23
Since I finished my laundry and cleaning so early, I decided to meal prep. I'd been meaning to do it for ages, but never found the block of time required.
I dug chicken breast out of the freezer and thawed it out in the microwave. Then I mixed up a quick marinade with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and a few other dried herbs. Once I'd cut the chicken up and dumped it in a bag with the liquid, I closed it up and stuck it in the fridge.
I scrubbed, peeled, and cubed several sweet potatoes. I tossed them with oil and stuck them in the oven to roast. I'd nuke a big bag of frozen broccoli later and add it to the containers.
Two hours later, I'd just finished cooking up the chicken breast and put it in the glass containers I'd bought for this specific purpose and never used.
I put several in the fridge, but kept two out. I hadn't seen Sierra in a couple of days and I needed to check in.
I also needed to get out of the house because the longer I sat around with nothing to do, the stronger the temptation to call Brody became.
It was a little early for dinner, but the food was still hot, so I grabbed the two containers and took them with me. I stopped at the local taco joint for a couple of half-and-half teas. East Texas restaurants tended to make sweet tea with so much sugar it was nearly syrup. So Sierra and I had to compromise and get our tea with half sweet and half unsweet. It was usually perfect then.
I parked behind the shop and carried the food and drinks inside. I managed to time it just right during the lull between the afternoon and after-dinner crowds. When I walked in the door, I surprised Lee, who was pulling a container of ice cream out of the walk-in freezer.
She jumped and bobbled the container. "Cam! I wasn't...I mean, we didn't realize you were coming in today."
Lee was only a few years younger than me, but it felt more like a decade.
"I brought an early dinner for Sierra. How's your first weekend shift going?"
"It's been busy, but educational," she answered. She seemed almost hesitant.
I wanted to tell her not to stress out about talking to me, but I had a feeling it wouldn't help. I vaguely remembered Lee from my high school days. She'd always been a little quiet, a lot sweet, and sometimes surprisingly sassy. I also recalled one occasion where I'd seen her go off on one of her brothers because he'd played some sort of prank on her.
She would have to warm up to me in her own time. I was hoping it would only take a week or so, because when she forgot to be nervous around me, or Sierra for that matter, she was hilarious. Lee had a sly sense of humor and when she didn't suppress it, she made me laugh.
"I'm giving you a week," I declared.
Her eyes widened and I realized how my statement sounded.
"Don't look so scared, Lee. I mean I'm giving you a week to stop treating me like your boss."
"But you are my boss," she replied hesitantly.
"Yes, but I'm only three years older than you, not twenty. You don't need to treat me with deference. Unless you wish to address me asYour Highness. That would be kinda cool. Especially if I started wearing a tiara."
Lee laughed and shook her head. "I never know if you're serious."
"Only about half the time," I answered with a shrug. "But you can never be sure which half it is. I like to keep my family, friends, and co-workers on their toes. Makes life more interesting."
Her answering smile was slow, as if she wasn't sure how to take me. "So, in other words, I shouldn't be scared of you or show you too much respect or you'll run right over me?"
"Now you're getting it."
She laughed. The sound was quiet but still pleasant.
"All right, I'm going to borrow Sierra for a little while and feed her dinner. I'm not sure if you've experienced it yet, but she can get hangry."
Lee shrugged. "She's less moody than my brothers even when she's hangry, so I wouldn't notice."
"How are your brothers?" I asked as I followed her back to the front of the store.
"Still hellions even though they're all supposedly grown," she answered.
I laughed. I remembered the Prescott boys. There were four of them, all older than Lee. No wonder she tended to be so quiet. They probably ran roughshod all over her.
