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Aiyanna’s answering chuckle had a damp edge to it. “You mean you guys actually still want to eat here?”
“Is the sky blue?” Shep snorted. “Everybody I know loves this place. In the end, the Paddocks’ latest shenanigans are going to blow back on them, like they always do.” He wished he could give her a timeframe, but that wasn’t possible.
Aiyanna’s son finished his bottle, and she held him up against her shoulder, firmly patting him between the shoulder blades. He let out a noisy burp.
Prim held out her arms, chuckling. “Mind if I hold little Marco? I’m overdue for my next baby fix.”
Aiyanna eyed Prim’s quilted jacket warily. “You might want to take off your pretty pink coat, so he doesn’t drool on it. Otherwise, you’ll smell like sour milk for the rest of the day.”
“Believe me, as a P.A., I’ve had worse stuff drizzled, dripped, and sloshed all over me.” She still unzipped her coat and shrugged out of it.
Shep reached for it. Prim handed it to him without hesitation, eliciting another curious look from Aiyanna as she transferred her son to Prim’s arms.
“Not to pry, but are you two…” She smiled suggestively at them.
Shep raised his eyebrows. “Are we what?” No way was he touching the question before she spit the rest of it out.
“Forget it.” She abruptly stood. “I have the perfect booth in mind for you.”
They followed her to the dining room, which was just now opening for business. Adriel’s wife, Tiva, was wiping down tables with a damp cloth. Though she’d been promoted from a waitress to the assistant manager, she never hesitated to pitch in where she was needed.
She was a tiny, dark-haired fairy of a woman with a black apron tied around the waist of her plaid dress. From time to time, she called instructions to a pair of teenage busboys.
Correction.As Shep got a better look, he determined that one of the busboys was a busgirl.
“You take the outer booths.” Tiva urged the lovely Comanche teen in jeans and high-tops. To the busboy, she said, “You and I will tackle the tables in the middle of the room. By the time we finish, whoever has wiped down the most tables and chairs gets to take an extra dessert home.” As she picked up a set of condiments to wipe beneath them, she noticed the newcomers. “Hey, Shep! Hey, Prim!” She quickly finished wiping downthe table she was working on. “Don’t worry. There really is a restaurant beneath all the dust.”
Though she was making light of the situation, he could tell she was as upset about the dirt as Aiyanna was
Instead of seating them at a table by the door like Prim had suggested, Aiyanna led them to one of the booths against the wall. “I think you’ll find this more comfortable than a table.”
It was more private, too. Shep slid into the booth beside Prim, instead of across from her. Then he tossed her jacket across the table to the bench on the other side.
When Aiyanna reached for her son, Prim waved her away. “I’ve got this. How about you take a break until our lunch arrives?”
Aiyanna looked pleased. “Guess you were serious about needing that baby fix, huh?”
“For sure!” Prim dipped her blonde head over Marco Junior and kissed his dark, silky hair. “He’s squeezably cute!”
The baby gurgled and fisted a chubby hand around one of her braids.
Shep watched them in fascination, knowing with sudden certainty that Prim was going to make an amazing mother someday.
Aiyanna clasped her hands behind her back. “Our special for the day is vegetable beef chili with?—”
“Sold!” Shep found it impossible to look away from Prim and the baby in her arms. The sooner Aiyanna took her curious eyes away from their booth, the better.
“And you, Prim?” The grill owner sounded close to laughing.
“I’ll have the same.” Prim blew a raspberry against the side of the baby’s neck. He dissolved into laughter.
Aiyanna smiled at their antics. “Two bowls of chili coming up, and I’ll bring you some fresh-baked bread while you wait.”
“And peach tea,” Prim murmured without looking up. “You make the best tea on the planet.”
Shep waved a finger in the air. “Ditto.”
Aiyanna walked away with a flush of pleasure on her face. She could probably use the compliments, considering what was happening next door.
