“You don’t mind, do you?” he teased.
“No,” she said slowly, her lips twisting in a smile. “But it does present a small problem.”
“What do you mean?” His heartbeat faltered.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do with my ticket to Greece.” She lifted her shoulders in a tiny shrug, and Colt’s mouth fell open.
“Your what?”
“Your mom and I were planning to come visit you.” A pretty blush swept across her cheeks as she gazed up at him through thick lashes. “But I suppose, now that you’re not going… if you want to comewithus…”
She trailed off, and Colt feared his heart might burst from happiness. He couldn’t believe she’d bought a plane ticket. And the fact that she’d thought to include his mother only made him love her more. “A trip to Greece with my two favorite women? I can’t imagine anything better.” In his excitement, he plucked her from the ground, spun in a half circle, and let her slowly slip down the length of his arms until their lips met once more.
He’d never experienced a bigger rush than Penny’s kiss; each one left him simultaneously satiated and hungry for more.
A throat cleared behind him, and Colt reluctantly glanced over his shoulder.
“I hate to interrupt, Romeo,”—Jack said with an enormous grin—“but we’re up.” Turning to Penny, he added, “I don’t know if you’re aware, but your boyfriend has entered the barbecue cook-off this year.”
Penny flushed at Jack’s use of the termboyfriend, but to Colt’s delight, she appeared pleased with the moniker.
“You did?” she asked him, with a touch of surprise.
“Yep.” He slid his arm around her waist, drawing her closer. “And I plan to win, too.”
Jack snorted in amusement. “You realize I haven’t lost in over a decade, right?”
“So you’re saying a new champion is overdue?” Colt raised his eyebrows in a challenging smirk.
“Ha! Touché, Davis.” Jack slapped him on the shoulder. “Shall we make things interesting and place a wager?”
“I was hoping you’d say that.” Colt’s mouth went dry in anticipation of his next words.
Jack narrowed his gaze in interest. “What do you have in mind?”
“Well…” Colt subtly tightened his grip on Penny’s waist, gathering courage. “If you win, I’ll bus tables at the diner for a month, free of charge.”
“I like the sound of that!”
“But ifIwin,” Colt continued, his pulse quickening. “You’ll hire me as a part-time chef.”
Jack blinked, momentarily taken aback. But as he glanced from Colt to Penny, then back at Colt, his rugged features softened. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“More than almost anything else in my life.” Before Jack could beat him to the joke, he added, “Which I realize isn’t saying a lot, but—”
“Say no more.” Jack held up his hand. “If you want a job, you’ve got one. Win or lose.”
“Really?” Colt’s pulse sputtered as he fluctuated between amazement and overwhelming gratitude.
“With a few conditions.”
“Such as?”
“For starters, you’ll besous-chef, second-in-command to yours truly.”
“Fair enough,” Colt chuckled. “And?”
Jack’s cornflower-blue eyes twinkled mischievously. “And… you have to learn all the diner lingo.”
