“Thank you.” So far, so good. She was nice and friendly and seemed to be content to stick right next to Flynn. Of course the camera crews hadn’t arrived yet, but she was inclined to give Jameson the benefit of the doubt.
After a few minutes of chitchat, Amelia excused herself to go check on the kitchen.
“You need to come back out here when you’re done,” Flynn said, walking with her toward the kitchen.
She paused. “It’s not my job to be the face of the restaurant. It’s yours and Ken’s.”
He looked at her. “But I’m asking you to. I’d like everyone to meet you. They’re all raving about the food.”
“You can take credit for it.”
He laughed. “I didn’t design or prepare the dishes. You did.”
“All right.”
“Great. And thanks.”
It was a mystery to her why he wanted her out here when this was his party with his teammates, but he was the boss. She went into the kitchen to make sure everything was running smoothly. Inventory was fine, and she reviewed each station. Her staff was top-notch. They really didn’t need her assistance, but she wanted them to know she was involved and paying attention and there to help troubleshoot if necessary. Luckily, there were no fires to put out, literally or metaphorically. And once she knew everything was in order, she returned to the party.
The foursome table had broken up, and she didn’t see Flynn, so she was free to wander the room. She went to the bar and retrieved another glass of wine, then headed over to Ken.
“How’s everyone doing?” she asked.
“Good. The guests all seem to be having a great time and the serving stations are busy. Everyone loves the food. Which, of course, they should. It’s excellent.”
“Thank you. Big crowd.”
“It’s about to be even bigger.” Ken inclined his head toward the front door. “Media just arrived. I’m going to go grab Flynn.”
“Okay.”
She retreated to one of the corners to watch as Ken and Flynn met the media. She also noticed that Jameson had moved to the side, out of range of the cameras, and was talking to some of the players’ wives.
She had high hopes for this woman. Maybe she’d be a good fit for Flynn.
The lights went on and the cameras started rolling. Flynn began to talk and gesture about the restaurant. Amelia was happy to see him get this amount of press for Ninety-Two. It promised to bring in more customers. The cameras panned around the room and a few of the players stepped up for interviews.
Flynn stepped out and made his way to Jameson, who put her arm around him. When the cameras made their way back to them, it was like she’d undergone a personality transplant. Her head snapped up, she plastered on a wide smile, and she was suddenly “on,” flashing her pearly whites and totally ignoring Flynn.
Oh, no. Not again.
It was as if she was the only one on camera, and as the journalist interviewed her, Flynn stepped away.
But Jameson didn’t stop. She kept talking, completely oblivious to Flynn, who had gone to join some of his friends.
“What’s that all about?” Tara asked, coming up alongside Amelia.
“I had such high hopes for Jameson. I thought she’d be different.”
Tara frowned. “Different?”
“Flynn has a tendency to choose all the wrong women. You know the types—the ones who are after a football player only to get their time in front of a camera.”
Tara pursed her lips. “Oh. I know exactly what you’re talking about. And unfortunately they’re all too frequent in the sport. You’d think women like that would come with a warning label.”
“You’d think. But Flynn’s like a magnet for them. I’ve seen him with no less than three camera whores over the past few months.”
“That’s unfortunate. And he’s such a nice guy, too.”
“I know. I really wish he could find the right woman.”
Tara glared at Jameson, then looked over at Amelia. “I know a lot of nice women.”
“Do you? Maybe you could set him up with one.”
“I could maybe do that. Or how about you, Amelia?”
Amelia searched the room for Flynn, found him talking with Ken. “No, I don’t really know a lot of people here.”
“No, honey. I meant you.”
She stared at Tara. “Me? And Flynn? I don’t think so.”
“Why not? You’re beautiful. He’s gorgeous. You share a mutual love of food. You’re obviously hiding in the corner because you don’t want to be on camera. You’d be perfect for him.”
There was no doubt she was attracted to Flynn. But the last thing she needed in her life right now was a man. Especially not a man she worked for. “No, I don’t think so.”
“You don’t find him attractive?”
She could barely pull her gaze away from him. Despite being surrounded by a group of incredibly good-looking men, he stood out. “Oh, I find him attractive. But he’s my boss.”
Tara shrugged. “So what?”
She pulled her attention from Flynn and directed it on Tara. “That’s a big deal. I moved here specifically for this job. I don’t need to lose it because a relationship, or love affair, goes bad.”
“Okay, I see your point. Still, I think the idea of the two of you together has merit. I know you and I just met, but I can see you and Flynn together. You could fit.”