Baby, Don't Go

Porter nodded. “I agree. Especially since their first wedding had to be held down by the creek after the tornado. Did you know the town gave them wedding rings?”

“It was the least the town council could do,” Kendall said. “Who knows how many lives Emory saved when he sounded that alarm.”

“You should let Rachel know about the ceremony,” Marcus added. “It sounds like the kind of thing she’d make a big deal over, get the whole town involved.”

“While we’re on the subject, when are you going to get that Homecoming banner hung across Main Street?” Kendall asked.

“Soon,” Marcus said. “I think things here are under control enough for me to leave the new manager in charge.”

“Molly will hate to hear that,” Porter said with a smirk.

“Speak of the devil,” Kendall murmured.

Marcus looked up to see Colonel Molly walk in. She gave them a smug smile as she hefted her considerable girth onto the stool next to Kendall.

“Good morning, boys.”

“Good morning,” they chorused.

“So, jarhead, how’s your new manager working out?” Molly asked Marcus, nodding toward Alicia.

He turned to look at Alicia to make sure she wasn’t on fire. She wasn’t, but she was still working those short shorts. He turned back. “Fine,” he said with more bravado than he felt. “She has a lot of experience running a restaurant.”

“You don’t say?” Molly asked mildly.

“And she has a lot of ideas to improve profitability,” he lied.

Molly nodded, although she still looked unconvinced. “Good for you.”

“Yes, good for me,” he said, crossing his arms. But his bluster was shattered by a familiar whooshing noise behind him.

“Fire!” Alicia shouted.

He was jolted as she backed into him. He acknowledged a disturbing twinge from the contact before bumping into a stack of glasses on the counter that fell to the floor in a deafening crash. Flames encompassed the grill. He set Alicia aside and reached for one of the three fire extinguishers lined up under the counter. After stepping over the pile of glass, he pulled the key from the extinguisher, and foamed the fire until it was out.

He grunted, then turned a frustrated glare toward Alicia. “What happened?”

She gave him a sheepish shrug.

He took one step toward her, not sure what he would do when he got there, and his feet flew out from under him. He landed on his back on the hard tile floor, the wind knocked out of him. When he opened his eyes, Alicia peered down, along with Porter, Kendall and Molly, who had all stretched over the counter.

“Are you okay?” Alicia asked, her dark eyes wide and innocent.

He wanted to answer, but his lungs had compressed. Plus he had the insane urge to pull her down on top of him.

“Yes, I can see your new manager has everything under control,” Molly said, her expression gloating.

In his head, Marcus unleashed a string of curses. Alicia Waters had caused him nothing but grief since he set eyes on her. He opened his mouth and dragged in a painful breath. “Everybody out,” he announced where he lay. “We’re closed for the day.”

He and his new manager needed to have a little one-on-one training time.

9

Alicia watched as Marcus shepherded the waitresses toward the door. “Thanks for cleaning up. We’ll reopen Monday morning. Don’t forget to spread the word about the cook’s position.” He closed the door behind them and turned the dead bolt.

The clicking noise sent a little thrill through her chest—being locked in with Marcus Armstrong would be a great opportunity to pick his chauvinistic brain.

As far as feeling a little light-headed, she attributed it to not having had anything to eat. The smell of all the fried food on top of an empty stomach was making her queasy.

With his back to her, Marcus put his hands on his hips and heaved a huge sigh. Alicia frowned. It wasn’t as if the man had people lining up to cook for him—he should be grateful she’d work in his dinky little diner!

He finally turned to look at her, then pulled his hand down his face.

She glared. “If you’re going to fire me, then do it.”

He settled his blue-eyed gaze on her and walked closer. “I can’t—” He stopped. “I mean, I’m not going to fire you. It’s my fault for expecting you to just walk in and know what you’re doing.”

Alicia crossed her arms. “Is that supposed to be some kind of back-handed apology?”

He straightened. “No.” Then pain flashed across his face and he gasped, putting his hand to his back.

Contrite for setting off the events that led to his fall, she hurried toward him. “Are you okay?”

He held up his hand, as if she were a contagion. “Just a pulled muscle. I’ll live.”

She winced. “Sorry.”

He didn’t look to be in a forgiving mood. “Forget it. Let’s just go over some things so Monday we can get through a full day of business with no mishaps. The Department of Energy rep will be here any day for another inspection, and the diner needs to be ready.” His brows furrowed. “In other words, not burned to the ground.”

A sharp retort was on the tip of her tongue, but she held it, reminding herself to act as if she wanted this job. So she simply inclined her head in concession, although the gesture sent her blood pressure skyrocketing.

“Chances are,” he continued, “my brothers or I will be with the inspector, but in case he stops by on his own, you should know what to expect.”

“What will the representative be looking for?”

“Mostly, how we’re composting our leftover food and handling the recycling of our grease.”

She made a face. “Okay.”

“Follow me.” He lifted a stainless steel bucket of grease from the side of the grill by its handle, then with his other hand, rolled a large trash container marked “Food Only—No Meat” toward the rear door.

“I can get one of those,” she offered, but he acted as if he hadn’t heard her.

She pursed her mouth. If the man with the gimpy back wanted to go all Southern macho on her, then she’d let him. She smirked as he wrestled with the door while trying to manage the two containers. From his jerky body language, it seemed as if his mood was rapidly eroding. She followed him outside, at a distance.