Here Comes Trouble by Erin Kern Read Free Book Online Page A

everyone was a dishonest thief like her father. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jessie lean through the open window and kiss the driver. Lacy didn’t know Jessie that well, so she didn’t say anything to the girl when she went back inside the restaurant.
    The car, which had a high-pitch squealing sound, made a u-turn in the parking lot, then left. Lacy discarded half the uneaten apple in her lunch bag. Jessie seemed like a nice, honest person, certainly not someone capable of stealing.
    She stood, tossed the brown paper bag in a garbage can nearby. But the girl hardly ever worked on a weeknight, and there just happened to be food missing from the fridge. Should Lacy voice her concerns to Chase? No. There was no need to get Jessie in trouble for something that could be completely innocent. Besides, Chase was busy enough without listening to Lacy’s cooked-up suspicions.
    When she walked back into the kitchen, she spotted Chase on the other side talking to Henry. Henry spoke, gesturing with his hands, and Chase had his arms crossed over his chest, giving Henry his complete attention. He looked especially good in a white dress shirt and tan colored slacks. He nodded at something Henry said while glancing around the kitchen. His gaze connected with hers and that familiar heat warmed her from the pit of her stomach to the top of her head. He didn’t smile at her, but this wasn’t unusual, he often didn’t, at work. Instead, his blue eyes briefly lowered to her mouth before he nodded again at Henry. Chase said something to the chef before walking out of the kitchen.
    She noticed a stiffness to his shoulders and the hard set to his mouth. He obviously had something on his mind. Lacy was no Sherlock Holmes, but she had a feeling whatever had the muscles beneath his shirt so coiled had something to do with the shortage of supplies. Her mind returned to what she saw with Jessie and the station wagon. On the surface, the scene seemed innocent. Something told her, however, to keep a closer eye on the waitress until she had solid evidence to bring to Chase.

    ****

    Absolutely nothing.
    Nothing suspicious, head scratching, or even remotely nail biting on the numerous hours of footage. The only weird thing he saw was Phil talking to himself in the fridge.   But Phil was kind of a strange guy anyway, so Chase didn’t give the scene a second thought. None of the waitresses or chefs had displayed any behavior that would demonstrate dishonest activity. And he couldn’t think of anyone who would steal from the restaurant. More and more Chase leaned toward Henry making a mistake with the inventory count, although the man rarely did so. There was always the possibility of human error. For now, he’d tell his father nothing came up and to dismiss the incident as an unfortunate error.
    With a sigh, he withdrew the disc from the DVR and set it on top of the others he’d already watched. The monotonous task of viewing hours of footage had been the equivalent of watching paint dry. Chase was glad to be done with his father’s little project. He only hoped now the old man would let the whole thief-thing go. The only satisfying thing had been catching glimpses of Lacy. Her black and white, fuzzy image flitted from room to room, her slim hips gently swaying beneath her pants.
    Even though she couldn’t stand him, Lacy was a good waitress. Her big, bright smile and soft laugh made the wait staff like her and made her customers feel comfortable. Chase hadn’t expected her to last this long at McDermott’s. He knew Lacy lacked staying power. So far, she’d hung on for two years, showing up for every shift and occasionally covering for another waitress on her nights off. That’s what he called dedication.
    Lacy wasn’t what he’d consider a raving beauty; her looks were very average. Although, her hair was always shiny and soft-looking. She was a little on the pale side, but her skin did have a creamy glow. And she wasn’t as tall as