Hell, I had no idea what her schedule entailed. All I knew was that I was the one who’d be ferrying her around and making sure she got the most picture-perfect impressions of life in our little town.
Lacey pulled a thick binder out of her diaper bag. “I’ve taken the liberty of putting it all in here. I’m hosting an intimate brunch with the ladies’ group tomorrow morning to let you settle in and get your bearings. Then Jasper will take you on a tour of town in the afternoon. Ortega’s has planned a special dinner tomorrow night.”
“That sounds lovely.” Delilah stood and pushed her chair back in. “I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”
Lacey held baby P’s hand in hers and waved. “Have a good night.”
I gestured for Delilah to go ahead of me. One night down, twenty-nine more to go.
CHAPTER 7
DELILAH
The next morningI woke to an odd smell. I checked to make sure the windows were closed and flipped the small portable air conditioner on high to circulate the air. It didn’t help.
I peeked through the pink-and-white-gingham curtains toward the back of the Burger Bonanza. The parking lot was full, at least a dozen pickup trucks parked in a giant circle, and Helmut stood in the center of them all, in front of a huge contraption. Smoke poured from the sides as he lifted the lid. What in the world was going on?
I didn’t dare leave the trailer without looking my Miss Lovin’ Texas best. By the time I showered and got myself fixed up, half the trucks had left the lot. Jasper wouldn’t be picking me up for another thirty minutes, so I pulled my sash on over my head and pushed the door open wide.
“Good morning.” Helmut lifted a spatula in a wave. “Fine day we’ve got in store for us.”
I slid my sunglasses on, trying to shield my eyes from the bright sun. “Good morning. Is there a party going on?”
“You could say that.” Helmut gestured to the men who remained. Most of them sat in camping chairs, forming a lopsided circle around him. “Once a month we get together forSmoker Saturdays. Today’s your lucky day, Ms. Stone. Care for some fresh smoked catfish for breakfast?”
My stomach pitched. “No thank you. I’m headed to a brunch Mayor Cherish organized. Is there somewhere I can grab a quick cup of coffee?”
“Of course. Just head inside and Jojo will help you out.”
“Thank you.” I pressed my hand against my stomach and crossed the parking lot, taking care to give Helmut and his giant smoker a wide berth. By the time I reached the door to the restaurant, the smell of mesquite and fish seemed to coat me in a fine layer. Maybe I should take Jasper up on his offer to move the trailer outside of town. Otherwise I might put off the good folks of Ido by sheer smell alone.
“There you are.” Jasper smiled as he rose from his perch on a stool at the counter.
The sight of him made my heart beat faster. I’d enjoyed spending time with him the night before, especially learning more about his family and getting a chance to nestle against his chest on the dance floor.
“I came in search of coffee.” I slid onto the stool next to him.
“Jojo, can we get a coffee for Ms. Stone?” he asked.
The waitress nodded and poured me a cup.
“Please call me Delilah. And are you early or am I running late?”
“We’ve got some time before we head over to Lacey’s.” He leaned an elbow on the counter and focused his warm brownish-green eyes on me while Jojo filled a cup. “Everything go okay last night?”
“It was fine.” It usually took me a few nights in a new place before I could sleep through the night. Last night I’d fallen asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow but woken up around two to the sound of a couple of dogs getting into it in the lot behind the restaurant.
“Just fine?” Jasper eyed me over the rim of his mug. “Nobody bothered you, did they?”
“Oh, no. Nothing like that. I think there were a couple of stray dogs nosing around. That’s all.”
“You sure you don’t want to move out to the country? It would be a hell of a lot quieter.”
And a hell of a lot closer to him. Not that it would be a problem. Jasper was polite and charismatic and definitely knew his way around a dance floor, but I wasn’t interested in him like that. I didn’t plan to get involved with a man until Stella and I had the new business established. After I got through the contest and my time as Miss Lovin’ Texas was up, of course.
“I think I’ll be fine here. The catfish thing is only one day, right?”
Jasper chuckled as he set down his mug. “Once a month. Sorry about that. I completely forgot to warn you.”
