Until Mani Read online

  Until Mani

  Rochelle Paige

  UNTIL MANI

  Copyright © 2019 by Rochelle Paige

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Published by Boom Factory Publishing, LLC. Rochelle Paige CONTRIBUTOR to the Original Works was granted permission by Aurora Rose Reynolds, ORIGINAL AUTHOR, to use the copyrighted characters and/ or worlds created by Aurora Rose Reynolds in the Original Work; all copyright protection to the characters and/ or worlds of Aurora Rose Reynolds in the Original Works are and shall continue to be retained by Aurora Rose Reynolds. You can find all of Aurora Rose Reynolds Original Works on most major retailers.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, distributed, stored in or introduced into any information storage or retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic, photocopying, mechanical or otherwise, without express permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, story lines and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons, living or dead, events, locales or any events or occurrences are purely coincidental.

  Edited by Manda Lee

  Cover design by Elle Christensen

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Until Mani

  Note From the Author

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Epilogue 1

  Epilogue 2

  Also by Rochelle Paige

  About the Author

  Until Mani

  Bryson’s Steakhouse is the go-to place for the Mayson family to celebrate all their big occasions. As its owner, Mani has had a front row seat to the second generation of Maysons finding their boom. But he’s always on the outside looking in, and he doubts it’ll ever be his turn...until Vivian comes crashing into his life.

  Vivian doesn’t think she has a lot in common with Mani. He owns a fancy restaurant, and she’s having a hard time finding a job. She’s searching for a cheap place to rent, and he has a beautiful house. Fast food drive-throughs are more her style, and Mani is all about gourmet.

  To Mani, these aren’t differences. They’re opportunities to give Vivian everything she deserves.

  Until Mani is part of the Happily Ever Alpha World, inspired by the Until Series by Aurora Rose Reynolds.

  Note From the Author

  When Aurora told me the news about the Happily Ever Alpha World, I think I actually squealed over the phone. I'd been hoping for a long time that she'd do one because I loved the idea of being able to write a story in the amazing fictional world she created. And then I got even more excited because she said I could write a story for Leo, the hot cop/single dad from Until Nico!

  This was a big deal for me since Until Nico is my absolute favorite book of hers. Nico is also one of my favorite book boyfriends ever! And I've always wanted Leo to get a story. Plus, several years ago we did a tiny crossover between one of my heroes and Nico. In Until Nico, Sophie overhears a phone call between Nico and Drake (my hero from Push the Envelope.) In my follow-up novella, Summer Nights, Drake has the other side of that phone conversation. The crossover is small, but it was so much fun.

  Releasing Until Leo last year was even better than I imagined, and then she said I could write in her world all over again this year! The first character who popped into my head was Mani. He appeared briefly in Until Jax, and he has been stuck in my brain for some reason all this time. I’m so honored to be able to help him find his boom.

  If you haven’t checked out the Until Series yet, I highly recommend that you do!

  Happy reading!

  Rochelle Paige

  Chapter 1

  Mani

  “Hey, boss.” I glanced up from the liquor order I was finishing up and found Jayce standing in the doorway to my office. He’d been with me since the first day I’d opened the doors to Bryson’s Steakhouse ten years ago. He’d started out as a waiter, but I promoted him to manager a few years ago after he graduated with his bachelors in hospitality management. Although he was younger and less experienced than all of the other applicants, he had something going for him that none of them did—he’d already earned my trust. “The Maysons have finished their meal and are almost ready for dessert.”

  Rolling my chair back, I saved my file to finish up later before I got up and followed him out the door. “Thanks for letting me know.”

  Jayce shook his head. “Like there was ever any doubt I would.”

  “Intimidated by the Mayson clan? Or me?” I flashed him a teasing grin.

  “I know I should say I’m scared of you since you’re my boss and all”—he lowered his voice as we neared the dining room—“but they’re definitely more daunting than you.”

  When James Mayson had asked me to open Bryson’s on a Monday, I hadn’t hesitated to agree even though it was usually my only day off. He and his wife, Susan, were up for a visit from Florida and wanted to get the whole family together to celebrate their wedding anniversary. The Maysons had always been good customers of mine. The head count for their party was also as big as any of the corporate groups we’d hosted.

  Each of their four sons was married with families of their own, and a bunch of their kids had spouses and children too. My dining room was packed with four generations of Maysons, and it was a sight to behold. “It’s been awhile since I’ve seen them all together like this.”

  “I hate to break it to you, boss, but some of them would still be more intimidating than you even if they were all by themselves.” Jayce nodded his head towards the long table where Nico sat with his wife, Sophie, and their family. His size and tattoos made him someone most people wouldn’t want to piss off, but his demeanor softened whenever he was around his family. He doted on Sophie and their girls. His sons had grown up to be every bit as intimidating as he was. And one of his daughters, Harmony, had fallen in love with a biker. Harlen fit in perfectly with her family, but I could easily see how he’d be a scary dude if you didn’t know him.

  At six-two and one hundred and eighty pounds of lean muscle, I could handle myself against most people. But, I wouldn’t want to be forced to take on any of these guys. “That doesn’t exactly come as a shock to me.”

  “I can see why,” he murmured as Sarah, one of my best waitresses, came up behind us. She was pushing a cart with a three-tier cake, plates, and forks on top of it. The cake was a small replica of the one that was served when James and Susan got married. James had wanted something extra special for dessert tonight, and I’d promised him that I had it under control. It had taken my pastry chef hours to create, and I couldn’t wait to see their reaction to it.

  “I’ll take it from here, Sarah.” She and Jayce hung back while I rolled the cart into the dining room.

  Susan was the first to spot me, and she flashed me a huge smile. Then she noticed the cake, and her eyes filled with tears. “Oh, my.”

  James’s head jerked up, and he put his arm around Susan’s shoulders to pull her close. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” she sniffled.

  “Then why are you crying?”

  “These are happy tears.” She wiped at her cheeks. “Because it’s just so beautiful.”

  James leaned closer and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “What is, darling?”

  Susan pointed in my direction, and answered, “The cake is a mini version of the one from our
wedding. It has the same colors, flowers, and everything. I don’t know how you pulled this off, but it’s perfect.”

  James glanced at me before opening his mouth, and I knew he was about to give me the credit. That was the type of man he was. Interrupting whatever he was going to say, I answered for him, “I’m happy to hear you like it because your husband was very specific about how important it was for us to get this right.”

  “I don’t just like it. I love it,” Susan corrected. She jumped out of her seat, tugging on James’s hand to pull him with her. When they neared the cart, James reached out to swipe a finger through the frosting and Susan swatted it away. “No messing it up until we get plenty of pictures.”

  “Yes, dear,” James replied dryly, prompting all of their sons to chuckle. It earned them half-hearted punches on the shoulders from their wives, which only made all the adults join in the laughter.

  After Susan got all of the photos she wanted, she and James cut the first slice of cake. Then she promptly smashed a bite into James’s face, surprising the fuck out of him and everyone else.

  “How come great-gramma and great-grampa get to have a food fight? I always get into trouble if I play with my food,” Conner, one of the great-grandchildren, complained. The adults roared with laughter again.

  “Not enough trouble since it never seems to stop you,” Evan grumbled.

  Conner tried to give his dad an innocent look, but his mom busted him with a reminder of one of his worst food disasters. “Remember that time you decided to wash your hands in melted butter at the movie theater?”

  “Yeah, that was the best!” Conner flashed June a big grin, without the slightest hint of remorse.

  She turned to Evan and shook her head. “I blame you for him being too charming. It’s why he’s all yours whenever he’s up to no good.”

  “Kind of like you and your sisters were all mine whenever you all were up to no good.” Asher stretched his arms over June’s lap. “Come to grampa, baby boy. We’ll see what kind of trouble we can get into after great-gramma and great-grampa serve us some cake.”

  “I’m not a baby anymore,” Conner corrected his grandfather, climbing onto his mom so Asher could lift him onto his lap.

  “The natives are getting restless. We better get this cake cut before all hell breaks loose,” Susan suggested.

  “Let me.” I snagged the knife from James and served up the cake until everyone had a slice or two. While they were enjoying their dessert, I made sure the top tier was boxed up for them to take home. While the rest of the family was getting bundled up to head home, James came over and clapped me on the back. “Thanks, man. The meal was excellent, as usual. And you outdid yourself with that cake.”

  “I can’t take all of the credit for it since my baking is only passable.” I handed him the box. “It might’ve been my idea, but my pastry chef is the one who did all of the work.”

  “Pass along my thanks to her then,” he requested. “Both of you more than deserve it. You earned me a fuck ton of brownie points.”

  “Like you really need them.” It was more than obvious Susan adored him.

  “It doesn’t matter if they’re needed or not.” The look he aimed in Susan’s direction was filled with so much love, it almost felt like I was intruding on a private moment. “When you have the right woman in your life, you want to earn all the brownie points because it means you’re doing everything you can to make her happy.”

  “You’d know better than me.” That was quite the understatement. I’d been so focused on making the restaurant a success that I hadn’t put much effort into my dating life over the past decade. I couldn’t recall the last time I’d taken a woman out on a date. Whoever she’d been certainly wasn’t the right one for me because I couldn’t remember her name, either.

  James gave my shoulder a squeeze. “When it’s your turn for the boom to hit, you’ll understand what I mean.”

  I’d had a front row seat to a few of the Maysons finding what their family called their boom. As happy as I was for each couple, I’d always been on the outside looking in. Unless I made some changes in my life, I had serious doubts that it would ever be my turn to find love.

  Chapter 2

  Vivian

  “I really can’t thank you enough. You’re a lifesaver.” I’d already thanked her about a thousand times in the past few days, but I couldn’t stop myself from doing it again. Life had knocked me on my butt and then gave it more than a few swift kicks while I was down. Lyla was the only good thing I had going on in my life at the moment. I was scared to death of pissing her off after she’d opened her home to me, especially since it’d been a couple of years since we’d exchanged more than a quick hello on the phone.

  “It’s not like I gave you a kidney, Vivi,” Lyla pointed out, shaking her head while she smiled at me. “You’re crashing on my couch until you can find a place of your own. It’s not exactly a hardship having you around when I’ve missed hanging out with you.”

  Lyla and I met our freshman year of college when we were assigned to live together in a dorm room that felt like it was the size of a closet. Luckily, we instantly hit it off and were pretty much inseparable for the next four years. When we graduated, we headed in opposite directions with promises to not let the distance change our friendship. Lyla moved to California, and I went to Florida. At first, we kept in touch daily. Our calls eventually tapered down to once a week. Then monthly. We finally drifted apart enough to turn into friends who sent each other holiday cards and called on our birthdays.

  The distance between us didn’t matter when I hit rock bottom. Lyla was the first person I called. She didn’t hesitate to tell me to pack up my stuff and come up stay with her in Tennessee. We’d grown so far apart that I hadn’t even known she’d moved six months earlier, but she welcomed me with open arms anyway.

  “I’ve missed you, too.” I reached out and grabbed her hand, giving it a firm squeeze. “The upside to this whole mess was reconnecting with you.”

  “I hate what happened to you, but I can’t deny that I’m happy it brought us close together again.” She leaned in to give me a quick hug. “I swear, you’re the only person I’ve met who can find the silver lining in literally anything.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” I shrugged my shoulders on a sigh. “I must be if I can find anything good in the shit show that is my life right now.”

  “Hey, now. It’s not that bad.” Lyla used her most upbeat voice, but she still didn’t manage to sound very convincing. Our eyes met, and we burst into hysterical laughter until tears streamed down our cheeks. “Yeah, that was an awful attempt at trying to cheer you up, wasn’t it?”

  “Yup,” I agreed, wiping my cheeks. “But it was effective. I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard my sides hurt.”

  “Me either.” She tilted her head to the side in a familiar gesture that usually meant she was thinking about something. A couple of minutes later, she added, “I think it was at Stacey’s wedding.”

  Stacey was our next door neighbor the last two years of college. She got married to her high school sweetheart a couple of years ago, and it was the last time Lyla and I had seen each other. Stacey was a nice girl, and her wedding was beautiful. But the bridesmaid dresses we’d had to wear were a horrendous shade of green and the least flattering fit possible. Once we’d finished with all of our duties, we’d gotten wasted off our asses. Much of that night is still a blur. “Yeah, that night was great. But I haven’t touched a drop of tequila since then.”

  “Oh, God.” Lyla made a gagging sound. “I can’t even hear that word without feeling like I’m about to puke.”

  My stomach rolled. “Ugh. Me, too.”

  “Damn,” she sighed, shaking her head. “There goes any hope of us doing one of our famous margarita nights.”

  “Crap,” I groaned. “I could really use one of those right about now.”

  “Wait!” Lyla perked up and grinned at me. “I have a brilliant idea.�
�

  I knew that look in her eyes. It was pure mischief and had gotten us into a heck of a lot of trouble over the years. It probably wasn’t a good idea to go along with whatever it was she had planned, but it wasn’t like I had a lot to lose at this point. “As long as it doesn’t involve tequila, count me in.”

  Two hours later, I started to regret my quick agreement. We put on little black dresses and heels, did our hair and makeup, and Lyla drove us to a place she said had the best drinks in town. She parked the car in the employee section of the lot, and I stared out the window at the impressive brick building. “I thought we were going to a bar, not a fancy steakhouse.”

  Lyla flipped down her visor and peered in the mirror, applying a layer of gloss on her lips before she explained, “Would I really waste all this in some random bar?”

  “Yes, you absolutely would.” She handed me her gloss, and I nodded before swiping it over my lips. “I’ve seen you pull out all the stops and get dressed to impress when we’ve been headed to a tiny dive bar.”

  “Yeah, but I was a stupid college student back then.” I gave her the tube of gloss back, and she tucked it into her purse. “I didn’t know any better. Now I save the good stuff for when it matters.”

  “And this is a place where it’ll definitely matter,” I grumbled as I climbed out of the car.