“Excuse me, Tyler.” Jace set down two plates of food between Georgie and Tyler. “Four,” he called. “Georgie, could I see you for a minute?”
She glanced at him. “Give me a minute.” She placed a cup of dressing on the salad plate and finished with the potato toppings. “Tyler, tomorrow isn’t good for me, but I have Wednesday off.”
“I work my other job on Wednesday and Thursday. Friday?”
“I promised Faye I’d go to Edmonds with her on Friday morning, and then I work.”
Tyler looked down.
“We’ll have to figure something out,” Georgie offered. “A late movie or something.”
Tyler’s brow rose, and he looked hopeful again. “Yeah, sure.”
“I’ll check my schedule.” She gave him an encouraging look.
“Okay.”
Reuben joined them to remove the prime rib from the oven. “Tyler, take your break in the back or outside. Sardines are not on the menu.”
“Yes, sir. Sorry, sir.” Tyler grimaced at Georgie and removed himself from the front.
With Reuben busy with the prime, Georgie looked over at Jace. He peeked over his shoulder at her from where the halibut sizzled on the grill.
What? She mouthed at him.
He hesitated, glancing at Reuben, then motioned to the walk-in fridge. He called Haru to come take over the halibut for a few minutes and made sure he saw the order. Then he walked into the fridge.
“Georgie, I need sides with these prime,” Reuben said.
“Of course.” She went to work and arranged the plates, which would wait for the other two entrees on the order.
She glanced at the bread ovens. “We need more loaves.” No lie. She wiped her hands again and hurried to the fridge.
She entered and closed the door behind her. When she turned, she found Jace contemplating a glass container of aioli. He set it back on the shelf and searched another shelf. She felt compelled to whisper, but loudly. “What couldn’t wait until my break?”
He spoke quietly, not looking at her. “I needed you to understand something, and it seemed a little more urgent at the time than it does now.”
She wrinkled her brow. “What?”
Apparently unable to find what he was looking for, he turned to her. “When I asked you to help me with the new menu items, I meant I needed you to . . .”
“Yes?” She glanced behind her, inexplicably nervous about somebody coming in while she stood in the walk-in with Jace.
He scratched his head. “Well, it means a lot of time. A lot of brainstorming, a lot of searching ingredients, a lot of going to restaurants and trying to get . . . inspired. And cooking. Lots of cooking. I just wanted to make sure you understood that before the dishwasher guy—”
“Tyler.”
“Yeah, Tyler—scored a date with you.”
“Scored a date with me?”
“Yeah, but it sounds like it won’t be a problem after all. At least not this week, so—”
“At least not this week?” She folded her arms. “Will it be a problem next week?”
He blinked. “No. No, I guess not.” He paused, then asked, “Are you dating this guy?”
She opened her mouth to answer, but Jace put his hands up. “Sorry. That’s not my business.” He closed his eyes and shook his head at himself. “Look, this is all coming out kind of weird.”
“We’re in a refrigerator. It’s already weird. And Tyler isn’t scoring a date with me. He’s already taken me out once. We’re friends, if you must know, sort of. I’m not dating anybody.”
He watched her a moment. “I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” A corner of her mouth lifted. “Weirdo.” As soon as she said it, she wished she hadn’t. It had just come out naturally. Ian had put an end to any kind of playful banter. He didn’t like it.
Jace covered a laugh. “I just wanted to give you a heads up about this week without making it awkward out there in front of Tyler. Or Reuben.”
He hadn’t even flinched at her teasing. Georgie relaxed a bit. “And you couldn’t tell me this out there once Reuben was gone or Tyler had moved to the back or I was on my break because . . . ?”
He set his hands at his hips and studied her again. She lifted her chin, not wanting to appear to be trembling, whether or not she was.
His voice came out more calmly. “I told you. Because I didn’t want it to be awkward.”
She swallowed. “Too late.”
“And because I like your idea. Something local. Something sweet.”
She saw a glint in his eye, but he was somehow calming her. “That still doesn’t expl—”
“I guess I’m impatient to get started. You said you had something tomorrow morning?”
“Kind of.” She hesitated, not wanting to tell him she had a therapy session. “But it’s not until two.”
He paused. “So you lied.” He was teasing, but it riled her. “You lied to that poor boy.”
“I didn’t know when a matinee would start, and I guessed it would interfere with my appointment.”
He nodded, that infuriating glint still in his eye. “Can we meet tomorrow morning, early?”
She growled. “Yes.”
He grinned. “My place or yours? You choose.”
She’d already agreed to help him. She still didn’t know what good she’d be, but she’d never seen him like this. And she had to admit, she was intrigued. “My aunts’ place. Eight o’clock.”
He nodded and smiled. “Great. Now get back to work. We need bread.”
He reached for the door behind her and opened it as she moved to the bread shelf. The door closed behind him. She picked up a loaf and looked at it. “What just happened?” she asked it.
No response.
Dumb bread.
Chapter 11
Jace watched John and Rhea out of the corner of his eye. He scraped the grill down but listened to her laugh. John held the flower behind his back, waiting for the right moment to give it to Rhea.
“C’mon,” Jace whispered. “Now.”
Georgie kept sneaking glances too, taking more time with the broom than usual.
Finally, John held the flower out in front of Rhea. Her eyes grew large, and she stopped laughing.
“There’s a play. I hear it’s good. I was wondering if you’d want to come with me. We could grab dinner. Maybe.”
Jace felt a tug on his arm and looked down. Georgie gripped his rolled-up sleeve as she watched them. Jace held very still, watching Georgie’s face. She wasn’t grinning or hopping up and down like some girls would. She appeared truly concerned. He turned back to John.
Rhea’s eyes went to the flower, then back up to John. She broke out in the widest smile Jace had ever seen on her face. “I’d like that,” she said. He saw the relief in John’s shoulders as Rhea took the flower and gave him a hug.
Jace looked down at Georgie’s fingers as she let go of his shirt. He detected a smile on her lips as she went back to sweeping.
She’d touched him. Kinda. That was good, right? It showed some form of trust, even after his crazy-talk in the walk-in. Or . . . she was just excited to watch John ask Rhea out, with the flower and all. But she wouldn’t have done that to someone she was scared of. He’d take it.
Before John and Rhea left, John gave Jace a thumbs-up, then he and Rhea ducked out into the rain.
Jace took the laundry back to the washing machine and passed Tyler, who still had a large stack of dishes and glasses. “You doing all right?” he asked.
Tyler nodded.
“It’ll go faster as you get used to things. Music helps. You get in a rhythm. We usually turn some on back here, but the sprayer’s loud. The guy before you usually had his earbuds in.”
“I wasn’t sure that was allowed.”
“For the dishwasher? You bet.”
“Good to know. Thanks.”
Jace continued to the washing machine. Half an hour later, Tyler had the last load
of dishes running and Georgie was almost done mopping.
“Okay, Tyler, you can go.” Jace flipped off lights in the front. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Thanks.” He tugged off his apron. “I’ve got to wait for my sister to pick me up. Not enough cars.”
“I’ll give you a ride, Tyler,” Georgie said as she returned the mop to its bucket.
“Megan’s already on her way. But thanks for the offer.”
Georgie leaned on the mop handle. “How was your first day?”
Tyler shrugged. “Great. About what I expected.”
A car beeped outside.
“There’s my ride. Check your schedule about that movie.” He opened the door.
She smiled. “I will. Tell Megan hi.”
“I will.” He ran out into the rain.
Georgie wheeled the mop bucket back to the utility sink. “Well, that was pretty great,” she said.
Jace wasn’t sure what she was referring to. He helped her lift the bucket and drain the water. “That he got a ride from his sister?”
She rolled her eyes at him. “No. John and Rhea.”
“Oh, right. Yeah, that was pretty great.” She wasn’t referring to Tyler at all. “You were right about the flower.”
She gave him a satisfied sort of look and removed her apron.
He switched off the light in the utility closet. “Do you have an umbrella? It’s pouring out there.”
Thunder rumbled, and both of them looked toward the door.
“Do you think we could see the lightning?” she asked. She grabbed her jacket and pushed right out the door.
Of course he followed her. She stood on the landing just outside the door, looking out over the sky, getting soaked. Sure enough, lightning flashed, and he watched her lips move as she silently counted. One-one thousand, two-one thousand, three, four, five—
Thunder rumbled, and then she grinned. Lightning flashed again, closer, and she gasped. It was just a little sound next to the thunder that followed. Another flash lit the whole sky, heavy with clouds, and again she counted. One-one thousand, two-one thousand, three—
The rumble shook through Jace.
“That was huge,” she said. “I haven’t seen one of these since before the accident.”
“What accident?”
She looked up at him, blinking in the rain. Her smile had disappeared, and she rubbed her forehead. She just shook her head. Then another stab of lightning flashed, and she watched, the grin coming back. She pulled her arms around herself, though, and shivered. He opened his jacket and raised his arm over her head to try to shelter her.
She lifted her hand. “No, it’s okay. Let the rain fall.”
He lowered his arm, studying her. What accident? Why wouldn’t she tell him? Was that why she had come here?
The storm and the lightning drifted farther away, and the rain slowed to a drizzle.
Finally she said, “I used to be afraid of that. When I was little. My dad said it was the only thing that scared me.”
“But not anymore.”
She shook her head, still watching the storm move away. “Not anymore.” She bit her lip. “Now everything else does.”
He frowned. She turned and looked up at him. Then she shrugged.
He had to ask. “Are you still afraid of me? Because you don’t have to help me with the menu. I ca—”
“I want to help.”
She hadn’t answered his question. But maybe he didn’t want to hear the answer.
“Okay, but you tell me if it gets too crazy, okay?”
She nodded. “Speaking of crazy, you’re soaked.”
He broke out into a smile. “Yeah. Somebody wanted to stand in a downpour and watch lightning.”
“Didn’t you?” she asked.
After another moment, he nodded. “Yeah.”
She pulled her keys out of her jacket pocket.
“I still need to lock everything up,” he said lamely.
She nodded. “I’ll see you in the morning, then.”
He nodded and watched her walk to her car and drive away.
After asking her to help him and talking to her like a maniac in the walk-in . . . and the Tyler thing—whatever that was . . . and just now watching her watch the lightning like a kid . . .
The less he knew about her, the more he wanted to know. Just . . . like a friend.
* * *
Georgie answered the knock at the door, wearing jeans, a hoodie, and bigfoot slippers. A gift from Tru. Comfy and warm. Jace stood holding his motorcycle helmet, looking like he’d been up for a while already.
“Oh, good,” she deadpanned. “You’re a morning person.” Maybe that wasn’t the right thing to say.
It didn’t seem to faze him. “I had this idea so I need to take you somewhere. Won’t take long, not even an hour, and we’ll come right back.”
She slowly processed what he’d said. “Somewhere?”
“On the island. I’ll explain on the way. If you’ll come.” He looked at her hopefully.
“I’m going to need more info than that,” she said. “Don’t take it personally.”
He gave her a nod. “Okay. We’re going berry picking.” His brow lifted.
“Berry . . . picking?”
“Yup. Kinda.”
She considered berry picking with Jace Lowe on the island. At eight in the morning. On a Tuesday. In April.
She shuffled out the door. “Okay. But let me text Faye so she won’t worry.”
“Are you going to wear those?” he asked, looking at her Sasquatch feet.
She turned right back around and kicked her slippers off into the entry, then pushed her feet into a pair of nearby gardening boots and shut the door behind her.
“Better?” she asked.
He chuckled.
She wrote the text as they walked. Then she looked up. Jace had straddled his bike, his helmet was on, and he was holding another helmet out to her. She looked at the bike. Black with blue shiny parts. A small soft-side cooler was strapped to the rear.
“Wait, we’re going on your motorcycle?”
“Yeah. It’s not far, and I thought . . .” He paused and pulled his helmet off again. “If it’s a problem, we can—” He glanced over to her car but looked away quickly. “Crap. I should have asked.”
“No, it’s okay. I actually like motorcycles. I just don’t like jerks who think riding them makes them bigger men.” Whoa. She’d just blurted that right out.
His eyes widened, and he sat down on the seat. “Wow.”
She could feel her face turning to a full flush. She breathed out unsteadily and shook her head. “I didn’t mean that.”
“It really sounded like you meant it.”
“No, I just—” She reached for the second helmet in his hand and pulled it out of his grip. She brushed her hair back with her hand and shoved the helmet down on her head. “I just knew a jerk once.” She lifted her leg over the back section of the seat, sat, and waited.
He looked back at her, incredulous.
She lifted her shoulders. “Don’t mind me. I’m a basket case. Come on. Let’s go pick berries on your motorcycle. In April.”
He shook his head. “We get off the motorcycle, then we pick the berries. You are a basket case.” He put his helmet on, then started the bike.
The engine growled, and despite the turn of her gut from opening her big mouth, her heart leapt in an I’m alive kind of way she couldn’t help appreciating. He turned up the driveway, then revved the engine a couple of times.
He hadn’t gotten angry at her slip. He’d made a joke.
“For the record,” he called back above the noise, “driving this motorcycle? It keeps me humble.” He checked for traffic. “Hang on.”
Feeling like a jerk herself, she rested her feet on her own set of foot pegs and did as he asked. As they smoothly launched onto the main road, she both hated and loved the excuse to grip his waist. Hated because she’d just stuck her foot in her mou
th and wanted to retreat. Because she wasn’t ready to touch like this, to be this close to anyone, really. But loved because his waist was just there, beneath his shirt, above his jeans, and felt real beneath her hands. Just real. Somehow that was important. Somehow she’d placed her hands on his waist and hung on.
They drove the main road around the island for a few miles. This morning the sky was clear blue. Everything sparkled after the storm from the night before.
When Jace slowed to turn, Georgie spoke loud enough for him to hear. “I’m sorry about what I said.”
He reached and patted her hand firmly, then made the turn.
Georgie breathed a sigh of relief, surprised at how much she needed that simple gesture.
He followed a narrow road toward the center of the island, past a few homes tucked farther and farther back in the trees. After a dip, he pulled onto a turnout and parked.
“Are those . . . ?”
“Blackberry bushes,” he said. He put down the kickstand and took off his helmet.
Georgie did the same and got off the back of the bike. Like dense, tall hedges, blackberry bushes lined the road, barely budding with green leaves along the weeping canes. The bushes continued up the road as far as she could see.
“Well, they’re prolific,” she said. “But they don’t have any berries on them.” She gave Jace a questioning look.
“You are correct. Berries won’t come on until July.”
She arched her eyebrow. “So . . . how are we going to pick them?”
Jace shook his head. “We aren’t. Yet. But I woke up at four this morning thinking about local and sweet, and it occurred to me that blackberries grow all over the island. Just like this. Along the roads, edging the fields.”
She nodded, thinking now. “The coconut shrimp. With blackberry sauce?”
“Too sweet.” He dismounted the bike and joined her. They stood in front of the tangled branches, and he rubbed his neck. “We’ve got to lose the coconut. I’ll use a crispy panko crust for the shrimp. But, yeah, a blackberry sauce. It’s local, it’s fresh, and I’m not sure I’ve seen one yet. When the berries do come on, we can pick local for the season and play that up. Maybe even bottle our own sauce for the off-season.”
“Wow. That’s kind of genius. And what about the zing?”
He looked at her. “Not sure about the zing yet. People like the garlic because of the kick. But we can start with this. What do you think?”
Kisses in the Rain Page 14