Page 18 of The One Who Got Away
I blinked out of my death stare on the door. “Sorry.”
“You good?”
I sighed. “Sorry, Jessie. I’m just distracted.”
“Have something to do with a certain Murdock brother?”
I blushed. “No. Of course not.” I picked up our scraper and tidied up the counter from the last rush. I threw the bits in our composter and started on the usual refills. Bite Me was open from ten in the morning until six. Most of the time it was only me and Jessie working with a part timer who floated in a few shifts a week.
“Sure.” Jessie elongated the word as she disappeared through the swinging door. She came back with a Self-Saving Princess and handed it to me.
I sighed. “Man, that bad?”
“Girl, you have a whole luggage set under those eyes. If you don’t want me to attack you with my cosmetics bag you best get some sleep.”
I tore off a chunk of the brookie and nibbled. “I can’t sleep. Gus freaking kissed me.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Really? About damn time.”
I frowned. “What are you talking about?”
She just rolled her eyes and ignored me as a customer came in.
Another five people came in and that was the end of me asking questions until we weren’t buried in cold cuts and sub rolls. When I noticed Cam Murdock at the counter my breath caught. I looked around for Gus.
“Hey, Eloise. I heard you were back in town. How are things?”
“Good.” I pasted on a smile. “Same town, same peeps.”
“Ain’t that the truth. It’s a good thing, though.”
I nodded. “Speaking of same. A Loaded Bun?”
He laughed. “You know it. Extra sauce and peppers for me.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Dripping?”
“That’s the one.” He folded his arms on the bakery case and peered down into the glass. “Is this new?”
“Yeah, we’re swapping some stuff with Sweet Beat. She wanted to sell some premade sandwiches.”
“Dang. Mercy’s stuff goes so fast I usually can’t get in there before she closes.”
Sweet Beat never had the same hours every day. Mercy Hart didn’t care--once the cases were empty, she was out of there for the day. It always kept her product in high demand.
“Well, grab it while it’s there. I have one Back in Black & White left.”
He grinned. “Mine.”
“You got it.” I bustled around and added an extra scoop of sauce and peppers on his spicy Italian sausage. A mound of cheese and a quick trip into the oven had it toasty and ready to go. I rang him out. “You were doing a big job with Gus right?”
He nodded. “Yeah, he had to go out to Rochester. It was the only place that had a few big screens for the basement part of the job.” Cam held up his blistered hands. “I’m in sanding citywith bookcases.” His dark eyes were so much like Gus’s, but there were more crinkles at the corners of his eyes. His hair was sandy like most of the brothers and fell around his face in shaggy layers.
“Ouch.”
“I deserve this.” He pulled the foil wrapped hot sub forward and the bakery bag. “You’re the best.”
“See ya later.”
