Page 18 of Sultry Nights

"Now and then, but we come from a cooking family, so we didn't go out to eat much. And Dad likes to grill now and then, so he would man the grill when I came back. He said his ladies needed to relax from cooking and let him help us, and take care of us. We were always happy to oblige." She smiled.

Quinn chuckled, and it was nice. She liked the way he laughed. His face transformed when he smiled. He was very handsome.

He maneuvered the truck out of the parking lot, around the square, and down Main Street, making a left on Main Street and turning down on Second Street. At the end of Second Street was the Supper Club, across from the police station.

He pulled into the parking lot and hopped out quickly. She reached for the door handle and then realized she was supposed to wait. She'd forgotten what this was like. Isaac had never opened the door for her or showed her chivalry. It was foreign to her, all the social graces. She waited for him to open the door, feeling a little foolish. She could open it herself, but he was being a gentleman, and she was going to let him.

He opened the door and held his hand out for her, and those little butterflies began fluttering around her belly again. They walked into the restaurant, Quinn's hand at the small of her back. It made her feel taken care of and revered. Wasn't that silly? A simple gesture like his hand at the small of her back gave her goosebumps.

She quickly shook her head to change the trajectory of her thoughts. This was just a date among friends, new friends, nothing more. She didn't need anything more right now. She wasn't even sure what was going to happen with all of the stuff with Isaac.

They were seated at a table. People looked their way. A lot of people in town knew Quinn.

"Hello, Quinn. How are you?" They greeted.

He responded to everyone nicely. "May I introduce you to Hanna Valentine? Hanna owns the bakery. Mae's."

People seemed happy to meet her, and she wondered how soon before word would get around to everyone in town that she had a date with Quinn Kurtz.

She chuckled. "Small towns are interesting."

Quinn grinned as they settled in their seats. "So tell me about Hanna Valentine," he asked.

She let out a breath. "Well, let's see. I graduated top of my class from the culinary school in Boulder, Colorado. I started a job at a restaurant shortly after graduation. I had worked there part-time while I was in college. I had every intention of being the head chef there, but that wasn't meant to be, I guess. It's a very tough industry, and especially in some of the prime restaurants. You really have to have a lot of experience and work your way up. I started as a garde-manager. That's a pantry chef. I worked my way up to commis chef, which means I followed the chef around to learn. He'd give me tasks, and I'd have to prove myself. Then I made it to pastry chef, and that's where I excelled and stayed.

"Unfortunately for me, I'm great with desserts. I guess that's fortunate now that I have the bakery. But unfortunately, at the time, it appeared I was too good, and they had no intention of moving me off of desserts.

"And then I got divorced, and Mom needed help at the bakery and asked me to come back. So I guess it was meant to be. How about you, Quinn Kurtz? What about you?"

He chuckled. It was a beautiful sound coming from deep in his chest. It was genuine. His smile was beautiful. His dark eyes landed on hers.

And he said, "Well, Quinn Kurtz went into the service after high school. And when I got out, I came back and started my construction company. I've always been good with building, and I've always been great with my hands. And I decided that's what I wanted to do. You know, after a few years of kicking around in between times, starting a construction business in a small town isn't easy. But I was born and raised here. My parents had a lot of contacts. And slowly, but surely, I managed to get little jobs here and there. I struggle a bit with PTSD. I've mostly managed to keep it under control. And my way of giving back is that I only hire veterans. As a matter of fact, my son Jared, went into the service so he could get hired by me. That's how serious I am about it. And I'm proud of that."

She nodded. "That's wonderful. Thank you so much for your service and for hiring veterans."

"My pleasure," he said. "Did you serve?"

"No, I'm afraid I didn't. I went right to culinary school from high school. I've often wondered if I should have when I've seen men and women come back. They stand taller and prouder for having served, despite the hidden injuries.”

"Well," he said, "not everybody serves. And as long as you keep serving those wonderful baked goods of yours, we're all good."

She chuckled. Butterflies swirled in her tummy as she watched his genuine interest in her. He was intent and didn't let those walking by their table divert his attention. It was refreshing.

"So what's next for Quinn Kurtz? Do you have big projects lined up?"

He leaned back and smiled. "Yes, right now we are building a stage, believe it or not, at Sarge's for..."

He chuckled, "Well, I guess it's for Jace. He likes to have live music there, here and there, but he wants to have it more often. I'm having a big party there in three weeks. It's actually a celebration of me not having to pay alimony anymore. And I'm in touch with Jami Hart from Hart & the Hurricanes. It appears that they'll be in town for my party and have agreed to play. Therefore, Jace has commissioned a stage at the bar outside on the sand. So that's what we're in the middle of building right now."

He took a drink of water and she watched his Adam's apple move up and down. "And just this morning, I put an offer in to buy the Army barracks just outside of town."

"Oh, that's wonderful. I've seen that old installation and thought someone should do something with it. It's looking rather rough. What will you do with that?"

"I'm thinking apartments. Maybe condos."

She grinned at him. "Have you thought about making it housing for veterans working for you? Veterans coming to town? Veteran housing is so needed."

He looked at her, his brows furrowed, and he cocked his head to the side. He leaned his forearms on the table. "Hanna, that is the best idea I've heard all day. Thank you so much for thinking of that. And you're right. I hire these guys, sometimes fresh out of the military, and they don't have a place to stay. I think that's just what I'm going to do. Thank you so much for the idea."

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