Boudreaux 01 Easy Love Read Online Free

surprisingly cool in here,” I murmur after we’re seated.
    “The trees keep it cool,” the waitress says with a smile. “Need a minute with the menu?”
    “Do you eat seafood?” Eli asks me.
    “Yes,” I reply.
    “Good. We’ll both have the seafood jambalaya, please.”
    The waitress nods and walks away, leaving us alone.  
    “Now, tell me more about your plans to catch the person stealing from my company.”
    “You didn’t answer my question first,” I reply, and butter a piece of the bread the waitress just set down for us.
    “What question?”
    “Tell me about you.”
    “I don’t matter.” His voice is calm, but sure. Final. He leans back, folds his arms, and shutters immediately close over his eyes.
    Interesting.
    “It’s your company, so yes, I do believe you matter.”
    “All you need to know about me is that I’m your boss, you’ll be paid timely, and I expect nothing but your best on this job.”
    I set my bread on a small white plate and lean back, mirroring his pose with my arms crossed. “Actually, I believe it was Savannah who hired me, and I don’t ever give less than my best. Ever.”
    He raises a brow and cocks his head to the side. “Beau, Savannah, and I hold equal shares and equal interest in the company. All three of us are your bosses, Kate.”
    “Understood.” He watches me for several minutes. I can’t figure him out. He has moments of being so kind, nice , and I think he may be attracted to me, and then the walls come slamming down and he’s distant, impersonal, and borderline rude.
    Which is it?
    Not that it really matters, because starting tomorrow I’ll answer to Savannah, and I’ll hardly ever see the mysterious and sexy Eli.  
    I hope.
    I tilt my head back, close my eyes, and take a deep breath of the thick New Orleans air. There’s a light breeze now, cooling my heated skin. The trees above are green and lush, and I can see sprinkles of sunshine as it fights its way through the leaves.  
    Our meal is served and I stare down at the bowl of rice, shrimp, mussels and a bunch of stuff I can’t make out dubiously, then glance up to Eli, who has already dug into his bowl heartily.  
    “You won’t regret it,” he says simply, and shovels another spoonful into his mouth. I watch his square jaw as he chews, and then glance back down at my own bowl.
    Why not? I take a bite and my gaze finds his in surprise. “It’s good.”
    “I wouldn’t feed you something bad, Kate.” He chuckles and reaches for the bread. The jambalaya is delicious, and I’m hungrier than I thought, devouring the bowl in just a few minutes. Finally, I sit back and pat my flat belly.
    “That was great.”
    When the bill is paid and we’re back on the sidewalk, walking back toward my loft, Eli glances down at me, and then sighs and pushes his hand through his hair.
    “How did you get into your profession?” he asks softly.
    “Oh, we’re talking about ourselves now?” I raise a brow. “Look, you don’t have to be nice to me. It’s okay if you don’t like me. I’ll do my job, very well I might add, and be out of New Orleans in four to six weeks.”
    “Four to six weeks?” he asks incredulously.
    “Yes. I told you earlier, it takes time to settle in, gain my coworkers’ trust and confidence. I can’t just sit down at a desk and start pilfering through files. I’m supposed to be a new hire, on the down low, remember?”
    He shakes his head thoughtfully. “I didn’t think it would be that involved.”
    “It’s harder than it looks; otherwise, you wouldn’t need me.”
    “Who said I don’t like you?” he asks abruptly.
    “What?”
    “You just said ‘it’s okay if you don’t like me.’ What makes you think I don’t like you?”
    I stop on the sidewalk, stare up at him for a long minute, and then chuckle at the bewildered expression on his wickedly handsome face. “It doesn’t matter, Eli.”
    I begin to walk again, and he hangs back, walking just a few paces behind