quietly.
Jessica thought about that for a minute and finally answered her daughter as neutrally as she could. “Yes. Will probably would.”
But to understand, he would first have to find out. Will finding out about her art was a possibility that worried Jessica much more than the way her body was still humming from his kiss. As long as she was sexually interested in the man, Jessica hoped he never saw anything she had created.
Chapter 5
When she walked into the café, Jessica looked at the full tables and smiled. It was Saturday lunch. The booths and tables were filled, the bar stools were busy, and there was no place for Jessica to sit. She couldn’t have been happier.
“I guess I need to come back later,” Jessica said, laughing, as Melanie rounded the bar with several plates in her hand. “Or are you running a wait list?”
“You could pop back into the kitchen and give Brent a hand. We’ll feed you for free,” Melanie offered, face flushed but happy.
Jessica sighed, always a sucker for the hard working girl who reminded her of her own daughter. “Sure, but don’t tell anyone else I work for food.”
Melanie laughed and walked off to deliver what she carried.
In the kitchen, a nicely built young man was lining up chicken salad on beds of lettuce and mixed greens.
“Now there’s a task I can probably do,” Jessica said.
“Hey, Ms. Daniels,” Brent said, smiling. “All that art brought them in, didn’t it? I think we’re actually going to have to hire real help if this keeps up.”
“Are you slamming on my kitchen skills just because I let your wife talk me into helping for a free lunch?” Jessica said, arching an eyebrow at him.
“No, ma’am. They don’t get any better than you, but you need to be free to follow your creative pursuits. It would be criminal to tie you to a cash register,” Brent said, smiling at her. “Melanie ask you to help?”
Jessica nodded, went to the sink, and scrubbed hands and arms. She grabbed an apron off a hook and tied it over her jeans and T-shirt.
“Let me finish those chicken salads. I know what goes on them. That’s one of my favorite things on the menu,” she told him.
Jessica lifted a dish of mixed seeds and sprinkled them over the salads. Then she put a few grapes on the sides of the plate. When Melanie came back, she looked at the chicken salads and beamed at Jessica.
“Want a job here when you retire?” Melanie asked.
“No thanks,” Jessica laughed, making a mock shudder of fear. “I don’t even cook at home. Why would I want to cook here?”
Brent finished off a turkey club and slid two pickle slices onto the plate. He winked at his wife.
Melanie looked at Jessica, her gaze full of nothing but gratitude. “Can you take the club sandwich out to the guy in the last booth? Brent can help me deliver the rest of chicken salads.”
“Sure,” Jessica said with a shrug. She picked up the plate and headed out of the kitchen.
As she was walking down the café to the end booth, Jessica saw its occupant had his head bent over an art book. He looked very serious in his reading glasses and almost academic in his study. He also looked very sexy when he raised his gaze and smiled at her in welcome.
Her mind went instantly and immediately back to their sweet kiss, and in her head, she heard him once again moaning against her mouth. She told herself to remember his aggression in the garden, but with him smiling at her in welcome, she couldn’t bring Berea to mind for more than a few seconds.
“Wow. All I ordered was a sandwich. I didn’t expect a fifties housewife to show up and deliver it. You do nice things for that apron, Jessica,” Will told her.
Jessica slid the sandwich across the table in front of him and slid into the booth across from him. “Trust me, a fifties housewife I am not. I’m the least domestic woman you have ever met. I don’t even boil water on the stove. I use an electric kettle to make tea.”
Will nodded to
Jessica thought about that for a minute and finally answered her daughter as neutrally as she could. “Yes. Will probably would.”
But to understand, he would first have to find out. Will finding out about her art was a possibility that worried Jessica much more than the way her body was still humming from his kiss. As long as she was sexually interested in the man, Jessica hoped he never saw anything she had created.
Chapter 5
When she walked into the café, Jessica looked at the full tables and smiled. It was Saturday lunch. The booths and tables were filled, the bar stools were busy, and there was no place for Jessica to sit. She couldn’t have been happier.
“I guess I need to come back later,” Jessica said, laughing, as Melanie rounded the bar with several plates in her hand. “Or are you running a wait list?”
“You could pop back into the kitchen and give Brent a hand. We’ll feed you for free,” Melanie offered, face flushed but happy.
Jessica sighed, always a sucker for the hard working girl who reminded her of her own daughter. “Sure, but don’t tell anyone else I work for food.”
Melanie laughed and walked off to deliver what she carried.
In the kitchen, a nicely built young man was lining up chicken salad on beds of lettuce and mixed greens.
“Now there’s a task I can probably do,” Jessica said.
“Hey, Ms. Daniels,” Brent said, smiling. “All that art brought them in, didn’t it? I think we’re actually going to have to hire real help if this keeps up.”
“Are you slamming on my kitchen skills just because I let your wife talk me into helping for a free lunch?” Jessica said, arching an eyebrow at him.
“No, ma’am. They don’t get any better than you, but you need to be free to follow your creative pursuits. It would be criminal to tie you to a cash register,” Brent said, smiling at her. “Melanie ask you to help?”
Jessica nodded, went to the sink, and scrubbed hands and arms. She grabbed an apron off a hook and tied it over her jeans and T-shirt.
“Let me finish those chicken salads. I know what goes on them. That’s one of my favorite things on the menu,” she told him.
Jessica lifted a dish of mixed seeds and sprinkled them over the salads. Then she put a few grapes on the sides of the plate. When Melanie came back, she looked at the chicken salads and beamed at Jessica.
“Want a job here when you retire?” Melanie asked.
“No thanks,” Jessica laughed, making a mock shudder of fear. “I don’t even cook at home. Why would I want to cook here?”
Brent finished off a turkey club and slid two pickle slices onto the plate. He winked at his wife.
Melanie looked at Jessica, her gaze full of nothing but gratitude. “Can you take the club sandwich out to the guy in the last booth? Brent can help me deliver the rest of chicken salads.”
“Sure,” Jessica said with a shrug. She picked up the plate and headed out of the kitchen.
As she was walking down the café to the end booth, Jessica saw its occupant had his head bent over an art book. He looked very serious in his reading glasses and almost academic in his study. He also looked very sexy when he raised his gaze and smiled at her in welcome.
Her mind went instantly and immediately back to their sweet kiss, and in her head, she heard him once again moaning against her mouth. She told herself to remember his aggression in the garden, but with him smiling at her in welcome, she couldn’t bring Berea to mind for more than a few seconds.
“Wow. All I ordered was a sandwich. I didn’t expect a fifties housewife to show up and deliver it. You do nice things for that apron, Jessica,” Will told her.
Jessica slid the sandwich across the table in front of him and slid into the booth across from him. “Trust me, a fifties housewife I am not. I’m the least domestic woman you have ever met. I don’t even boil water on the stove. I use an electric kettle to make tea.”
Will nodded to
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