Page 24 of Because You Rejected Me

“Well, you’re in good company then,” Andy smiled. “I was one of Sam’s a year or two after Ace here. Most of us got our start at that place.” He glanced up at me, then back to Matt. “So, what made you get involved with this big lug?”

Matt blushed deep red. “I… uh…”

“Sam sent him over to help me out,” I filled in, trying to cover for him. “That’s how he’s earning his keep. He knew I needed the help, and Sam didn’t need another hand.”

Andy eyed Matt and me for a long moment. “Uh-huh. Right.” He leaned in close to Matt. “Your secret’s safe with me, buddy boy.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Matt replied, taking on a defensive tone.

“Of course you don’t.” Andy reached out and ruffled his hair. “Do you want a donut?”

Matt eyed him with obvious irritation. “Yes. But don’t call me buddy boy anymore.”

“Sure thing, champ.”

Andy smiled, giving me a nudge as he headed back to the truck. Matt sighed, looking as frazzled as he possibly could. I gave him a shrug. There really wasn’t anything I could do to reign Andy back in. That’s just the kind of guy he was and there was no changing that. Besides, he made the best baked goods in town, so putting up with his teasing had obvious and immediate perks.

“Need some help?” I asked, heading over to the van.

“Sure!” Andy handed him a handful of tablecloths to cover the benches. “Spread those out, and Matty here can help me unload the truck.” He gave Matt a wink. “Gotta earn that donut somehow!”

Matt grumbled a bit at the new nickname but did as he was told. By the time he got the last tablecloth on, Andy and I pretty much had the truck unloaded. We set to work laying it all out and arranging things as they should be. By the time we were done, the first customers were arriving. Andy told Matt to grab what he wanted before it got snapped up by the early shoppers. With a donut in hand, he joined me back behind the table, leaning against the tailgate of the truck.

“You don’t have to do much today,” I told him. “Just watch. We’ll be done before lunch. I always sell out early.”

“Really?” Matt asked, looking over everything we’d piled high on the benches. “All of this will be gone?”

“Oh yeah,” I nodded. “And we’ll sell out far before Andy. That always annoys him.”

Matt smiled at that. “Just let me know if you want help.”

“No problem.”

I stepped up to the table as a group of older women wandered over with their canvas bags. I recognized each of them and flipped a quick mental switch to put myself in socializing mode. A warm smile spread over my face as I reached up, tipping my hat to the lot of them.

“Good morning, ladies,” I said, dropping my voice a bit. That always got them blushing. “Here before everyone else as always, I see!”

That was all it took to get the conversation going. Everyone that showed up in the first hour were regulars and I was fairly certain most of them came to buy veggies from the hot cowboy. I have to admit, I put on a bit of a show for them, but it didn’t take much. I flirted, got them blushing, and made sure to smile as much as possible. When the sun shifted so that it was on my back, I took off my button-up so that I was just wearing a tank top undershirt. That alone meant people were practically fighting over who would get my carrots first.

Of course, I made sure to aim those waiting toward Andy and his baked goods. It was still early, which meant selling coffee and sweets was pretty easy. Besides, that stopped any major fights from breaking out. It was hard to be mad at anyone when you had a mouthful of donuts and a warm coffee in your hand.

Matt sat back on the tailgate, watching me work. To my surprise, he took a lot of initiative without prompting. When things were getting low, he restocked with what we had in the truck. Once truck things started to run out, he began to spread things out, making it look like our stall was still full. Thanks to his help and the warm scent of cinnamon sugar from Andy’s booth, we sold out by eleven, breaking all my previous records.

“Sorry, folks,” I called to a few stragglers heading my way. “All sold out today!”

Those poor ladies and a couple of guys looked truly saddened that we were packing up for the day. Andy, on the other hand, couldn’t believe what was happening.

“Three hours?!” he scoffed. “How do you sell out so damn fast? People don’t even have to cook my stuff, and I’ve still got half my booth full!”

“I guess the veggies are just good,” I replied with a coy smile.

“Uh-huh. Right. I’m sure the hot cowboy angle didn’t help at all. Just like taking your shirt off was because it was hot.”

“It is hot.”

“Fuck you,” Andy laughed. “You know what you’re doing.”

“Maybe a little.” I turned back to Matt, who was munching on another donut that Andy had given him. “Thanks to you, it went a lot faster today. I should have you around more often.”

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