Borrowing Trouble by Stacy Finz Read Free Book Online

bucks in the meantime.”
    â€œI have a catering gig . . . Jake Stryker and Cecilia Rodriguez’s wedding next month . . . if you’re interested. Although it’ll crimp whatever Valentine’s Day plans you might have. The wedding is on the fourteenth.”
    The girl was a knockout and Brady imagined she had no shortage of guys chasing after her. He’d heard that she and Griffin Parks used to be an item. Although Brady thought Griff seemed a little old for her. Lina was just a kid.
    â€œI’ll take it.” She said it with such enthusiasm that Brady laughed.
    â€œOkay. I’ll give you the details later.”
    Right now he had breakfast to make. This morning they had only three couples and a businessman staying at the inn, so preparations would be easy. When he got to the kitchen he found Jake sitting on a stool, sipping a cup of coffee.
    â€œNice kitchen,” Jake said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been in here before.”
    â€œWelcome,” Brady said, and immediately started on a frittata. “You come to drop off Cecilia’s list?”
    â€œYep. She keeps changing her mind.”
    â€œBrides tend to do that. But we’ve got a little time and I’m pretty flexible. I’ve got to say that I like the idea of doing a tapas bar. A little something for everyone.”
    â€œShe’s sticking with that,” Jake said. “She just keeps changing the types of appetizers. One day she’s gung ho about shrimp, the next she wants tuna.”
    â€œWhy don’t we just do both?”
    â€œSomething about it clashing with the wine. I don’t know. I’m leaving it to the two of you.”
    â€œI’ll sit down with her and we’ll hash it out.” Cecilia liked to cook. In Brady’s experience good cooks were the most finicky about the food at their receptions. He couldn’t blame them. The food made the event.
    â€œHow’s it working out with Sloane living next door?” Jake asked, and Brady got the impression that the detective looked out for her. He’d been the one to bring her to Nugget, according to Maddy.
    â€œGood. We don’t see a lot of each other . . . different schedules.” No way was he telling Jake about her minor breakdown the other day. She’d want that private.
    Brady suspected that the tears had been over a boyfriend thing. Sloane was probably in the midst of a bad breakup, hence her relocation to the ends of the earth and a need for a “change of scenery.” Perhaps the guy had been another cop and LAPD wasn’t big enough for the both of them. That’s why it was best to steer clear of romances too close to home.
    Unfortunately, Brady had learned that the hard way.
    After breakfast, he threw together a couple of hors d’oeuvres for the afternoon service. They expected a few more guests, but like most winter weeknights, bookings remained light. Lina popped in and made lunch out of leftover frittata and fruit salad. He heated some of yesterday’s biscuits for her while he prepared menus for the rest of the week.
    â€œSo you want to build bridges, huh?”
    â€œYep. Specifically suspension bridges like the Golden Gate and the Bay Bridge.”
    â€œSounds complicated,” Brady said as he cleaned the range. When it came to the kitchen, he was a neat freak.
    â€œIt is sort of, but I find it fascinating.” Her dimple showed when she smiled and once again Brady noted how pretty Rhys’s baby sister was. Dark hair, dark eyes, and olive skin. She reminded him a little of Eva Longoria.
    With both her parents gone, the police chief probably had his hands full keeping the boys away. Lina took her dishes to the sink, washed them, and headed back to the reservation desk. It was nice having someone competent for a change. Truthfully, he didn’t know why Maddy, Nate, and Sam kept Andy around. Brady had never hesitated to fire one of his slacker line