Page 59 of Flirting With Fire
“Ohhh…okay. Now I get it,” she said. “I guess I wasn’t taking that into consideration.”
I drew my eyebrows together. “What do you mean?”
“Only that I’m not in Charming anymore. It’s a place I visit, not where I live. My world is completely different now.” She sighed. “I wasn’t grasping how you have to face everyone there, people you’ve known your whole life. But I don’t. If something goes south at the fiesta, it doesn’t touch me. Not really.”
My gut tightened. “Umm, that’s not really helping.”
I couldn’t bring myself to admit that what bothered me more than anything was how her absence had crashed into me like acharging bull. Regardless, I still needed help with the salsa. She was right about the fiesta. I didn’t want to face anyone I knew if I messed up.
“Okay, I’ve got an idea,” she said. “Let’s talk aboutyourboyfriend for a sec.”
I’d gushed to her the week before about Meyer. After all, she’d witnessed the brutality of my perceived rejection in high school. Now, she could celebrate with me instead.
“Sure. What’s your idea?”
“Well,” she began, “he’s making that spicy lemonade, right?”
“Yeah, but not until a day or two before. It tastes better fresh. Today is salsa day.”
“Got it. What I’m getting at is that he knows a thing or two about measuring and combining ingredients?”
I scratched my head. I could see where she was headed. She was doing a handoff play.
“He’s not very good at slicing tomatoes, though.”
A funny noise, perhaps a combination of a choke and a snort came through the phone. “What the hell are you talking about? Then you cut the tomatoes.” She chuckled. “My point is that he’s not a stranger to preparing food. And what about Lindy? I know for a fact she makes killer dishes. Every time you dined there, you gave me a complete menu rundown.”
After a pause, she continued. “Hon, you need to do what you did when you took over the ranch. Embrace those around you, don’t shy away from developing deeper relationships.”
I could usually comprehend Kayla’s sisterly wisdom, but she seemed all over the place today. I squirmed on the sofa. Or maybe I was the one who was all over the place. Was that what she meant?
“So… What did I do when I took over the ranch that I’m not doing in the rest of my life?”
“You kept going, Dex. Full speed ahead, didn’t question every damn thing. Whether you were aware of it or not, you took charge. Became the boss. Cal and the hands respected you, and the operation is now successful because you never worried if you could do it or not. You simply carried on in Dad’s place.”
“Yeah, but…” I got what she was saying, but the concept still made my head feel a bit swimmy and my stomach queasy. “Raising cows isn’t the same as making salsa.”
“Duh.”She let out a small growl. “I’m trying to tell you how freakin’ amazing you are! You took over a large cow-calf operation in your early-twenties and have kept it going full throttle. Make the salsa. No one needs to talk you through it. But if you have questions about whether it’s a teaspoon or tablespoon of salt, your cutie-pie and Lindy can handle it.”
“Cutie-pie? I’m totally telling him you said that.”
“Ha! Your threats mean nothing to me.”
The sound of a truck door slamming caught my attention. “Hey, I gotta go. Cutie-pie is back from the store.”
“Awesome. Show him how a real man cuts a tomato.”
I slapped my hand to my forehead. “Please stop.”
“Never.”
“Love you, sis. Thanks.”
“Love you too, dork. Save me a jar for the next time I visit.”
I chuckled and ended the call. The door opened, and my breath caught in my throat as Meyer crossed the threshold. His captivating brown eyes locked on mine, the slight curve at one side of his mouth a sign that he was as glad to see me as I was him. The action of him moving to the kitchen with two large totes filled to the brim with salsa ingredients yanked me from my Meyer-the-hottie-induced trance.
I jumped up. “Whoa, let me help.”
