Page 28 of To Bring You Back
When she stepped in, Asher paused in rotating hot dogs on the sizzling cooking surface to glance her way. “That guy wasn’t a dog trainer.”
“Guy?” Outside the window stood Olivia and a couple of her friends.
Olivia grinned and stepped up, putting both hands on the windowsill. The teen had painstakingly styled her hair and makeup and wore a tank with a low neckline. “Hey, Adeline. How are you?”
“I’m good.” She glanced back to Asher, but he worked without explaining his comment. She returned her attention to Olivia. “What can I get you?”
“I already ordered.” Her glossy lips pulled into a smile. “Isn’t it a nice day? Don’t you have any plans?”
“Just work.”
“Oh. Well, we’re going for a drive.” She glanced at her friends, who watched from a few feet back. “Have you seen anyone today?”
Asher nestled a beef frank into a bun and left it on the corner of the food prep area.
“I’ve seen you.” She passed Olivia her hotdog.
“I know. But …” She tipped her head. “They are still here, right? Awestruck? I know you’ve seen Gannon Vaughn, and Matt Visser was at a party on Saturday. And there’s a picture of John Kennedy with his dogs taken in this very spot and posted this morning.”
Adeline looked back to Asher, but he stirred the chili, probably purposely avoiding this. The revealing clothes and makeup suggested Olivia and her friends wanted to interest Awestruck in more than giving them autographs. She ought to ask if they realized the guys were at least a decade older. Would that burst their bubble, or would the rock star thing outweigh age?
“I just started for the day. You’re the first customer I know about.”
“So you won’t tell me anything?”
“Do your parents know what you’re up to?”
Enthusiasm dampening, Olivia stepped back. “I’m just hanging out with my friends. We’re not doing anything wrong.”
Adeline nodded slowly. “Make sure it stays that way, okay?”
“Sure.” Olivia’s lips quirked. “See you around, I guess.”
Once they’d gone, she turned back to Asher. “What’s this about a dog trainer?”
He snapped his tongs open and shut. “I posted the picture from Saturday this morning. The one of the guy with his dogs.”
“When did he say he was a trainer?”
“He said his dogs live with their trainer.”
“Oh. He probably meant while he was traveling with … for work. John’s away more than he’s home.”
“The picture got over a hundred shares.” Considering their photos rarely got more attention than a couple of likes, Asher’s reaction made sense now. “He’s Awestruck’s drummer?”
She should’ve warned him, but a viral picture could only help business. “The other guy, the day of the art show, was Gannon Vaughn.”
“So I’ve heard.”
Her pulse thrummed. “Are you angry?”
“No. I’ve only been open an hour and already two groups walked down from the college, which means they went right past Bryant’s Subs and two burger joints. I might need you more hours, if you’re interested, but I wonder what this is going to turn into.”
“What do you mean?”
Asher took out the scraper to clean off the grill. “Some big movie was filmed near here years ago. Crowds showed up everywhere the stars did. Press, fans. A girl almost got hit because she threw herself in front of the actor’s SUV.”
“I won’t do anything like that.”
