Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88064 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88064 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
15
BRYCE
Tonight the bar is running a special BBQ night, and my brother and I are grilling as though our lives depend on it. We’re always the ones to cook up a storm, but today is something different. Cloud 9 has developed an enviable reputation for food based on excellent quality meat, homemade marinades and a grill that leaves everything smoky and delicious. We’ve tried our hardest to bring the best of Texan flavors to the Australian market and it’s worked. Our latest bestseller is our corn ribs with sriracha mayo and lime. They sell like hotcakes and were even featured in the local newspaper.
Cooper is on the decks playing laid-back music and customers are everywhere, sprawled out on bean bags, hanging in single and double hammocks, and by the bar, swaying to the beat, drinks in hand.
As sweat trickles down the side of my face, I watch Dawn dashing across to serve up overflowing plates to waiting diners. It’s been crazy, and she’s been rushed off her feet, but after the next five orders are fulfilled, it looks like there might be a bit of breathing space for us all.
I mop my brow on a cloth that I keep tucked in my back pocket, and wash my hands, ready to plate the orders of smoky ribs, creamy coleslaw and potato salad.
"Please tell me we’re almost done," Bradley says, his red face mirroring mine. "I need to take a leak, and I’ve been holding it for the past thirty minutes."
"Go now," I say. "I’ll sort this out."
Bradley unties his black apron and tosses it onto the counter, then disappears to the restrooms. Dawn appears, tendrils of damp hair clinging to her forehead and more color on her cheeks than I’ve ever seen.
"Last ones," I say as she swipes at her hair with the back of her hand.
"I’m so happy," she says. "These plates are so heavy and it’s hotter than a sauna in the Mojave tonight."
"It's a humdinger," I say, and she laughs.
"I love that word. You don’t hear it much."
"You don’t hear it much," I say. My momma uses it daily."
"Bless your momma’s heart," she says, mimicking the Texan drawl that I know and love. Her small hands grab the edges of the plates I’ve pushed to her, and she hefts them up.
"When you’ve delivered those, get your sweet butt back here and I’ll fix you a burger."
She sways away and glances back at me over her shoulder. "Sweet butt, huh?"
I drag my eyes up from the Georgia peach we’re discussing and raise a brow. "Just calling like it is, darlin’."
To speed things along, I give Bradley the last three plates when he returns from the bathroom, and he makes his way to table seventeen. I grab a couple of beers from the mini fridge beneath the counter, and quickly fix two burgers, setting them onto plates ready for when Dawn returns. Her eyes take in the sight with wide appreciation, and I wonder if that’s the way she’d look at my cock. Damn, I’d love for her to look at my cock with that much hunger.
"Come on. Let’s blow this joint."
"You sure?" she asks, glancing quickly over her shoulder.
"Lachlan, we’re taking a few," I yell. Lachlan nods and I can already see him telling Jared to clear the tables that would have been Dawn’s responsibility.
I find a quiet spot and place the burgers on the table, watching as Dawn takes a seat on the chair next to mine rather than across the table. Interesting.
"These look so good," she says, reaching for the juicy meat wrapped in a soft bun, and dripping with cheese and my signature spicy burger sauce. When she takes a bite, the moan she makes sends a shiver of sensation over parts that moans about food usually don’t reach.
She lowers the burger, rolling her eyes and then takes her bottle of beer and washes it down with a long drink.
"You don’t know how much I needed that."
"I think I do," I say.
"You know, you never told me how you ended up here. It’s far from home."
I nod, dabbing my own lips with a napkin and swallowing a mouthful. "Me and Brad had a restaurant back home. BBQ themed, you know. A lot like what we do here but marketed as the best of local food."
"Really," she says. "That must have been hard to leave behind."
"It should have been," I tell her. "But things went wrong. The property was owned by two shady people, and even though we paid good rent to be there, they still treated it like an open house. They seemed to think our business was a great cover for them to operate behind and started dealing drugs out the back. Brad wanted to report them, but I didn’t want the trouble. We’d always dreamed of traveling, but our money situation had always been tight. Anyway, when we wrapped up the business and sold everything, we had enough for a ticket here, and we never looked back."