“Wouldn’t it be better if I can prove to my uncle that Jelly Bean’s issue was that temporary thing he said was a remote possibility and I don’t need to spend ten grand at all?”
“Can’t argue that.” With one more glance at him holding the Q-tips in his glove-covered fingers like he was a surgeon heading into the OR, she reached down to slip her hand into Jelly Bean’s collar, but the dog backed away, turned, and evaded her.
“Aw, come on, Mr. Bean. We need to let Dr. Strangeglove finish his science experiment.”
Jelly Bean barked once, his eyes nothing but defiance.
“I really do think Jelly Bean has issues with me.”
Braden snorted a laugh. “Nah, he’s just letting you know this is his house and he calls the shots.”
“I don’t know.” Cassie held her hand out to the dog, who averted his eyes. “Haven’t you noticed that since we, uh, became a thing, Jelly Bean wants no part of me?”
“He still thinks you’re responsible for Bitter Bark’s tragic oregano problem.”
But she didn’t laugh, too frustrated with the dog. “I think he knows I mocked his Easter candy name. Can I lure him with a treat?” she asked. “Or would that ruin your experiment?”
“Sure. He can’t resist peanut butter. Try a spoonful of that from the pantry.”
She went inside and followed that order, heading back out with a spoon slathered in Skippy, holding it in the air to coax the dog closer.
Instantly, he came. “Well, he can smell that.”
“He can smell,” Braden said. “The problem is discernment.”
“Follow me, pup.” She walked back to the house, and he trotted along and into the kitchen, where she closed the door. She instantly rewarded him with the peanut butter. The whole time he licked the spoon, he kept his gaze on her.
“Are we friends now?”
He turned around and stared at the hallway.
“I’m going to take that as a no.”
“Hey, Cass. Bring him out now?”
Jelly Bean shot toward his master’s voice, and Cassie followed, disheartened but not ready to give up on getting the dog to like her.
Outside, Braden held out one of the destroyed Tupperware containers, and Jelly Bean went right to it, sniffing. Instantly, Braden slipped him a treat from his pocket. He walked a little farther, repeated the whole thing, and again, until they’d gone around the whole backyard, Jelly Bean getting a treat each time.
“All right. Now we have to go far away, to an open area, like the square in town. I’d like to go ahead in my truck so I can hide the kerosene-covered Q-tips, if you don’t mind driving him separately.”
“If he’ll get in my car,” she said.
“I’ll just tell him. He speaks—”
“English. I know,” she finished on a laugh. “So while we’re there, can we walk through the first scavenger hunt station, and figure out what we’re going to ask hunters to do? Like take a picture with their dog in front of that statue of that guy who founded Bitter Bark?”
“Thaddeus Ambrose Bushrod? That guy?”
She blinked in surprise. “Is that why the bar is called Bushrod’s? And Ambrose Avenue? I didn’t know that.”
He put his arm around her. “See? So much to love about Bitter Bark, Cass.”
“But no high-rises or busy intersections.”
“Exactly.”
She rolled her eyes. “Meet me in front of Big Bad Thad in ten minutes.”
Jelly Bean wasn’t thrilled with the transportation arrangements and, in fact, stayed in the hatchback of Cassie’s little SUV, nose pressed against the window like a prisoner dreaming of a better life.
Fifteen minutes later, Cassie had Jelly Bean on a leash, and they walked together across the south side of Bushrod Square, headed straight to the statue in the center that was surrounded by stately oaks that always had white lights flickering at night, no matter the season.
But the lights weren’t on yet, since daylight was hanging on to this late May evening. The square was crowded with kids at the playground, dogs on the path, and lots of residents and tourists taking strolls.
“See, we can be pals,” she said to Jelly Bean, keeping him close with a short leash. “This isn’t so bad.”
He replied by stopping to pee on the grass.
“That’s okay, you do you, Mr. Bean. We’ll get there.” As she got closer to the center of the square, she caught sight of Braden standing near the statue, and of course her heart did a little tumble and flip. Oh yeah, the man had something. Something that made her want to be very careful.
When Jelly Bean spotted him, he barked, but didn’t tug her forward.
“Good boy,” she said, rounding a large shrub that formed a five-foot wall around Big Thad, suddenly seeing that Braden wasn’t alone, but stood talking to…Simone London.
Really?
The minute Jelly Bean spotted her, he jerked forward, letting out a series of barks.
“Whoa!”
He yanked the leash to pull her with him, his barking rising to a frantic crescendo.
“Hey, JB, slow down, baby.”
He didn’t, but his noise made Simone turn and let out an equally deafening squeal as she threw out her arms to the dog. “Jelly Belly!” she called.
Cassie gave up, let go of the leash, and Jelly Bean broke into a full run until he reached Simone, jumping up to thoroughly slather the woman with kisses. Cassie caught her breath, watched the exchange, and gave in to the ugly green monster that crawled into her chest.
Who’s jealous of a kiss now, Cass?
Simone was nearly rolling on the ground with the dog when Cassie reached them.
“Sorry.” She looked up, a pair of sky-blue eyes pinned on Cassie. “I just love this dog to death.” She had one of those sweet Southern accents that Cassie somehow never picked up, despite a lifetime in North Carolina.
“He’s a great one,” Cassie agreed.
“Ooh, he is!” Simone rubbed her hands on either side of his head, getting a face-lick in response.
Braden was next to Cassie in a flash. “Simone, have you met Cassie Santorini?”
“Yeah, she’s your cousin, right?”
“No, we’re not cousins,” he said with a quick chuckle. “Just…”
Cassie waited a beat, but he never really did answer, saved by Jelly Bean’s happy bark as he circled Simone, licked her hand, and pawed at her for attention.
“He’s certainly happy to see you,” Cassie said. “And nice to meet you, Simone.”
Simone gave her a quick smile in response, then shifted her attention back to Jelly Bean. “Well, we were good pals during those long days and endless nights when Braden had to work, weren’t we, Belly boy?” There was just enough of an edge in her voice for Cassie to imagine how those conversations unfolded when Braden got off work. “Anyway, I guess I better be going. Good to see you, Braden, and thanks for your kind words. But honestly, this is for the best. Frank and I just weren’t ever going to be…well, you know. Rebounds never work.”
Frank. The actuary. They broke up? Wait, he was a rebound?
Cassie looked from one to the other, trying to read the communication between them, all the while tamping down one more uprising from that same green monster.
But Braden didn’t look like he suddenly wanted to fall down on his knees and win Simone back. His whole body seemed on alert, protective, and tense. In fact, the only one with puppy dog eyes was Jelly Bean, who gazed up at Simone like she was sprinkled with bacon bits.
“So anyway, I’ll see you around, Braden. Oh, and Cassie, I finally got into your restaurant the other day. Really great food. What a nice addition to Bitter Bark.”
“Thanks.” Cassie smiled. “I’ll tell my brothers, since they’re the ones actually running it.”
“The twins with the beards?” She laughed. “Yeah, they’re also nice additions to Bitter Bark.”
The comment was just enough to make Braden stand ever so slightly taller,
a subtle move that most people wouldn’t have noticed, but told Cassie everything she needed to know. Now that green monster had a hold on him.
“Yes, that’s Alex and John, my brothers,” she said.
“Well, I’ll be sure to stop in again. And good to see you, Braden. Take care.” With a quick smile and a few too many kisses on Jelly Bean’s head, Simone headed across the square. For a moment, Cassie just stood there, not sure what to say.
“Awkward,” Braden mumbled.
“Not for everyone,” Cassie joked, pointing to Jelly Bean, who lay panting on the grass, staring in the direction that Simone had gone.
“Plus, the scent vessel is a foot away from him in that bush. And he has no idea.”
“Well, he obviously can discern the scent of a woman he really likes.”
Braden took a step closer. “So can I.” For a long moment, he looked into her eyes, long enough to make some butterflies soar. “But can I say that I like that you’re jealous?”
“Of Jelly Bean, not you.”
He grinned. “It’s a start.”
“Except we’re not supposed to start anything, Einstein. Remember? Temporary? Qualified? Full of restrictions and highly controlled?”
“Oh yeah.” He reached down and tapped her chin. “I keep forgetting.”
“Don’t worry. I wrote it down.”
“I’m sure you did.”
Chapter Ten
Cassie slid the ticket across the pass-through and ducked under the stainless-steel warmer to get Alex’s attention away from the grill. “Four more spanakopita, big guy. What’d you put in it today, crack?”
He laughed and made a stern expression she immediately recognized. “It’s the dill, agapi mou. Never go light with dill and…”
She pointed at him with the same frown and gave her own imitation of their father’s voice. “Use an extra layer of phyllo to soak the oil.” They both smiled at the memory, the image of Dad as clear as if he stood in the Santorini’s kitchen with them.
Alex’s smile turned to a sad sigh, though those had become far less frequent since they’d come to Bitter Bark and opened a new Santorini’s. Maybe it was better for him to not be in the literal shoes of his father, as he had been at the Chestnut Creek deli.
“Rush almost over?” he asked, setting a platter of moussaka on the pass for table four.
“Just a few stragglers and…” She cocked her head at the sound of the front door opening. “And the usual latecomers.”
“Go get ’em, Cass.”
She rolled her eyes, beyond sick of being a waitress in a Greek deli, a job she’d done off and on most of her life. Flipping the parsley and lemon garnish onto the platter, she reached to scoop up the plate, but her brother extended his hand into the pass-through to cover hers.
“John and I are interviewing, I swear.” Alex pinned her in place with his dark gaze. “You’ll be able to be a full-time event planner soon. I know that’s what you want.”
She gave him a quick smile, affection for her brother welling up, even though she suspected those interviews were going slow because they were so used to her being there for them. “I know, Alex,” she said. “And that is what I want to do.”
Except…not in a small town like this.
“Just a few more weeks, I promise. We’re really getting this place off the ground. Bitter Bark was a great move for us.” He dipped his head to get a better look at her. “And not so bad for you, right? I mean, with you and Braden finally making it official.”
Finally? Official? Oh boy. She considered a bunch of responses, but discarded them all. The last two evenings, she and Braden had met after he was off work, done a sniff test or two with Jelly Bean, then taken a drive through town to scope out another station for the scavenger hunt. Being with him didn’t feel fake or wrong or anything but…good and, yeah, official.
Holding hands was surprisingly natural. Easy hugs were, well, easy and frequent, as were casual touches and playful conversations. The only reason they resisted a kiss good night was because they both knew that once they started, they’d never stop.
She took the plate, the very scent of it reminding her that if she didn’t make her move out of here, somehow she’d end up being the head waitress of Santorini’s with a side business of catering and planning two-bit events and…coming home to Braden every night.
Only one part of that didn’t completely suck.
“What?” Alex asked. “Don’t try to pretend you guys haven’t been into each other since you met.”
She stared at him, then closed her eyes. “Just keep interviewing, Alex. I can’t build my event business if I’m serving your moussaka all day long.”
She took off for the dining room, where she instantly saw who had walked in. Gramma Finnie and Yiayia were setting up at a two-top by the window, taking their usual seats across from each other, leaning forward to gossip and giggle like the teenagers from Bitter Bark High.
And of course, Gala and Pyggie were tucked under the table, waiting for phyllo dough crumbs.
“Hey, Gramma. Yiayia,” Cassie called as she sailed by to deliver her order. “The usual?”
They looked at each other and shared a conspiratorial smile, then Yiayia waved Cassie closer. “We need to talk to you.”
What? Big change? No feta on Yiayia’s salad? Hold the tzatziki on Gramma’s gyro? “Just a sec.”
She gave the waiting customers their plates and a smile, refilled a water, placed a check on the next table, and finally made her way back to the front window, confident that she had two minutes to pull a chair from the next table and join the women. Gala licked her leg, and Pyggie nestled closer.
“What up, sweet grandmothers?” As she used the half-sarcastic—the Yiayia half—nickname, she stole a glance at her grandmother, catching a quick flicker of smug satisfaction disintegrate to a frown.
“Santorini’s employees don’t sit,” she said under her breath, sounding very much like the woman who’d run a family restaurant for forty years.
“Nonsense, Agnes!” Gramma Finnie patted Cassie’s hand with one that was wrinkled, spotted, and so very tender. “Rest your tired feet, lass. Not a person in Bitter Bark is judging you for that.”
Oh, one person was. Cassie gave a tight smile to Yiayia, whose whole expression instantly changed into something…soft.
“Which is what I love about this little town,” Yiayia said quickly, managing to get back into the caricature of herself she’d been dragging around for weeks now. “Go ahead, Finn,” Yiayia insisted. “Ask her.”
Finn? Who called Gramma Finnie Finn?
“Ask me what?” Cassie urged when Gramma didn’t reply right away. Maybe she couldn’t speak because someone just called her Finn.
“We had an idea,” she finally said, shifting in her chair and adjusting her glasses with slow movements.
“We’re ready to move on,” Yiayia added, clearly impatient with Gramma’s buildup.
“Move on?” Cassie’s eyes widened. “Are you going back to Florida?”
“Of course not!” Yiayia exclaimed. “Finnie and I are having the time of our lives, especially now that you and Braden are settled down.”
She nearly choked. “Settled down?”
“Well, in a manner of speaking, lass.” Gramma leaned closer. “My darling Pru said she saw the two of you walking outside the library last evening.” She lifted her brows. “And not just walking, if you know what I mean.”
She knew exactly what she meant. Braden had had to drop a book off, and while they walked, they’d held hands. Maybe they stopped and wrapped their arms around each other. They did everything but kiss, because the fire was constantly burning between them.
“What’s a fourteen-year-old doing slinking around town at nine o’clock at night, might I ask?” Cassie’s hackles raised at the infringement of privacy. Couldn’t a person return a library book without “family” lurking around every corner?
No, not in Bitter Bark when your family was Kilca
nnons, Mahoneys, and Santorinis.
“Pru volunteers at the library helping the little ones read to some of the dogs of Waterford,” Yiayia said, rising to the teenager’s defense. “It’s open in the evenings until September, you know.”
“I do know, and by the way, nobody’s settled.” She had to get that much straight.
The two women shared another look, this one a little bit horrified.
Gramma put her hand over Cassie’s. “I thought you two were an item now.”
“An item is something on a menu, Gramma, and we’re just…” She gave a sideways glance to her grandmother, who was, she had to remember, the root cause of all of this. “Dating. Which is a far cry from settled.”
“But you’re off the market,” Yiayia said.
Cassie let out an exasperated sigh. “What are you two getting at, anyway?”
“We have an idea for the Date with a Dog bachelor auction,” Gramma said, pulling out her big bag to dig for something. “But we need a third opinion.”
Cassie took a quick look around the restaurant. The spanakopita for the two older couples in the back booth had to be ready, since it was served room temp. And table six needed a check.
“Here’s our list,” Gramma Finnie said, pulling out a piece of paper. “Yiayia loves to write everything down, did you know that?”
“It’s a curse of the genes,” Cassie said, putting her hand on whatever the list could be, not even sure she wanted to know. “What is this, exactly?”
“A matchmaking list,” Yiayia said cheerily.
“You’re seriously matchmaking?” she asked, directing the question to Gramma Finnie because the woman couldn’t tell a lie. Yiayia, on the other hand, lived one.
“Someone has to do it, lass. The Dogfather has fallen in love and forgotten his role in this family.”
She snorted a soft laugh. “His role is to be father and uncle and, soon, a husband. Anyway, I know he and my mom have joked about continuing his streak, but these things need to happen organically. Don’t try and push them.” Then she turned to her grandmother, the question burning. “Are you honestly telling me you don’t care that I’m seeing a guy who isn’t Greek?”
Hot Under the Collar Page 11
