Page 37 of Jagger

“And Mister Bear,” Cally chimed in.

“Well, Mister Bear is mighty handsome just like you’re a beautiful young lady. I’m also part owner, Bella. Don’t allow my often jerk of a brother to mislead you.” He held out his hand for a typical shake.

She eyed him the same way she’d done with me the first time. “I see the arrogance runs in the family.”

“Ouch!” Hunter exclaimed, acting as if he was hurt. I was going to hurt his ass if he dared flirt with her like he did every other woman under fifty who walked in through the front doors. “I think I like her. I was told you’re looking to wait tables.”

“It’s been a while, but yes,” she answered. Her lies were no better than mine.

“It’s going to be a shitstorm here today and I have several employees who couldn’t make it. I’ll introduce you to our sous-chef and hopefully the meeting will go well and we can get you started. Chef Zimmerman is in charge of every restaurant. Just know that she’s overworked and understaffed and has a mouth on her like a sailor.”

“I think I’ll like her,” Bella told him.

“What happened to you hiring another chef?” I asked him in my usual disgruntled voice.

He’d been harassed constantly by both Shephard and me over the last couple of months. “Good help, like decent family, is hard to find.”

“Mommy!” Cally tugged at her mother’s jacket, not used to remaining in one place for so long.

“I’ll have one of the employees take you to daycare so you can check out the place. Then we’ll get started.” Hunter glanced in my direction and I could easily tell he was putting two and two together. He was the puzzle solver, the brother who most liked to meddle in other people’s business.

“That’s great. I didn’t know what to wear.” Bella had jumped into a bloody mess without a single hesitation, but she was frightened of the concept of waiting tables.

I had to admire her spunk.

“You’re fine, Bella. This is a snow day around here. I’m just thrilled we have an extra body.”

A part of me wanted to remind my brother he owed me a huge favor, but I resisted.

Another awkward silence pulled me back into a level of utter darkness that I’d done my best to avoid. Going back to the danger zone, as my handler had called my mood swings, wasn’t in anyone’s best interest.

Hunter smiled, but I sensed his exhaustion. The Fox boys had taken almost no days off since the resort had been dumped into our laps.

Cally danced around the area, amusing herself while I stood alone with Bella.

“I need you to tell me how much I owe you. If I don’t have the money then you’ll get paid when my first paycheck comes through,” she told me. This time, she held her head high as she studied my face.

“Does that mean you’re staying in town?”

“Would you care if I did?”

The answer forming in my mind surprised me. “It doesn’t matter.”

“That’s what I thought. I’ll be here for a couple weeks anyhow, if that’s okay with you, Mr. Grouch.”

“Mr. Grouch. Mr. Grouch. Mr. Grouch,” Cally mimicked.

Lighting into Bella wasn’t possible, but I moved closer so I could answer her without anyone overhearing. “You can do what you want. I’ll get you the total later today when I take you back to the cabin. Fair enough?”

“Fair enough.”

We were at another larger line drawn in the sand and for the life of me, I wondered how we’d gotten through the night without killing each other. We were oil and water mixed with gasoline.

Hunter approached with another girl beside him. “Are we interrupting?”

“Not in the least.”

“Sure looked that way.”

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