“I do three different fruit empanadas, and I make sopapillas fresh to order,” Ciran said with a smile. “I can meet you tomorrow or Friday with queso and some fresh empanadas.”
“Oh, that won’t be necessary. We’ll meet one day next week, and I’ll sample them.” Mrs. Sanchez looked at Roxane. “If you steer me so well for everything, we will have a very amicable relationship. I would like you to have a price list and a contract ready when we meet next week.” She glanced down at her phone, looking at her calendar. “I can meet you Wednesday afternoon. I have a crystal healing appointment with Riley, and I will be here after. Say around three?”
Glancing at her schedule, Roxane saw that would work. “I have an appointment at two, so you may have to wait for a minute or two, but it shouldn’t be long.”
“Perfect.” Mrs. Sanchez looked at Ciran. “And you’ll have sopapillas, empanadas, and queso for me to try?”
“Yes, ma’am. And enchiladas. I’ll bring ground beef, chicken, and cheese. Do you want spinach as well?” he asked.
“No, thank you. Those three will be enough.” Mrs. Sanchez stood and shook hands with each of them. “I look forward to our next meeting.”
As soon as she had left, Ciran shut the door softly. “She’s going to be very difficult to work with.”
“Oh, I can see that,” Roxane said with a shrug. “I’m just thrilled she’s chosen us as her venue. We’re booking up fast.”
“Thank you for calling me. I know you guys usually prefer not to lose money to outside caterers.”
“Oh, she specifically asked for Mexican for the quince. I wasn’t about to argue with her.”
Ciran grinned. “I wonder if that would even be possible.” He walked around her desk and took her hand, pulling her to her feet and kissing her softly. “Two orders of sopapillas are in your bag. One is for your mom.”
Her door opened, and Roxane blushed, stepping away from Ciran. “Hey, Dad. What’s up?”
Bob Quinn’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Ciran. “I heard you were back.”
Ciran refused to be intimidated. He took a step toward her father and held his hand out to shake the older man’s. “It’s good to see you, sir.”
Bob frowned. “I will let you know if I agree with that statement later. Why are you in her office? I was told Mrs. Sanchez was here.”
Roxane found her voice. “She was. She wants the ballroom on the fifth of January for her daughter’s quince. Ciran is going to cater the event because she wants someone who specializes in Mexican.”
“I see. I thought you left to be a lawyer and to play football.”
“I did. I’ve done both of those things, and I’m back. I’m a chef now, and I’m back where I belong.” Ciran wasn’t going to back away. He was not afraid of her father. His years as a defense lawyer had to come in handy somehow.
“Are you going to see Mom for lunch?” Roxane asked her father. “Ciran brought her some sopapillas because she ate half of mine at lunch yesterday.”
“Sopa . . . what?”
“They’re pillows of bready Mexican goodness. You put honey on them!” Roxane reached into the bag and took out her own order, noting there was both butter and honey in the bag this time. “Take these to Mom if you will.”
Her father shrugged as he took the bag and left, but her door was left wide open. Ciran grinned at her. “How old does he think you are?”
“Twelve.” Roxane shook her head. “I sometimes think he forgets that I’m his eldest daughter and not the youngest. He feels like he needs to coddle me.”
“Well, I am happy to cuddle you.”
She laughed softly. “I said coddle.”
“Yeah, but cuddling sounds like more fun, doesn’t it?” He winked at her, and she laughed.
“Yeah, it probably does. Thanks for bringing me lunch while you were here. Are we still doing pizza tonight?”
“I would like to. Do you have another date or something?”
“No, but my mom thinks I’m out of balance and I need to see her.”
He tilted his head to one side. “Are you out of balance?”
“Nope. I don’t think so anyway. I’ve never really understood how she could tell I was out of balance without her machine, but she says I am. I’ll go see her tomorrow probably. Maybe I’ll spend my lunch hooked up to her machine and agreeing to take all her witch doctor drops, and then I’ll accidentally forget to take them as usual.”
“Does that help?”
“Oh, sure. Everything does!” She grinned. “Go on. I have work to do that doesn’t involve tacos. Unfortunately.”
“And I have tacos to deliver.” He pressed another kiss to her lips and headed for the door. “What time are you off work?”
“Five.”
“Want me to pick you up here at five?”
“Make it five thirty from home. That will give me a chance to change out of work clothes.”
“I remember when you dressed up for dates with me. Now you dress down for them!”
She shrugged. “When you’re in high school, wearing heels is a novelty. As an adult, I get more of heels than I’d like, and I prefer to wear my jeans.”
“Works for me.” He left without looking back. He was afraid if he did look back, he wouldn’t be able to leave her alone. His feelings were much too strong.
Roxane sank into her work chair and unwrapped her sopapillas. He was spoiling her in a way he hadn’t been able to when they were teenagers. She couldn’t complain even a little bit.
Less than an hour later, there was a knock on her door, and Roxane looked up to see her youngest sister. “Hey, Riley. What’s up?”
“I was hoping you’d go to the crystal shop with me.”
Roxane sighed. “I keep telling you that Ambrosia is harmless.”
“She believes that fairies live inside the crystals. Please don’t make me be alone with her!” Riley gave her the pleading glance that had gotten around her since they were both girls.
“I’ll go. When?”
“Tonight after work?” Riley asked. “I really need a few new crystals, and I heard she just got a new shipment in, but I’m not sure how much of her hocus pocus I can take.”
“I can’t go tonight. How about tomorrow night?”
“You can’t go tonight?” Riley looked at Roxane as if she’d lost her mind. “Why can’t you?”
“I have a date.” Roxane knew it wasn’t the answer her sister expected, and she was actually thrilled to see her little sister’s jaw drop.
“A date? Seriously? With whom?” Riley walked into Roxane’s office and shut the door behind her, pulling out a chair and sitting. “Talk fast. I have a client in ten minutes.”
Roxane shrugged. “Ciran is back in town, and he’s taking me out for pizza. No big deal.” But it was a big deal, and Roxie knew her sister would immediately understand how big of a deal it was.
“It is, too! I can’t believe he came back! I thought he was going to be a hotshot lawyer down in Texas or something.”
“He spent a few years as a hotshot lawyer, and now he’s back home selling tacos from a taco truck.”
Riley grinned. “A taco truck? Are you kidding me?”
Roxane calmly picked up her last sopapilla, squirted honey into it, and handed it to her sister. She watched as Riley put it in her mouth, her eyes going wide at the flavor. “I’m not kidding.”
“What is this thing?” Riley asked before she’d completely finished chewing. “It’s amazing!”
“It’s a sopapilla. He makes them fresh to order. Mom’s addicted.”
“You need to have a spa day. I need to hear everything!”
“No time for a spa day this week. I’m working down here, remember?”
Riley nodded. “Do you love your new job as much as you thought you would?”
“I wouldn’t swap jobs with you for all the crystals in the world.” Roxane knew she was speaking her sister’s language there.
“Crystal shopping right after
work tomorrow. No excuses.” Riley went to the door and looked back at her sister, waiting for her confirmation.
“Yeah, I’ll go. Hopefully she’ll have something I’m a little more interested in this time.”
“Like a love potion?” Ambrosia’s shop was known to carry a lot of . . . well, unusual things.
“I have a feeling I don’t need that.” Roxane watched her sister’s face light up as she hurried out the door.
She sat back in her chair and smiled as she updated her calendar with the date for the quince. She couldn’t wait to get into the meat of planning that party. She had a feeling Cristina and her mother would be butting heads constantly, and it would be fun to watch.
Once the new date was written in and she’d ordered some flowers for a wedding that was coming up just the next weekend—a fast wedding apparently—she sat back and smiled. It must be some of the people from River’s End Ranch. There seemed to be something in the water there making people marry quickly. She’d only been in her new job for four days, and already she’d done more than her predecessor had done the entire year. Her father was bound to be pleased enough to wonder why he’d never promoted her before. Yes, she was right where she needed to be with this job.
Chapter Six
Ciran was at Roxane’s house at exactly five thirty as he’d promised. She’d changed out of her skirt and blouse she wore for work and into her most comfortable jeans and a t-shirt. She had a hoodie thrown over one arm to deal with the cold if they were out late.
“Are you ready?” he asked, his eyes scanning her from head to toe.
She nodded, stepping forward to brush her lips across his. She liked that he was down a step and they were on eye-level for a change. It made her feel a little less fragile in his presence. “Let’s go.”
There was a loud meow from behind her, and she knew Calico was protesting that she was going out for the second night in a row. He was not pleased that she wasn’t sticking to what he thought her schedule should be. “I didn’t know you had a cat!” Ciran said.
“He showed up on my doorstep when he was a kitten, almost completely buried by the snow. I brought him in and warmed him up, and he’s never left. His name is Calico.”
“How old is he?”
“About seven and a half? I got him right after I moved in here.”
“How did your father feel about you moving out?”
She laughed. “How do you think he felt? He thought I should spend the rest of my life living under his thumb. He said I could move out when I found a man to marry who met his approval. I told him that it would never happen, so I was buying the little house I found.”
“I would have liked to have been a fly on the wall for that conversation.” He led her to the street, past his car. “It’s only a few blocks. I figured we could walk if you’re up for it.”
“I would love to. I don’t get nearly as much exercise as I used to, and if I’m going to keep eating tacos as I have been . . .”
He laughed softly. “Maybe I should quit plying you with them. I always heard that to make a girl truly happy, you just needed to give her tacos and chocolate.”
“You didn’t always hear tacos. You may have heard chocolate, but not tacos.”
“Well, that’s probably true. Who can remember what all I’ve heard?” He winked at her as they walked down the street. Tourists were all over, most of them wearing bathing suits. Most of them should have been much more covered than they were, but everyone in Quinn Valley was used to half-naked tourists who should have felt a little more shame than they did for letting it all hang out.
“How goes the taco business?” she asked. She found she was very interested in what he did, because she wanted him to succeed. She wanted it for his business, but more importantly, she wanted it so he would stick around. Forever.
“It’s going really well so far. I thought I might have to see if I could talk to Wade Weston to see if I could drive my truck onto River’s End Ranch, but I think I’ll have enough business here.”
“Do you think he’d have let you?”
Ciran shrugged. “I have no idea. They do get slammed at Kelsey’s Kafe pretty often, so I’d think they wouldn’t mind if I drove down near the lake with my truck, but I never had to ask. Thank goodness. It would have been hard to swallow my pride that much. Maybe in winter, I’ll need to, but I think I’m going to be making the bulk of my profit during tourist season here. So between Memorial Day and Labor Day.”
“Well, I hope you don’t ever have to venture over there to get enough business. I think this town will keep you pretty darn occupied. Riston doesn’t deserve your tacos.” She winked at him, and he laughed. Riston and Quinn Valley had a good-natured rivalry that had gone on for years. They were part of the same school district, though, so they became one in the end.
He held the door of Valley Pizza open for her, and they went inside. There were only four tables, but it was almost always enough because most people picked up their pizzas and took them outside to one of the picnic tables all over town, or they took them home. “Wanna eat here?”
She shrugged. “Here’s fine. Outside’s fine. We could even take it back to my house.”
“Oh, that sounds good. Do you think Calico would mind if we ate there?”
“Not at all. He seems to be a fan of pizza. If we sneak him a little bit, he’d be a happy camper.”
They walked to the counter and put their order in. She was surprised when he even remembered how she liked her pizza. They got drinks as well and sat sipping at them while their pizzas were made.
Many of the locals preferred to eat at the hotel, so different people would pop in and talk to her and move on. He shook his head after ten minutes of that. “I forget just how small this town is. Everyone knows you, and you know everyone else.”
“I even know half the tourists because they’re staying at the hotel! Or they think they know me because of my resemblance to Raina. She’s massaged them all, and they see me and assume I’m her.”
“You’re six inches taller than Raina!”
“Yeah, but they see her in the dark while lying on a table. What difference does it make how tall she is?” Roxane knew it was weird, but people had mistaken them so many times over the years that she thought nothing of it any longer.
Roxane’s cousin, Ryder, came in then. “Hey, you!” she said to him. “Did your mom let you out of the kitchen for a minute?”
“Don’t tell her, but I’m taking a whole night off for pizza and some alone time.” Ryder was the manager of Flynn’s, the local pub. With them being down a chef, he was having a hard time getting away from work, even for a minute.
The guy at the counter—the brother of one of the women in her housekeeping staff—called his name. He looked at Ciran with wide eyes. “They still almost whisper your name at the high school. You were the best quarterback our school has ever seen!”
Roxie grinned. “He replaced my brother, and he was the second-best quarterback the school has ever seen. I’m surrounded by them!”
“Well, I’m second-string quarterback this year. I hope that I can do half of what you did for the school.” The hero worship was very obvious in the guy’s voice.
“Is old man Grady still the coach of the team?” Ciran asked.
The kid shook his head. “Nah, he had a stroke last year, and he had to retire. We have some new guy. I haven’t gotten to meet him yet. Would you like to help out? Maybe be the assistant coach or something?”
Ciran shook his head. “Nah, not right now. Maybe someday, but I’m building a business at the moment.” And he wanted to spend every spare minute with Roxane. He didn’t want to tell the kid that, though.
“That’s too bad. Well, if you ever want to give me pointers to help out your alma mater, you know where to find me.” The kid half-waved and half-saluted as Ciran took the pizza, and he and Roxane walked toward the door. “It’s weird to be a football hero here still. I wonder how he knew I was the same guy.”
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br /> “It’s not like you have the most common name in the world . . .” Roxane grinned at him as they walked back toward her house. “I’m glad we walked. I need to be moving around more. I was more mobile before I took this promotion.”
“Who took your place at your old job?” he asked.
“Her name is either Rachel or Hannah. I can never remember which. I know the names aren’t even similar, but for some reason, I get them confused.”
“Well, you’re going to have to figure out her name eventually.”
“Oh, I will. I just met her recently, though.” Roxie shrugged. “I’m usually really good with names. I don’t know why I have a block where she’s concerned.”
“Do you want to maybe watch a movie at your place tonight?”
“I’d be happy to. Do you have anything special in mind?”
“Nah. I’ll even let you pick. Just thought it would be nice to sit on your couch with you, with all the windows open, so a nice breeze is coming through, and we can cuddle underneath a blanket together. You know . . . cuddle, not coddle.”
“Are we still stuck on that?” she asked, a grin lighting up her face. They’d had so many special jokes with each other over the years, and their constant teasing seemed to be coming back. She almost felt as if he had never left. But she was stronger and wiser, so maybe it was for the best that he had. She opened her front door, and he carried the pizza and his drink inside, setting them on her kitchen counter.
“Are we eating at the table or in front of the television?”
“Let’s eat at the table like grownups, and we can watch a movie after.”
“Sounds good to me.” He waited as she got out plates, thinking that he would have just skipped them, but he knew they would make her happy. What was it about women and plates? Pizza was fine just held in your hand!
After the meal, she found a movie neither of them had seen on Netflix, and they snuggled under a blanket together. He had his arm around her shoulders, and she was leaning heavily against him. It felt right.
Halfway through the movie, her phone rang, and she glanced at the display. Renae. “It’s my sister Renae. If I don’t answer, she’ll drive over here.”
Taco-Truck Tryst (Quinn Valley Ranch Book 1) Page 5