Page 25 of Long Shot

She sets a basket of chips and a bowl of guacamole on a table, smiling at the four guests there. “Enjoy!”

As if she senses my presence and my gaze, she turns and looks right at me. Our gazes lock for a few sizzling seconds. Then she smiles and heads to the kitchen.

I follow her.

“I need to try the new guac,” I say to Sid. “I hear it’s great.”

Sid keeps his head down. “It is. I mean, thanks.”

I grab a chip—another freshly made one—and scoop up some of the green dip. I crunch, swallow, and my eyes widen. “Damn, that’s good.” I slap a hand on Sid’s shoulder. “Great job, Sid.”

I try not to watch Reese as she picks up an order. The dress she’s wearing today is entirely modest, long-sleeved with a round neckline, but it hugs every curve on her body, ending a few inches above her knees. Christ, she has amazing legs. My gaze roams down her toned thighs, slender calves and ankles, then back up, landing on her ass when she turns to carry the tray out.

A hand cuffs the back of my head, startling me. I jump and glare at Beck. “What the fuck, man?”

Beck gives me a warning look, head tilted, eyes narrowed.

Busted.

7

REESE

“Don’t take this the wrong way.” Carrie eyes me from across the table at The Good Egg Sunday morning, holding a cup of coffee in both hands. “But you don’t really seem like a waitress.”

I blink at her, then force a scant laugh. “What does that mean? Iama waitress.”

“I know you are, and you’re a good one. I just mean . . . you seem . . . I don’t know.” Carrie grimaces. “You seem as though you like to be in charge of things. You’re obviously good at what you do, and you work hard . . . not that the other servers don’t, but for them it’s just a job. You know?”

I actually do know.

“You’re organized and on top of things, and you have great ideas for how to make things better,” Hayden adds.

“That’s my years of experience,” I say lightly.

“And you totally just took over planning the paint night,” Carrie says.

My mouth drops open. “Oh, God . . . I am so sorry.”

“Don’t apologize! We needed someone to take charge. Hayden’s smart and all but she’s a little scatterbrained when it comes to anything but her research.”

“Hey! Scatterbrained?” Hayden pouts. “Okay, maybe I am.”

“And I am, too, sometimes,” Carrie continues. “I’ve learned a lot from starting up G Gallery, but I amnota business person.”

“Really, I don’t want to take over . . . ” I hate the thought that I might have offended Carrie and Hayden.

“No, it’s all good,” Hayden assures me. “You kept us focused and now we have a plan and we all know what we’re responsible for. It’s like you’re a project manager or something.”

“Well, that doesn’t sound quite so bad.” I make a face. “Please tell me if I overstep. This was your idea.”

Carrie leans in. “It feels good to have things all laid out.”

“I can do up a spreadsheet,” I offer.

Carrie points at me. “See, that’s what I’m talking about. So you can’t tell me waitressing is your career goal.”

“Okay, it’s not what I want to do for the rest of my life,” I admit, knowing there’s no point in dissembling with these women. “I’m just not sure what my future holds right now.”

---