“Come on, man,” he said. “Let’s get you set up before the customers roll in and Dad loses it because we’re not ready.”
Colin took him around the back room and showed him where they kept the inventory, specifically, everything Rich needed to run the soda fountain. They offered only shakes, malts, and ice cream sundaes, so it was a pretty easy gig for Rich.
Once they had the cart loaded with the supplies they needed, Colin took Rich out to show him how to stock the counter and make the items on the menu. Just as they finished, they heard the jingle of the door opening and saw a lady come in with her little twin girls.
“Ice cream. Ice cream, Mama, please,” the girls sang in unison, as they made their way to the back of the store.
“Okay, girls, but you have to sit there and eat it all while mommy gets her shopping done, all right?” the young mother answered.
“Okay, Mama, we promise,” they said.
As they got to the counter and boosted themselves up on the stools, Rich turned on the charm.
“Good morning, ladies, what can I get for you on this fine day?”
The twins giggled and looked back at their mother, as if asking permission to speak.
“Go ahead, girls, tell the young man what you’d like,” she coaxed with a smile.
Colin gave Rich a slight nod and then walked off to find his father. The girls’ giggles followed him, as Rich laid on the charm. He couldn’t help but laugh at the sound.
“Hey, Pop,” he said as he approached the counter.
“Rich all set up?” his father asked.
Colin looked back over his shoulder where Rich was making up a couple of sundae’s, talking to the girls as he worked.
“Oh, yeah, he’ll be fine.”
“I thought he’d be a good fit,” Mr. Grayson replied. "It's just too bad he’ll only be here for the summer.”
“It’s not like he’d want to work a soda fountain for the rest of his life, Pop. It’s a temporary kind of job. I was thinking rather than trying to hire someone on like Roberta, we should focus on kids. No one wants to work a job like that for as long as she did, anymore. I think we should look at it as more of a temporary position.”
His father looked at him and smiled. “You’re probably right. Roberta was one of a kind, that’s for sure. I know that no one wants to work for minimum wage for long if they don’t have to, I just hate the thought of constantly having to train new people.”
“If it’s a part-time position, we could hire a few kids to work. That way, we’d always have someone with experience and they could do the training as the job turns over.”
“See, Son? I knew you’d take to running this business like a dog to water.” His father grinned, slapping his hand on his back.
Colin couldn’t help but chuckle. “I don’t think that’s the expression, Pop.”
He couldn’t retain his foul mood with his dad so happy that he was there, and the sounds of Rich smooth-talking the customers coming from the back. He just hoped he could find a way to retain that happiness.
Chapter Five
Briana started her shift, happy that not only was it Friday, but that it was actually her Friday. Getting weekends was rare, and rarer still was getting weekends off with her friends so that they could barbecue at the gravel pits.
Pam had allowed Briana, Kara, and Pete to switch shifts with some of the more seasoned workers, who had the prime shifts already locked. Most of them were happy to pick up a weekend now and then. It was a lot more packed and they usually made better money.
It was busy, even for a Friday, but Briana had plenty of help in the kitchen, so she didn’t feel like she was overwhelmed. Just busy, which was how she liked it.
Kara came sauntering back into the kitchen to pick up an order. “So, Bree, is Mr. Gorgeous going to be at the pits tomorrow?”
“Rich?” Briana asked absently, putting the finishing touches on the grilled chicken wrap for Kara’s order. “Yeah, he said he was going to stop by.”
Kara walked up to her, forcing her to look up and focus. She had an odd look on her face and didn’t say anything for a minute.
“What?” Briana asked her. “I’ve got a lot of orders to finish, Kara. Why are you acting weird?”
“I’m not, I was just wondering if you would be upset if I talked to him, that’s all.”
“Who, Rich? No. Why would I care?” Briana looked at her and Kara gave her a look that said, “You know why.”
“Kara, I told you about that. It was just a one-time deal. We never dated or had a relationship. It wasn’t like that. I have no claim on him. It’s fine, I swear.”
“Okay, cool,” Kara said with a smile and a bounce. “I didn’t want to poach. I just wanted to make sure there was nothing there. You know I’d never do that to you.”
“I do. Now get this wrap and get out of here. I’ve got work to do,” Briana said, trying to push her back out into the dining room.
Briana worked diligently, getting orders out as fast as she could until it was break time. She decided to go out into the dining room. Pam didn’t mind if they took their breaks out there, as long as it didn’t cause a problem for the customers.
Briana grabbed a Coke from Pete and was about to find a seat when she found herself face to face with Colin.
“Hey, Bree.”
This was the moment she’d been dreading, but now that it was there, she found that she knew just how to handle it.
“Hi, Colin,” She replied, and started to walk around him.
“Wait,” he said, putting his hand on her arm to stop her from walking away. “Can’t we talk?”
She looked pointedly at his hand and then up at his face, not saying anything until he removed it.
“We don’t have anything to talk about, Colin,” she said, hoping her face looked bored because her nerves were bouncing all over the place. “Besides, I’m working.”
“Looks like you’re on break,” he replied. “C’mon, Bree, just give me a couple minutes.”
She was about to tell him to shove it, when she felt someone come up behind her and two strong arms wrapped around her.
“Hey, Babe, I’ve been wondering if Pam was ever gonna give you a break.” Kent whispered in her ear
He said it loud enough for Colin to hear, and Briana noticed him stiffen at Kent’s words and his obvious familiarity.
“Yeah, I’ve got a quick one.” Briana turned and gave him a grateful look, before going up on her tip toes to meet him for a brief kiss.
She thought she heard a grunt or something come from Colin, so she turned to give him a smile and an introduction.
“Oh, sorry,” she said, though she wasn’t in the least. “Kent, this is Colin. We went to high school together. Colin, this is Kent.”
“What’s up, man?” Kent asked, extending his hand for a shake.
Colin looked at the offered hand, then back at Kent who may have been an inch shorter than him and shook it.
“Not much. You must be new around here.” Colin said.
Briana tried to hide a smirk at Colin’s discomfort. It looked like he wanted to punch Kent in the face.
“I’ve been here for about two years. I work over at the paper. You know, just temporary, to gain some experience and move on to a bigger gig.”
He seemed happy to hear that Kent was just a transient and that he’d be moving on eventually.
Briana couldn’t help but think that Colin had no right to be jealous of anyone in her life. He was the one who walked all of those years ago.
“Cool, man. Well, I’ll leave you two to your business and I’ll see you around,” Colin said, eager to get out of there. “Bye, Bree.”
“Yup,” was her only response. She pretended to ignore him as he walked away, focusing her attention on Kent. “Thanks for coming to my rescue.”
“Who was that guy?” Kent asked, looking up at Colin’s retreating back before looking back down at her. “At first I thought he was your date or somethin
g, but the look on your face changed my mind. It looked like you wanted out of the situation. I hope you didn’t mind me coming up behind you like that. It just seemed to fit the situation.”
“No, I didn’t mind, I appreciated it. We dated in high school and I really hoped I’d never have to see him again. Pretty stupid, considering how small the town is, but he’d never planned to move back here.”
Kent was quiet for a moment. “Oh, so he’s the douche from high school.” He looked up again, as if wishing Colin was still standing in front of him.
“Yeah, but it’s no big deal. It was a long time ago. He just took me by surprise, is all.” As did the feelings she’d had when his hand touched her. It didn’t seem fair that the one person she never wanted to see again was the one person who could set her body on fire with one innocent touch.
“All right, Babe. You know that I’m here for you anytime you need me. If you want to tell him we’re together, feel free,” Kent said with his cocky little grin lighting up his face.
Briana touched her hand to his cheek and smiled, wishing she felt the things for Kent that she’d felt for Colin.
“Thanks, but I’ll be okay. I don’t want to cramp your style and ruin your chance with the ladies,” she responded playfully, trying to soften her negative response.
Kent looked down at her seriously, his heart in his eyes. “Bree, you know, all you have to do is say the word, and there will be no other ladies.”
She nodded, wishing she could give him the answer he wanted.
He smiled again, all seriousness leaving his face. “You still want me to pick you up at one tomorrow?”
“You sure you still want to go?” she asked, giving him an out if he wanted one. “If you have other plans, I’ll understand.”
“Nope,” he replied. “I’m all yours.”
“Okay. One o’clock will be perfect.” She tip toed up to give him a quick kiss before turning to go back to the kitchen. “I’ll see you then.”
Chapter Six
Briana and Kent were among the first people to arrive at the gravel pits. They parked along the side of the dirt road and unloaded the stuff from the car. Kent grabbed the charcoal grill and started walking.
“Hey, Bree, if you can bring the bags and blanket, I’ll come back for the food and charcoal,” he grunted back at her, as he carried his heavy load.
“Okay,” she replied, grabbing the backpacks and following him down the lane.
Once they reached the end of the path, they walked through a hole in the chain-link fence. It opened up to a large pool of crystal blue water.
Kent walked up to their usual spot by the water and set the grill down. He turned and stopped to kiss Briana’s forehead before heading back to the car to get the rest of their stuff.
She set up their blanket and put their backpacks down to hold it in place. It was a pretty hot day already, so she pulled her hair back into a ponytail and put her sunglasses on, then applied some sunscreen and chapstick. When she saw Kent coming back in through the fence, she went over to grab a bag from him.
“Kara texted and said that she and Pete are almost here. They just stopped to put ice in the cooler.” Briana said.
“Sounds good. I’ll just get the charcoal started. That way it’ll be hot enough to start cooking when everyone gets here. If you want to jump in while you have the place to yourself, go ahead.”
Briana loved swimming, and Kent knew she cherished these moments of solitude in the water. Pretty soon the pits would be filled with people, so she decided to take him up on his offer.
She looked out over the water as she shimmied out of her cutoff shorts, so she didn’t see the look on Kent’s face as he watched her get undressed. She took her top off next, then ran to the water and dove in.
She swam around, enjoying the feel of the cool water on her hot skin. When she came up for air, she turned back to say something to Kent, and saw that Pete and Kara had arrived. They were setting up next to Kent. She swam back towards the shore to get out and join them.
She walked out of the water, her hair slicked back with droplets cascading down her body.
That was the image that greeted Colin when Rich ushered him in through the fence. He stopped abruptly. Rich ran into his back, and Colin stood there, mouth open, as he watched her.
“Dude,” Rich yelled. “What the hell?”
Briana looked up at the sound of Rich’s voice and saw Colin watching her. The look on his face was enough to make her body tingle, and she couldn’t help but feel some satisfaction in the stupefied look on his face.
Kent looked up at Rich’s shout as well, and was less than happy to see the way Colin stared at Briana. The only one who seemed oblivious was Rich, who was still trying to shove Colin through the gate.
“Colin, I can’t walk through you, dude.”
Rich’s voice finally registered, and Colin said, “Sorry, man,” as he got out of the way.
Briana walked over to her friends and pulled Kara off to the side. “What the hell is Colin doing here?” she asked, trying to keep her voice down. “Did you know he was coming?”
“No, I had no idea,” Kara replied. “I’m sure Rich invited him. It’ll be fine. There will be so many people here that you’ll never have to talk to him.”
Kara walked back over to finish setting up her blanket and unpacking her things. Briana watched Colin and Rich go up to Pete and slap hands to say hello. They all started talking, probably catching up since they last saw each other, and she took the opportunity to look Colin over while he was distracted.
He wore solid blue swim trunks with a tank top in the same shade. His arms looked really good, toned and tan. She felt that tingle run through her again and she couldn’t help but remember what it felt like to touch his body.
Back when she’d the ability to touch him whenever she wanted, she’d always loved to run her hands over his back and feel the taut muscles underneath. She’d always thought his body was amazing, thanks to the training he’d had to do every day.
She looked around and realized that there would be a lot of eye candy for the ladies today. Between Colin, Kent, Rich, and Pete there wasn’t an inch of body fat. She couldn’t wait until it was time to go swimming.
Maybe she would just enjoy the day and not worry about Colin. The town was small, but it was big enough for the both of them. Since they were bound to run into each other often, she might as well make the most of it.
Kent started grilling the food as the rest of the people started showing up. Everyone cracked open the beers and malt beverages. Kara put on some tunes and everyone started to enjoy the water and the company.
Briana was sitting on her blanket talking to Pete, when they noticed Kara walking over to where Rich and Colin stood talking.
“Don’t take it personally, Pete,” Briana said quietly to him.
“I don’t,” Pete replied. “I’ve known Kara a long time, Bree, and I know that she thinks that she can’t have a serious relationship because her mother never could. But she’s wrong.”
“Her mother’s a bitch, and Kara is nothing like her. But you’re right; she doesn’t think that she’s relationship material.”
“I’m a patient guy,” Pete said with a sad smile as he watched Kara pull Rich towards the water. “I can wait. I plan to be there when she realizes how much she has to offer.”
Briana looked over at him and put her hand up to ruffle his hair. “You’re the sweetest guy I know.”
“I know,” he said with a laugh, looking pointedly around. “But that’s not saying much.”
She laughed with him and punched him goodheartedly in the arm. “These guys aren’t so bad,” she replied.
They watched Kara and Rich splashing in the water until it became too much for Pete. He excused himself to go help Kent with the food.
Briana laid back on her blanket, eyes closed, soaking up the sun. After a few minutes she felt a shadow pass over her, as someone sat down on the blanket next to her. She
knew it was Colin even before she opened her eyes. It was like her senses were still attuned to him and every nerve in her body stood at attention when he got close.
“Hey, Bree, I hope you don’t mind that Rich invited me here today,” he said in a quiet voice.
She didn’t open her eyes. “It’s a free country.”
He let out a deep sigh and tried to look out at the water, but all he wanted to do was take in the sight before him. Briana’s small frame was tanned and perfectly proportioned. He felt his body tightening as his eyes wandered, and he forced his gaze back out.
“I realize that, Bree, but I don’t want to ruin your party or anything. I haven’t done much since I’ve been home and when Rich invited me, it sounded like a good time. But I’m not trying to piss you off.”
Briana peeked up at him. Then, realizing he wasn’t leaving, she sat up and turned towards him.
“It’s a small town, Colin. We’re bound to run into each other. We still have a lot of the same friends. You should feel comfortable going and doing whatever you want. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be okay.”
“Cool,” he said with a small smile, his dimples flashing. “I’m glad to hear you say that. I know I ended things badly, Bree, but, shit, I was just a kid. I’m sorry.”
Briana looked out over the water. “Look, Colin, I know we’ll run into each other, but that doesn’t mean that I want to rehash everything that happened four years ago. I’m not ready to be your buddy.”
With that said she stood up to leave. As she walked down to the water she heard him say, “I’ve really missed you.”
She ran and dove in, trying to swim as far away from him and his damned words as she could.
Chapter Seven
Briana was sitting on the couch, drinking coffee and watching E News the next morning, when Rich poked his head out of Kara’s bedroom.