Page 33 of The Beautiful Mess

“I called you here,” the trustee said, “and I’m telling you to leave. You could’ve killed that guy tonight, Chuck. I can’t believe I considered giving your company an exclusive contract. Temporary insanity is the only logical explanation.”

“Bullshit,” Chuck snarled. “In the time it took this asshole to arrive and suit up, I could’ve safely hauled the truck and driver to safety.”

Frank pointed toward one end of the barricaded bridge. “I want you out of here now, and I won’t hesitate to call an officer over here to make sure it happens.”

Chuck spat a glob of tobacco juice at Frank’s feet before turning his glower at Kerry. “This isn’t over.”

“Actually, it is,” Kerry replied calmly. “You had a chance at redemption but shot yourself in the foot at the first opportunity. You have no one to blame but yourself. I’d like to offer a piece of friendly advice, Chuck. Be very mindful of what you say about me, my company, and my business practices. I won’t hesitate to take legal action to protect my reputation.”

“Fuck you,” he snarled before stomping away.

“Not my type,” Kerry said under his breath before he turned his attention to the trustee. “Don’t wait too long to send over my signed contract, Frank. I’m starting to think I don’t charge enough for my services.”

“It’s already sitting in your inbox,” Frank said. “I’d already gathered the necessary signatures at the last budget meeting before Chuck approached me. I thought I’d give the idiot a trial run.” He huffed out a breath before scrubbing a hand over his face. “I knew I’d made a mistake within the first five minutes of his arrival. I emailed your signed contract as soon as I had to call your dispatcher and grovel.”

Kerry checked his phone and saw that he had an email from Frank in his inbox. “We all make mistakes. At least this one wasn’t fatal.”

Raised voices from across the bridge caught his attention. His crew was hard at work attaching cables to the rear of the truck cab. They’d positioned heavy-duty service vehicles at both corners and hooked the thick winching cables to the corners. The teams worked in tandem and communicated with the winch operators at the rescue rigs. Kerry was immensely proud of his team and excused himself from Frank to join them. The semi cab was heavy, and the first several moments were wrought with tension as metal and fiberglass protested the rescue attempt. Gravity was a hellacious beast to battle, but the tide turned in their favor once they got the truck’s rear tires onto the asphalt. The truck worked with them instead of against them. Metal and debris broke off the damaged front end of the truck and fell into the river below, but everyone cheered when the mostly intact truck rolled to a stop on the bridge. Both the semitruck and trailer had sustained too much damage to be roadworthy, but his heavy-duty tow trucks could safely haul them away.

The cleanup was a massive effort, but his guys worked fast and efficiently. The promise of a hearty breakfast probably didn’t hurt things. By the time they reached the Greasy Spoon, his tow truck drivers had already unloaded the wrecked truck and trailer and beat them to the small diner. The place was practically empty, so they pushed two tables together and settled in for one hell of a tasty meal. The server approached their tables, and Kerry had to do a double take because he had a build like Keegan’s and even had a similar coloring. The eyes assessing Kerry were a cool green and not the warm hazel he craved.

“Hello, fellas.” The server gazed around the group before stopping at Kerry again. “I’m Joey, and I’ll be taking care of you tonight.” Kerry didn’t miss the sly grins and exchanged glances between his crew. This wasn’t their first rodeo, but the outcome would differ vastly from what they expected. Joey tore his gaze away from Kerry and gave the other guys his attention again. “Are you familiar with the menu, or would you like recommendations?”

“We’re ready,” Curtis said, rubbing his hands together in glee. “This is going to cost ya, boss.”

Kerry chuckled and shook his head. “Money well spent.”

Joey watched their byplay and started taking orders at the opposite end of the table. He quickly learned that they were Greasy Spoon experts by the time he reached Kerry, who he’d saved for last. “And you, handsome?”

By this point, it had been over twelve hours since his last meal. “I’ll have the trucker’s breakfast platter and a side of biscuits and gravy.”

Joey looked up from jotting down the order. “That’s a lot of food.”

“He’s a lot of man,” Curtis said.

Kerry threw him a warning glance before smiling at Joey. “And a large orange juice, please.”

The server blinked a few times before he continued making notes. He took a few steps back and crashed into the empty table behind him. Joey’s cheeks turned pink, and he laughed nervously. “I’ll just turn your orders in. It won’t be long.”

The crew waited for Joey to leave before they started razzing Kerry in low voices. He took their good-natured teasing but steered the conversation to the pending lawsuit, Chuck’s blustering remarks, and Frank’s change of heart about the contract renewal. This was the first they’d heard about any of it, and they hung on to his every word until the food arrived. Joey brought a young lady from the kitchen to help him pass out the plates. Her gaze bounced between Kerry and Joey as the pair worked in tandem around the table. The attention wasn’t subtle, but Kerry didn’t acknowledge or encourage it. Keegan might not be waiting for him at home, but his little lamb had one hell of a death grip on Kerry’s battered heart.

The servers shared a giggle as they left the crew alone to devour their food. Kerry’s plate was overflowing with bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, hash browns, grits, and two split biscuits smothered in sausage gravy. He second-guessed his ability to eat it all until he bit into a crispy strip of bacon. Next thing he knew, Kerry was using a stolen piece of toast to mop up the last bit of gravy. He shoved his empty plate away and held up his hands like a victor in a major battle. Kerry’s digestive system was probably going to punish him for his wicked ways, but he was going to savor the meal until then.

Joey returned with the check and a smile for Kerry. The crew watched expectantly as Kerry pulled cash from his wallet to cover the bill and a generous tip. He didn’t write his phone number down on the slip or attempt to get Joey’s. He simply thanked him for a wonderful meal and scooted his chair back from the table.

“Wow,” Curtis said once they reached the parking lot. “Is your eyesight going bad? It’s not like you to miss all those signals.”

“I didn’t miss anything,” Kerry replied. “Just not interested.”

The crew stopped and gaped at him as if he’d confessed to being a vampire. They looked among each other, their confusion etched on their faces, before awareness dawned slowly.

“Who is he?” Curtis asked.

Kerry shook his head as he walked to his truck. “Good night, fellas.”

He could hear their excited chatter as they tried to figure out who had snagged Kerry’s attention. They’d find out soon enough, but until then, Kerry wanted to have Keegan all to himself. The toll of the past few days caught up to him during his trip home. Kerry sighed in relief when he pulled into his driveway and wasted no time heading upstairs to his room. He took a scalding hot shower and tried not to recall the driver getting sick on him, especially with such a full stomach. A shower usually woke up his deprived dick, but even it was too damn tired.

Kerry dried off and slid between the sheets. He closed his eyes and allowed his brain to play a new set of what-ifs, this time imagining what might’ve happened if the emergency phone call hadn’t interrupted them. Kerry got as far as stripping Keegan down to his underwear before he crashed.

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