“Pretty much,” Bailey agreed.
“What do you think I should do?”
“Oh, I’m not telling you that.”
Chloe opened the other eye.“What?You have to!”
“So you have someone to blame when it doesn’t go how you want it to?Sorry, pal.No get-out-of-jail-free card on this one.”
“Well, thank you very much,” Chloe said, exasperated, and closed her eyes again.“You can go now.”
“Besides,” Bailey continued as though Chloe hadn’t spoken.“You already know which one you want.You’re just scared.”
“Well, of course I’m scared,” Chloe blurted out and sat up.“Do you have any idea what my mother would say if I started dating two married men?”
“Way to go?”Bailey offered.
“That’s what your mother would say.”
“So, Annie has one of her fits.”Bailey shrugged.“It’s nothing you haven’t been through before.She threw a fit when you quit your job to make jewelry.”
“Yes, but—”
“And now look at her.She’s your biggest fan, always trying to sell your earrings to the ladies at her job and at church.”
“This is different, Bails, and you know it.She’ll seriously wig out, and the rest of the family will follow.It could be worse than the time my cousin Marcie gave all her money to that preacher, then bought him a ticket to Peru when the FBI tried to arrest him for fraud and money laundering.”
“Hey, they forgave her.When she got out of jail, they threw her a big party with cake and everything.Besides,” Bailey continued, “your mom loves you and wants you to be happy.”
“I don’t know if she wants me to bethishappy,” Chloe muttered.“And what if…”
“What if, what?”Bailey prompted.
“What if it doesn’t work?”Chloe blurted out, giving voice to her biggest fear.“What if they don’t feel the same way I do?I could end up with nothing.”
“What if it does?”Bailey countered.“What if they do?You could end up with everything.”
* * * *
Chloe went downstairs for her shift with the insulated food bag she’d borrowed.Mo was in the office, muttering over payroll and scheduling, and barely glanced up when Chloe ducked in to grab an apron.Grateful to avoid interaction, Chloe walked down the hall toward the kitchen.Carrie was already at the stove in a white chef’s coat, her blonde hair tied back in her habitual blue bandana, stirring something in the big stock pot.
Hoping to return the bag and duck back out, Chloe moved quietly to the shelf.But Carrie glanced over her shoulder and spotted her.“Hey, come taste this.”
Resigned, Chloe tucked the insulated bag away, then obediently crossed to the stove and took the spoon Carrie held out.The soup was creamy and rich, with fat chunks of ham and potato.“That’s really good.”
“Ham and potato with cheddar,” Carrie said, giving the pot another stir.“Put it on the specials board, will you?”
“Sure,” Chloe said and turned away to do just that.
“How’d the fajitas go over?”
Chloe stopped at the door to glance back.“They were great.Thumbs up all around.”
“Glad to hear it.Tell Knox anytime he wants more, I’m happy to whip ’em up.”
For a moment Chloe just stared.“What?”
Carrie put the lid on the pot and turned, wiping her hands on a kitchen towel.“Jesse too, but I figure they were Knox’s request, seeing as he’s the Texas boy.”
