Page 60 of Raging Fires

Kelli sighed. No lime wedges for tequila shots and beers? No limes for their signature on-the-rocks no-mix-ever margaritas or their house guacamole? “Call around. See if you can find any grocery stores that have them. What about Farmers’ Market?”

Naomi shook her head. “They shut down by noon.”

“I hope they at least brought the avocados.”

“That we have.”

It was a hectic day, as always. They rolled up the garage door where deliveries were made and turned it into a patio for the extra crowd, then moved the tables and chairs that were close to the stage out there. The band arrived to haul in their equipment and do a sound check, and there was a glitch in the sound system. The extra cook hired for the day didn’t show up, which meant a few frantic calls before she located another one. The two defensive linemen from ASU that were their bouncers showed up early to help with the equipment and hauling in the kegs, but they also announced that the third teammate who had been supposed to work had broken his ankle and wouldn’t be joining them.

She really needed three doormen on a night like this with a big crowd, the open patio, and a number of customers who didn’t usually frequent the bar and sometimes took exception to their policies. Well, Justin Kowalski would likely be there, and he was always willing to help out if she needed him, but she hated to rope him into working when he came to enjoy the show.

And, apparently, there were no limes to be had in Phoenix. How was that possible? Tiny had managed to scrounge up a grand total of nine from various groceries.

At least keeping busy all afternoon kept her from thinking about Jake and this morning—at least, not all the time—or looking out the window more than every half hour or so to see if either the dog or the man had returned.

It was almost six, and some early patrons had arrived, when there was a series of loud barks outside that sent Kelli to the back door to look out. Toby bounded out of the front seat of the SUV and ran to greet her, going up on his hind legs to plant his dirty paws on Kelli’s shirt. “Thanks, Toby.”

She stroked his head and looked over his head at the rear door of the car, where she could see Jake’s long legs, the rest of him inside the vehicle. He emerged, lifting out a box, and walked toward her. Kelli was flooded with emotions, too jumbled to be sorted out. She had no idea what to say to him. So she pointed at the box he carried, and said, “What’s that?”

“Limes.”

Kelli’s jaw dropped. “How did you know—”

“Called Tiny to see what was going on, and he said he was on the hunt for limes. So I got some.”

“Where in the world did you find them? They’re all sold out.”

“You obviously don’t know the power of Gran’s phone tree. Everybody owes her favors; it’s kinda like The Godfather. She called two ladies at St. Cat’s, and between them they know every bodega owner in the metropolitan area. Uncle Pete and his son-in-law went to pick those up. Two of my Kent cousins live in Flagstaff and they brought down all they could find. Greg O’Malley’s family hit up the Tucson stores, and I drove down and picked them up.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope. Toby was blissed out; he got to jump on a dozen people today. And he rode around a lot with his head out the window.”

Still at a loss for words, Kelli held the door open for him to walk through, fending off the eager Toby. “How’d he get his paws filthy again?”

“You know Tobes; he might have jumped in a few puddles too. Apparently he’s okay with water as long as it’s dirty.”

Jake set the box down on the counter and the staff cheered. He took a bow like a performer, then turned and started out the door again. Kelli followed him. “Jake… wait. Don’t go yet. We need to—how did you—are we going to go on like nothing happened?”

“Nah. We can talk about it later. I’m not going anywhere. I’m just getting the other box of limes out of the car, and then I thought I’d stay and help out. I don’t know much, but I can draw a mug of beer, and I’m pretty good at the heavy lifting.” He looked unaccustomedly hesitant. “I mean, if it’s okay with you.”

“Of course.”

He carried in another box of limes and set it on the bar, bumped fists with the bartender, Tiny, and the two defensive lineman, and joined them in moving the kegs and setting them up. Kelli watched him for a moment, then turned away. There was too much work to be done to stand around eyeing Jake, even if he was wearing a white T and his arms bulged with muscle as he worked.

The crowd trickled in. It was a night when people came early to get good spots, which meant not only more drinks but also more food orders. The kitchen was buzzing with activity. Kelli helped out wherever it was needed, taking orders and bringing them out, getting behind the bar to give the two bartenders some relief, all the while keeping an eye on the crowd. Now and then she got pulled aside to resolve some problem.

But even as busy as she was, she glanced around the room periodically, looking for Jake. He subbed for the guys on the doors when they needed a break. He was an extra barback when the rush was heaviest. At one point, she even saw him cutting limes. Another time, he slipped into the middle of what looked like a brewing fight, joking and talking with the guys until they settled down.

And everywhere he showed up, he brought that infectious grin. Over the years, she’d forgotten how much people liked Jake. Not just for his fame or his skill on the field but simply for his humor, his friendliness, his laid-back nature. Maybe that boy with the grin that had lit up the room hadn’t disappeared after all.

The night was long; the band was inspired to play thirty minutes past their set, and it took forever to get everybody out of the bar when closing time came. But finally they were gone, and Kelli was able to lock the front door. They brought in the tables and chairs from the patio and locked it up as well.

“Great night, everybody,” Kelli told the staff. “Go on home. I have a cleaning crew coming in the morning, and Jake and I can put up the last few things.”

She sent a teasing look toward Jake as she said it, thinking he would protest, but she saw that he was already stowing things away behind the bar. Everyone shuffled out the back door to their cars, and Kelli locked it behind them.

She checked the kitchen to make sure any perishables had been put up before she joined Jake at the bar. “You don’t need to pick up all the glasses. The cleaning crew gets here early, and they’ll do all that.”