4. Delilah
DELILAH
I held myself together as I followed Jasper through the small downtown area.
I’d already seen enough to convince me there was no way Ido would be able to compete with the likes of Hartwood.
They may as well call the contest and award the title now.
For a moment I let myself think back to my arrival.
Even if the dense hospitality host hadn’t soaked me through with a hose, it still wouldn’t change my opinion of the tiny southeast Texas town.
He slowed and turned on his blinker as a big neon sign reading burger bonanza came into view on my left.
Thank goodness Stella wasn’t with me now.
My mother would blow her top at the thought of living in a local dive’s parking lot.
Jasper pulled into a parking spot and directed me to the back corner of the empty lot.
I brought the truck to a stop and killed the engine.
He met me as I climbed down from the truck. “How’s it handle?”
“Excuse me?”
“The truck. Looks like it’s got a Hemi under the hood.” He patted the front side panel of the truck.
I moved toward the rear of the truck so I could disconnect the trailer. “I suppose it’s all right.”
“Here, let me help you with that.” Jasper reached for the hitch.
Glad to have someone else willing to get their hands dirty, I stepped back and watched while he quickly unhitched the trailer and got it leveled.
I hadn’t given the man much more than a quick glance when we first met.
Granted, he’d been standing behind the hose that drenched me, and then lying on the ground almost getting a good glimpse at my panties.
But now, as he knelt in front of me, I couldn’t help but appreciate the way his muscles bulged under his T-shirt with the effort of getting my trailer situated.
Strong hands made quick business of the lock.
A well-worn baseball cap tried to tame his hair.
It must have been a bit too long based on the way it curled up under the edges.
Strong jaw, just a hint of scruff. Obviously, he was the kind of man who didn’t shy away from working with his hands.
I pulled my shirt away from my skin in an effort to get some air moving.
The past two towns I’d worked with had assigned a slick public relations rep and a matronly mayor’s wife as my contacts.
In both cases, they’d been women. But man, Jasper was all man.
He bent down in front of me to unhook the electrical, and I couldn’t help but notice the formfitting jeans that clung to his assets.
“Do you think I can grab a glass of tea or something inside?” I asked. Even though it was already the last day of September, the heat hadn’t let up its grip.
“I’ll be done with this in just a minute.” He stood, wiping his hands on a bandana he’d pulled out of one of his pockets. “Why don’t I take you inside and introduce you to Helmut? I want to make sure I’ve got you all hooked up before I leave.”
Hooked up. I had no business thinking about hookups or getting hooked up.
Not while I was representing the Texas tourism board.
Besides, Jasper Taylor wasn’t my type. I preferred someone who knew how to wear a suit, who shaved at least once a day, who had the polish and professional mannerisms to handle any situation.
Not a wall of muscle who seemed to have a penchant for four-letter words and a smile that had probably deprived many local women of their panties.
“Thank you.” I took the keys he handed back to me and slipped them into my purse.
“Right this way.” Jasper ambled toward the door to the restaurant. “Are you hungry? I wasn’t sure if you’d had lunch yet or might be in the mood for a Banzai Burger.”
“Oh, I’m a vegetarian.” I smiled as he held the door open for me.
“A vegetarian?” His eyebrows lifted. “I wouldn’t necessarily mention that to Helmut.”
“And why’s that?” I stopped at the hostess stand. It was like I’d stepped back to the early seventies. Fake wood paneling covered the walls. The flooring looked like the kind of commercial tile I’d had in my junior high lunchroom, and the light fixtures were a mix of orange and avocado green.
“Helmut doesn’t understand some things.”
“Being a vegetarian isn’t exactly uncommon.”
“Yeah, well, neither is global warming but he hasn’t acknowledged that either.” Jasper picked two menus from the stand. “Where would you like to sit? Best table in the house is in the kitchen.”
“I’m fine, really.” The smell of fried meat had pretty much killed my appetite when I walked in.
If I could exchange some pleasantries with the owner, I’d be able to get settled in the trailer and start getting ready for the kickoff party tonight.
“Can we see about getting my power and water hooked up? I ate when I stopped for gas and I don’t have much of an appetite. ”
“Sure.” Jasper put the menus back. “Wait here a sec?”
I nodded, more than willing to stay put.
He moved through the tables toward a set of swinging doors. I used the opportunity to gather my bearings. Not a single customer sat in the dated restaurant. If this was the best they had to offer, there wasn’t anything romantic about it at all.
“Ms. Stone.” A bear of a man strutted toward me from the kitchen, followed by Jasper. “I’m Helmut Schmidt. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“The pleasure’s all mine. Thank you so much for hosting me while I’m here in town.” I forced a grin as he handed me a tall glass full of iced tea. I’d barely set it on the counter when he reached two heavily tattooed hands toward mine.
“Of course.” His hands wrapped around mine as a smile spread over his lips. “I’m happy to help.”
“Ms. Stone already pulled up in back. If you can show me where the electrical and water hookups are, I’ll make sure she’s set before I head back to the square. I’ve still got a few things to do before she joins us for the kickoff.” Jasper used his thumb to point toward the parking lot.
Helmut nodded as he let go of my hands. “I’d be happy to. But first, have you eaten? Ido’s known for my Banzai Burgers. I can fix up a platter with fried onions and a side of wings. You look like you could stand to put on a few pounds.”
I bristled. I was used to people making comments about my appearance—it came with the territory. But this was the first time someone had seemed so eager to fatten me up. “Thank you, but I ate on the road, besides, I’m a—”
“Little tired,” Jasper interjected. “She needs to rest up to be ready for tonight.”
I turned my glare on Jasper. “That’s not—”
“The hookups?” Jasper asked.
“Of course.” Helmut walked back through the restaurant to the kitchen.
I grabbed my tea and followed, glancing over my shoulder to where Jasper trailed behind us. “What was that about?”
“Can we hold off on telling him you don’t eat meat? Maybe until you leave town again?”
“Are you serious?”
Jasper shrugged. “Unless you have some moral obligation to let everyone in town know. I think it would make things easier with Helmut. He has pretty strong feelings about the beef industry.”
“Sure.” I rolled my eyes. Nothing in Ido seemed to make sense. How did they even place fourth in the contest? So far, compared to the other two towns, they seemed the most backward, the most odd.
Jasper let out a breath. “Thanks. Now let’s see what we need to do to get you a hookup.”
I followed him out the back door and into the sun where Helmut stood, a long orange extension cord in hand.
“Hey, Jasper, we seem to have a problem.”
Jasper
I wiped my bandana across my forehead. Not even an hour into my unwanted new job as hospitality host, and I was already drowning.
There was no way I’d be able to survive the next twenty-nine days as acting yes-man to the beauty queen.
She was nice enough on the surface, but I’d already failed twice.
First, because of the unfortunate circumstances surrounding our initial meeting.
Next, because of my inability to get power rigged to her small camper trailer.
When Helmut said she could park in his lot, he didn’t mention that the electrical on his restaurant hadn’t been updated in over fifty years.
As soon as we plugged the trailer in, the fuse blew, and the Burger Bonanza went dark.
Now I had a pissed-off restaurant owner plus a bedraggled beauty queen on my hands. And both were looking to me for a fix.
“How about you grab your stuff, and I can drive you out to my place so you can get ready for tonight?” I turned to face Delilah. “I’d offer you a room at the Sleep Tight Inn but there’s a big wedding this weekend and Lacey said they’re all booked up.”
“Your place?” She leveled me with a glare.
I shrugged. “Unless you want to go over to Lacey’s. My place is closer, but I can run you out there if you’d rather. I’ll get someone out here with a generator so you’ll be set for later tonight but if you need electricity to get ready for the kickoff, my place might be your best bet.”
“Fine. Let me get my things.” She found the key on her key ring and moved toward the trailer.
I took the opportunity to follow up on Helmut, who’d gone inside to check out his fuse box. “Figure it out?”
“No. Usually when I have a power surge, I just flip the breaker back but that’s not working.”
“You’re probably not up to code.” That was a massive understatement.
I hadn’t ever seen the same combination of colored wires that Helmut’s fuse box contained, and I’d been around plenty of old electrical boxes in some of the outbuildings on the farm.
“I think your best bet is to get someone out here who knows what they’re doing to take a look. ”
“But what about my restaurant? I’m supposed to be taking food over to the kickoff celebration.”
I let my head roll back as I sighed. “Ah, hell. What’s left to do? We can’t have a party without the refreshments.”