“Come on. You can’t deny sales were up the week you were gone.”
Chad dipped his face into his shirt and wiped the sweat from his meaty brow. Okay, maybe the stains on his shirt werenotfrom oil.
“Restaurant sales were up, but your product cost ate away every cent I would have taken home.”
“Quality products are a good investment.”
“Nobody’s heard of your smoked mozzarella, and nobody wants it on their pizza. We do down-home cooking here. Stuff Grandma would fix.”
“Last I heard,ourgrandma grew up in a suburb in Washington, not some backwoods holler in West Virginia.”
Did I forget to mention? Chad and I were cousins.
I went on. “I’m thinking specifically about the meatloaf sandwich. There is no way I will believe you if you tell me that was straight cow meat.” Idaho roadkill laws were…relaxed at best, and I wouldn’t put it past Chad to take advantage of free “filler meat.”
“Why do I put up with you?”
“Because I did you a solid, even if you can’t appreciate it. I’m back in town now. I can help you.”
“I only see that scenario ending with me being arrested on murder charges.”
“I think you may be overestimatingyourcharm just a bit.”
“I appreciate the solid, not the commentary,” he said generously.
A few days after I had moved back home, Chad’s appendix burst. My mom hadn’t had her knee surgery yet, so I filled in at the restaurant with Jen. I had been surprised at how much I enjoyed working there, chatting with all the locals and feeding them food—if you could call Chad’s menu food. Don’t even get me started on his cake.
“Fries are good,” Margo broke in, holding up a crisp fry. It was true. Whatever magic Chad was missing from the rest of his cooking, he hit it perfectly with the fries. Long, thin, and golden to perfection.
Chad pointed to Margo. “You just earned yourself a free refill.” At that moment, Chad’s beautiful waitress, Jen, sidled in, swathed in tight jeans and a tank top that displayed her size Ds in all their perky perfection. Standing beside Chad, her head barely reached his shoulder.
“You giving my cook a hard time, Blondie?” Jen grinned at me. For a moment, I was blinded by her megawatt smile and the smell of vanilla sunshine.
“Nothing he doesn’t deserve.”
“Feel free to kick my cousin out if she gives you any trouble,” Chad piped in. “She looks sweet, but she has claws.”
“Sweet With Claws is my middle name,” I said amiably.
“Atta girl.” Jen refilled our drinks before making her way toward the bar, only to get stopped by the flirtatious men.
“Do you know who those guys are?” Margo asked Chad, nodding discreetly toward their table. For the record, Chad was still conversing with us, which meant he obviously loved me more than his words let on.
“I’ve never seen ‘em before,” Chad said, his eyes on his pretty waitress laughing with the men. “But if I were a betting man, I’d guess they’re part of the construction crew coming to build Nate’s therapy building.”
I scanned the crowd again, searching for a familiar face. “Nate told me it was Chase Riley’s crew coming.”
Chad shrugged. “You’d know better than me.”
“They keep looking over here,” I said.
“I’ve been watching them. If they bother you, let me know. I’ll send ‘em packing.”
That’s the thing you had to like about Chad—he acted like he didn’t care, but deep down, he had the vibe of a bouncer in a club. He kept a careful watch over his patrons and took a measure of everybody who walked through his door. He was huge and grumpy and intimidating (if you were the sort who wasn’t related and therefore got intimidated). As a close relation, I was well aware that his gruff exterior was just a front. Chad definitely had a soft side.
“Although, if they knew you they’d probably be more scared of you than me,” he added, a twinkle in his eye before he blinked it away.
I made a face at Chad as he made his retreat. Good-natured laughter and some loud ruckus burst out from the other side of the room, and I stole another quick glance behind me. I didn’t necessarily sense trouble from them as much as boredom and some good old-fashioned mischief. The only problem with being bored on a Friday night in a tiny town was that they would probably be looking for something to ease the boredom. By the looks on their faces, I had to wonder ifwejust might be that something.
