Buried in Secrets (Carly Moore #4) - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,6
Max had told me his real name was Fred) was working out better than the last two.
Tiny cast me a dark look when I stood in the doorway to the kitchen. “Don’t you think about crossing that line.”
Tiny didn’t have many rules, but he wouldn’t stand for anyone setting foot in his kitchen.
“Is Max talking to Molly?” I asked.
He cast a glance out through the server window, then grimaced. “Yeah, and it don’t look pretty.”
“Then I’m a refugee seeking asylum.”
He laughed at that, then motioned me in. “I like you, kid.”
I walked in and peered through the window myself. Max and Molly were standing next to the bar, and even though they weren’t raising their voices, their body language made it obvious their talk wasn’t going well.
I perched on a stool in the corner, out of sight from the front. “How long has that been going on?”
“Five minutes or so. Ginger walked in and heard ’em, then walked right back out.”
“To be fair,” Pickle said, “they were a lot louder when she walked in. Max started talkin’ to her, which only pissed Molly off more.”
I nodded. I suspected Ginger had headed over to Wyatt’s garage to hang out with her husband until the coast was clear. “What’s the lunch special?”
“Tuna melt,” Tiny said with a look that dared me to protest. He knew I hated tuna melts.
“Good thing I had time to prep the dining room last night,” I said. “We’re gonna be lucky to open on time as it is.” I leaned forward and got another glance at the two of them. Molly was pointing her finger at Max, jabbing it like she was trying to make a point. Thankfully, Max didn’t look like he was about to cave.
Then Molly turned abruptly, and her gaze landed on me through the window.
I froze, wide-eyed, then sat back on the stool. “Shit.”
A few seconds later, Molly showed up in the doorway to the kitchen. “Happy now, bitch?”
Tiny took a step forward and pointed to the back door. “You need to be leavin’. Now.”
Molly shot him a feral glare, released a frustrated growl, and threw the back door open so hard it bounced off the outer brick wall. She stomped out, then banged it shut behind her.
“That’s the most excitement I’ve seen since I got here,” Pickle said, his eyes shining.
“Stick around long enough and you’ll see plenty more,” Tiny said, then he looked at me with raised eyebrows, but his tone gentled. “The coast is clear now. You scoot.”
I walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek. “Love you too, Tiny.”
“Awww…” Pickle said with a grin.
Tiny’s face reddened, the first time I’d ever seen him blush. I pulled my dinner out of my purse and put it in Tiny’s refrigerator.
“My cookin’ not good enough for you?” he asked as I shut the door.
“On the contrary,” I said with a laugh. “It’s too good. My jeans were getting tight.” I stuck my thumb under the waist of my jeans to demonstrate.
He rolled his eyes, and I shot him a grin as I walked off to stow my purse in my locker in the backroom. Max was behind the bar when I walked into the dining room, his hands on the counter, his head hanging between his arms.
“You okay?” I asked softly as I approached him.
He stood up and released a sigh. “I fuckin’ hate that part.”
“I know,” I said. “But if it makes you feel any better, everyone thinks you did the right thing. Even Tiny.”
He nodded, but he didn’t look any happier. “Someone needs to call Ginger and tell her it’s safe to come back.”
He seemed like the logical person to do it, but I guess he felt he’d done enough for the day. I sucked it up and called Drummond Garage, cringing when Wyatt answered and not Junior.
“Drummond Garage.”
“Tell Ginger it’s safe to come back,” I said without introduction.
“Carly?” he asked in surprise.
“Yeah. Just tell Ginger that Molly’s gone.”
He was silent for a moment, then said, “Everything okay over there?”
“Yeah. Peachy.” I hung up, feeling guilty although I had no idea why. I sure didn’t regret getting Molly fired, and I had no idea why I’d feel guilty over Wyatt. He might still think we belonged together, but that didn’t make it so. He’d made his bed of distrust and deceit, and now he could lie in it. I didn’t owe him a damn thing.
I went and unlocked the front door. It was several minutes after noon, and