Page 96 of Long Shot

“Another busy night.” He follows me down the hall.

“No kidding! I’m surprised there aren’t dollar signs on your eyeballs,” I tease.

“Ha-ha. Believe me, doing the books is a lot more fun now than it was a few months ago.”

“Even with my expensive cheese and fancy salts?” I grab my purse and come to stand in front of him, smiling.

“Yeah.” He kisses my mouth softly. “Even with all the crazy shit you buy.”

“Told you.”

“Yes. Yes, you did. Let’s go.”

We leave through the back door and climb into his SUV.

“What’s wrong?”

“Huh?” I blink at him.

“You’re twisting your shirt. You do that when you’re nervous. Although I haven’t noticed you doing it as much lately.”

I look down at the hem of my white shirt between my fingers. “Oh.”

“Something bothering you?”

“Well, there is something I need to talk to you about.”

After a beat of silence, he says quietly, “That’s never a good thing.”

“Well. It might not be . . . bad.”

“That doesn’t sound promising, either.”

I bite my lip.

When we’ve greeted Jack, let him out to pee in the yard, and given him more attention, I finally turn to Cade. “Let’s sit down.”

“Another bad sign.” He shoves a hand into his shaggy hair. “But sure.”

We move to the couch and sit side by side, but I shift, curling one leg under me so I can face him. “Okay.” I take a breath. “Graham came to the restaurant the other night because he wanted to check out my food. And he wanted to talk to me.”

Cade’s face tightens. “Uh-huh.”

“He offered me a job,” I say in a rush, because clearly he’s thinking other things. “It was business.”

Cade stares at me. “A job.”

“Yes.” I dip my chin up and down quickly. “He’s opening a new restaurant in Santa Monica.” I tell him about it and the job offer. “I can’t believe he wants me for the job,” I finish. “Isn’t that . . . amazing?”

“Amazing. Sure.” I can’t read the expression on his face. This is the Cade I got to know when I first started at Conquistadors. Impassive. Inscrutable. Totally in control. My insides constrict even more, along with my lungs.

“Sounds like a fantastic opportunity.”

“I know.” I bite my lip.

“Are you going to take it?”

I gaze at him. I start shaking inside. “I don’t know.”

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