back in her office if you want to see her."
"I'll catch her before I head out. Came in to see you."
"Oh?" She filled the next bowl, sprinkled on the cheese she'd grated for it, the tortilla strips she'd fried. She thought wistfully how much better it would have been with fresh cilantro as she set it on a plate with a hard roll and two pats of butter. Shifting around, she put it in line. "Order up," she called out, then took the next ticket.
Maybe she could talk Joanie into adding cilantro, and a few other fresh herbs, to the produce order. Some sun-dried tomatoes and arugula. If she could just—
"Hey, where'd you go?" Lo demanded. "Can I come, too?"
"What? Sorry, did you say something?"
He looked a little put out, and surprised with it. She imagined he wasn't used to having a woman forget he was there. Boss's son. she reminded herself, and offered a quick smile. "I get caught up when I'm cooking."
"Guess you do. Still, business is pretty light today."
"Steady though." She got out the makings for a bacon cheeseburger and a chicken sandwich, kept moving to set up the two orders of fries.
"Damn! This is good." He spooned up more of the soup.
"Thanks. Make sure to tell the boss."
"I'll do that. So, Recce, I checked the schedule. You're off tonight."
"Mmm-hmm." She nodded at Pete when the bantamweight dishwasher came in from his break.
"Thought you might want to take in a movie."
"I didn't know there was a movie theater in town."
"There isn't. I've got the best DVD collection in western Wyoming. Make a hell of a bowl of popcorn, too."
"I wouldn't be surprised." Boss's son, Reece reminded herself again. Tread carefully between friendly and dismissive. "That's a nice offer, Lo, but I've got a lot of things to catch up on tonight. You want a roll with that soup?"
"Maybe." He edged a little closer, not quite crowding her at the grill. "You know, honey, you're going to break my heart if you keep turning me down."
"I doubt that." She kept it light as she flipped the grill orders, then got him a roll and a plate. "You don't want to get too close to the grill," she warned. "You may get splattered."
Instead of taking the soup out to the restaurant as she'd hoped, he just leaned back against the work counter. "I've got an awful tender heart."
"Then you want to steer clear of me," she told him. "I stomp all over them. I left a trail of bleeding and bruised hearts all the way from Boston. It's a sickness."
"I might be the cure."
She glanced at him then. Too good-looking, too full of charm. Once upon a time she might have enjoyed being pursued by him, even caught for a while. But she just didn't have the energy for games. "'You want the truth?"
"Is it going to hurt?"
It made her laugh. "I like you. I'd prefer to keep liking you. You're my boss's son, and that makes you the next thing to the boss in my lineup. I don't sleep with the boss, so I'm not going to sleep with you. But I appreciate the otter."
"Didn't ask you to sleep with me yet," he pointed out.
"Just saving us both time."
He spooned up soup, ate in a slow and thoughtful way. His smile was the same—slow and thoughtful. "Bet I could change your mind, you give me half a chance."
"That's why you're not getting one."
"Maybe you'll get fired, or my ma'll disown me."
When the fryer buzzed, she let the potatoes drain in the baskets while she finished the sandwiches. "I can't afford to get fired, and your mother loves you."
She finished the orders, put them up. "Now go on out, sit at the counter and finish your soup. You re in the way.
He grinned at her. "Bossy women are a weakness of mine."
But he strolled out when she started on the next ticket.
"He'll try again,'" Pete told her from the sink in a voice that still said Bronx even after eight years in Wyoming. "He can't help himself."
She felt a little harried, a little hot. "Maybe I should've told him I was married, or a lesbian."
"Too late for that now. Better tell him you've fallen wild in love with
"I'll catch her before I head out. Came in to see you."
"Oh?" She filled the next bowl, sprinkled on the cheese she'd grated for it, the tortilla strips she'd fried. She thought wistfully how much better it would have been with fresh cilantro as she set it on a plate with a hard roll and two pats of butter. Shifting around, she put it in line. "Order up," she called out, then took the next ticket.
Maybe she could talk Joanie into adding cilantro, and a few other fresh herbs, to the produce order. Some sun-dried tomatoes and arugula. If she could just—
"Hey, where'd you go?" Lo demanded. "Can I come, too?"
"What? Sorry, did you say something?"
He looked a little put out, and surprised with it. She imagined he wasn't used to having a woman forget he was there. Boss's son. she reminded herself, and offered a quick smile. "I get caught up when I'm cooking."
"Guess you do. Still, business is pretty light today."
"Steady though." She got out the makings for a bacon cheeseburger and a chicken sandwich, kept moving to set up the two orders of fries.
"Damn! This is good." He spooned up more of the soup.
"Thanks. Make sure to tell the boss."
"I'll do that. So, Recce, I checked the schedule. You're off tonight."
"Mmm-hmm." She nodded at Pete when the bantamweight dishwasher came in from his break.
"Thought you might want to take in a movie."
"I didn't know there was a movie theater in town."
"There isn't. I've got the best DVD collection in western Wyoming. Make a hell of a bowl of popcorn, too."
"I wouldn't be surprised." Boss's son, Reece reminded herself again. Tread carefully between friendly and dismissive. "That's a nice offer, Lo, but I've got a lot of things to catch up on tonight. You want a roll with that soup?"
"Maybe." He edged a little closer, not quite crowding her at the grill. "You know, honey, you're going to break my heart if you keep turning me down."
"I doubt that." She kept it light as she flipped the grill orders, then got him a roll and a plate. "You don't want to get too close to the grill," she warned. "You may get splattered."
Instead of taking the soup out to the restaurant as she'd hoped, he just leaned back against the work counter. "I've got an awful tender heart."
"Then you want to steer clear of me," she told him. "I stomp all over them. I left a trail of bleeding and bruised hearts all the way from Boston. It's a sickness."
"I might be the cure."
She glanced at him then. Too good-looking, too full of charm. Once upon a time she might have enjoyed being pursued by him, even caught for a while. But she just didn't have the energy for games. "'You want the truth?"
"Is it going to hurt?"
It made her laugh. "I like you. I'd prefer to keep liking you. You're my boss's son, and that makes you the next thing to the boss in my lineup. I don't sleep with the boss, so I'm not going to sleep with you. But I appreciate the otter."
"Didn't ask you to sleep with me yet," he pointed out.
"Just saving us both time."
He spooned up soup, ate in a slow and thoughtful way. His smile was the same—slow and thoughtful. "Bet I could change your mind, you give me half a chance."
"That's why you're not getting one."
"Maybe you'll get fired, or my ma'll disown me."
When the fryer buzzed, she let the potatoes drain in the baskets while she finished the sandwiches. "I can't afford to get fired, and your mother loves you."
She finished the orders, put them up. "Now go on out, sit at the counter and finish your soup. You re in the way.
He grinned at her. "Bossy women are a weakness of mine."
But he strolled out when she started on the next ticket.
"He'll try again,'" Pete told her from the sink in a voice that still said Bronx even after eight years in Wyoming. "He can't help himself."
She felt a little harried, a little hot. "Maybe I should've told him I was married, or a lesbian."
"Too late for that now. Better tell him you've fallen wild in love with
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