This was how research for restaurant reviews worked: tasting from a smorgasbord of selections. Even for such a bizarre purpose, going through the motions made her miss being Kent—a lot.
Dev was just jotting down notes on the final dish they’d covered—skirt steak with peppercorn cream sauce—when Shea caught sight of unicorn hair working its way through the crowd. Delilah was dressed much like she was in the morning at the bakery, only here, she wore a toke and houndstooth pants.
“Hey, lady,” she greeted, squeezing Shea’s shoulder amicably. She started to slide into the booth where Dev sat and nudged him to move over in a sisterly way. “I tried the sumac in the aioli this week.” She continued, zeroing her gaze in on Shea. “It was a killer suggestion. The compliments are already rolling in”
“I can’t take credit,” Shea replied. “A friend of mine from home puts sumac in everything—I’ve developed a taste for the stuff.”
Dev turned to Delilah and made a face. “She’s being modest.”
He pushed the notes he’d been taking over to his sister and Shea watched as Delilah’s eyes went wide. Then, something totally unexpected happened: her eyes began to shine.
Oh, no.
“This is—” Delilah began, then cut herself off. “This is what I’ve been waiting for.”
Delilah set down the papers abruptly and grasped both of Shea’s hands. Shea was busy being relieved that her notes hadn’t hurt Delilah’s feelings.
“Shea.” Delilah started. “I will give you free morning buns every day for the rest of your life if you’re willing to come back and help.”
Delilah turned to Dev then. “Can we hire her? Like, today?”
We? The way she said it made it sound like she and Dev were the owners. But that couldn’t be the case.
“It wouldn’t pay much…” Dev trailed off, his eyes suddenly affixed on Shea, something hopeful in his warm gaze.
“I don’t need the money,” she blurted before thinking.
“If you helped us,” he continued slowly, “I’d never let you pay to eat or drink again at The Big Spoon. I might not even charge you for groceries at the store.”
“Come on!” Delilah was bouncing in her seat now. “Do it for the morning buns!”
But it wouldn’t just be for the morning buns, would it? Shea had had fun this past hour, and not just because of Dev.
I can’t believe I’m gonna do this.
“Alright, when do I report to work?”
Delilah let out a little scream and rose to her feet, but Shea’s eyes remained on Dev. That half-smile graced his lips and he kept his gaze on her.
Shea was still busy being bounced and her hands were being clasped, and Delilah began asking her about logistics: what time could she come? How long she could stay, and the like.
Just after Shea had turned her sticky gaze away from Dev and confirmed that she would show up after lunch on Monday, a breathless Deputy Brody barreled in, brushed clean past Delilah, ignored Shea altogether and spoke directly to Dev.
“Sheriff…” Brody said. “There’s been another accident.”
Part II
The Sheriff
11
The One, Two Punch
Shea
“Tell me what just happened.”
Shea reached out to grab a passing Trudy by her arm. Dev had said his thanks, made his apologies and hastened after the deputy. Delilah had returned to the kitchen. The other patrons, who had paused for Brody’s dramatic entrance and seen the whole exchange, had resumed their chatter; only, now their faces were drawn with worry and they talked in hushed tones.
“Another accident at the mills,” Trudy reported distractedly, surveying the room herself.
“What does it have to do with Dev?” Shea’s voice sounded panicked, even to her own ears.
“Duff—you know, Sheriff Kate Duffy—she’s out on medical leave. Got hurt in the first accident down at Number Ten. She’d already deputized Dev by then, but after her injury, she made him acting Sheriff.”
By the time Trudy got to the end of her explanation, she had sat down in the opposite seat at the table, where Delilah had been just a minute before. Trudy seemed rattled. Everyone did. Under other circumstances, Shea would not have pried for information. But she was rattled for reasons of her own and needed to know more.
“Who would deputize a grocer?” Shea practically exclaimed.
Shea didn’t know whether it was the content of her question or her dramatic tone that relaxed the tense set of Trudy’s lips, causing them to melt into a wan smile.
“The Freshery is just his baby. But that’s not his only business. Dev has projects all over town. He buys up shops that are struggling, works with