Slow Burn - a Novel: The Elite

by KB Winters

  “Yeah. He’s one of the best. I’m glad he finally got some sense knocked into him and hired out some help in the shop. That was probably Gemma’s doing though. She’s done wonders for straightening him out.” She laughed and took a step to the left, spreading her arms over the display case that was undoubtedly picked over but still managed to be brimming with delicious looking options. “What can I get for you?”

  I couldn’t tell her what I really wanted—her on a silver platter—so I settled for a lemon bar and the biggest cup of joe she could get for me. “Anything else?” She asked, handing over the small pastry bag and the cup of coffee.

  There was a line of people behind me and I didn’t want to make any new enemies by taking up their time chatting it up with her. No matter how much I wanted to. “No, ma’am, this’ll get me through till lunch. Thanks.”

  She rang me up and when she passed over the receipt she added, “You know, we’re open for lunch too. In case you need a pick me up.”

  I’ll be damned. Rosen was right.

  “See you this afternoon then,” I replied, grinning at her as I turned away and strode past the rest of the line to the doors, feeling her eyes on my backside the entire way.

  * * * *

  “Aha. I called it,” Aaron boomed, walking into the hangar. “Gemma owes me ten bucks.”

  I laughed. “Do I even wanna know?”

  He shook his head, grinning like a fool. “She bet me ten bucks that I was wrong about you and Carly. I told her you two were gonna hook up.”

  “Hate to break it to you, but we haven’t,” I replied, laughing at his blunt statement.

  He pointed to the coffee cup. “Matter of time. You’re already hooked.”

  “Or, I just like their coffee.” I couldn’t keep a straight face so my denial was completely inefficient.

  Aaron just laughed. “Whatever you say, man.”

  “I haven’t even met this woman of yours and she’s already betting against me? Damn. That’s cold.” I shook my head in mock disbelief as I sipped at my coffee.

  Aaron crossed the hangar to the desk where he had blue prints, mock ups, and pictures sprawled across the top of all his works in progress. I set my cup to the side and went to join him. I’d started by doing a full inspection of the F-4 and had compiled a list of everything that was and wasn’t working. Aaron stopped busting my balls about Carly long enough to talk shop and it took very little before we were lost in work.

  The hours passed by in a blur and the only thing that stopped us from plowing on for the rest of the afternoon was the sound of our stomachs rumbling louder than the engines of the planes taking off every half an hour as Aaron’s team of pilots took up small tour groups.

  Aaron dropped the wrench in his hands onto the drop cloth we had laid down to catch all the parts and pieces we were working with. He wiped his grease coated hands on the thighs of his coveralls and glanced over at me with an appraising stare. “You ready to break for lunch?”

  I nodded and wiped a bead of sweat from my brow with the back of my hand. “Yeah.”

  My hands were just as jacked up and I hesitated, wondering if I should go to the little market in town instead of going to Carly’s. Her coffee shop was a pristine little retreat. She probably wouldn’t appreciate a grease monkey stomping around and making a mess of everything.

  “You going to Carly’s?” Aaron asked, shooting me a sidelong grin from the utility sink on the opposite wall.

  I rolled my eyes. “Maybe.”

  Aaron dried his hands and turned to face me, leaning against the sink. Still grinning. “All right, all right. You’ve taken enough of my shit for today.”

  I shrugged. “Trust me, whatever you can dish out, I can take.”

  “Oh, I don’t doubt that. You’re a Marine. You’re used to taking shit from us Navy dudes.”

  I laughed. “Ain’t that the truth. Bunch of loud mouthed, fuckin’ squids.”

  Aaron roared with a gut busting laugh. “Damn, this is way more fun than I’d expected. You’re a good man, Adams.”

  “Likewise, Rosen.”

  We cleaned up and on our way out of the hangar, I shot a glance at Aaron, my gears turning with unasked questions. He caught my stare and arched a brow. “Yes?”

  “What do I need to know about Carly? What’s her story?”

  “To be honest with you, I don’t know a lot of it. She’s never been too interested in sharing her back story and I’m not the type to push. Which, in my experience, means some rough shit went down at some point in her past. She’s sweet as pie but can be a firecracker too. She doesn’t take shit, but she doesn’t go out of her way to start anything or stir it up either. Watching her with her sister is as close to pissed off as I’ve ever seen her.”

  I nodded, processing the tidbits of the information. She was becoming more and more intriguing by the minute.

  Aaron clapped me on the back, snapping me from my wanderings. We’d reached the front desk of the museum where guests checked in and paid for their tickets. Aaron stopped short of the desk. I followed his stare to see Lana, his assistant, barreling towards him, waving her clipboard in the air with a frazzled look on her face.

  “Mr. Rosen!” She called, her voice shrill and panicked. “The new brochures are here and the printers spelled the name wrong!”

  I stifled a smirk at Aaron’s expression of sheer misery and returned his comforting slap on the back. “Good luck, buddy.”

  “Thanks,” he replied dryly. “Bring me back something from Carly’s, will ya? She knows what I like.”

  “Will do.” I gave him a mock salute and hurried away, leaving Aaron to deal with the great brochure crisis that Lana was discussing as though someone had died.

  Outside, the air smelled like salt and sunshine. God it was good to be out of Fallon.

  * * * *

  I raced to The Siren but it turned out to be in vain. When I arrived, the lunch rush was in full swing, but instead of finding Carly doing an encore of her seemingly choreographed morning routine, I found her sister manning the counter. I hid my disappointment behind a charming smile and approached when it was my turn, startled to find her sister looking at me like I was a mirage in the desert.

  She was gonna be trouble. I’d dealt with sisters before and the jealousy and pettiness could reach horrifying lows.

  “Hey,” I started, forgetting her name.

  “Alesha,” she offered, smiling at me like there were no hard feelings over my forgetting. “And you’re Nick.”

  “Right.” I hadn’t asked her age, but the girl standing before me looked years younger than the one who’d stormed into the shop the morning before. She was dressed down and didn’t look like she was wearing the makeup that she’d had on before. Without her hair styled and sophisticated designer duds she looked more like a high schooler.

  A very flirtatious high schooler…

  “Is it always like this?” I asked Alesha, glancing over my shoulder at the offshoot of the cafe that was filled with tables and one long booth, all of which were occupied.

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. Seems like it. I’m only here for the summer. Normally I live in Phoenix with my dad.”

  “Gotcha.”

  “Are you new in town?”

  “Yeah, just got here this week, actually.” I rubbed the back of my neck.

  Alesha leaned forward and offered another playful smile. “If you need a tour guide, I’d be happy to help. I know my way around. I was here last summer, too.”

  I nodded, unsure how to get out of the conversation. I didn’t want to be rude to the sister of the woman I was interested in, but I also didn’t want to set myself up to be the source of her teenaged fantasies.

  Luckily, before I could come up with an exit strategy, Carly reappeared from the back of the shop—which I assumed contained a kitchen—and with one sweeping glance, sized up the situation and came over to intercede.

  “Leash…” Carly cut into the conversation, shooting her sis
ter a warning look. “Can you go check with the tables on the patio and see if you can get anyone a refill?”

  Alesha mumbled something and stomped off through the side doors that were thrown open to let in the sea breeze. Carly watched her go and then snapped back to attention. “Did she take your order?”

  Her suddenly frosty tone surprised me, like I’d just had my legs knocked out from under me. Had I done something wrong? She didn’t think I’d been flirting with her sister…did she? Just hours ago she’d been so warm and bordered on flirtatious.

  “Not yet.” I paused, wondering how to get things back on track.

  “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I’m glad she didn’t. Gives me more time to talk to you,” I flashed a smile.

  Carly didn’t miss a beat. She smirked up at me, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “That’s some line.”

  I laughed. Aaron had been right on. She didn’t play around. “What can I say, had to take a shot when I saw the opportunity.”

  “Hmm.” Her eyes flitted back and forth between mine, searching for something. “Tell me something about yourself, Nick. Something new.”

  “I’m an ex-Marine. I fixed jets for them, usually in tandem with Navy guys like Rosen. Did that for eight years, right out of high school. Got out about nine months ago and putzed around Fallon, tending bar, and looking for a chance to work at the Air Park there. When that wasn’t panning out, I came up here to see the museum, got to talking with Aaron, and next thing I know I was giving notice at my shitty apartment, loading up my truck, and driving out here.”

  Carly pursed her lips. “Okay. So, I got your back story now. But I still don’t know who you are.”

  I laughed. “You’re a tough crowd, huh?”

  She shrugged. “I’m just more interested in the details. I think that’s what makes a person who they are.”

  “So how would you answer that question then?” I challenged, raising my brows.

  She smiled and tapped her short, squared fingernails on the counter. “Fair enough. I’d tell you that my middle name is Jane. My favorite time of day is the moment right before the sun rises, when the sky goes crazy with bursts of color. I’m a cat person but I don’t currently have one. I prefer biking to walking, although I also know how to skateboard as long as the road is fairly level. I have a brown belt in Jujitsu. I like the sound of rain on the roof at night. And I’ve never been on a train.”

  Where did this girl come from? I’d had a feeling from the first time I saw her I’d never met anyone like her, and after she gave me her list of highly personal, almost intimate, details about her life and who she was—I knew I’d never met anyone like Carly Roberts.

  I also knew that there were thousands of other little details that I had yet to discover.

  And I desperately wanted to.

  Chapter Five

  Carly

  “Your turn,” I said, my heart racing from the conversation with Nick.

  He grinned down at me and I locked my gaze on his face to keep my eyes from wandering down his toned physique. He had the strong shoulders, broad, muscled back, and confident cadence of a soldier. Every move he made was strong and sure, as though he never hesitated to do—or say—anything.

  I’d never felt as confident as he looked in my entire life.

  And that smile…

  Every time it was pointed my way, my heart went into overdrive and reminded me of the way it felt to have a high school crush. I hated the term ‘fluttering’ but that was how it felt. Like a swirl of excitement and elation and anxiety all at once.

  “I don’t know if my list will be as good as yours, but I’ll give it a shot. I have a younger brother, his name is Nate. Yes, Nick and Nate. I think my parents are crazy. I’m originally from Florida. I have a wolf tattoo on my right shoulder. My Marine buddies and I got messed up one night and went out and got matching tats. Luckily, it’s pretty badass looking, so I don’t regret it too much. It could have been a lot, lot worse,” he paused and winced. I laughed at his expression and he gave me a sideways smile, spurred on to keep listing random facts. “I’ve never had a pet. Unless you count the goldfish I won at the summer fair. He didn’t really last long enough to be called a pet in my opinion. But, if I had one, I’d like a turtle or something chill like that. I like reading old paperbacks about the Wild West but hate watching Western movies.”

  I arched a brow at him, but he just grinned all the more and offered a slight shrug. “I know, it’s weird.”

  I laughed and leaned in, spellbound by him.

  “Let’s see…what else should you know…I played football in high school but I was also a band geek who played the trumpet. I haven’t touched one in years and it would probably be pretty shit-tacular if I tried. And, lastly, I just moved to this tiny town and have a thing for this hot barista-slash-kick-ass-pastry chef I just met.”

  My heart skidded to a stop, slamming into my ribs with a sudden thump at his bold declaration. If his goal had been to throw me off track—mission accomplished. I wasn’t just thrown off, I was reeling.

  And he knew it.

  He grinned down at me like a Cheshire Cat and I felt my cheeks deepen to what I was sure was a lovely shade of pink that probably clashed horribly with the pink in my hair.

  “That answer your questions?” He asked, his voice dropping to a lower, huskier timbre as he leaned across the counter to close the gap between us.

  God help me.

  I licked my lips and forced my eyes off of his lips that were inches from mine. “It’s a good place to start,” I replied, throwing him a casual smile. “Next question, what do you like to eat for lunch?” I pointed above to the menu.

  Nick held my gaze for a beat longer, then looked up where I was gesturing and roved over the chalkboard menu. “What does Aaron get?”

  “What, you need matching lunches with your new bestie?” I asked with a laugh. “How adorable.”

  He shot me a playful scowl, unable to iron down the curved edges of his smile. “No, I need a lunch for him too. Might as well double up. I was trying to make it easy on you, but if you insist on giving me shit…”

  I held up my hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. He likes the pesto chicken wrap with extra chips and two pickles on the side.”

  “Impressive,” he replied, raising his brows. “All right. I’ll bite, but skip the pickles.”

  I gave him a mock salute and turned towards the kitchen. I’d gone a few steps before I realized he’d rounded the counter and was following me. “You don’t trust me to make your lunch unsupervised?”

  “I do. I just wasn’t ready for the conversation to end,” he shrugged, his answer so matter-of-fact that it disarmed me.

  “I see…” I continued into the kitchen and went to the large stainless steel prep area and opened the hood. I kept containers of prepped veggies and condiments in plastic bins inside for easy access, but there were also a few stacks of premade food items. I pulled two pesto chicken wraps from the stack and set them inside a paper box. Nick propped against the opposite end of the counter, watching me work. Having him so close was unnerving. There was something about his easy confidence that both attracted and intimidated me.

  I wasn’t used to being so jumpy around a man. But between his dark eyes, chiseled jaw, and lazy smile, I was a basket case.

  “Did you start this place from the ground up?” he asked, gesturing around the kitchen.

  I nodded and reached for two handfuls of chips to set in the box around the sandwiches. “Yeah. When I got here this place was an old book store that had been abandoned for years. The owner was a longtime resident, but he was old and sick and had been forced to give the place up. It sat vacant for a long time and when I showed up, it still had the bookshelves and this ancient cash register. His family never cleared it out after he passed and the landlord didn’t care since he’d received enough to cover the lease.”

  “Wow. And you did this all by yourself?”

  I worked at my l
ower lip with my teeth. Keeping my eyes down, I fussed with the chips in the box, and then picked two pickles from another container and slid them into a wax paper bag and tucked them carefully in the box to keep the juice from spilling. “Mostly. I cleared everything out, painted, decorated. I had some help with renovating this part and turning it into a kitchen. But other than that, yep, just me.”

  “Impressive.” Nick took a step closer and I sucked in a breath. He snagged a chip from the box and popped it into his mouth, offering me a smile when my eyes flew to his.

  I abandoned the box, needing to put some space between us, and went to get some napkins. “Thanks. It’s a labor of love. I wouldn’t trade this place for anything.”

  I handed Nick a stack of napkins and then turned to seal the box shut. “Lunch is served.”

  He took the box with another half-cocked smile. “What do I owe ya?”

  “Rosen’s card is on file. I’ll charge him.”

  Nick nodded. “All right. I’ll give him my share. Probably not a good move to mooch off the boss on day two.”

  I laughed. “Right.” I led the way out of the kitchen, back to the front counter, and took a sweeping glance around the full dining space. Alesha was buzzing through the crowd, filling glasses, retrieving napkins, and stopping at each table to make sure they had everything they needed. I smiled, slightly in awe, as she glided through the room.

  When I’d seen her flirting with Nick at the counter, I’d been tempted to ring her neck and ask if the whole “boyfriend dumped me” thing was just another one of her tricks to get her way. But as I watched her work and interact with the guests, that frustration melted away and I decided not to bug her about it.

  “Well, I guess I better get back to the grind. Thanks for this,” Nick said, tearing my attention back to him. He rounded the corner and held up the box in his large hands when my eyes found his. “You have a nice afternoon, Carly.”

  “Thanks. You too.” I offered him a smile before he turned and went through the front doors.

  I watched him pass by, mesmerized by the half smile he wore, as he walked past the floor to ceiling windows along the side of the shop that opened to the patio. At the last second, right before he passed out of sight, he turned and flashed me another heart stopping smile before he disappeared from view.