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“Never mind. I can spot an asshole a mile away. Luke, go ask the SOB if he’d like to join us for dinner.”
“Are you crazy?” Lucy screeched.
“Just a little,” Rex admitted. “Don’t worry. A little goes a long way when you’re dealing with a lunatic who needs to be taught a lesson.”
Chapter Sixteen
The courtyard was the perfect setting for such an occasion. Lucy’s employees made the most of the small area. The patio was the ideal spot for outdoor dining and spacious enough to accommodate several tables for a small group. Large barrels were placed at the four corners, each packed with an assortment of colas and beer.
Rex called in a favor and unveiled new banners for Mason Malone’s High Performance Group. Lucy was well pleased with the end result, boasting to Billy and a few other drivers about the new logo—a three-dimensional series of stock cars from the earliest models to modern-day designs.
Lucy hadn’t seen Fred yet, but felt certain, wherever he was hiding, he was a bundle of emotions. Fred didn’t like surprises, and when he wasn’t in control, his luck went to pot. She had that in her favor and reminded herself of the fact once more before stepping inside the country kitchen, alive with activity.
Rex and Luke hired two different caterers, and the teams worked well together. That alone reminded her of how her first connection with Fred Graves Racing had actually formed. She’d needed advice from one of the old timers, and the Graves family members were considered old school, well respected in the business.
What she didn’t know at the time was that Fred, the youngest of five Graves brothers, was the black sheep, the one G
raves brother rarely seen on the circuit. There was a reason for that. He had a vile temper, drank a lot, and prided himself on public scenes. He also had a lot of nasty habits, including a costly drug addiction which inevitably landed him in and out of rehab.
Lucy shivered when she thought about all the ways Fred might publicly humiliate her. She wasn’t sure she could stand the embarrassment.
“There you are,” Luke said, greeting her when she entered the kitchen. He was patting out hamburgers and lit up the kitchen with his easy smile.
“I thought you hired someone to handle the food.”
“Yes, but I make a mean hamburger. There’s a trick to this, ya know?”
“Really?”
“Absolutely. There’s only one way to make a burger.”
“Let me guess. It’s such a big family secret that you wouldn’t dream of letting one of the staff members prepare them.”
“I use a special concoction.”
Lucy eyed the seasonings on her counter—paprika, garlic, and onion powder, ground mustard, and black pepper. “Special recipe, huh?” She then noticed something peculiar—a hand of ginger.
“Shh,” he whispered, placing his finger over his lips. He grabbed a plastic bag, dropped cut bulbs of ginger slices inside, and zipped the top. “Put this in the freezer.”
“Luke McDavid, what are you up to?”
“Nothing, doll. I’m just trying to help a friend.”
“Is that what I am?” she asked, walking over to the refrigerator. Opening the top compartment, she placed the bag inside. She couldn’t help but wonder what these burgers would taste like if he planned to cover them in ginger.
He winked. “I like to think of us as buddies.”
“Uh-huh. And why is that?”
“Well, a bed friend doesn’t sound right.”
“We’re more than bed buddies, Luke.”
“You’re damn right,” he said, leaning over to kiss her lightly on the lips. “We’re lovers.”
The kitchen fell quiet with his confession. Several of the women smiled, a couple of the teenage girls giggled, and Luke proudly exclaimed, “What can I say? I want the world to know. I’m in love with this woman!”
A door slammed behind them. Lucy jerked, her gaze unable to settle on the tall man standing inches away from the chopping block. Her stomach was in knots and her palms, sweaty. She acknowledged the arrival of someone who could’ve easily been mistaken for Satan himself.
