She immediately spotted her dinner and didn’t have to think twice. A vegetable plate that included fried okra, squash casserole, fat-back green beans, macaroni and cheese, and homestyle mashed potatoes. All dishes her granny had made and Brooklyn had never learned to cook. She would have to make it if she ever got to see her again.
No. No. Don’t think that way.They would be together again. Soon. She would find a place to live, and then finally find a way to take Kane down.
Their waitress strode down the aisle, her steps dragging, and her face tight with the end of the workday fatigue. She held out a coffee pot. “Looks like you could both use a cup.”
They turned their cups over, and she filled them with steaming hot coffee. “Best coffee and vittles you’ll find in these parts, as Granny used to say on the Beverly Hillbillies.”
Brooklyn chuckled. “I was surprised to see downhome cooking here.”
“Gert’s a transplant from Georgia. Said the people of Oregon deserved to know real cooking.” Linette laughed. “I hope you like it.”
“My granny was from Alabama. My mama still cooks her recipes.” Brooklyn’s voice cracked, and she forced a smile as if she wasn’t suddenly very homesick. She missed her parents. They’d been such a big part of her life before Kane. Sunday supper every week with those Southern dishes, games, and family fun.
“’Nuff said.” Linette chuckled and set down her pot to get out a small order pad and pen from her apron. “What can I getcha?”
Brooklyn placed her order. “I’ll have cornbread with that and sweet tea.”
“Ah, yes, you know your way around a Southern cooking menu.” Linette turned to Nick. “And you?”
“Don’t know what I’m doing, but I’ll take the roast beef dinner with green beans and corn. Biscuits and tea without all that sugar.”
“Good choice.” Linette jotted it down. “And did you decide on dessert?”
They gave their orders.
“I’d like to get a to-go box of pastries too,” Brooklyn said.
“You can choose them on the way out,” Linette said. “Can’t go wrong with anything in that case.” She picked up the pot and departed.
“Plan to feed your sweet tooth as usual I see.” Nick put their menus back in the holder.
“No, I’m going to do that before we leave.” She laughed. “Those I plan to give to Gage as a small thank you.”
“Oh, right. Good idea. Not that he’ll expect a thank you. He and his team help people all the time without expecting anything in return.”
She still couldn’t grasp the whole concept of a tactical team working out in the boonies. “A seaside town in nowhere seems like an odd place for a tactical team.”
Nick poured a heavy dose of cream into his coffee and nodded. “Gage grew up in Cold Harbor, but he left for a time to serve as a SEAL. Came back home after he was injured and had to leave the team. He wanted to stay there because it’s the only life his daughter knows. When his wife died and left him a huge insurance settlement, he started the business. He hires only people who are former military or law enforcement who lost their chosen jobs due to an injury.”
“Giving them a second chance.” She picked up her cup.
“Exactly, and they’re all glad to help others who need a second chance too.”
“Not sure I qualify for that, but then again, maybe I do.” She sipped on the coffee, the dark nutty flavor perfect without any bitterness.
Nick stirred his coffee. “You deserve to catch Kane in an illegal act that would put him behind bars for years. I’ll do whatever you want to help with that.”
She met his gaze. “Don’t think this will make me change my mind and take you away from your job or family to work on this for me. So many people are counting on you, and now that Piper’s expecting again, you’ll have even less free time, which I expect you to spend with your family.”
“It doesn’t have to be that way.” He frowned. “My past offer still stands. I’m glad to ask my partners at Veritas to take on your case pro bono. I know they’ll say yes, and then it’ll be part of my job.”
She shook her head. She wasn’t a charity case when there were so many other people deserving of their pro bono help. She would hire them, but she couldn’t afford their rates.
“The Blackwell Team has an IT expert too. Eryn Sawyer. Top-notch skills, and they charge less than we do. Or at least they used too. Not sure what their rates are now.”
She shook her head. “With always having to move and change jobs, I haven’t been able to save much money. And I figure this time, I shouldn’t take a white-hat job but steer clear of IT altogether. Maybe leave Portland and hole up in a small town. Then maybe Kane won’t find me again, and I can build up my savings to be able to afford some help.”
He snorted. “Leave IT? It’s in your blood. And what would you do?”
