7. Delilah
DELILAH
The next morning I woke to an odd smell. I checked to make sure the windows were closed and flipped the small portable air conditioner on high to circulate the air. It didn’t help.
I peeked through the pink-and-white-gingham curtains toward the back of the Burger Bonanza.
The parking lot was full, at least a dozen pickup trucks parked in a giant circle, and Helmut stood in the center of them all, in front of a huge contraption.
Smoke poured from the sides as he lifted the lid. What in the world was going on?
I didn’t dare leave the trailer without looking my Miss Lovin’ Texas best. By the time I showered and got myself fixed up, half the trucks had left the lot. Jasper wouldn’t be picking me up for another thirty minutes, so I pulled my sash on over my head and pushed the door open wide.
“Good morning.” Helmut lifted a spatula in a wave. “Fine day we’ve got in store for us.”
I slid my sunglasses on, trying to shield my eyes from the bright sun. “Good morning. Is there a party going on?”
“You could say that.” Helmut gestured to the men who remained. Most of them sat in camping chairs, forming a lopsided circle around him. “Once a month we get together for Smoker Saturdays. Today’s your lucky day, Ms. Stone. Care for some fresh smoked catfish for breakfast?”
My stomach pitched. “No thank you. I’m headed to a brunch Mayor Cherish organized. Is there somewhere I can grab a quick cup of coffee?”
“Of course. Just head inside and Jojo will help you out.”
“Thank you.” I pressed my hand against my stomach and crossed the parking lot, taking care to give Helmut and his giant smoker a wide berth.
By the time I reached the door to the restaurant, the smell of mesquite and fish seemed to coat me in a fine layer.
Maybe I should take Jasper up on his offer to move the trailer outside of town.
Otherwise I might put off the good folks of Ido by sheer smell alone.
“There you are.” Jasper smiled as he rose from his perch on a stool at the counter.
The sight of him made my heart beat faster. I’d enjoyed spending time with him the night before, especially learning more about his family and getting a chance to nestle against his chest on the dance floor.
“I came in search of coffee.” I slid onto the stool next to him.
“Jojo, can we get a coffee for Ms. Stone?” he asked.
The waitress nodded and poured me a cup.
“Please call me Delilah. And are you early or am I running late?”
“We’ve got some time before we head over to Lacey’s.” He leaned an elbow on the counter and focused his warm brownish-green eyes on me while Jojo filled a cup. “Everything go okay last night?”
“It was fine.” It usually took me a few nights in a new place before I could sleep through the night. Last night I’d fallen asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow but woken up around two to the sound of a couple of dogs getting into it in the lot behind the restaurant.
“Just fine?” Jasper eyed me over the rim of his mug. “Nobody bothered you, did they?”
“Oh, no. Nothing like that. I think there were a couple of stray dogs nosing around. That’s all.”
“You sure you don’t want to move out to the country? It would be a hell of a lot quieter.”
And a hell of a lot closer to him. Not that it would be a problem.
Jasper was polite and charismatic and definitely knew his way around a dance floor, but I wasn’t interested in him like that.
I didn’t plan to get involved with a man until Stella and I had the new business established.
After I got through the contest and my time as Miss Lovin’ Texas was up, of course.
“I think I’ll be fine here. The catfish thing is only one day, right?”
Jasper chuckled as he set down his mug. “Once a month. Sorry about that. I completely forgot to warn you.”
“That’s okay. Hopefully, my hair hasn’t absorbed the smell. It was pretty strong when I woke up this morning.”
Jasper leaned close, invading my personal space, and nudged his nose into my hair. My skin pebbled at the unexpected gesture, and time seemed to stand still as he took in a long breath.
“I think you’re good.” He sat up, finished his coffee, and pulled out his wallet.
“No fish smell?”
“Not even close.”
I held a hunk of hair to my nose and took in a whiff. “Are you sure?”
He swiveled on his stool to face me and put a hand on my shoulder.
An awareness thrummed through me, making my chest tighten.
The feeling only increased as his face drew close to mine.
I kept my gaze on his lips, bracing myself as the tip of his tongue poked out.
My lips parted and my eyes drifted closed.
He was going to kiss me. I could feel it in the marrow of my bones.
But then his nose nudged into my hair again, his breath warm on my ear. “You smell like lemons. And something flowery.”
“Lavender,” I whispered, my hand coming up to circle his wrist.
“Mmm.” He inhaled. “Yeah, lavender.”
“Ahem.” Jojo cleared her throat, and we broke contact. “You need change?”
“No, we’re good.” Jasper’s hand dropped and he faced forward, his eyes on the handwritten tab. “Lacey’s expecting you. Are you ready to get going?”
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. My reaction to Jasper’s touch had caught me off guard. And I wasn’t a woman who dealt well with surprises. Seemed like he didn’t want to acknowledge the heat that had sparked between us, so neither would I.
“Let me go lock up the trailer. Can I meet you by your truck?”
He rubbed a palm across the back of his neck. “Sure. I’ll meet you outside in a few.”
Good. I’d have a few minutes to pull myself together.
“Thanks, Jojo.” Jasper got up from his stool and headed toward the back of the restaurant.
I sat there for a long moment, trying to collect myself.
“You want more coffee?” Jojo cocked a hip against the counter, the pot of coffee in hand.
“No, thank you.” I reached for my purse and slung the strap over my shoulder as I stood.
“He’s a real catch, that one.” Jojo looped her finger through the mugs and lifted them off the counter.
“Who, Jasper?”
“That’s right. Poor guy got dumped pretty hard a couple of years ago. Everyone expected them to get married but then she showed up in town, a new fiancé in tow. If you ask me, I’m surprised he agreed to work on the wedding stuff. But then again, no one asks me anything, so there you go.”
“Who would do such a thing?”
Jojo shrugged. “Someone not in their right mind. But I suppose that’s one way to describe Adeline Monroe.”
I made a career out of keeping my emotions in check. But when Jojo dropped Adeline’s name, my jaw literally fell to the floor. “Jasper used to date Adeline?”
“You didn’t hear it from me.” Jojo disappeared through the swinging doors leading to the kitchen.
I didn’t want to be standing there when Jasper came back, so I made a dash toward the door. The crowd in the parking lot had doubled again. I returned Helmut’s wave as I made my way to the trailer.
By the time Jasper had pulled around to pick me up, I’d freshened up.
“You ready to meet the ladies of Ido?” Jasper rounded the truck to open the door for me.
“Is that what brunch is about?” I asked.
“I’m afraid so. Lacey hosts them once a month in an effort to stay in their good graces. She’d never hear the end of it if she deprived them of being some of the first to welcome you to town.”
I had an inkling of what to expect. I’d been speaking at women’s groups and luncheons since I’d won my first big title.
As my mother used to tell me all the time, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.
” I shouldn’t be surprised that Mayor Cherish was using my visit to impress some of her constituents.
“You ever get tired of it?” Jasper pulled out of the parking lot, leaving Helmut and his giant smoker behind. The air coming into the truck cab changed and the smell of the fresh outdoors tickled my nose.
“Tired of what?”
He glanced over at me before turning his attention back to the road. “People using you.”
I let out a long breath. “Comes with the territory, I suppose. Besides, isn’t that what we all do?”
“What do you mean by that?” His hands tightened on the steering wheel, and I looked away.
“We all use each other in some way. Call it networking, or mentoring, or collaborating. But I think most people rely on others for a lot of their success.”
“I suppose.”
“Haven’t you ever used someone else to get ahead?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
“Well then, that makes you different than any man I’ve ever met.” I settled against the back of my seat, taking the slightest bit of pleasure at the slight shock on his face.
Jasper didn’t say anything else until he brought the truck to a stop in front of a sprawling country home. A narrow porch stretched the entire length of the front, complete with two big rocking chairs and a miniature kid-sized one where Lacey’s son would probably sit someday.
“You ready for this?” he asked.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” I gave him a smile that was supposed to hold all of the confidence I didn’t feel as I climbed down from the truck and stepped onto the stamped concrete sidewalk.
The front door opened wide and Lacey stood just inside. “There you are. Welcome.”
“Thank you so much for having me.”
“My pleasure. Come on in, everyone’s so excited to meet you.” Lacey held out a hand and I took it. “Hey, Jasper. Why don’t you come back in a couple of hours to pick her up?”
“You got it, boss.” He lifted his hand to wave.
I glanced back as the door shut behind me, a tiny part of me wishing I were spending the morning with Jasper instead of being subjected to the fine ladies of Ido.
Jasper
After I left Delilah in Lacey’s care, I headed into town.
I wanted to check on the power and water hookups at Helmut’s to make sure there wouldn’t be any additional issues.
So far, the generator Bodie provided had been working, but Helmut had someone coming out to take a look at the wiring.
As I passed through the square on my way to the Burger Bonanza, my phone rang.