Opposites Distract (20 page)

Tyne glanced at her expression, frowned, then gave Jason a dirty look. “Tats from every country, bro.” He yanked his T-shirt up to his chest. Blue ink swirled on his sides. He yanked at his shirt's neckline, and more ink stretched across his shoulders. “Happy?” he asked.

Jason glared at his six-pack abs. “Cooking must keep you fit.”

Tyne jerked his shirt back in place. “No, work outs do.”

Jason reached for his clipboard and shoved it at Paula, making sure their fingers touched. “Here. Check that you've got everything, then give me your signature.”

She rolled her eyes.
Men and their pissing contests.
Zipping through the list faster than usual, not inspecting and counting each item, she signed that everything had been delivered.

Jason turned on his heel. He tipped his empty dolly and stalked out the door.

Ian grinned. “We put your Jason in a bad mood.”

“He's not
my
Jason.”

Ian patted Tyne on the back. “The two of us might as well disappear when Jason steps through that door. I'm surprised Paula doesn't have a tattoo of him hidden somewhere.”

“He's an ass.” Tyne went to look through the boxes and whistled, impressed.

Betty whisked into the kitchen and nodded agreement. “That's what I keep telling our girl. Jason thinks he's God's gift to women, but I have more respect for our creator than that. She should throw herself at Chase. Now
that
boy's worth the bother.”

“I should have told Jason we were getting an assistant chef.” Paula hurried to defend him. “He doesn't like surprises.”

Ian finished rinsing the pots and pans. “And you know that how?”

Paula gave an exasperated sigh. “If somehow a supplier's out of something I ordered, it irritates him. He doesn't like to bring inferior products or run behind schedule, either.”

Tyne glanced out the window as Jason's box truck pulled away. “Lucky man if he expects perfection.”

“And you don't?” Paula couldn't keep the snap out of her voice.

“Sure I do, but I'm not an ass about it.”

Ian took one look at her face and threw up a hand to call peace. “Down, girl. It's only Tyne's first day. Don't kill him yet.”

Paula sent Tyne a withering look. What did he know about Jason? Not a damned thing. But she needed an assistant, so she fought to calm down.

Ian nodded at the kitchen. “All clean. What needs done next?”

He was trying to change the subject, Paula knew. Not a bad idea. “I thought Tyne and I could put our heads together to plan out menus and schedules.”

“Sounds good. I'll get out of here and let you get to it.” Ian glanced at Tyne. “A word of warning—Paula's little, but she's a firecracker. Don't get on her bad side.”

“I'm not little! I'm short!” She sounded sharper than she intended, but five-one was plenty if you put your mind to it. Her height didn't bother her. She'd love to be thinner, though. Not that Jason was trim and fit. He was a little overweight, too. She adored a man with love handles, a little softness like a teddy bear—cuddly.

Tyne shrugged. “Sorry. Didn't mean to aggravate you. My brother swears I can irritate anybody. Words pop out. I say what I say, and people either listen or don't.”

Paula could feel her shoulders relax. She liked people who spoke their minds, as long as they didn't push it. “Okay, let's grab a beer and get started.” She went to the refrigerator and pulled out two bottles of dark ale and handed one to Tyne, then sat at the wooden work table. It was early, but restaurants keep strange hours and she liked a beer between sets. Tyne straddled a chair across from her. Ian shook his head and made his escape.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

Judi Lynn
received a Master's Degree from Indiana University in elementary education after attending the IPFW campus. She taught for six years before having her two daughters. She loves gardening, cooking and trying new recipes. Readers can visit her website at
www.judithpostswritingmusings.com
and her blog
www.writingmusings.com
.

To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book.

 

 

LYRICAL SHINE BOOKS are published by

 

Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018

 

Copyright © 2016 by Judi Lynn

 

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

 

 

Lyrical Shine and Lyrical Shine logo Reg. US Pat. & TM Off

 

First Electronic Edition: July 2016

ISBN: 978-1-6018-3785-1

eISBN-10: 1-60183-785-2

 

ISBN-13: 978-1-60183-786-8
ISBN-10: 1-60183-786-0