“It’s a fly,” she said. She threw her hands up and was waving them around to get the nasty gross insect away from her face. The buzzing made her gag on top of it.
“You’re afraid of a fly?” he asked. The look on his face was almost comical. Brows together, lips parted. Not really parted as his upper lip was curled in one corner.
“They are gross. Do you know they vomit on things to break it down and slurp it up?”
He slapped his hands together and killed the fly. Damn, that was fast.
“Yep,” he said. “Survival of the fittest. See how easy that was? My mother will be right in. Just have a look around.” He waved his hand. “Do whatever you need to.”
“Yeah,” she mumbled. “Thanks.”
What she needed was a cold shower after ten minutes in Clay’s presence.
2
HOLES IN HIS SOUL
“Hey, Mom,” Clay said when he walked into the back door of the cafe on the property.
His mother had been baking and serving lunches here since he was a baby.
Took it over from his grandmother and made it into so much more.
“You’re done faster than I thought. Didn’t you have an interview?”
“Yeah,” he said.
The place was closed, and his mother was prepping for tomorrow. She was normally out of here before four and he wasn’t sure why she was still working. Or that his brother’s girlfriend, Reenie, was too. Though she must be up front, since he didn’t see her in the kitchen.
“It didn’t go well?” his mother asked.
“I hired her. She’s walking around and checking things out.”
Hopefully she didn’t break her neck or anything else doing it.
Good lord, how did someone survive in the world if she couldn’t walk without twisting her ankles?
And skittish of flies? What the fuck? Who is terrified of a fly?
“I’ll go over now and talk to her. What’s her name?”
“Meredith,” he said. “Did you stay late waiting for me to be done?”
“I’ve got a big order tomorrow. Reenie and I have been getting all the batters made so I can come in and bake them first thing. The rest is now regular prep.”
“Want me to lock up?” he asked.
“Reenie can take care of it. I’ll just let her know I’m leaving. She’s looking around up front. I’m thinking of moving the tables some and getting more decorations out. I want to hear her ideas.”
Ugh. More design.
He was all for it if it was for efficiency, but the making something pretty he couldn't care less about.
“Hey, Clay,” Reenie said when he walked into the front of the cafe. Reenie just closed the tape measure she had against the wall.
“What are you doing?”
“Trying to measure the space. Did Brooke leave?”
