Two to Tangle (A Tangle Valley Romance #2) - Melissa Brayden Page 0,12
that she was not behaving like herself because there was a hot-as-hell woman doing impressive things with her hands in her new restaurant. Was she Chelsea all of a sudden? Did she need mall living? “Anything I can do?” she asked, looking around nonchalantly.
“Yes. Can you write me up a detailed list of things you see as must-haves? Any extra outlets not on the plans, storage needs, extra working space here or there. You understand the flow of service a lot more than I do, so if you could help me get inside your brain a little, I could tweak what we have on paper to match your needs more specifically.”
“Customization. I like it. I will make a list this afternoon.”
“Stellar.”
“You’ve never worked in a restaurant?” Gabriella asked, as two guys hacked away at the wall, making holes with the backs of hammers and dragging away the wreckage.
“I delivered pizzas for Pizzamino’s a couple years in high school.”
Gabriella squinted. “Really? Well, that’s something, I guess.” But now she was imagining someone with the sex appeal of good-with-her-hands Ryan Jacks showing up on her doorstep with a piping hot pizza, which wouldn’t be the only thing that was warm. Her mind had devolved into the exposition of a pornographic video. She could only laugh.
“You okay?” Ryan asked. That dimple again. Je-sus.
“What?”
“I asked if you’d tried it. Pizzamino’s? The way they crisp the pepperoni should go down in some sort of pizza manual.”
“I’ve had their meatball and onion pie, but you’ve now elevated the pepperoni to the must-try list.”
“It’s that easy?” Ryan passed her a lazy grin.
“When it comes to food, I’m a sucker every time. I can’t be stopped.”
Ryan shrugged. “Can’t imagine why you’d want to be. I’m someone who thinks life is meant to be lived. Chase your pepperoni dreams.”
This was going really well. Too well, which meant Gabriella should move them out of it. Less focus on sexy Ryan and more focus on the restaurant. “Any issues today?” She slid her hands into the back pockets of her jeans.
“Billy was fifteen minutes late, but we let it slide.”
A guy wearing a ball cap tipped the brim in their direction.
“Good God, Billy,” Gabriella said in exaggerated horror.
“My daughter Wrigley’s teacher wanted to chat when I dropped her off,” he said with a wince. “Good thing I still have a job.” He hooked a thumb at Ryan as if to indicate how awful she was.
Gabriella turned to Ryan with an outstretched hand and mock exasperation. “You’re giving this man a hard time for being a good father?”
“I just like to harass him for kicks. Don’t worry. He gives it back, the bastard.”
Another proud tip of the ball cap from Billy. These two were fun together. She felt like she was beginning to understand the dynamic of Ryan and her crew, who’d likely worked alongside one another for years. “Ah, well, I’ll leave you to it then.” She turned to Ryan. “I’ll stop by in the morning with that list.”
“I’d appreciate it. It’ll be a mess in here, so prepare yourself. Everything is temporary.”
“Can’t wait. Yep.” She hooked a thumb behind her and rocked on her heels. “Let you good people work now.”
She wasn’t sure, but she thought she caught Ryan’s eyes lingering an extra beat before she turned to go, and that little detail prompted goose bumps from head to toe. Had she imagined that? No. It had happened. She chuckled at how easy she was. A good-looking kid with a hammer and she was drooling? How cliché. Gabriella sighed. How long had it been since she’d had sex again? Probably had a lot to do with it. She shook her head, not sure she could count that high. “Get it together, Russo,” she commanded in amusement as she made her way to the parking lot. It appeared maybe she needed a healthier outlet for her, ahem, extra energy.
“Excuse me. Freeze. Where are you off to?” Joey asked her, as Gabriella strolled past the tasting room. Joey stood on the outdoor patio gathering a foursome of empty glasses from a table. “Was gonna see if you wanted to try Loretta’s batch of peach sangria. You’ll notice your whole day gets better.” She shook her head. “Happens every damn time. That’s why spring is my favorite.”
“I don’t think sales get any more convincing than that. I’ll be back for that in a few. Gonna pop in and see Clementine. I think it’s time I sign up for softball.”