Page 71 of Need You
“Yeah, it sort of is. Except for hanging out with his brothers, Jack, and Boden—because they both like craft beer—Colt’s a lone wolf.” Hannah reached for a fry. “And other than Carrie Jo, who’s like his sister, he doesn’t get involved with the women of Glory Junction. Not that the single women around here don’t throw themselves at him. Rachel Johnson has been after him for a year and the woman’s a major catch.”
“The owner of Tart Me Up?” They all nodded. Delaney hadn’t known that Rachel was interested in Colt, but of course she would be. Look at him. “I don’t know what to tell you.” She gazed over at Win to keep from having to look Hannah in the eye.
Boden came to take their orders and Delaney noticed that he paid special attention to Deb, even taking the chair next to hers so he could tell her about the specials. Deb was too busy watching Win to notice. They resumed their conversation about the missing boy and Boden added what he’d heard.
“The dogs lost his scent at the river and searchers feared he’d drowned. But Colt was able to track him into the forest. He found him curled up in a ball, crying. The mayor’s holding a big press conference in time for the six o’clock news. Bet you didn’t see that coming,” he mocked.
“How’d you hear all this?” Deb asked, impressed. “It wasn’t in the paper this morning.”
“I saw Gray over at Tart Me Up. He’s on Search and Rescue and told me what happened. Colt’s been at the hospital with the kid’s parents.”
“The boy’s okay, isn’t he?” Delaney asked.
“That’s what I heard, thank God.” Boden got up. “I’ll get this stuff out to you as soon as I can.”
As soon as he was out of earshot, Foster told Deb, “Boden’s hot. You ought to focus on him, instead of Win.”
So, Delaney hadn’t been the only one to notice Boden’s interest.
“Win’s dead to me.” Deb dipped a fry in the catsup, sucked on the tip, and followed Boden with her eyes as he called out their order to the kitchen. “He is kind of hot, isn’t he?”
“This just in?” Hannah also turned to take a second look. “Haven’t you noticed the female clientele shoving their boobs in his face?”
“It’s nice to know that the Garner brothers have some competition,” Deb said. “I for one am sick of them.... Well, not Colt. Colt’s the good brother.”
“Hey, Josh is a good brother,” Hannah insisted.
Conversation evolved into the End-of-Summer events and, of course, the kayak races. Delaney asked if any of them were going to Colt’s show. They all said yes, and she made plans to sit with them. She wanted to ask more about Lisa but didn’t want to be obvious about her interest in Colt’s past. They were already on to the fact that she and Colt spent time together; no need to stoke the gossip fires.
It was a nice lunch and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so comfortable with a group of people. In LA, most of her lunches had been to network and wheel and deal. The fashion industry was filled with ambitious phonies and cutthroats. She didn’t miss that part of the business. Here, people were more laid back and genuine.
After they finished eating, Deb made plans to come over that evening and get her measurements taken. Delaney started for home, first stopping at Tart Me Up to pick up bread and a few pastries to have on hand. At least that was the excuse she gave herself. In all the times visiting the bakery, she hadn’t paid much attention to its proprietor. Rachel Johnson seemed to spend most of her time in the back, baking, while her staff worked the counter.
Today, though, Rachel worked the cash register and graced Delaney with a big smile. She really was lovely. Blond, big brown eyes, and flawless skin. Delaney wanted to hate her but the baker exuded such warmth that she made it impossible.
“Hi, Delaney. What can I get you?”
Delaney didn’t think they’d said two words to each other, yet Rachel greeted her like she was a regular.
“How about the Dutch crunch and an assortment of turnovers.”
“Sure thing.” Rachel put the bread in a bag and grabbed a pink box for the Danish. “How’s it going?”
Delaney sighed. “I’ve been dabbling with designing adventure wear.”
“What a great idea. A Glory Junction line for the adventurer in all of us.” Rachel waved her hand in the air. “Don’t mind me. I’m taking a marketing class at the junior college. Back in the old days I used to wear some of your suits. Loved them.”
“The old days?”
“Yup. I was lead counsel for Del Monte in San Francisco.”
“The food company?” Delaney had no idea.
“Uh-huh. I traded it in for this.” Rachel waved her hand around the bakery. “Best move I ever made.”
“Impressive.” Delaney thought the baker certainly appeared happy. Even covered in flour and pastry cream, she seemed so positive, so comfortable in her own skin. Good for her.
Rachel rang Delaney up and handed her the pink box and bread. “Good luck with the adventure line. Can’t wait to see it in stores.”
