Serving Up Innocence

By H.M. Shander

Do opposites really attract?

Desperately broke, Shayne will do whatever it takes to turn things around. She has a plan. She'll keep her head down, work her tail off at both of her jobs, and never lose focus on her goals. Living in the now is not on the menu.

Falling in love with her co-worker? No time for that either.

As a guy living each day as it comes, Korey doesn’t believe in long-term goals and commitments are rare. The only future promise he’ll ever make is to not settle, not put down roots, and he refuses to stay in one place for too long.

Nevertheless, Shayne is powerless to resist the infectious and intoxicating pull toward Korey. But is his lifestyle too much for the rigid, family-orientated, nineteen-year-old, or is he everything she didn’t know she needed until it was too late? Her plan isn’t so clear anymore. Can they order up a future where polar opposites fall – and stay – in love?

Fans of Emma Chase will love this opposites-attract romance from USA Today bestselling author H.M. Shander.
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• Language: English
• Publisher: H.M. Shander
• Release date: Oct 3, 2018
• ISBN: 9781775392200

H.M. Shander

USA TODAY bestselling author H.M. Shander is a star-gazing, romantic at heart who once attended Space Camp and wanted to pilot the space shuttle, and not just any STS – specifically Columbia. However, the only shuttle she operates in her real world is the #momtaxi; a reliable electric car that transports her two kids to school or work and all their various sporting events. When she’s not commandeering LeBolt, you can find the elementary school librarian surrounded by classes of children as she reads the best storybooks in multiple voices. After she’s tucked her endearing kids into bed and kissed her trophy husband goodnight, she moonlights as a contemporary romance novelist; the writer of sassy heroines and sweet, swoon-worthy heroes who find love in the darkest of places.If you want to know when her next heart-filled journey is coming out, you can follow her on Twitter(@HM_Shander), Facebook (hmshander), or check out her website at www.hmshander.com.

Book preview

Serving Up

INNOCENCE

Serving Up Innocence

Published by H.M. Shander

Copyright © 2018 by H.M. Shander. All Rights Reserved.

Serving Up Innocence is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used factitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons, living or dead, events or locals, are entirely coincidental.

Cover Design: Megan Parker-Squiers @EmCatDesigns

Editing by: Infinite Phoenix Editing & IDIM Editorial

Shander, H.M., 1975—Serving Up Innocence

SERVING UP INNOCENCE

Do opposites truly attract?

When an ex-boyfriend drains her bank account and shatters her college dreams, Shayne decides to take control. She juggles multiple jobs, unwavering in her pursuit of a brighter future. Romance? That's not even on her radar.

That is until Shayne lands a job at Westside and crosses paths with her charismatic, free-spirited trainer. Korey lives in the moment, steering clear of commitments, and is everything Shayne thought she didn't want or need.

Yet, Shayne can't resist the magnetic pull of Korey's personality, and suddenly, her meticulously planned future gets hazy. Will their contrasting lives collide, or will Korey become the unexpected piece she's been missing all along? Can opposites truly find harmony in love's embrace?

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Epilogue

Sneak Peak of Chapter One – Serving Up Devotion

Dear Reader

Other Books by H.M. Shander

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Chapter One

The beat-up masonry with its chipped brick façade and windows caked in streaks of dirt from the longest, coldest winter on record indicated a dive; a hole in the ground, a joke of a place. But looks are deceiving. Always.

It was a blustery day in early March when with my chin tucked to my chest, I snuck into the main entrance of Westside, a restaurant many enjoyed as they were famous for their steak bowls. Even in the winter, people lined up for over an hour to wait for a table. Something I had done with my family on many occasions. However today I wouldn’t be dining. I’d be starting my first shift as a waitress.

Money was tight and stretched thin. Tuition for my first semester of college hung in the air. With my current job, my daytime job, my hours had been cut back and that didn’t help in the finance department. Bills were being paid because I didn’t need creditors chasing me down, but I was only making the minimum monthly payments. I couldn’t afford more than that and still live on my own. By securing a waitressing job, I prayed the tips would help, and I could get a handle on things and not have to apply for a monstrous student loan. I hadn’t worked my ass off only to falter now.

The warm air hit me in the face as I entered Westside, as did the tantalizing smells of grilled steak and spices. Suddenly I craved the taste of a Coririka Steak Supreme bowl, however it wasn’t in the cards today. Instead, I tiptoed past the hostess podium searching for the boss but feeling as though I were breaking an unwritten rule.

Can I help you? A lady with a long, blondish braid asked in my direction. Her name tag read Joy.

I’m looking for Niall. Today’s my first day. I swallowed down the penetrating crack in my voice. I wasn’t a people person in the slightest, but I needed this job desperately, and if stepping outside my comfort zone was what I’d have to do, then so be it.

He’s in the back office. She pointed beyond the cash register, and past the cooking station, to a place I couldn’t see.

I took a step but hesitated. Am I supposed to just go?

Yeah. Why not? You’re one of us now, right? A warm, infectious smile lingered on her face as her slender arm held a stack of laminated menus.

I tucked my confusion back into head and skittered toward the back, sucking in a breath of courage as my shoulders rolled back and I lifted my head. If I was going to act like I belonged there, I may as well have an air of confidence about me.

Unfamiliar eyes from the kitchen paid me no attention as I strutted over to a mingling group. Putting my bravest face on, instead of the quivering mass I wanted to be, I spotted Niall, the manager who had interviewed me a week ago. I extended my hand as I reached him.

Hello, Niall. I kept my voice from showing anything but fear.

The man beside Niall broke into a grin. Shayne, right?

Yeah, I said, unable to form anything more coherent.

The man was gorgeous. Long and lightly-coloured dreads, a scruffy week-old beard that appeared well maintained and dark, brown eyes that dazzled in my direction. Standing slightly taller than me, he wore the standard issue Westside polo shirt in emerald green. It did nothing to hide the well-defined bulges in his upper arms and across his chest. This man was clearly a specimen to be worshipped, like a Greek God.

I blinked several times to stop my eyes from drying out. It was terrible how I stared. If I was now going to work with the god, I’d better get used to seeing him and stop acting like such a crazy, hormone driven teenager. Okay, teenager was a bit of a stretch. I was nineteen, almost twenty – at the end of that tumultuous period of my life. My roaring twenties lay ahead of me, undefined and ready for all the adventures I planned on having. But first, bills needed to get paid. Which was why I snapped myself out of my headspace. He was now a co-worker and messing with coworkers was always trouble. My older brother, Sean, had told me as much, and he was wise. I learned from his mistake.

I’m Jasper.

Shayne, I said, reflexively as he shook my hand.

He chuckled. Yeah, I know.

Right. A faint heat warmed my cheeks.

Niall was shorter than me, which wasn’t saying much as I was pretty tall at 5’9", but still, there was the start of a bald spot on his blond head, leading me to assume he was older, like mid-thirties. He was stocky too, as his mid-section wasn’t as defined as Jasper’s.

Niall rifled through a box he’d retrieved off the shelf and tossed me the standard issue polo and a server’s apron. Both come to work every day clean. If size is a problem, grab the one that fits best, but you look like a medium. He pointed toward the bathroom. Get changed first, and we’ll get started.

When nothing more was said, I assumed he meant for me to change right now, so I disappeared into the staff bathroom a kitchen worker pointed out, and quickly pulled the green shirt on, which fit a little loose as I was no medium. That would imply I had a chest to fill it out, however the breast fairy had failed to visit me. Tucking the shirt into the nicest black pants I owned, I rejoined the men, looking and feeling a part of the Westside gang. What had my life become?

Bring a lock next time. Niall nodded at my purse, which I hadn’t felt comfortable enough to leave unattended in a back room. For now, you can store it in the server section. No cell phones on the floor though, got it?

I nodded.

You’re going to be shadowing Jasper to learn the ropes, Niall said.

My eyes flitted to the guy with a panty-melting grin stretched across his handsome face.

My girl for the evening, eh?

You better be a good teacher because after today I expect to handle it all on my own. I’m a quick study. I winked. Whatever he was going to dish out, I was prepared to fling right back.

I can’t wait to get you on the floor.

My eyes jumped open as my heart skipped a beat. What?

He laughed, a warm throaty sound that bounced around me before piercing my soul. The dining room, Sweetheart. He nodded towards the front of the restaurant.

Niall clapped Jasper on the shoulder. Have fun and behave.

Oh, we will, Jasper said, clasping my hand before I could pull away.

Electricity shot through me, tingling up my arm and setting over my chest at a thrumming pace. It put a spring into my steps.

Jasper led me to the serving station where he finally released my hand. I remember you.

I stared at him, clutching my purse tightly to my chest.

You were here with your family not so long ago. He pointed to a cubby high above the ice machine. Put your things up there.

I reached up and tossed in my purse, hoping I would be able to grab it later. It was quite far in.

Jasper handed me a tray with a cracked edge. You were wearing a pink sweater and your hair was tied back in a funky rope. You sat between your mom and your brother?

I nodded slowly, unable to really believe he remembered all that. My fingers absently ran over my dark brown hair before pushing up on the edge of my glasses, moving them back into position. My sister was home that weekend.

Dina, or Geraldina as her birth certificate stated, had come home from college. She was studying at SAIT, the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, a three-hour drive away in Calgary. Nothing too far, but still enough to give her some distance from the family. And as much as she claimed she needed the break, she was always home at least once a month. Try as she may, it was hard to resist the pull from our family as it lured her home. It did the same with my older brother.

I didn’t notice her.

The fire building in my cheeks seared the outside, lighting them in a glow I was sure would light up the dark.

You’ve gone from the customer to the server. His eyebrows danced. Now that you know what to expect in terms of a fantastic customer experience, you get to do the same with your tables.

Sounds appealing.

It was hard to keep the sarcasm from my voice as I was never one to cater to anyone’s whims and desires. Instinctively I knew I was about to get a crash course on it.

Not really. But you can make it fun. It’s all on how you play the game. Most tables are easy. Treat them nicely, and there’s no fuss. It’s the difficult tables that make you question your sanity. And those tables are the ones where you need to pour on the charm even more, but the reward is pretty big.

How so? I wrapped my arms around my tray, hugging it to my chest.

Because some of these people come in having the shittiest day. If I can turn that around with some fun, great service where I treat them like royalty, they go home and most of the time, they remember and come back.

What?

It’s true. I have one guy who comes here regularly, and the first time I had him, he was down on his luck, and very surly. He’d just lost his job but didn’t know how to tell his wife and young children. This all came out over the course of his meal. I gave him a little more attention than my other tables, but I was mostly a sounding board. You know, someone to listen to your–

I know what a sounding board is.

Oh good. Jasper smiled; the right side inched higher than the left. Anyways, he just needed someone to hear him. At the end of his meal, I bid him good luck. He left a sizable tip, which was wrong because he should’ve been saving it. But you know what, he came back. Every week he comes now, always alone, but he comes. It’s his private time, he tells me.

Wow. My eyes widened. I’d never met anyone who took serving so seriously. But why?

Why what?

What’s in it for you?

Why does there need to be a pay off? The browns of his eyes twinkled. Maybe I just think no one should feel alone in this world. Everyone needs someone to lean on, even if it’s a stranger to listen to you babble. Treat them well, and you could have a customer for life. He tapped me on the end of my nose with his finger.

I nearly snorted. Sorry to burst your bubble. I have zero interest in making this a career. My goal is to get my bills paid off, save up for college, and do something more with my life.

And what would that be?

I narrowed my eyes. I don’t know yet. I’m still figuring that out.

I had wavered on whether to go with earning a teaching degree or one in the childcare field. I’d been approved for both, based on my high school marks. My brother thought I’d be more suited for Early Learning and Childcare, and could one day, open my own daycare. As appealing as the idea was to be my own boss, so was the idea of teaching young children. Good thing I had a few more weeks to decide as I wasn’t meeting with my advisor until the end of the term, in eight weeks.

Jasper nodded. Me too.

Really?

Yeah, why are you surprised?

I don’t know. Just thought I was the only one.

I studied the way the browns and golds twisted through his hair, wondering if his hair was soft and touchable. His eyes appeared older and wiser with tiny little creases spreading from the corners. The lines on his forehead ran parallel to his brows, but not deep enough to put him in to his thirties. But maybe?

He grabbed a BIC pen and paper from a drawer tucked under the cash register. Hell no. I’m still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. He air-quoted the last two words.

I could so relate to that. Real life was not astronaut training or becoming a doctor, it was figuring shit out along the way. And a lot of the time it frigging sucked. Adulting was tough. There was something to be said about remaining a kid for as long as you can.

You’re not in college or university?

Nope. Didn’t know what path I wanted to invest in for the rest of my life. Still don’t. A giant smile spread across his face, creasing the wrinkles around his eyes further. Still trying to figure out how old I am?

What? No. I looked down and readjusted the straps on my server apron, tightening them once again.

He leaned closer, his breath tickling my ears. I’ll save you from guessing. I’m twenty-three. Each syllable an ember of coal just waiting to be fanned. But don’t tell anyone.

Words failed me as I caught a whiff of his cologne, CK was it? The scent turned my brain to mush. Who… who would I tell?

Vernonia. He laughed, tipping his head towards the dishwasher. Her English isn’t great, but she flirts with me. She’d be devastated to know I’m unattainable. He winked, and I nearly turned into a puddle on the floor.

Vernonia was definitely older, like a mom who was saving extra for a kid’s college. But she was beautiful, even with her jet-black hair encased in a bright orange hairnet. She could pass for a friend of my mom’s quite easily.

I returned my gaze back to my trainer. Devastated, really? That much of a catch, are you? I laughed.

Mr. Greek God had a wee bit of an ego that for some reason was highly seductive. As long as he wasn’t a complete ass, we’d get along fine.

Another server walked into the station and dropped her tray on the counter with a resounding thud.

Evanora, this is Shayne, the newest member of the squad.

I’d been served by Evanora once before, but I didn’t think she’d remembered me. Youngish, like maybe mid-twenties, with a warm smile, which she seemed to have left somewhere else tonight.

Welcome. I’m assigned to L’s. She sighed and filled a couple of glasses with ice, shoving them under the pop machine.

Jasper spoke to Evanora. We’ll be working in the B’s, as she’s training, but I could assist you if you need help.

He may have missed it, but she fired a glare his way. Not even if it was just the two of us and the line ups were an hour long. With a tray full of drinks, she walked away.

Joy, who greeted me earlier, came in. Jasper, I’ve sat a couple in your section.

Thanks. He passed me the pen and pad of paper, touching my hand a heartbeat longer than need be. You’ll learn there are better sections to be assigned to. Being in the B’s—at the back of the restaurant—isn’t ideal. The tips aren’t as high at the end of the night since you don’t get as many people through, but it’s the perfect place to train. He started walking out of the station. Ready to dive in and get wet?

I matched his speed, passing the hostess station, and caught up. Wait. You training me is going to decrease your earnings?

I’ll make up for it with my charm. C’mon, I’ll show you how this all works.

Chapter Two

Evanora, Joy, Jasper, and I sat huddled like close friends in a booth after the last customer paid and the doors were locked. It was late – after eleven – but the night had gone by quickly, faster than expected.

You did well. Jasper was tucked in beside me, our shoulders practically touching.

I savoured the warmth. As much as I wanted to scoot closer because the window seat where I sat was freezing, I kept myself in check. Mostly because I was afraid he’d mistake my need for heat for something more, and relationships were off the table. There wasn’t time, and I most certainly wasn’t ready for anything serious. I wasn’t even ready for anything fun. That time would come in the fall.

Yeah, not horrible. She only dropped one tray of drinks. Evanora laughed, ripping off the flipped over portions of her notepad, crumpling them up in her delicate palm.

Be kind, Joy whispered and turned in my direction. For a newbie, I’d say you were great.

A tray of four large, very full, glasses equalled a restaurant silencing mess when it tipped, crashed and I shrieked. Jasper had refilled the glasses and ran them out to the waiting table while I learned where the mop bucket was, and how to clean up quickly and efficiently. It was quite embarrassing to happen in front of waiting crowd.

How long before I get the strength to hold a full tray? I inquired, rubbing the dull ache setting into my wrist.

You’d be surprised. But it won’t be long. Joy cracked her wrists and shrugged.

Niall walked up to the table and dropped four envelopes on it, each baring our names. Your tips. Excellent job tonight. He looked right at me.

Thanks, I