“Thanks.” The hallway isn’t as bright as the front of the store, and I wish I could see her expression clearly.
“You’re welcome.” I want to do everything in my power to show her that people can do kind things without expecting something in return.
We enter the chaos of the back room. It’s spacious and there are rows of refrigeration units along withshelves of various vases, wreaths, and other items they may need to create their floral designs.
“Lunch is served,” Paula calls out. The two other women who own the shop glance up and a man I’ve seen in Out of the Ashes quite a bit stands.
“Who is the angel that’s graced us with a feast?” The blonde woman asks and places her hand over her heart. By the dramatics, you’d think she was in theatre in a past life. She certainly has the flare for it.
“I’m Tristan, Paula’s…friend.” It feels like settling on a word, but that’s what we are. Friends.
“Oh, right.” She drawls out. “I’m Kate and this is Samantha. I’m sure you’ve seen Emily up front. And this is my brother Kai.”
“Sup, Man.” He lifts a hand in acknowledgment. “You saved me a call. I was going to order food in a bit. We’re slammed today.”
“No problem.” I nod in his direction. “I figured if Paula hadn’t eaten yet, y’all haven’t either. I hope I got enough.”
Kai walks toward me and offers to take one of the bags. “We can set them up on the table over here.”
I follow him to the table, but I don’t miss the raised eyebrows on Kate’s face as she rushes toward Paula. What exactly has she told them about me?
“I hope y’all have plates or something. I didn’t grab any.”
“Yeah, we have some in the kitchen, which is probably a better place to set this up, but today we need to beable to eat while we work. There are too many orders that need to go out.”
“Understandable. There’s a few different types of tacos. It was the most variety I could get for the price. I wasn’t sure how many employees there are.”
“It’s just us most of the time. The drivers come in and out, of course. They’ll be excited about the food.”
“Good. Anything to make it easier on you guys. Especially after squeezing in the order for Dale.”
“That’s where I’ve seen you.” Kai snaps his fingers. “You work with Crooked Halo. And I think I saw you at Tiffany’s wedding.”
“Yeah.” I shrug. “I go pretty much anywhere the band goes. I’m part of the road crew.”
“That’s a pretty cool gig.”
“It allows me to see a lot of places.”
“Let me grab the plates and napkins.” Kai backs up. “It shouldn’t take long.”
I finish setting out the styrofoam containers holding the various tacos. Thank God the restaurant labeled them. I would have never been able to tell one from the other. But I know they’re good. We’ve eaten there a few times while in town.
“I can see you’ve made friends with my coworkers.” Paula is beside me, scoping out the options. “They don’t let too many people into their circle so if they like you, I know my family will.”
“Speaking of, where are we going?” I probably should have gotten that information when she told me the dates.
“Oh, um, the beach.”
“In the middle of winter?” It feels like an odd choice for the time of year.
Paula rolls her eyes and sighs. “Yep. They said because it’s less busy. Besides Winter is subjective when we live in Texas. One day it can be eighty degrees and the next forty.”
“You’re right.” It’s one of the things that makes living in this area annoying. The weather can’t ever decide what it’s going to do. “So, I basically need to pack for anything that can happen.”
“Pretty much.” She grabs a taco, unwraps the foil and takes a bite. I can’t take my eyes off her lips. Watching her eat is definitely weird, but it makes me wonder if she thinks about the kiss we shared as much as I do.
“What’s up with all the weird looks the women of the shop are giving me?”
