Page 6 of Recklessly Yours

Archie. He was probably the issue. He made deliveries when one of their part-time employees wasn’t available. It wouldn’t surprise me if, in his old age, he was using the wrong name when he delivered them.

“I’m almost positive he didn’t have a delivery for The Dock with him, though.”

I bit back a chuckle. Maybe Stella was the one getting old and making the mistakes, then.

“Both bouquets were white roses and blue orchids.”

Without hesitation, she said, “They didn’t come from here.”

My chest tightened at the certainty in her tone. “What?”

“I don’t have blue orchids right now. White, red, pink, and green, but not blue.”

“Maybe…”Where else could they come from?I racked my brain for a theory that made sense as I headed toward the hostess stand with Bella on my heels.

Rhett glared at me as I weaved through the tables, and I held up a finger to let him know I’d only be a minute.

“Jamie.”

She looked over with an eyebrow raised.

I held the bouquet up between us. “Did Archie deliver these?”

A huff echoed through the line, but I ignored Stella’s indignation.

With her lips pressed together, Jamie shook her head. “No. Some young kid dropped them off.”

“Young kid?” My stomach sank as my mind reeled.

“Yeah.” Jamie frowned, her brows pulled together. “A boy. He was maybe twelve or thirteen.”

Why would a preteen boy give me flowers?

“There you go. Mystery solved,” Stella chirped in my ear.

No. The mystery was not solved. At all. Was this a prank? Or…

“You have some young kid crushing on you?” Bella teased, bouncing Hudson on her hip.

“That’s weird.” I shook my head. “Sorry to bother you, Stella.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble at all, dear.”

With that, I disconnected the call, handed the phone to Bella, and tossed the flowers into the trash can behind the hostess stand.

“The kid looked a little familiar,” Jamie said. “I wonder if he’s the Rogers boy.”

I shook my head. “Nah. He’s only eight.” I knew that family well. Noah was the youngest and was small for his age. No way he would be mistaken for a twelve-year-old. “If you see the kid again, let me know.”

“You’re the boss.” With a nod, Jamie turned to greet a couple who had just walked in.

Sighing, I headed toward the kitchen.

“I’ll help Jamie get people seated,” Bella called out. At least that was something she could do with a baby on her hip. Plus, half of our customers would fawn over Hudson. The entire town loved him.

Rhett thrust plates at me just as I stepped through the swinging door. “Run these to table ten.” He turned back, grabbing the next ticket, hardly giving me time to position theplates on my arms. But years of practice gave me skills needed to balance them.

Unease hit me once again. We couldn’t keep going this way. Owners and managers should be running the place, not the food. I really hoped the guy who was coming in for orientation and paperwork this afternoon was a good fit because we desperately needed the help.

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