Read Online Guardian For Hire: A For Hire Novel by Christine Bell - Free Book Online

hostess station, and she glanced around. The early-morning crowd at the restaurant was exactly what she would have expected. Bleary-eyed men in construction uniforms on their way to work, bleary-eyed college kids who hadn’t gone home from their night at the bar yet, and bleary-eyed octogenarians taking advantage of the early-bird specials.
    The fluorescent lights in the place were few and far between, and she wondered whether it was to hide the grime or in deference to all their customers who got the short end of the sleep stick.
    A tall, bouffant-coiffed waitress sauntered over with laminated menus in hand, a bored expression etched on her face. Between the bright-blue eye shadow and shock of red lipstick, it was really an achievement that the most notable thing about her was still that look of perpetual distaste.
    “Two then?” She glanced up at them for the first time, and the irritation that had been so prominent wore away, quickly replaced by an almost giddy excitement.
    “Yes, please,” Gavin said.
    “Right this way.” She led them to a booth in the back of the diner, secluded from the rest of the clientele. “You can sit in my section.” Her eyes were locked on Gavin and somehow the innocuous phrase came out sounding like a line from a porno.
    “This is perfect, thank you, uh—” Gavin searched for the name tag on her chest, and the woman thrust her breasts forward obligingly. “Ashlee.”
    Her full lips curved into a smile, but just as an irrational kernel of jealousy lodged itself in Sarabeth’s gullet, Ashlee wheeled around and stared at her with curious, appraising eyes.
    Sarabeth looked away quickly, obscuring her features with the curtain of her hair. This was her first time out in public since the whole car-explosion thing, and suddenly she felt very vulnerable.
    “Thanks, Ashlee,” she murmured, trying to disguise her voice for some inane reason. It came out sounding like a bad Marilyn Monroe impression and she winced. Now Gavin and server Ashlee were both staring at her funny. Not cool when she was trying for inconspicuous.
    The waitress hung there a few seconds longer, before stepping back. “Okay, well, I’ll be over in a jiff to take your order.”
    She sauntered away, and Sarabeth slid into the booth. Once Gavin was seated across from her, she took a furtive glance around and leaned in. “I don’t like this,” she hissed.
    “What, the hotel heiress has never been to a Denny’s before?” His eyebrows rose in faux surprise. “I highly recommend the Grand Slam.”
    She blew out a breath and scowled at him. “Oh, stop, I’ve been to a…well, no, actually, I’ve never been here before,” she admitted, her cheeks warming. “But keep your voice down about that h-o-t-e-l stuff, okay?”
    His slow grin only ramped up her anxiety. For a security expert, he sure wasn’t taking this very seriously, and all the warm fuzzies she’d felt five minutes before disappeared.
    “Look, I know the early morning crew looks rough, but I’m pretty sure they can spell ‘hotel,’ Doc.”
    “Whatever,” she muttered, smacking the scarred Formica table with her hand to get him back on task. “That’s not the point.”
    His lips kicked up again and he shrugged. “What is the point, exactly?”
    “The waitress is up to something. She’s using her…assets to distract you. She’s looking at me funny. You’re the one who’s supposed to be the expert. I’d have thought you’d have noticed too,” she said with a sniff.
    He held the menu up to his face, but his voice seemed choked when he responded. “Yeah, you’re right. We’ll be extra careful.”
    “Good.” She sat back and nodded, glad he finally started taking her seriously. “All right, then. And we need to talk about this whole apprentice thing, too. I don’t think it’s going to work.”
    “Mm-hmm.”
    He didn’t move the menu away, and she frowned. “Could you at least pretend to listen to what I’m saying?”
    “I’m