5. Best Known Secret
BEST KNOWN SECRET
Tasha arched her back, heard it crack and tried to keep the groan from escaping her lips.
The coffee took the edge off her sleepless night, but the tossing and turning caused her to pinch something that standing this long wasn’t helping.
“Looks like you need a break, Tasha.” Brenda yelled to her from the doorway of the shop.
“Whenever you’re ready. No rush.”
“Give me twenty minutes,” Brenda said. “I’m just waiting for Kyle to come back from his lunch.”
“You’re good.” She went back to handing out bracelets to the next people coming in for the tour, then noticed Margo bringing in more food that was sold in the tasting room.
Just a small variety of pretzels with beer cheese, nachos, hot dogs or other specials that were easy to put together and hand out. The restaurant sent food over several times a day or as requested when it was going fast.
Margo lifted her hand and waved, she returned it, then her best friend dashed over.
“I’ve got a pan of food for the break room. Did you have your break yet?”
“Soon.” She was still scanning credit cards, then stopped when she ran out of blue wristbands. “The next tour starts in five minutes, then you can all go into the tasting room.”
“With fresh food by the looks of it,” someone said, eyeing Margo.
She was pretty sure it had more to do with Margo than the food that was brought in since her bestie was what many would consider a blonde bombshell, even under her chef gear.
“Just brought it over,” Margo said. “Waiting for you all to fill up with your beer.”
Margo winked at her, then Brenda slipped out. “Perfect timing. I’m going on break now.”
“I’ll meet you in the break room,” Margo said, turning to go back through the tasting room to the van parked on the side.
Tasha wanted to offer to carry in anything but knew Margo would brush her off.
Though she brought a lunch with her, she knew Margo would be upset if she didn’t eat what was being provided. This was done often. Not always enough to feed the whole plant, but just things that Liam or Aiden were trying new and wanted to get an idea of.
She filled her water bottle back up, rinsed out her coffee cup and set it aside as Margo came in with a big pan in her hands covered with foil, another smaller container on top of that, with small slider rolls balancing to round it off.
“I could have helped you,” she said, rushing forward and grabbing the smaller container and bringing it to the table. “Oh my God, that smells good. What is it?”
“Pulled pork made with Baker’s rum.”
“You’re kidding me?”
“Nope. Liam wanted to try it. It’s pretty great and the rum is a new seller this year. Grab one quickly because people are moving over.”
She laughed as those who were in the room got up to get closer. They knew how it worked. There were about ten people in here now, but news would spread fast.
Margo opened the rolls and handed her over one, then took the foil off the big pan, the spoon to scoop it up there, then another in the coleslaw for a topping rather than a side.
Before Tasha could make her sandwich, Margo was snatching the roll back and assembling it in the perfect way and then putting it on a small paper plate that was kept stocked on the table.
“I can’t wait to try this.” She moved out of the way with Margo and found a seat, then bit right in. “This is awesome. Make sure you tell Liam that.”
“I will. We’ll put it on special for this weekend if it’s a good hit. Everyone here knows what to do.”
“What does that mean?”
Margo pulled small note card-sized pieces of paper out of her pocket and got up to put them on the table and then returned. “They have to score it and then make any suggestions or comments. The responses will be returned to the pub tonight when someone comes back to get the pan.”
“Guess I’ve missed other days with new food being tested.”
“It’s not something that is done often,” Margo said. “I mean not weekly.”
“I’d be fat if they brought food over daily,” she said, chomping on another bite.
Her eyes landed on the door opening and Mason, Ben, and Baker coming in with Gavin waving to them and leaving.
The three men in charge got in line, made two sandwiches each, then were heading right her way.
There were a lot of eyes on them and she didn’t know how she felt about that. Most didn’t know her connection to the owners or their family, even with Margo sitting with her.
But once the three men took a seat, they would.
“Tell Liam this is great,” Ben said. “I might sneak a third but didn’t want people bitching at me just now in line.”
“There is plenty there,” Margo said. “But he’ll be happy to know.”
Tasha only had eyes for one person at the table. Baker. He was biting in and closing his eyes, chewing slowly as if he were savoring a fine wine.
But she supposed she got that. It was his rum that was in the meat.
“Yep,” he said. “Perfect. I wouldn’t change a thing other than it could use more rum.”
“I think it’s got plenty,” Tasha said. “I’m not much of a drinker, but I like the flavor. Are you supposed to taste the alcohol with it?”
Mason snickered. “You realize where you’re working, right?”
“Doesn’t mean I have to tilt a bottle of it each night though,” she said playfully.
“Tasha doesn’t drink much,” Margo said. “She can’t handle it like the rest of us.”
She shoved at Margo’s arm, saw Baker watching but wouldn’t be embarrassed over relaxing around the people she’d known for years. “Some of us haven’t worked in the food industry and didn’t end our nights with a shot or a beer.”
“I don’t do that anymore,” Margo said primly. “And we don’t talk about those younger years. It might get back to my children. We don’t need them to know how their parents used to be.”
“That means I can’t tell them what you were like as a roommate either,” she said.
“If you do, then I’ll make sure Micah knows all your secrets.”
She was laughing at the banter that she missed so much, the guys just watching and eating, not saying much. There was only one at the table that interested her. The first time any man had in two years.
It at least made her not feel so dead inside. Even if she knew there were still scars she had to heal.
“Don’t you dare,” she said. “My baby boy thinks his mother is an angel.”
“Okay, I was willing to go along with it until that comment,” Margo said. “And now I’ve got to get back. I’ll talk to you later. Bye, everyone.”
She watched her bestie walk closer to the food and talk to a few in line, then leave the room.
“I can’t believe my father didn’t come in to taste this,” Mason said. “My mother is going to smell the bourbon on him the minute he walks in the door. He could have tried to cover it up.”
“You guys have been drinking on the job?” she asked, her mouth open.
“Tasha,” Mason said. “Seriously? We drink all the time.”
“It’s called testing,” Baker said. “Got to know what our product is like.”
Which made her feel like an idiot. She knew those things. “But to have it smell on him? That means it was more than just testing.”
“Well,” Ben said. “Gavin has been here ready to crack open a two-year-old aged bourbon. Poor Baker hasn’t been given much of a break between him and Jolene lately.”
“Oh no,” she said. “I’ve heard that Jolene can be a bit much if she’s got you in her sights.”
Ben turned and looked at Baker, wiggled his eyebrows, then went back to his slider. “It’s the best known secret in these parts,” Mason said. “My mother zeroes in on people and there is no escaping.”
This time Mason was looking at her and then back to Baker.
Oh my God.
Was that what was going on?
She’d only talked to him for the first time this morning.
And if he knew, did he think she knew? Or did he think she worked that angle?
Ugh, talk about embarrassing.
“I’m a fast runner,” Baker said.
“Me too,” she said. “I might not look it, but I’ve been chasing kids for years.”
“Ten-year-olds are running from you?” he asked. “I wouldn’t have been at that age.”
The heat filled her cheeks faster than losing her balance on ice.
“Not this grade. I taught first grade for years. The past three have been fifth. I haven’t decided which is worse.
Kids who don’t listen because they don’t understand, or kids who don’t listen because they are trying to devise the best way to not get caught with their phone. ”
Mason pulled his phone out, then turned to Ben. “Shit, we got a problem on the floor.”
Ben stood with him. They finished their sandwiches and were hurrying toward the door, leaving her there with Baker.
“Your rum tastes good in this.”
“Thanks. I might even be able to handle something as easy as this in the kitchen.”
“I’m positive it’d have more rum in it,” she said, winking at him.
He laughed. “Hell yeah.”
“Margo really taught me how to cook. We were roommates before she met Liam. I miss those days, but I think I get by well enough.”
The story of her life. Just figuring out how to get by in many ways.
“I’ve learned sometimes it’s better that way.” He popped the last bite in his mouth. “I should get back.”
She stood with him. “Me too. I’ve got it,” she said, reaching for his plate with hers and cleaning their food up.
“Thanks.”
He turned and left, she threw out what was in her hands, then washed them and walked back to her job, wondering what she could have been thinking.
That she was almost flirting with the guy.
The first person in years.
If Jolene had a hand in this, or was whispering in his ear, Baker seemed the type to brush it off for that reason alone.
Might be better to just go on her way like she’d been doing all along.
Happy ever after just wasn’t going to be for her and she wasn’t sure why she always thought she could find it.