Read Online Up to the Challenge (An Anchor Island Novel) by Terri Osburn - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Terri Osburn
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up, Curly.” Sid gave up on the condiment and yelled to Lucas, “Cash me out. I’ve got a hundred fifty in ones.”
With the ring of a bell, Lucas opened the register and exchanged the money. “There you go.” He turned to Beth. “Where’s Joe?”
“In the bathroom. He should be right out.” Tying an apron around her hips, Beth looked from Sid to Lucas, then asked, “No bets today?”
Sid had forgotten about the pool game. She considered telling Lucas to forget the twenty-five, then recalled her run-in with Old Man Fisher. Every little bit got her closer to that garage.
“Not on the tips,” Lucas said, before Sid could answer. “But Sid smoked me in pool this morning. I still owe her twenty-five dollars.”
“Forget it,” Sid said, determined to be the bigger person this time. She’d made nearly as much in tips today as she had the day before. What was twenty-five more dollars?
“Nope, I always pay my debts.” Lucas pulled a wallet from his back pocket and pushed the money her way. “Now we’re even.”
“How are you even?” Beth asked. “You’ve had two bets in two days and she’s beat you both times.”
“True.” Lucas leveled hazel eyes Sid’s way. “How about that ride?”
“Ride?”
“Home,” he said. “Is the offer still open?”
She’d sworn the night before never to offer again, but Lucas didn’t know that. And telling him he’d hurt her pride by turning her down twice would only make her sound pathetic. In truth, there was no reason to refuse. Except that being near him made her feel like she’d sucked in toomany exhaust fumes, and trying to figure him out was like trying to read the directions on a new lift kit. In Japanese.
“No problem.” Right. No problem. This playing it cool thing was going to put her in the loony bin.
In that moment, Joe strolled out of the kitchen. “You got a minute?” he asked Lucas.
“Sid was just about to drive me home.”
“I can wait,” Sid said, knowing Joe wouldn’t ask unless he had something to say that needed saying. Far be it for her to cause a problem.
Lucas didn’t look happy, but he followed Joe back into the kitchen.
“What’s that about?” Sid asked Beth once the men were out of earshot.
“I’m not sure,” Beth answered, chewing her bottom lip.
Since Joe and Beth seemed to share the same brain, Sid couldn’t believe Beth didn’t know what Joe had up his sleeve. “You think this could get ugly?”
“No,” Beth said, fidgeting with her apron strings. “Joe wouldn’t start something here, right? Of course not.” She threw a bar rag over her shoulder. “I’d better cover these customers until they come back. You good? You look a little tired.”
“Is that your way of saying I look like shit?”
Beth rolled her eyes as she filled a glass with ice. “Forget I asked, cranky ass. And if you want to get anywhere, you’ll be a little nicer to Lucas.”
“Who says I want to get anywhere?” Sid wanted to get somewhere with Lucas, but with her limited experience and his taste for fancy chicks, she’d need a road map and a body double.
“Listen to your fairy godmother for once and just try to be nice. Maybe you’ll grow on him.” Beth filled the glass with soda and grabbed another. With a smirk, she added, “Like a fungus.”
Sid rolled her eyes. “Tell Lucas I’m waiting outside.”
Lucas warred between curiosity and annoyance as he followed Joe into the back office. Curiosity won out, until worry kicked in. “Is this about Dad? Did something happen at the hospital? He was fine when I talked to Mom this morning.”
“No, Dad’s doing good, far as I know,” Joe said, taking the chair behind the desk. Of course.
Lucas suppressed the eye roll. “Then what’s this about?”
Joe exhaled while rubbing the back of his neck. He looked … uncomfortable.
“Was there a problem with the restaurant last night?” Lucas asked. “Everything was fine when I left, and my drawer came up
With the ring of a bell, Lucas opened the register and exchanged the money. “There you go.” He turned to Beth. “Where’s Joe?”
“In the bathroom. He should be right out.” Tying an apron around her hips, Beth looked from Sid to Lucas, then asked, “No bets today?”
Sid had forgotten about the pool game. She considered telling Lucas to forget the twenty-five, then recalled her run-in with Old Man Fisher. Every little bit got her closer to that garage.
“Not on the tips,” Lucas said, before Sid could answer. “But Sid smoked me in pool this morning. I still owe her twenty-five dollars.”
“Forget it,” Sid said, determined to be the bigger person this time. She’d made nearly as much in tips today as she had the day before. What was twenty-five more dollars?
“Nope, I always pay my debts.” Lucas pulled a wallet from his back pocket and pushed the money her way. “Now we’re even.”
“How are you even?” Beth asked. “You’ve had two bets in two days and she’s beat you both times.”
“True.” Lucas leveled hazel eyes Sid’s way. “How about that ride?”
“Ride?”
“Home,” he said. “Is the offer still open?”
She’d sworn the night before never to offer again, but Lucas didn’t know that. And telling him he’d hurt her pride by turning her down twice would only make her sound pathetic. In truth, there was no reason to refuse. Except that being near him made her feel like she’d sucked in toomany exhaust fumes, and trying to figure him out was like trying to read the directions on a new lift kit. In Japanese.
“No problem.” Right. No problem. This playing it cool thing was going to put her in the loony bin.
In that moment, Joe strolled out of the kitchen. “You got a minute?” he asked Lucas.
“Sid was just about to drive me home.”
“I can wait,” Sid said, knowing Joe wouldn’t ask unless he had something to say that needed saying. Far be it for her to cause a problem.
Lucas didn’t look happy, but he followed Joe back into the kitchen.
“What’s that about?” Sid asked Beth once the men were out of earshot.
“I’m not sure,” Beth answered, chewing her bottom lip.
Since Joe and Beth seemed to share the same brain, Sid couldn’t believe Beth didn’t know what Joe had up his sleeve. “You think this could get ugly?”
“No,” Beth said, fidgeting with her apron strings. “Joe wouldn’t start something here, right? Of course not.” She threw a bar rag over her shoulder. “I’d better cover these customers until they come back. You good? You look a little tired.”
“Is that your way of saying I look like shit?”
Beth rolled her eyes as she filled a glass with ice. “Forget I asked, cranky ass. And if you want to get anywhere, you’ll be a little nicer to Lucas.”
“Who says I want to get anywhere?” Sid wanted to get somewhere with Lucas, but with her limited experience and his taste for fancy chicks, she’d need a road map and a body double.
“Listen to your fairy godmother for once and just try to be nice. Maybe you’ll grow on him.” Beth filled the glass with soda and grabbed another. With a smirk, she added, “Like a fungus.”
Sid rolled her eyes. “Tell Lucas I’m waiting outside.”
Lucas warred between curiosity and annoyance as he followed Joe into the back office. Curiosity won out, until worry kicked in. “Is this about Dad? Did something happen at the hospital? He was fine when I talked to Mom this morning.”
“No, Dad’s doing good, far as I know,” Joe said, taking the chair behind the desk. Of course.
Lucas suppressed the eye roll. “Then what’s this about?”
Joe exhaled while rubbing the back of his neck. He looked … uncomfortable.
“Was there a problem with the restaurant last night?” Lucas asked. “Everything was fine when I left, and my drawer came up
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