Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 125517 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 628(@200wpm)___ 502(@250wpm)___ 418(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125517 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 628(@200wpm)___ 502(@250wpm)___ 418(@300wpm)
Arden pulled a wisp of hair back into her top knot. “Just a little. I’ll get caught up on my sleep this week.”
There was no need to lie to Mama; she would recognize it in a second. With Mama, it was always better to be honest than let her wear you down until you finally had to admit the truth. Arden was too exhausted to put up a token resistance to the barrage she would experience at any attempted lie.
“You said that last week. I can lower your hours. You’re do for another raise, too, so you won’t feel it in your paycheck.”
Arden narrowed her eyes on Mama. “Don’t you dare give me another raise. You just gave me one. I’m fine. Seriously. Leave the schedule alone. If I need a few hours off, I’ll have Andrea lower my hours on the next schedule. You do too much for me already. Once I have enough to buy Luc a car, I’ll cut back some.”
Mama surveyed her critically. “How? I assume you’ll be making the car payments for him, pay for the insurance, and provide gas money for him. You’re just going to be increasing the need for more. Let me help you out. Please take the—”
“No,” Arden firmly refused the loan Mama had been offering since her father had to stop working. “I’ll make it work, like I always do.”
Mama frowned at her. “You’re making me unhappy. I don’t like being unhappy. My bread won’t rise the way I like when I’m unhappy.”
“You can’t be unhappy when I’m happy.”
“How can you be happy when you’re working yourself to death?”
Arden placed her arm around Mama’s shoulder, giving her a hug. “How can I be unhappy when I have the best boss in the whole world?”
Mama shrugged out of her hug. “I don’t need you to kiss my ass.”
“I wasn’t kissing your ass.” Arden laughed. “I was trying to be affectionate.”
“You want to show affection to me? Take my loan.”
“Nope.” Arden grinned at her. “Anything else? Andrea will mess up my seating chart if I’m gone too long.”
Mama switched the mixer off, looked inside the steel bowl, and seemed satisfied with the dough before she turned back to her. “This morning, Andrea had a customer waiting outside for us to open. He wanted to place a large order for tonight.”
Arden had a feeling who it was—one of The Last Riders. She hadn’t mentioned to Mama that she was working part-time at their club, and she certainly hadn’t told them about her becoming one of them.
“Really?” Pasting a fake smile on her lips, she tried not to look too perturbed.
Mama’s gaze sharpened. “Yes. Of course, Andrea told them it was not possible. He was very insistent, so Andrea did some maneuvering. Friday, there is a birthday event scheduled, but the customer called and decreased the budget this weekend. They’re not going to have the amount of guests they had anticipated. So, Andrea told the new client we can provide the food, but we wouldn’t be able to deliver it nor provide any staff to set it up, as the van and staff have to go the birthday event already booked. The customer was buying for The Last Riders’ club. Have you heard of them?”
There was no way she was going to lie to Mama, but she was going to be as evasive as she could be without telling her the full reason why she was working for them. Mama would have a fit, and no one came ahead when Mama was in a full-blown fit.
“Yes. I’ve—bartended for them a couple of times.”
“Why? You have as much experience at bartending as Elio does.”
Arden winced. Elio was the busboy.
“It’s complicated.”
“Then uncomplicate it and tell me why you’re working there. If you want more hours, all you have to do is ask me.”
“Luc was having trouble at school. The Last Riders are watching out for him. As a trade-off, I work as a bartender a couple days a week.”
“Why did you not come to me if you’re having difficulty with Luc? Rocco would—”
“I didn’t want to involve Rocco.”
“Why not?”
“Because Rocco would have gotten Luc thrown out of school. Your brother can be…”
Mama raised her eyebrows. “Yes?”
Arden tried to find the right word she was searching for. “Temperamental.”
“Temperamental?”
“I love you, Mama, you know that, but you both can be a little—”
“Temperamental?”
“I was going to say over the top when you get angry.”
Mama’s face softened. “That is only because we’re—”
“Crazy?” Arden teased.
Mama broke out in laughter. “I was going to say because we’re Italian. We get as angry as passionately as we make love.”
“Mama, the only part of you that is Italian is the DNA you get from your father, and you’ve never met him. You’re passionate because you and Rocco are good people and care about others.”
“My mother—God rest her soul—was a wonderful woman, but her taste in men was not the best. Still, she managed to get me the recipes, which has made my business a success, so I forgive her for the poor judgment she showed when she was taken in by that cheater.”