strong suits, but this Friday night must have brought out the worst customers, and they all sat in my area of the restaurant.
Cara moved closer to the table, sidling toward the tall, thin young man sitting opposite the blond giant. “Do you all need more time to look over the menu?”
The young man brushed back a curl that fell onto his forehead. “What do you think, Brent? Jeremy? This li’l lady isn’t being too friendly. Do we order or leave?”
“I ain’t all that hungry. Let’s go find a bar that’s open,” the one called Jeremy said, his words garbled as though he had a mouth full of pebbles.
“Bring us our bill.” The blond waved his hand in the air. “We’re leaving. We need to do some celebrating and you’re putting a damper on our festivities.” His voice rose with each sentence spoken.
Since all she had done was bring them water, she said, “There is no bill.” She started to walk away, not sorry they were going, even if that meant the restaurant lost some business.
Fingers clamped about her wrist, halting her progress. She glared at the blond. “Take your hand off me.”
Chapter Two
“O r what?” The blond college student shoved to his feet, swaying into her as his chair toppled over.
The sound echoed through the dining area, and several customers nearby stopped talking and stared. All three young men were standing now. The blond’s huge presence dwarfed her. The odor of the alcohol they must have drunk earlier assailed her from all angles, roiling her stomach. Her heart increased its pounding against her rib cage.
The blond thrust his face close to hers, the smell intensifying. “I said, ‘Or what,’ li’l lady?” He mangled the words.
Speechless with fear, she tried to yank her arm away. The numbness she felt in her fingertips began to extend throughout her.
“Let go of her.” The owner’s deep baritone voice cut through the sudden silence.
The fingers at her wrist dug into her skin. “Whatcha gonna do about it?” The blond slowly turned his head toward Noah Maxwell, but not before Cara saw his bloodshot eyes narrow in fury.
Trying to ignore the pain his hold produced, she looked at Noah, only a few feet away. An ice-cold expression greeted her, directed at the young man gripping her. The dead calm in his eyes helped quiet her rapid heartbeat. He knew how to take care of himself. That thought eased her rising panic.
“As I thought, nothing.” The blond started to turn back toward her.
“Jake—” One of his friends inched closer.
Noah settled a hand on the drunk’s shoulder. “Let me show you the door, Jake.”
The steel thread woven through that one sentence chilled Cara and would have made most men pause—if they hadn’t been drinking and had an ounce of sense left. Jake wrenched away from Noah, still grasping her wrist, which pulled her toward the blond giant.
Cara jerked her arm toward her, hoping to throw the young man off his precarious balance. For a second he teetered, then righted himself and released his hold on her as he concentrated on Noah, who had inched even closer. His two friends came to Jake’s side.
Freed, Cara hurried toward Noah, thankful it was so late that any families who usually frequented the restaurant were gone. Most of the customers had backed away, and a couple of men stayed near. She prayed they would help Noah. Jake was huge and his two friends weren’t much smaller. Noah’s odds didn’t look good at the moment.
“We’ll leave when we want. And I don’t think there’s too much you can do about it, old man.” He glanced at his buddies, a smirk tilting his mouth. “You’re outnumbered.”
Noah chuckled. “Don’t be too sure about that.” Again that lethal quiet sounded in his voice.
Jake threw back his head and laughed. The action shifted his large body enough that he fell against one of his friends.
“I think you need to take him home,” Noah said to the young man helping Jake stand upright. “Believe me when I tell you, I have been in worse situations than this and have come out unscathed.”
The one called Brent took one of Jake’s arms. “Let’s go. Someone’s probably called the police by now.”
As the two dragged Jake toward the entrance, Noah quickly moved toward the trio. “I’m calling a cab to take you all home.”
Brent faced him. “I’m not drunk. I can drive.”
Noah assessed him. “Fine. If you don’t want to end up in jail, I suggest you all go home.”
Brent turned back to his friends and hooked his arm around Jake. When the door closed behind the trio, Cara sagged against a table. She couldn’t stop the trembling spreading through her body.
Noah’s arm went around her shoulder, supporting her against him. “Let’s go back to my office.”
Suddenly voices began chattering around her. She glimpsed the customers and staff staring at her and nodded. Almost in a daze, she allowed him to lead her back to his office and seat her across from him.
Thank You, Lord, for sending Noah . She folded her hands in her lap to keep them from shaking and lifted her head to look him in the eye. “Are you going to fire me?”
He looked puzzled. “Fire you? Why would I do that?”
Over the past week she’d heard wonderful things from the staff about Noah Maxwell, but she hadn’t seen him enough to know him firsthand. “They’ll probably never come back here to eat,” she finally said when she realized he was waiting for an answer.
“Good. I don’t need customers like that. I don’t want drunks eating here. This is a family restaurant and I don’t serve alcohol. If someone comes in again that is intoxicated, get me or the manager. You shouldn’t deal with problems like that.” He smiled. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything to you before, but I hadn’t had to take care of something like that in a while. Most people know I don’t tolerate drunks.”
“Believe me, I’ll have no problem doing that the next time. I appreciate
