Against All Odds Choices (2ndt in a series of contemporary romance books for Kindle) by Sarah Amerson Page A

already went out and served Ryan. His plan
might have backfired if he thought he could talk to me if he sat in my section.
It was scary how he still remembered where I always served.
    I didn't want
to see him. He'd absolutely ruin my day. Actually, he already did. I woke up
with a smile on my face because Leo spent the night at the apartment.
    He looked
really princely in the morning.
    I didn't
notice that there was a smile on my face until a co-waiter of mine passed me
and gave me an odd look.
    When I decided
to leave the kitchen, I was shocked to see Leo and his friends entering just
then. As they took their seats, his eyes found me and he immediately smiled.
    Oh, no! I
totally forgot Leo coming here tonight. He would definitely lose it if he sees
Ryan in the restaurant, too.
    As if on cue,
his eyes scanned the room. The smile on his face instantly vanished when his
eyes caught something in the distance. Even without looking, I knew who he saw.
    Nonetheless, I
followed the direction of his eyes.
    And there,
sitting two tables away, was Ryan. He obviously saw Leo's arrival too, because
there was an evident scowl on his face.
    I forced to
move my feet. Putting on the default polite smile, I bravely went to Leo and
his friends. Leo's eyes returned to me when he caught me approaching, and I
noticed his hard eyes softened when we made eye contact.
    “Good evening,
gentlemen,” I greeted them courteously.
    “Ah, Bridget,”
grinned Michael warmly.
    The others
quickly raised their heads at the mention of my name. The expression on their
faces told me that Leo obviously talked about me.
    I felt my
cheeks heat up at their curious looks.
    “She's it?”
asked Mr. Walton incredulously.
    I was slightly
awkward at referring to him as 'Mister' now that I was aware that he was only
two or three years older than me.
    It was clear
in his facial expression that he wasn't impressed with me. I didn't let that
get to me, but it did a little. Then again, I couldn't please everybody. So I
let it go.
    “Don't,
Thomas,” warned Leo calmly with a low voice.
    Thomas Walton
rolled his eyes, turning his attention to the menu in his hands.
    “Not bad,”
said Mr. Roosevelt, nodding his head as though he was very impressed with what
he was seeing.
    “Bridget, this
is Nicholas,” introduced Leo, gesturing to Mr. Roosevelt then to Thomas Walton,
“and this uptight virgin is Thomas.”
    Nicholas and
Michael burst out laughing. Thomas just rolled his eyes, giving out the
impression that he was used to his friends making fun of him.
    “Just Nick,
though,” Nicholas – Nick – added to me, grinning.
    “Hello,” I
greeted him and Thomas, flashing them my best smile.
    Thomas
uninterestedly bowed his head in acknowledgment, while Nick greeted me warmly
like Michael did.
    “For the
record, I'm no longer a virgin,” clarified Thomas tonelessly.
    The other boys
snickered.
    “Never doubted
it,” I quickly replied to Thomas. “Have you made your selections?” I politely
asked everyone, getting back to business.
    “Since it's a
special night,” began Michael thoughtfully, “why don't we all order the special
course, as well?”
    “Redundancy on
your choice of words, Michael,” remarked Thomas, bored.
    “No one cares,
Tom,” chuckled Nick as he scanned the menu with his eyes
    “I'll go with
the special,” said Leo, flashing me a little smile.
    I discreetly
returned it.
    “Me, too,”
nodded Nick once, handing me the menu.
    “Same,” said
Thomas, giving me his menu.
    “Four special
courses, Bridget,” finalized Michael.
    I gave a
courteous nod and went to the kitchen. I wanted to get away before Leo could
ask about Ryan in front of all of his friends. I didn't want to give the
impression that I needed Leo to take care of my problems – even though this
time, I actually did.
    It was hard
for me to admit that I needed someone with me to face some troubles, especially
when I was used to taking care of them on my own. But damn it to hell,