“Are you okay, Bellini?” he asked.
“Oh yes. I’m fine.” No, I wasn’t fine.
“What was all the talk about lettuce? I didn’t understand. I came in a little late to the meeting.”
“Oh, it was nothing.”
“It was something.” He was too quick.
“There might have been a little incident in the bar today.”
I was not offended when Logan burst out laughing, low and rumbly.
“What happened, Bellini? Please tell me. These are the best stories.”
I tried to glare at him.
“Javier had a problem with one of the customers. She was so rude to him. You know Court Yalloway?”
Logan did. I knew he didn’t like the old witch.
“Court said Javier didn’t put enough salad dressing on her salad. He put more on, and she told him he had also forgotten her croutons. That salad doesn’t come with croutons. He told her he would grab her some croutons, and then…” I stopped for a second. I was still so, so angry about it. “Court told Javier to ‘go back home’ if he couldn’t figure out how to put together a simple salad.”
“Home?” Logan’s voice was stunned. “What?”
“Yes. She meant that he should go back to Mexico. She yelled it at him. Everyone heard. The whole bar went quiet, then people started yelling at Court and tellingherto go home.”
Logan’s face reflected his shock and disgust. “Javier was born here in Montana. So were his parents and grandparents. And why would anyone say something that hurtful and stupid in the first place to anyone? She’s awful. I have never liked her.”
“I could tell Javier was devastated and humiliated and I was livid. He is one of the best people I know. It made me so mad I thought I might smack her.”
He chuckled. “And this is where the lettuce comes in. What did you do?”
“I’m afraid my temper came out and swung itself around the room.”
“And?”
“I may have done something that was not polite or reflective of my conflict-resolution skills.”
“Ah…” he said slowly, still smiling the sexy smile.
“Perhaps I could have handled things better if we’d had time to sit down, and I could have told her what I thought of her obnoxious self and banned her from the bar forevermore instead of my impulse-control problems getting in the way.”
“And you…”
“I grabbed one of our plastic bins of lettuce. The biggest one. And I came up behind her and dumped the lettuce over her head.I told her that I didn’t like what she’d said to Javier. That it was racist and cruel, and she was never to speak like that again. Court was…” I thought for a second. “Surprised.”
“She deserved it.”
“She was not happy. Lettuce spilled off her head.”
“She shouldn’t say awful things.”
“Right. I also told her that since she was complaining so much about her salad, I figured she’d want to make her own salad.”
Logan laughed. “That will teach her not to say hurtful things again.”
“She isn’t allowed to return to the bar. She wasn’t happy about that either, but I don’t care.”
