Free A Bookie's Odds by Ursula Renee Page A

strong enough to conjure up the smells, there was only one explanation as to why she could practically taste the dish.
    Georgia froze. How the hell did he know where she was? The only person she had told about her decision to work at the diner was Joey. At dinner the previous evening, she’d told her father she would spend the day running errands. And, other than asking her to pick up butter, he had not questioned her.
    “You’re going to have to look up sometime.”
    She shook her head. “The only thing I have to do is stay black and die.”
    “Georgia, look at me.”
    She slowly turned from the adding machine to the man standing over her. Though the corners of his lips were turned down in a frown, his eyes danced with amusement.
    “You’ve got to be the most stubborn person I know. What am I going to do with you?”
    “Walk away and pretend you never saw me here?”
    Nicholas shook his head, and she saw her future at the diner quickly slipping away. Maybe she could talk him into letting her finish out the day before dragging her back home.
    “How’d you know I was here?”
    “The moment Pops said Uncle Joey wanted to hire you, I knew you’d take the job. I also knew you weren’t going to say anything to your father.”
    “Are you going to tell him?”
    “Of course not.” He reached out and brushed his fingers across her cheeks. “Though I don’t approve of you working here, I know how much this means to you.”
    Georgia reached up and grasped his hand. “Thank you.”
    She should have known Nicholas understood. He had always been supportive of her dreams, going so far as to give her a heads-up whenever he heard of a job opening.
    Georgia wondered if William would support her decision to work. Or was he looking for a woman who’d stand by his side, look good, and agree with everything he said?
    Nicholas held up the brown bag in his other hand.
    “Miss Yvonne’s?” she guessed.
    “Since you couldn’t go with me to get your favorite dish, I brought it to you. I figured we could celebrate your first job.”
    Georgia glanced up at the clock. It was after one; she had been working for over four hours. Though she had wanted to finish working on the receipts, her body begged her to take a break.
    “I need to use the facilities, first.”
    “Go ahead. I’ll get everything ready while you’re gone.”
    Georgia rolled back from the desk. Every joint south of her waist protested when she stood. Ignoring Nicholas’s chuckle, she shuffled out of the storage room to the kitchen.
    Aware of the concerns about her safety, Joseph had assured her the only way to get to the storage room was through the kitchen. At any given time, either he or his wife would have an eye on the door.
    “How’s it going?” Joey glanced up from the four hamburgers and two grilled cheese sandwiches on the grill.
    “I got a lot done this morning,” she replied. “I’m taking a quick break.”
    He glanced at the clock hanging over the window to the dining room. “You should’ve taken one before now. I don’t want my brother accusing me of overworking you.”
    “I’ll take my break at noon from now on.”
    “And another one at three?”
    “That’s not nec—” She abandoned her protest when he cocked an eyebrow. “Yes, sir,” she agreed, though she didn’t think it would be necessary.
    He nodded before turning back to the food.
    Georgia stepped through the swinging door into the dining room as the bells over the front door jingled. A couple stepped into the diner and stopped at the booth to the left of the door. They scanned the crowded dining room. Seeing no other seats available, they slid onto the blue, vinyl-covered benches on either side of the enamel table.
    She moved from behind the counter and headed into the women’s room. By the time she finished using the facilities and returned to her office, Nicholas had set up the food on top of the file cabinet.
    Georgia dropped into her chair and grabbed the container