But when I told him to give you a good tip I didn’t think you’d get one that good.”
Darci’s anger flared. She blew out her breath. “Do you know why? He’s trying to butter me up! You know that bet he made? His friend picked me! Me!”
Val’s mouth puckered. “You get to be his fair lady? Ooh.”
Darci paced a little. “No way. Who does he think he is? God? He wants to make me a member of society? Well, the joke’s going to be on him. I’m not playing. Then there’s no way he can win his stupid bet.”
Val made a clucking noise and Darci whirled to face her. “Girl, you need to hop on the clue train. If you don’t play he’ll just get someone else. You want to make him pay? You need to play.”
Darci gritted her teeth. Darn. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
What Val said was true. Cameron O’Brien didn’t have a clue who she really was. He didn’t know she had grown up with dance lessons, etiquette lessons, garden parties, and that she had earned two degrees from Harvard.
No, he was just like those boys in high school. Mr. Super Stud O’Brien was the one needing to be moved down a peg or two. Determination flashed in her eyes.
“You’re absolutely right, Val. Cameron O’Brien needs some comeuppance and I’m going to deliver it, right over his playboy head.”
“That’s the spirit. Then I get to look at him again. He sure is fine.”
“Oh, please. He’s a pig.” Exactly like those guys in her senior year of high school. That humiliating incident would never go away, so permanently was it etched in her memory.
She gazed at her hands, finding she’d clenched them in determination. Fury still filled her. No, Mr. I’m-More-Beautiful-than-God O’Brien had a think coming if he thought he was going to win this bet. The only person who was going to win this time around was Darci. Watching Mr. Super Snob lose would not only make her day, but if she played her cards right maybe she could finally get rid of her personal demons once and for all.
Well, that and finishing this greasy job at Grandpa Joe’s Good Eats. She’d had just about enough of people not thinking she was qualified and that she had to prove herself.
The issue thus resolved, she thrust her chin forward in determination. She moved out of Wanda’s way and turned around to walk out from behind the counter.
She gasped and caught herself before she crashed into him. She now stood nose-to-nose with Cameron O’Brien.
AFTER WALKING with Lee to their respective cars, Cameron had changed his mind about returning to the hotel. Heck, the sun would be up in only about another hour or so, and therefore he might as well watch it rise over the Muddy Mississippi.
So, after Lee had pulled out and driven away, Cameron had closed the door on the rental Mercedes convertible, and he had walked the short distance back to Grandpa Joe’s Good Eats. Cameron planned to be in St. Louis only two more weeks, so if he intended to win this god-awful bet he’d just been suckered into, he didn’t have a minute to lose.
Darci’s blue eyes blazed. “Don’t you even think about asking for change or telling me you made a mistake,” she snapped.
He chuckled, amused at her defense tactics. She was a spitfire, reminding him of the tabby cat his sister had found near their Long Island summer home. The cat had finally warmed up, but it had taken a while before its claws weren’t the first things out every time someone approached.
“Steady,” he said, stepping back slightly to give her space. “I’m not here for change. I knew what bill I put down on the table.”
She eyed him suspiciously and jutted her cute chin. “Health complaints go to Val, not that we’ve ever had any.”
“I’m not here to complain.” He tried his endearing smile again, the one society pages had made famous, but she just clenched her jaw. Stubborn little thing, he thought.
Now that he was even closer to her he could tell her eyes had pale blue lines moving from the iris to the outer rim. Almost like starbursts. Wow. Her eyes were beautiful.
“So why are you back? Did you just want to stare at me, or do you actually really need something?”
He blinked. Had he been staring? “Sorry. I came back because, because…” Now, after stepping inside the restaurant again, this didn’t seem like a good idea after all. Never before had he ever had to pursue a woman. And he definitely wouldn’t have pursued one who radiated the impression that she thought him less than dirt.
“Because?” she prompted, again stepping out of Wanda’s way.
His frustration built. Never had he been so at a loss with a situation involving a woman. He didn’t like it one darn bit. “Look, could we talk for a minute? It’s clearing out, and—”
“I’m working,” she snapped, effectively cutting him off.
His sharpness in business saved him. “Then I’ll take a cup of coffee.”
“Work the counter, Darci,” Val said walking by. She gave Cameron a wink, and taking her hint he settled onto an empty stool.
Darci brought him an aged white porcelain cup and saucer and slopped black coffee into it. One of the first things he would have to teach her was how to pour correctly. Coffee hit the bottom of the cup, bounced back out and slopped over the edge before making a ring on the saucer. Definitely not the best way to serve it.
“Cream and sugar are on the counter.”
“Thanks,” he told her, “but I take it black.”
“Suit yourself.” She scrunched up her face into an irritated smile and walked away. He watched her move, studying her figure and everything about her. Darci had a basic grace to her, he decided as he sipped the strong black brew. She could be molded. He’d have to watch that movie. Maybe it had some ideas for him to try.
“Darci,” he called. “Do you like musicals?”
“No,” she replied, and poured another customer some coffee. Cameron noted that this time she managed not to spill one drop.
“What about boating?”
“Water makes me sick.”
Well, he’d gone from a one-word answer to a four-word answer. He could tell progress with Darci would be measured in little steps.
“What about the symphony or the theater?”
“Closed for the summer,” she shot back.
“What about the Muny, the outdoor theater in Forest Park?”
“The Muny gets hot. Any other questions? I’m sorry I didn’t bring my bio for you. Let me know before you come in next time and I’ll be sure to have it prepared for your arrival.”
She walked by and splashed more coffee into his cup. He jerked away to avoid the stray cascading droplets. “Darci.” He said her name slowly, cajoling it off his tongue. “Darci, why do you hate me so much? What have I done?”
Her nostrils flared slightly, and those gorgeous blue eyes narrowed. Her full lips thinned. “Hate you? I don’t even know you. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d prefer to keep it that way.”
Ah, he thought. More reaction, more words. A little more cajoling and she’d start to cave in and realize her outbursts were actually the opposite of what she wanted. Something had ticked her off, and she wanted to let him know it. She just wasn’t going to come right out and say it, whatever it happened to be.
“Darci,” he tried again. He had to convince her to trust him or he’d have no chance of winning the bet. “You don’t know me. You’ve judged me unfairly. Could we change that? Once you get to know me you’ll discover that I’m really a nice guy.”
She looked like a high-strung