“Only spitfire I’m jumping this year is you.” Grady bent down and scooted into the booth facing her, with Tami traitorously making room forhim.
“You’ve never missed a fire season in, what, tenyears?”
“Sitting this one out.” Grady took a breadstick and crunched it nonchalantly, as if she’d invited him to jointhem.
“But why?” Linx made her voice smooth with a dab of flirtation. “Big man like you always did two fire seasons a year. Youinjured?”
“Nope.” Grady looked over his shoulder at Joey, Linx’s younger sister who owned Joe’s Diner. “Figured I’d try something new. Something along your line ofbusiness.”
Linx expected him to wince, to dodge her jab, but Grady had faced down flames armed with only a shovel and asaw.
A little snark from a woman wouldn’t faze the tough guy atall.
“Coffee?” Joey put down a menu and turned over an unused coffeemug.
“Don’t mind if I have some.” Grady gave Joey a flirtatious wink. “Can I ask you aquestion?”
“You just did.” Joey’s eyelashes fluttered as she refilled Linx and Tami’smugs.
“Then I’ll ask another. Why is the diner called Joe’s Diner and you’re a girl namedJoey?”
“That’s three questions.” Joey’s cheeks flushed pink under Grady’s friendly gaze. “I think you owe me a bigtip.”
Tami almost choked on her coffee as she stared at the tip of her breadstick which was soggy and limp. Linx kicked her bestie under the table, not at all happy with Grady flirting with her babysister.
“We’d like to order, if you don’t mind?” she said. “And in answer to Grady’s impertinent questions, the ‘Y’ fell off the sign and Joey doesn’t like her realname.”
It was Josephine, of course, but what young woman wanted to sport an old auntname?
“Breakfast is on me,” Grady said. “I’m here to discuss business. I’ll take a lumberjackspecial.”
Linx ordered her usual blueberry waffle with a side of eggs sunny side up, and Tami ordered fruit compote overyogurt.
After Joey departed, Grady hooked a glance at Tami who was President of the Chamber of Commerce and the town’s only realtor. “Looking for office space. Might I bother you for ashowing?”
“Definitely. I’m sure we have quite a range to suit your needs,” Tami purred. She was already pressed against him, since she was an almost-plus-size who was perpetuallydieting.
Linx didn’t want to feel possessive, but she’d draw the line between her and her sister and bestfriend.
“Something must have happened.” She zeroed her gaze in on Grady. “You missed Australia in December, and now you’re missing all the actionhere.”
This time, she detected a slight wince between his eyebrows. “The dogs and veterans need me more. Besides, isn’t your shelteroverfull?”
“True, but we have a policy that only the final adopter can take the dog from our center,” Linxsaid.
“You got my list, didn’tyou?”
“Yes, but I don’t handle third-partyadoptions.”
He didn’t know how desperate she was to place the elderly dogs, but then, he didn’t have to. She would uphold the standards of her policy to let him know he wasn’t God’s gift to rescue centers—no matter how many good deeds he was prepared todo.
“Your dogs need homes, I presume?” He lifted an eyebrow, letting her know he wasn’t buying herresistance.
“How do I know they’re good homes? How do I know they can handle a dog? Just because they’re veterans doesn’t mean they’re exempt from the application process. What if they have PTSD? Or they’re mentally ill? There was a veteran not too far back who tied her therapy dog to a tree and shothim.”
“Suspicious, much?” Grady narrowed his eyes. “What’s this really about? You afraid ofme?”
“You, no way.” Linx puffed her chest, drawing his heatedgaze.
“Then let me go over and scout out the dogs. I can take pictures and do a preliminary evaluation of personality and temperament. I’m also working with a trainer and therapist to make thematch.”
On the surface, he seemed reasonable, without a hidden agenda, but Grady Hart was angling for something, and it wasn’t a quick, no-strings roll in thehay.
Still, he was a master at making her look crazy andunreasonable.
“Fair enough,” Linx said. “Meet me there when weopen.”
Next to Grady, Tami made faces to remind Linx why Grady should not go over to the rescuecenter.
Linx used her foot to nudge Tami’s leg, letting her know she was well aware of the danger. She’d lock Cedar up in the bathroom. Noproblem.
