Just Desserts by Tricia Quinnies Read Free Book Online Page B

seat of his hatchback and then put on the Jeep’s bikini top so he wouldn’t wake up and be burnt to a crisp like Doug in the movie Hangover. “Sleep it off. We’ll get this deal done.”
    Paul grunted and curled up on the seat.
    The tiger tune from the Hangover popped into his mind as he jogged back to the diner. Before he went inside, he called Eddie. “Hey, need your help. Can you take over at the job site today?”
    “Yeah,” Eddie said, sounding half asleep.
    “If you see Lindy can you send her to Ms. Katie’s?”
    “She just left. I think she had to make a run into Chicago.”
    “Damn. I’ll call you later, thanks. If you need anything, I’ll be at the diner for the day.”
    When Quinn came back into the diner, the fluorescent lights in the kitchen cast an eerie yellow glow. Sadie was no longer sprawled out on the table. Quinn heard the bang and clatter of pots. He rushed to make sure she was all right and slammed open the stainless doors. Mixing bowls were strewn over the stainless island.
    “What did you do with my dad?” Sadie asked as she stretched up and grabbed a sack of flour off the top shelf of the baker’s rack. “Damn. This is so old it’s filled with meal worms.” She tossed the bag into the garbage. “So much for making fresh quiche.”
    “I dragged him to the Jeep where he can sleep it off.” He inspected her face. “Your dad’s a tough man. He’ll be okay.”
    Sadie nodded and then crossed her arms tight around her chest.
    “You look a little tired.” There weren’t any red streaks or blotches on her cheeks and she’d glossed her lips with pinky goo.
    “I tossed and turned all night.” She mechanically twisted her hair and rolled it into the ball on top of her head. “I have to get this place open.”
    Sadie was beautiful and too good for him.
    “I’ll play chef for the day if you’ll trust my minor barbeque skills.” He lifted his hand in the Boy Scout pledge. “I promise to do my best for you.”
     
    ***
     
    “Really? If last night is any reflection of your best can you give me an idea when you’ll be making your escape?” Sadie yanked her apron off the wall hook next to the bakers rack and slipped it over her head. She wished that she hadn’t willed herself out of bed that morning. “I should have known something was up with Pop. The house was too quiet after you took off.”
    He shoved his hands in the back pockets of his jeans and shifted his weight. “Yeah. About last night.”
    “Never mind.” Sadie’s exhaustion left her no energy to have a discussion with the man about their one night stand. Romping on the floor with him hadn’t been the quick fix she’d wanted; instead, it nearly broke her. She marched through the stainless kitchen doors into the diner. “It still reeks in here. I don’t know how I’ll get the stench of stale liquor out before opening.”
    Better than the smell of peanut butter.
    After Quinn came over, she’d hoped a night of empty sex would erase the last trace of her deluded crush on Bryan. Even though Quinn treated her with delicious orgasms, one night stands weren’t her thing. The moment he had come inside her, Sadie felt her heart ache.
    She strode to the booth where her dad had passed out, grabbed the empty bottle of Jameson, and threw it into the recycling bin behind the counter. Then she flipped on all the ceiling fans and cranked up the air conditioning. “I need to blast out the aroma of pure-pot green barley.”
    Quinn was folding up the tablecloth that he had picked up off the floor. “Paul has good taste in whiskey.”
    “Yes, considering he was born in the States. I have a detailed knowledge of Jameson Whiskey thanks to my father.” Sadie retrieved the U2 album cover that had been plastered against her dad’s face and cheek while he had lain, passed out, on the table. She wiped a spot of drool off it. “I’ve found him in this condition several times. But he usually comes to just in time to open and cook