Just A Little Taste Read online

  When they arrived, Kiera encountered her second “Shit Happens” moment of the day.

  “What is this?” she asked, pointing to the fryer that was half the size of what she’d picked out. “This is supposed to be a two-basket fryer.”

  The salesman huddled behind his monitor and pecked at the keyboard. Kiera knew by the wrinkle that formed on his forehead that she would not like what he had to say.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “Well, the fryer you want is now on backorder.”

  “How long will it take to get here?”

  He pointed at the screen. “This is showing twelve weeks.”

  “What!” She yelled loud enough to turn the heads of several shoppers.

  “Okay, Slim, let’s take it down a notch.” Trey wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her back a few steps. “This isn’t the end of the world.”

  “I don’t have three months to wait on a fryer. I don’t have three weeks!”

  He took her hands and squeezed them between his palms. “How critical is it for you to have a double basket fryer? According to the menu you showed me, you’re going to be doing mostly wraps.”

  “Yes, but some of the ingredients will need to be fried, like the shrimps and oysters for the seafood remoulade wrap. And what about the blueprints you created? They’ve been drawn up with the dimensions of that specific fryer.” She pointed toward the computer monitor. “The one they’re trying to pawn off on me is too small. It’s going to leave a huge gap.”

  “Actually, the one they’re trying to pawn off on you might be perfect. Give me just a sec.”

  He took out his cellphone and brought up a calculator app. After punching in a few numbers, he turned the phone around to face her. “If I install that fryer, it’s going to leave just enough space for you to get the bigger cooler you want, give or take a few inches.”

  Kiera looked at the phone, as if the string of numbers meant anything to her. “Are you sure?” she asked.

  “I’ll probably have to move everything to the right by about an inch or so, but that’s no problem. I’ll change the dimensions in the CAD program when I get back to the Bluebird tonight. I can make this work.”

  “Oh, my God. Trey that would be awesome!”

  “Shhh.” He dipped his head and whispered in her ear. “Don’t get too excited. Pretend you’re still pissed. That way they’ll think you’re doing them a favor when you reluctantly accept that fryer for twenty-percent off in order to make up for their snafu.”

  Kiera had to swallow her laugh. He’d grown up a bit, but he still had some of the old Trey in him.

  By the time the salesman and store manager finished apologizing, Kiera was sure she could get whatever she wanted out of them. She and Trey also picked out the larger cooler that would work perfectly in the space that the smaller fryer would accommodate.

  Back in his truck, Kiera said, “Well, that was pretty damn awesome,” as she secured the seatbelt across her chest.

  “That it was,” Trey agreed. “I should take you shopping with me all the time. You’ve got some sweet negotiating skills.”

  “Comes with the job. Some of my produce suppliers drive a hard bargain.”

  “Ah, the cutthroat world of catering,” Trey said as he turned out of the warehouse’s parking lot.

  “Whatever.” She laughed. “It is cutthroat. It’s also exhausting. It’s a good thing Macy and the other two can handle tonight’s job because I’m dead on my feet.”

  “Yet another reason you should let me cook you dinner tonight.”

  “Haven’t we discussed this already? Having you cook me dinner wouldn’t be very professional.”

  He pulled up to a red light and glanced at her. “There’s such a thing as a business dinner.”

  Kiera barked out another laugh. “I’m supposed to believe you’re inviting me over for a business dinner? I don’t know who you think you’re fooling, Trey Watson, but I know exactly what would happen if I came over to that cute little bus of yours for dinner.”

  Trey closed his eyes. “Tell me what you think would happen, Slim. Talk slow.”

  She slapped his arm. “A lot about you has changed, but you’re still the same in so many ways.”

  He looked over at her and with a smile that was as cocky as it was devastating, said, “In the best ways, sweetheart. I’m still the same in all the best ways.”

  Chapter Five

  Kiera pulled up next to Trey’s quad cab, which he’d parked underneath a tree on the very edge of the industrial park. The driver’s side door was open and a heated discussion between two radio personalities over a bad call in the Saints pre-season football game last night streamed out from the speakers.

  She spent all of last week working on a huge catering job for the Washington Parish School Board, who had hired Catering by Kiera to provide special back-to-school lunches for the faculty and staff at all ten of the parish’s public schools. Even though they’d broken the job up into two schools per day, it had still kept Kiera too busy to check on the food truck’s progress.

  “Trey?” she called as she bypassed sheets of metal stacked a few feet away from her food truck. She walked up to the back of the truck and her mouth fell open.

  “Oh, my God! Are you kidding me?”

  The inside of the truck gleamed with a shiny new aluminum floor and ceiling. Most of the walls were covered in the aluminum as well, with the exception of a small portion on the left side.

  “Hey,” Trey called from deep inside the truck. “Give me just a minute.”

  Using a powered nail gun, he secured the aluminum sheet onto the wall then set the nail gun on the floor. He walked toward the rear of the truck, that ever-present smile on his face.

  “How’s it going, Slim?”

  “Based on what I see here, it’s going fantastic,” Kiera answered. She accepted the hand he held out for her. “I can’t believe how much you’ve gotten done. You’re like a machine.”

  “Once I start a project I just really get into it,” he said. “The electrician finished up with his wiring yesterday and I went to work. I did hire someone to help with the ceiling,” he said. “He’ll be back to help finish off the plumbing, too, once we get the sink in place.”

  “This is truly amazing,” she said, turning around in the center of the truck. Goose bumps traveled along her skin as the realization that her dream was coming true began to sink in. “Who would have thought having Trey Watson back in town would turn out to be a good thing?”

  He put his hand to his chest. “You really know how to flatter a guy, Slim.” He snapped his fingers. “I’m happy you’re here. I ran into a slight problem with the hood.” He pointed to the exhaust vent hood, wrapped in plastic and leaning against the wall.

  “What’s wrong now?” Kiera asked, her shoulders slumping.

  “The adjustments for the new fryer and cooler made the hood a few inches too big for the space. But it’s nothing to get too worked up about. I’ve already found

  someone willing to do a trade. In fact, it’s a guy your buddy Mychal put me in contact with.”

  “Thank goodness for Mychal. That man is constantly saving my butt.”

  “Yeah, he seems like a good guy.” Trey shifted from one foot to the other, and after a pause, asked, “Was there anything…you know…between you two?”

  Kiera’s mouth fell open. “I can’t believe you seriously just asked me that.”

  Trey put his hands up. “Yeah, I know, it’s none of my business. Still, I want to know.”

  “Men,” she said with an aggravated huff. “No, there was never anything between us. We were classmates and really good friends. Mychal happens to be happily married with a baby on the way.”

  “I met his wife while I was working on his truck, but I didn’t know if…well, you know.”

  Her head reared back. “You think I would date a married man?”

  “No! I…” He ran a hand down his face. “I just…I was curious, tha
t’s all.”

  “Again, I never dated Mychal, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been with anyone else since you,” she tacked on.

  She needed him to know that she’d picked up the pieces of the broken heart he’d left her with and moved on. Sort of.

  “As much as I love the thought of being your one and only, I know the men in this town wouldn’t be foolish enough to let a girl like you stay single, Slim.” He reached over and brushed her hair behind her ear. “There’s only one fool I know who would do something like that.”

  Her chest expanded with the deep breath she sucked in as she stared at his mouth. The memory of the kiss they’d shared last week came roaring back, teasing her senses and making her want to finish what they’d started in her kitchen.

  “You should get back to work,” Kiera said, holding on to the last dregs of her self-preservation instincts.

  Trey’s gaze remained on her for several intense moments before he dropped his hand and took a couple of steps back. As he returned to his work, the weight of his words remained. His admission hung in the air, heavy and heart-wrenching.

  She hated him for the way he’d left, without explanation; with nothing more than a curt “this isn’t going to work.” But she still mourned the time they’d missed out on, the memories they could have made over the past fourteen years.

  She had wanted to be his one and only. She’d wanted that more than anything. But he’d carelessly thrown her love away and left her with nothing but what ifs.

  But he was back now, and a new what if had surfaced.

  What if there was still a chance for them?

  The sound of a rumbling car engine knocked Kiera out of her ruminations.

  “There shouldn’t be anyone back here,” she said, walking to the rear of the truck.

  “Oh, great,” Kiera said when she spotted her brother’s car pulling up next to hers. She quickly jumped out of the truck and walked over to him. Mason greeted her with a hug.

  “What are you doing here?” Kiera gestured at his tailored dark-gray suit. “Why aren’t you at work?”

  “I had a meeting with Matthew Gauthier at his office. I stopped at your kitchen to see how things were going on the renovation and Macy told me you were here. Worked out perfectly. You can give me a tour.”

  She saw Mason’s jaw harden and knew he’d spotted Trey. “What in the hell is he doing here?”

  “Hello to you, too, Mason,” came Trey’s cool reply.

  Ignoring Trey’s greeting, her brother pointed to her. “Kiera, what’s going on?”

  “Guess there’s no love for an old classmate,” Trey said before Kiera could speak. He stood along side her; he and Mason eyed each other like two cobras ready to strike.

  “What are you doing here?” Mason asked again.

  “Trey is renovating Kiera’s Kickin’ Kajun,” she explained.

  “This is who you hired to work on the truck?” Her brother asked, hooking a thumb in Trey’s direction. “Why are you even in Maplesville? Isn’t there a bank you should be robbing somewhere?”

  “Mason, stop it,” Kiera said.

  “Never robbed a bank,” Trey remarked. “May have robbed the cradle, but never a bank.”

  Kiera’s eyelids slid shut.

  “Keep talking, asshole,” Mason said, taking a menacing step forward.

  “Enough Mason. You know I’ve been looking high and low for someone to renovate the truck. Trey came highly recommended.”

  “I thought you said you would call the guy Mychal used?”

  “I did,” she said.

  Mason’s mouth fell open. He ran a disgusted gaze from the top of Trey’s head to his feet. “He’s the one who did the work on Mychal’s truck?”

  “That’s right,” Trey said. “The grease monkey turned out to be good for something.”

  Kiera rolled her eyes. The smug look on Trey’s face was not helping the situation at all.

  “Yes, Trey is the one who renovated Mychal’s truck,” she said. “And he came all the way from Houston to work on mine.”

  “I don’t care if you built the damn space shuttle,” Mason said to Trey. “I don’t want you working on this truck, and I sure as hell don’t want you around Kiera.”

  Trey braced his feet apart and folded his arms over his chest. That tight smile still in place, he said, “Well, that’s too bad, because I’m already working on this truck, and because it happens to be Kiera’s truck, I’ll have to be around her a whole lot. I guess you’ll just have to deal with it.”

  “I don’t have to deal with shit,” her brother spat.

  “Oh, that’s right. You’ve never been good at dealing with stuff. After all this time, just look at how pissed off you still are about the fact that I dated your little sister.”

  “I was pissed about you banging my little sister.”

  “Mason!”

  “Yeah, I did that, too,” Trey said. “A lot.”

  “Trey!” Kiera said.

  “I should kick your ass right now,” Mason growled between clenched teeth.

  Kiera wedged herself between them before Mason’s balled fist found its mark. This pissing match between the two of them had gone on long enough—fourteen years too long.

  “If you two don’t stop acting like I’m not even here, I’m going to kick both of your asses,” she said.

  Trey backed off, but her stubborn-as-hell brother didn’t take the hint. He pointed a finger at Trey.

  “Pack up your shit and get out of here. You’re fired,” Mason said. “I’ll hire someone to work on the truck.” He looked over at Kiera. “The place I found in Philadelphia can do it. I’ll hire someone to drive it up there if I have to.”

  “No, Mason. I need the truck done by the end of the month. I don’t have time to have it driven to and from Philadelphia. And even if I did, the answer is still no. This is my truck. It’s my business, and it was my decision to hire Trey.”

  “Oh yeah?” he said. “Well, you wouldn’t have this truck if I hadn’t given you the money for it.”

  Kiera stepped back as if he’d slapped her in the face. And that’s exactly how it felt.

  “I knew it,” she said, her teeth clenched so hard she could barely get the words out.

  “Shit,” Mason cursed.

  “You stepped in it now, bro,” Trey said.

  Mason jabbed a finger at him. “Shut the fuck up.”

  “Why don’t you both shut up,” Kiera said.

  She turned her back on them both and marched toward the row of silver maple trees that defined the property line.

  “Come back here,” her brother ordered, but she continued her march.

  She stopped just before the trees, but refused to turn around even after the sound of his footsteps crunching the leaves stopped.

  “I’m sorry,” Mason said.

  She whipped around. “I knew I never should have taken that money from you. But you don’t have to worry; I’ll pay you back. Every damn penny, interest included.”

  “Kiera, stop it.”

  “No, you stop it!” She got right in his face. “I didn’t want to borrow money from you in the first place. I should have known there would be strings attached.”

  “I’m just trying to protect you.” He captured her shoulders and ducked his head so he could look her in the eyes. “You do remember what happened the last time you let him into your life, right?”

  “I can take care of myself, Mason.” Kiera stared right back at him.

  A muscle twitched in his jaw, but she didn’t care. She would not allow her brother to steamroll his way over everything this time.

  “Fine,” Mason said. “It’s not my call.”

  Trey walked up to them just then.

  Mason shot him a murderous look. “You’d better not touch my sister.”

  Kiera threw her hands in the air. “What did we just discuss?”

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I just…I don’t like him around you.”

  “Mason,
please, just let it go,” she pleaded.

  “Okay,” he said, holding his hands up in mock surrender. He looked over at her, contriteness etched across his features. “I’m so damn sorry about throwing the money in your face, Kiera. Can we pretend that never happened?”

  “How about I accept your apology and we move on?”

  His self-deprecating grin went a long way to assuage Kiera’s irritation. Staying upset with Mason was so hard to do, especially when she thought of everything he’d sacrificed for her.

  “Thank you,” he said. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek before starting for his car.

  “Wait a minute,” Kiera called. “You’re here, don’t you want to see the work that’s been done on the truck?”

  “No. Because if it looks good then I’ll have to compliment that bastard.”

  Kiera clamped a hand around his wrist. “Stop being a big baby. And, please, behave.”

  Mason reluctantly allowed her to tug him to the truck. Even though the air was still fraught with tension, it lessened a bit as Trey explained the work he’d done so far. Her brother grudgingly acknowledged that the truck was shaping up nicely, and when Trey pointed out the change he’d made to the exhaust system, Mason even complimented him.

  “I still can’t stand your ass, but I have to admit you’re doing a good job here.”

  “I love you, too,” Trey drawled.

  Kiera rolled her eyes. She needed aspirin. Or tequila. Or both.

  “Are you still coming over to mom’s for dinner tomorrow?” Kiera asked Mason as she walked with him to his car.

  “I’ll be there,” he answered. “I may be a little late, though. Matt Gauthier is trying to talk me into coming on as a consultant for a review of the state’s tax credit law. We’re meeting at Galatoire’s at five for drinks.”

  “One of the most expensive restaurants in the French Quarter. Nice to see our tax dollars hard at work.”

  “Gotta love Louisiana politics,” Mason said. He gave her another peck on the cheek. “I’ll talk to you later.” He gestured with his chin toward Trey. “You’re still an asshole.”

  “Right back at you, bro,” Trey called.

  Kiera watched her brother leave then walked over to Trey’s truck and plopped her butt against the lowered tailgate.