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quivered. She tried sliding it to the edge and raising it that way. The whole thing tilted, but the rubber inside kept the plates from sliding.
    I can’t do it. Panic started in her chest. She could feel Tiff’s eyes on her, waiting for her to fail. Trying harder wouldn’t work. Upper body strength had never been her forte, and damn it, she’d never needed it with her type of work.
    The tray tilted some more, but she wouldn’t give up. If it all tumbled to the floor, there would be a lot of food to prepare all over again.
    “What are you doing?”
    She started, and a strong arm came around her. Damen righted the tray with one big hand. She peered up at him. “I’m so sorry. I can’t hold it. I’m not strong enough.”
    “Of course not. We have servers for that.”
    Her mouth fell open. “Huh?”
    “Servers who are strong enough to wield these trays. I wouldn’t expect you to do it. All you need to do is to grab one of them, and he would carry the food to the table for you. Come on. I’ll take it and help you.”
    They moved past Tiff, who stepped aside. Heaven deliberately touched Damen’s arm while looking at Tiff. “Thank you so much, Damen. You’re so strong.”
    Tiff appeared to have burst a few capillaries. Heaven was pretty sure she read “you bitch” in the waitress’s mouthed comment. She supposed soon she would be called into the boss’s office and fired on the spot. Heaven almost laughed at the thought. Tiff was one of those people who were all talk.
    The rest of the work day went along fine, and Heaven found herself having finished the day without killing herself or anybody else. She said good night to everybody and hurried out of the restaurant to head home. She reached the end of the block before Damen caught up with her.
    When he fell into step beside her, she glanced over at him. “Where are you going?”
    “I’m walking you home, or are you catching a bus?”
    “That won’t be necessary.”
    “I want to.”
    She picked up the pace a little. “Do you offer this personal service to all your waitresses at Marquette’s?”
    He grinned, and the setting sun glinted off his glasses. “No, just to the ones who used to be my lover.”
    Heaven tripped, and Damen’s arm shot out to catch her. “W-what did you say?”
    “You heard me, Heaven.”
     

Chapter Four
     
    Heaven swallowed. She pulled out of Damen’s hold and started walking again, keeping her gaze on the sidewalk ahead. He couldn’t have said… No, he did say it. He’d said he gave special treatment only to the women who had been his lover. Okay, Heaven, he could be acting all confident like it’s a done deal that he’ll sleep with you. Don’t jump to conclusions that he remembers the past.
    She lectured herself, but her words didn’t ring true, as if that’s what Damen had meant. At the same time, she couldn’t bring herself to make him clarify. “I was…um…I planned to stop at a small grocery near my place. You don’t have to come along. Thanks for walking me this far.”
    He checked behind them, and she did too like an airhead. They had stridden maybe half a block. Heaven frowned at the man she had seen a few times at the restaurant. He was bigger than the Marquettes but not sexy like them. Rather he appeared rough and liable to take a person’s head off. Fear closed her throat, and she stumbled again.
    Damen drew her close to his side. “What’s wrong, Heaven? I didn’t mean to upset you with what I said.”
    “You didn’t.” She tried to pull herself together.
    Damen’s hold tightened. “You’re shaking. I told you, I don’t want you to be afraid of me.”
    She looked into his worried gaze, and she reached up about to touch his face but drew back. Get a grip. “It’s that man. I think he’s following us, and I saw him in the restaurant before. No, don’t look, Damen. Let’s call the police.”
    He smiled.
    “I’m serious!”
    “I know, but don’t let Guy bother you. He’s my