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CHAPTER SIXTEEN

RYLAN

Rylan laughed and squeezed Cameron’s hand as their waitress, a woman with a wicked sense of humor, put their empty plates back down on the table and slid in the booth next to Rylan. Steffie put her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her hands.

“Okay, now you have my full attention. How long have you been together?”

“We are celebrating our five-week wedding anniversary but we’ve been living together for three months.” Rylan’s heart beat hard in his chest when Cameron looked at him and squeezed his hand.

“Love at first sight?”

“It was for me,” both stated at the same time.

Steffie beamed at both of them. “You two are the sweetest. After working this job for a while, you can tell those couples who love each other or those going through the motions of being together, and I can tell you are the former.”

Rylan was about to speak when an angry man in a blue button-down shirt appeared at the end of the booth, his khakis and haircut screamed manager.

“What are you doing?” he asked in a clipped tone.

“I asked her to sit since she was so friendly and we occupied her time. It was our fault.”

Rylan smiled at his husband. He cared about other people and would come to their rescue whether they needed help or not. Rylan jumped when the manager’s voice came out as a growl.

“I don’t care.”

Before Steffie could speak or stand to be on level ground, he added, “You’re fired.”

He turned and walked away without another look at any of them at the table. Rylan glanced around and customers sitting at surrounding tables, Cameron, and Steffie were all stunned by the viciousness coming from a man who managed people.

“What an absolute dick.” Steffie mumbled under her breath.

Cameron barked out a laugh as Rylan covered his own mouth with his hand. That broke the tension and the other diners went back to their own conversations and food.

“Well, I guess I have to search for another job I hate.”

Rylan glanced over at Cameron who had his eyebrow raised. He was thinking the same thing.

“What is the likelihood?” Cameron asked.

He shrugged. “I don’t know, but since I’ve met you, I believe anything is possible.”

“Hey, Steffie, how would you rate your organizational skills?”

She blinked at Cameron but answered. “Great, but I’m not qualified for a lot of jobs because I’m still in school and waitressing jobs pay more than most.”

“Well, we wanted to hire someone who can order supplies, schedule appointments, and keep Rylan on track with his projects. Do you think that’s something that would interest you?”

“Sure, I can do that,” she paused for a long moment, “but what do you do?”

“I’m a fashion designer. There is a charity auction coming up next month and Cameron created a website where I sell my creations online. I’m getting several orders already, but I forget the small details like what day it is. And maybe everything else when I get busy.”

Steffie’s eyes widened in surprise. “Can I see your website?”

Cameron handed over his phone, and they both watched for Steffie’s reaction, Rylan chewing his lower lip, as she scrolled through the site. Her eyes widened as she looked through the designs already up for sale.

“Wow. These are gorgeous.” Her eyes remained glued to the screen for a few more minutes before she handed the phone back to Cameron. “When would you like me to start?”

“How about next Monday? That will give us time to get projects set up for you.” Cameron gave her a figure she would make per week, and she squealed and hugged Rylan, who laughed and hugged her back.