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He laughed. “I never took you for such a hostile person.”
“Then you haven’t been paying attention very well all these years.” He had though and he wondered what she would think if she knew that. If she knew that he’d been paying attention to her for years now despite locking his attraction to her away.
She gave him a wink that was more playful than anything else and spun toward the coffee pot. “Your boring usual?” she asked.
“Yes, thank you.”
“I can put it over ice. It’s hot out there.”
“Hot is fine.”
“One of these days I’m going to get you to drink something other than hot coffee, two sugars, and a splash of milk.”
“I wouldn’t hold your breath. Your delightful personality won’t help you much if you’re dead.”
“Oh! I’m the one with the delightful personality? I swore you held that title.” She popped the lid on the cup and pushed it across the counter.
He took the cup in his hands, the heat spreading through his fingers and making him debate if an iced coffee would have been a better choice, though watered-down coffee sounded pretty damn terrible.
He retrieved his wallet and pulled out a five. Cami plucked the crisp bill out of his hand and rang him up. She handed him his change, and he shoved the two-fifty into the tip jar.
Her eyebrow cocked above her brown eye. “What is that?”
With his coffee in hand, he made his way to the door. He flashed her a smirk. “Paying you back for my last freebie.”
“That wasn’t a freebie! That was a thank you, you ass.”
“Get your tire fixed.”
Cami’s foul language followed him into the heat, and he laughed as he made his way to the restaurant.
Vinny’s Lobster Shack was his grandfather’s place, and Enzo had been working there since he was a kid. It was his first job, but not his only. He’d had his fair share of other employers throughout his life, but the Shack was the place he always went back to.
Now with his grandfather getting older, though he refused to accept the fact, Enzo was taking on much of the day to day responsibilities. He was happy to step in and one day, his grandfather would retire and the place would be all his. In Enzo’s mind, even if the papers said the place was his, in his heart it would always belong to the original Vincenzo.
It was still early, and the restaurant wasn’t set to open for another couple of hours. Enzo had hoped for a quiet ease into the day, but the loud bang coming from the restaurant told him otherwise. He sighed and yanked the door open.
The sound of pots clanging echoed through the small dining area. He took his time, putting his coffee down on the bar, and made his way to the kitchen.
A mix of Italian and English met him at the doorway. Chris, the chef, glanced at Enzo as he entered the kitchen, arms crossed over his chest, and he shook his head.
“Diavolo!” Grandpa’s voice bellowed through the small space. The seagull, lovingly nicknamed Devil in Italian, knocked a pan onto the floor, refusing to let go of the bag of hot dog buns secured in his beak. For the last few years, Diavolo showed up in the spring, becoming Grandpa’s biggest nemesis until the first cold of October when the kitchen doors were closed and locked.
Enzo would just give the bird a bun and get it out the door, but not Vinny Moretti. He refused to give a single dropping to the blasted beast even if their kitchen took the brunt of the ongoing battle.
Enzo looked to Chris and nodded to his grandfather wielding a spatula like a sword. “How long has this been going on?”
“Five minutes, give or take.”
Diavolo and Vinny were in a standoff now, Diavolo’s eyes on the door while Grandpa stood in the way of the only exit.
“Just let the bird go,” Enzo said.
Grandpa turned his attention for a mere second, and Diavolo took advantage, flying toward the door.
“That damn seagull!” Vinny held his fist up with fury in his eyes. “You let him get away.”
“Come on, Grandpa. We will be opening soon, and Chris needs to get things in order.” Enzo draped an arm over Vinny’s shoulder and steered him away from the kitchen. It was a little early for a snifter of limoncello, but maybe getting him out of the kitchen and away from the crime scene would help.
