Page 27 of Long Shot

“Even though Sid seems to be doing better with his new creations, I don’t have a ton of faith in him when it comes to that stuff,” Carrie says. “No offense to Sid. He’s a nice guy.”

I smile and tighten my grip on my coffee mug, still cringing on the inside, maybe a little guilt twisting there.

What do I have to feel guilty about? Okay, it’s a bit deceptive, but it doesn’t matter to Conquistadors who’s actually coming up with the ideas. The important thing is that the food is getting better, and hopefully that will help their business. As long as I don’t let this interfere with my actual waitressing duties, it’s no big deal. I just prefer keeping a low profile right now.

Cade

“Okay, let’s move out!” I call into the kitchen, searching out Sid Monday morning.

Reese appears, dressed in pair of cropped, faded jeans and a black T-shirt that saysDeath Before Decaf. She holds a paper cup with a plastic lid that I guess holds full-test coffee. She frowns at me. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m taking Sid to Food Depot.”

“Why?” Her lips thin. “Where’s Danny?”

“He had to go for a colonoscopy today.”

“Ugh. Jesus. Thanks for sharing that.”

I shrug. “Where’s Sid?”

“He’s running late. Just texted me.”

“Why’d he text you?”

“I, uh, I’m tagging along today.”

I gape at her. “Why?”

She lifts one shoulder. “For fun. I like food.”

I narrow my eyes at her. I don’t doubt this . . . I’ve seen that she likes food. But going to the wholesaler . . . that seems odd.

Her phone buzzes and she pulls it out of her pocket to peer at it. “Oy.” She bites her lip. “Um, looks like Sid’s going to be really late. He can’t get his car started.”

“How late?”

She sets down her mug and sends off a message, then waits for his response. “He’s waiting for a tow truck. Says he’s not sure how long it will be—they told him an hour.”

“I can’t wait around an hour. Besides, we need to get back in time for him to be ready for lunch.”

“Yeah.” Her eyes dart around the bar. “Well, you and I could go. I think I know what he needs.”

I stare at her. “How?”

“I see what he buys. Plus, I’ll text him.”

This is weird, but I don’t know what else to do because I don’t know what to buy. Sure, I see the invoices, and I’ve hung out in the kitchen enough to make some guesses, but I don’t know if we’re out of coffee or ketchup or peanut oil, for Chrissakes. Danny said he gave the inventory lists to Sid. “Okay, fine.”

She gives a quick nod and we headed out to my SUV behind the bar. I turn onto Grand Avenue toward I-5. It’ll probably be about a half-hour drive. Just me and Reese.

She has her head bent, intent on her phone, presumably communicating with Sid about what’s needed. Along with the coffee she brought, I breathe in the scent of spiced vanilla and fruit. Her scent. Jesus. My dick reacts to the enticing smell.

I clear my throat. “You getting all the deets about what we need?”

She jumps and bobs her head. “Yes. It’s all good.”

She continues to stare at her phone, scrolling through whatever the hell she’s looking at.

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