Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 60018 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60018 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
“Try me.” Remy’s slow smile was scary. “I used to be an NYPD detective and if you think your connections are good, you should see mine. Time to go.”
“Mother!” Caleb’s voice startled Raven and she stared at her brother in surprise.
“How did you know she was here?” Raven asked.
A grim frown had settled on his lips. “Mother called me to ask if I knew what you’d done to Lance and informed me of her intention to come find you. I got here as fast as I could.”
“Caleb, darling, I know you have a relationship with Caroline, so could you please try and talk sense into her?” she begged, once again turning on her fake charm.
“Her name is Raven.” Caleb winked at Raven, his expression reassuring. “Don’t worry. I’ll get her out of here.”
He grasped his mother’s elbow and led her out of the restaurant, Cassandra complaining the entire way. But her absence didn’t make her embarrassment disappear. Although Raven did her best to ignore what others said, thought, or did, Cassandra’s tantrum in front of her colleagues had been appalling.
“Come on.” Remy’s voice caused her tension to ease.
She’d forgotten he had an arm around her, one he now used to guide her back toward his office.
Once they were inside, Remy shut the door and Raven sat down on the seat across from his desk.
He lowered himself into the chair beside her and took her hand. “You okay?” Frown lines had settled in the creases of his eyes and she hated how worried he was for her.
She blew out a deep breath. “A little shaken, to be honest. She took me off guard by coming here and those verbal blows hit me where it hurt.”
“I didn’t catch anything but those last awful comments,” he said, rubbing his thumb back and forth over the top of her hand.
“But I know without hearing it all, she was out of line.”
“Except nobody listening would know that. I’m the manager here. These people are supposed to respect me and do as I say. Meanwhile…”
“No.” His voice was curt and to the point. “Not only are these people, you mentioned, employees, we’re all tight. Like a family. Trust me, they will automatically be concerned about you and think Cassandra was an arrogant, snooty—”
A knock interrupted his list of impolite words to describe Cassandra Kane, and Raven was smiling when Remy called out, “Come in!”
The door opened and Caleb stood in the doorway. “Am I interrupting?”
She shook her head. “Not at all. Come in. I assumed you’d be taking Cassandra home.”
Caleb shook his head. “No need. She took a driver. She was still complaining when I made sure she sat down in the back of the vehicle and closed her in. I made certain to watch the car drive off.” He closed the door behind him and walked over to the desk, leaning against the metal frame, facing Raven and Remy. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t you dare,” she warned her brother. “Her behavior is not on you.”
He nodded. “How are you?”
Now that she’d had time to calm down and get over the shock of Cassandra’s visit, Raven realized Remy had a point. As much as his mother’s behavior wasn’t Caleb’s fault, Raven’s friends would take what had happened in stride… though she knew they’d be curious.
“I’m better, thanks. I shouldn’t have let her get to me.” There was no point in elaborating again on why she had.
Caleb smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Yeah, but that’s not easy. Mother knows where to aim her arrows. Now, on to more important things. Are we still on for dinner? Your nephew was asking me all morning if we were seeing Aunt Raven tonight.”
“I wouldn’t miss a date with my little man.” Raven was excited about the evening ahead. “Do you mind if I bring a guest?” More like a bodyguard, but she wouldn’t insult Remy by calling him that, and her gaze slid to his to find his warm stare watching her.
“Of course not. But I need to get going. I’ll see you at our usual spot?”
“Yes.” She pushed herself up from the chair, dislodging Remy’s hand, and she immediately felt the loss. It wasn’t sexual either, it was the certainty that this man could protect her. That he wanted to.
And she didn’t quite know what to do with that.
Remy stood as well and said goodbye to Caleb.
Once her brother had left, Remy turned to face her. “Dinner with your nephew, huh?”
“Think you can handle it?” she teased, feeling lighter than she had since Cassandra had shown up.
“If you’re going to be there, I know I can.”
Chapter Eleven
Remy and Raven went straight from work to the restaurant in Brooklyn because Owen ate dinner early. It wasn’t a long trip and Remy drove them in his car.
He’d never been to the Harlem Shake restaurant before but he discovered they had another establishment at 124th Street in Harlem, uptown. And after eating there, he understood the appeal for kids. The décor was 1950s diner chic, with a lot of chrome and swirling stools that Owen had a blast using.