Page 15 of Claimed Gem
“No. I don’t even know who I’m looking for,” he told her quietly. “I moved about a lot today. If he’s hoping to catch me in a routine, he’s in for a rude awakening. I also hired a couple of armed guards to trail me at all times.”
“Really?” Stephanie glanced around the room. Only then did she notice the strong, vigilant men eying her and Ries at various places and near the exits.
“You didn’t see him here today, did you?” Ries asked her.
“No. I kept watching the door hoping he would show up but he hasn’t so far.”
“Will he recognize you?” Ries asked.
“I don’t think so. I made sure he didn’t see me last night.”
“What about from the other night? Didn’t you serve his table?”
“I did but if I did run into him it would just be a coincidence if he recognized me. I could honestly tell him he saw me here.”
Ries nodded and then slipped from the booth, “I’m going to head back to my room. You’re still open for several hours?”
“We close at two.”
“Come see me after that and we’ll compare notes.”
Stephanie nodded, refusing to let the comments and questions from her fellow waitresses affect her actions.I’m doing nothing wrong.
Even if I sort of want to.
Ries left and she went back to taking orders. It was mind-numbing work and she allowedherself to drift to the what-ifs associated with helping Ries.
What if I only offered to help him so that I would have an excuse to keep seeing him?
I mean, what am I really thinking? That I might be able to bring down some crime syndicate or hired killer?
She found herself mentally answering her own questions. She knew she didn’t have the expertise to bring down the man trying to kill him and destroy his family. She was just one person and didn’t have any experience fighting crime or criminals. The idea was almost funny.
But you do enjoy being with Ries Kafatos? Talking with him and getting to know about his life?
She smiled at the next table, took their order and returned to the bar to wait while it was filled. She had to admit she did enjoy Ries’ company. She’d only spent time with him twice, but there was tonight and who knew how many more nights to come.
Her shift ended and she headed over to the hotel, refusing to try and conceal her identity as she did so.The other waitresses can think whatever they like.
This pattern continued for the next several days, with midday “meetings” that involved food, wine, and an exchange of their life stories. She went to his hotel room each evening after her shift to update him and discuss any new developments that had occurred while he was out searching the town.
Stephanie often found herself listening in amazement as Ries described some aspect of his childhood that was so foreign to her way of thinking. The man had been born with the proverbial silver spoon and what he considered commonplace happenings were events Stephanie couldn’t imagine. They had on e such conversation just this evening.
“Do you realize how lucky you were?” she asked quietly after he described being able to travel to the places that most kids only got to see pictures of in their history books.
“Lucky? Me? Why would you think that?” he asked.
“You had everything handed to you while you were growing up. I bet you never had to figure out how to pay the electricity bill, or the landlord, or have enough food to keep your stomach from hurting.”
Ries’ expression had sobered as he asked, “You experienced all of those things?”
“Yes. I’m not alone, lots of people around the world struggle with the basics of survival. When you don’t have money, you learn how to get by without it, or at least, without much of it.”
“I guess I never really thought about what my life would have been like without my money.”
“I’m glad,” Stephanie told him truthfully. “It’s not a fun time. You have this fairytale life that most people would do anything to have.”
“Trust me,” he told her. “Money has its own problems. There are always people wanting thingsfrom you and it’s hard to know if they are with you because they like you as a person or because of what you can do or buy for them.”