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Without looking back, Beth made a beeline for the kitchen. Tommy was already at the sink doing dishes. When he saw Drew behind her, he winked.
She rolled her eyes and grabbed the tray they used to close down the dining room. Filling up the small bucket with warm soapy water, Beth handed it over to Drew. “Think you can handle wiping off all the tables and filling up the salt and pepper shakers?”
“Yeah. I think I can handle that.”
“Good. I’ll be out to check on you in about twenty minutes. And don’t forget to check underneath the tables.”
Beth thought she heard Drew chuckle before he headed back out to the dining room.
“Going a little hard on him, aren’t you?” Tommy asked.
“No.”
“Come on, B. Don’t play that game with me. I’ve known you for too long. You like the guy. Admit it.”
Picking up a clean towel, she wet it and began scrubbing the kitchen counters. “Yes, I like him. I know I shouldn’t, but I do. Satisfied?”
“Maybe.”
Beth groaned. “You’re as bad as Nicole, do you know that?”
Tommy laughed so hard he had trouble catching his breath. “I’ll take that as a compliment. I like Nicole.”
As much as she wanted to comment, Beth kept her mouth shut. Tommy knew a lot about her life, but he had no idea that both she and Nicole were into BDSM. Tommy was young. Okay, he was twenty-three. Still, he was young enough for her to feel the need to keep that part of her life away from him. She’d known him since he was sixteen, and in many ways, she still viewed him that way.
Trying her best to ignore the satisfied grin on Tommy’s face, Beth concentrated on getting her work done. Once she had everything cleaned and put away, she went out to the dining room to see how Drew was doing.
She found him near the front of the café. Even though she hadn’t told him to, he’d flipped all the chairs upside down and placed them on the tables. To her knowledge, he’d never been to her café after hours. Maybe he’d worked in a restaurant when he was younger. That or he paid attention to details. When she’d worked at the bakery, putting the chairs on the tables was something all the new employees had to be told. More than once someone would just try to vacuum around the chair legs and call it done.
“You put the chairs up. That’s good.”
He glanced up. “Figured it was easier to do it as I went. I didn’t see a sweeper anywhere, though.”
Beth took a long look at the table she was standing next to. The salt and pepper shakers had been filled and arranged neatly at the center of the table beside the sugar. She walked to the window and flipped the sign to closed before turning her attention back to Drew. “It’s in the supply closet. I’ll show you.”
She turned on her heel knowing he’d follow her. When she heard his footsteps behind her, Beth grinned.
Opening the door, she stepped into the small room, and turned on the light. Everything for the restaurant that wasn’t food-related was stored in this room. She spotted the vacuum on the far wall and was about to retrieve it when Drew brushed past her. The area he’d touched—albeit briefly—left behind an almost electric charge.
He must have felt it, too, because he stopped and turned to face her.
They stared at each other for several moments before Drew cleared his throat. “Do I need anything else while I’m in here?”
She swallowed and shook her head. “No. The vacuum should be it.”
Not waiting for a response, Beth left the room, and went to find Tommy. He was up front stocking supplies behind the counter. “Having fun with the firefighter?”
“Shut it. Now, what else needs to be done up here?”
Tommy chuckled and pointed to the large display case.
“Left that for me, did you? Thanks so much.” Beth took a wet rag and began cleaning the large glass case they used to display the baked goods. It was perhaps her least favorite part of running the café. Everything had to be taken out of the case, wiped down, and put back. Sounded simple enough, but when jelly or icing dripped and then dried on the metal racks, it sometimes meant scraping it off.
As she was prying some icing from the center rack, she heard the vacuum turn on. Beth didn’t need to look up to see Tommy was smiling—the amusement was vibrating off him. He was enjoying this thing with her and Drew way too much.
Before long, everything was as it should be, and Beth found herself standing outside the back door with Drew and Tommy. Beth knew she and Drew needed to talk, and figured this was as good a time as any. “Thanks, Tommy. I’ll see you in the morning.”
He glanced back and forth from her to Drew, and then nodded. “Call me if you need anything.”
