Somewhere Only We Know (23 page)

"At least four weeks. I usually set up for lunch at Civic Center Plaza from eleven to two Monday through Friday. On the weekends, I'm on the Embarcadero from eleven to five. I also attend some special events. There's a truck festival at Crissy Field in two weeks that is attended by thousands; it's a huge moneymaker."

"How busy are your weekday lunches?"

"They've been getting better every week. I'm not sure how it will be since I've been out of commission for two weeks, but hopefully we'll get the regulars back."

"What about permits?" Burke interrupted. "Has the truck been inspected?"

"Everything is in order. I can show you the paperwork." Joel paused. "Why don't you and Burke take a minute to look around and discuss things? I'll wait outside with Kate."

As Joel stepped out of the truck, she gave Burke a questioning look, eager to hear his opinion. "What do you think?"

"It looks better than I thought," he admitted. "The propane tanks are securely placed, so there shouldn't be any danger of a fire."

She hadn't even considered that possibility. "I'm glad you were here to check that."

He smiled. "I don't bring much expertise to this project, but I can tell you that much."

She looked around, imagining herself cooking in the truck, serving hungry customers. "I like it. The menu is creative, fun and right up my alley. Joel seems like a good guy."

"You've only known him about three minutes."

"Well, he made a good first impression. I know you think I'm too impulsive, and maybe I am, but this feels right."

"It's your call."

She ran her hand along the counter and then walked out of the truck to speak to Joel.

He gave her an expectant and hopeful look. "What do you think?"

"I'd like to do it. I am interviewing for other restaurant jobs, but I'll commit to four weeks and then we'll see where we're at."

"It's a deal." Joel gave her a big grin. "Welcome to
Holy Meatballs
."

"Thanks. What's next?"

"I'll give you some of the recipes to try. Why don't you cook some up at home, then we'll meet tomorrow and talk about all the details? I'd love to get back out there on Friday. It's always a good day for lunch sales at the Civic Center."

"Let's aim for that."

"Great. I'm really happy you're going to help me out."

"You haven't tasted my meatballs yet."

"I have a good feeling about you."

It was funny that he'd just repeated what she'd said to Burke about him. "Likewise."

She gave him Burke's address, and they agreed to meet the following day to hash out more of the details. Then she and Burke got back into the car and headed down the street.

Burke didn't have anything to say, which she thought was a telling sign. He'd told her it was her decision in the truck, but she had a feeling that he had a few comments he was having a hard time holding back.

"Just say it, Burke. You think I'm moving too fast."

"You obviously like to move fast."

"When opportunity knocks, you open the door."

"And then you ask questions, like how much can you expect to make in a week after expenses? Who's going to buy all the food, stock the truck, do the cleanup? Will that be part of your responsibilities? What about promotion or advertising? I think food trucks often have social media followings, but someone has to be promoting your appearances at various locations across town. Who's doing that—you? Joel gave you a percentage split, but do you have any idea what the costs are in turning out those meatballs?"

She had somewhat of an idea from having worked in a restaurant, but she didn't know it to the dime. "Can I retract my invitation for you to share your thoughts with me?" she asked with a little sigh.

"You did ask."

"And you've made some good points. I will go over all of those questions when I meet with Joel tomorrow." She opened the recipe folder Joel had given her. "Maybe I'll whip up some meatballs for you later, and then you'll be totally on board."

"It doesn't matter if I'm on board, Maddie. This is your thing. If you're happy, that's all that matters."

She was glad he saw it that way. "Thanks," she said, meeting his gaze. "I'm sure that wasn't easy for you to say. You don't like to stand by and do nothing when you think someone is making a bad decision."

"I don't, but I've begun to realize that I should spend a little more time trying to fix my own life instead of worrying about everyone else. So, what's next? We have a few hours before you need to go see that apartment, right?"

"Yes. I don't have to be there until eight-thirty."

"Want to get a drink, maybe some food?"

"Sure." She'd rather be out with Burke than in the quiet of his apartment where all kinds of bad ideas could come into play. "Where do you like to go?"

"I usually go to Brady's, but we don't have to go there. It is a firefighters' bar."

"Sounds perfect. I'd love to meet more of your friends."

* * *

Brady's Bar and Grill was a large open restaurant with brick walls, an open grill and a long bar. A line of booths ran along one wall with tables taking up the center space. Flat screen televisions hung in the four corners of the room, each playing a different game. Team banners, professional jerseys, and trophies from local sports teams were displayed in cases and on the walls. There was also a wall dedicated to the firefighters of San Francisco, with numerous historic photographs as well as more current pictures.

As Burke walked Maddie through the room, she thought it had a great vibe. It was warm, friendly, a neighborhood kind of place. The people were dressed casually, and there were more than a few good looking guys in jeans and T-shirts, some with the SFFD insignia on them.

Everyone seemed to know Burke, and it was clear that he wasn't just well-liked by the men but also by the ladies. He was the kind of guy men wanted to be friends with and women wanted to sleep with. In other words—the perfect kind of guy.

She couldn't help but feel a little pride being at his side, even though a few of the other women in the room shot her looks that were not all that welcoming. Burke had been the lonely, grieving bachelor for the last three years, and no doubt there was more than one single woman in the bar who'd hoped he would turn to her when he was ready to get back in the game.

Burke grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the way of a waiter carrying a heavy tray of burgers and salads. "Careful," he said.

"Thanks again," she said, giving him a smile. "I really need to watch where I'm going. You're more alert than I am."

"Probably because while you're looking at everyone else, I'm looking at you."

The admission startled her as well as the intense look in his eyes. She didn't quite know what to say. Then they were interrupted by the two women she'd met at his firehouse: Rachel, the paramedic, and Shelby from dispatch.

"You came, Burke," Rachel said with delight, clapping her hands together. "This is great. And you brought Maddie, even better. We're about to start a mixed doubles pool tournament in the back room, and we need another woman. What do you say, Maddie?"

"I haven't played in a long time," she replied.

"That's fine. You can play with Dylan. He's the best, and he needs a handicap."

"Hey, what about me? I'm not bad," Burke protested, squeezing Maddie's fingers as she let go of his hand.

"You're not bad, but you're not Dylan," Rachel said candidly. "You may outrank your cousin, but when it comes to pool, he towers over you."

"I don't think that's true," Shelby interrupted. "You can be my partner, Burke. You're just as good as Dylan. And we are undefeated."

"We've only played once together," he said.

"And we won," she returned with a gleaming smile. "We're a good team."

"I'm game. Maddie?"

"I'd love to play."

"Great," Rachel said. "Come on." She led them through the crowded bar into the backroom of Brady's where three billiard tables were spread across a spacious room that also boasted pinball machines and dart games.

Dylan and Colton were already playing at one of the tables.

"I found a partner for you, Dylan," Rachel said.

Dylan finished his shot, which neatly swept two balls into the corner holes, then lifted his gaze to the group. "Which one of you lovely ladies is going to be on my team?"

"Maddie claims she hasn't played in a while, so she's all yours," Rachel said.

Maddie gave Dylan an apologetic shrug. "Sorry, it looks like you're stuck with me."

He grinned. "Don't worry. Anyone who cooks like you do can be on my team."

"If only this were a cooking competition," she said with a laugh. "I'm going to be a handicap."

"I'm not concerned. I'm pretty good."

"So I hear. Modest, too," she teased.

Dylan Callaway reminded her a lot of Aiden, the brother Burke was closest to in age. Like Aiden, Dylan had that happy-go-lucky, easygoing manner. He seemed like the kind of guy who didn't get worked up too easily. But he did have a good share of the Callaway cockiness, and why not? The men in that family had it all going on—including the other man at the table, Colton Callaway.

Colton came around the table to say hello. Colton was also attractive. His hair was a lighter brown than Burke's, and his demeanor was less intense than his older brother's but not quite as relaxed as Dylan. He was somewhere in the middle.

"Nice to see you again, Maddie," Colton said. "So who's going to be my partner? Shelby? Rachel?"

"I'm with you," Rachel said. "Shelby and Burke will play the winner. We'll see which Callaway ends up with bragging rights."

* * *

While Maddie and Dylan started their game against Colton and Rachel, Shelby pulled Burke a few feet away from the table and gave him a concerned look.

"I'm glad we have a chance to talk for a second," she said. "I spoke to Mitch today."

His gut tightened. "How did that happen?"

"He showed up at my apartment. I was shocked, to say the least."

"What did he want?"

She licked her lips, her gaze sweeping the room, as if she wanted to make sure that Mitch wasn't there. Then she looked back at him. "He said something quite shocking."

He had a feeling he knew what she was about to say. "What's that?"

"He told me that he thinks you had something to do with Leanne's hit-and-run. Of course, I said he was crazy. I actually think he's having some kind of breakdown. How he could think you would do anything to hurt Leanne is beyond me." She paused. "He also wanted me to pull the dispatch transcripts from the night Leanne was killed."

His stomach turned over. How far was Mitch going to go? "There's nothing in those transcripts. The police investigated the accident. They didn't leave any stone unturned. I made sure of that."

"Mitch doesn’t agree."

"I know. What did you tell him about the transcripts?"

"That he'd have to talk to someone higher up than me. He wasn't too happy about it. He claimed I was trying to cover for you."

"You should stay away from him, Shelby."

"Trust me, I don't plan on talking to him again. You should stay away, too. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I can take care of myself."

"Mitch might not go after you. He might be smart enough to know he can't take you down and turn his attention to someone else." She tipped her head toward Maddie. "I don't think Mitch is going to like you replacing Leanne with another woman, not in the mood he's in these days."

She had a point, and her words reminded him of the car that had almost run Maddie down earlier in the day. He'd thought it was just an accident, or if it was deliberate, it was tied to her ex-fiancé. But maybe it was tied to Mitch.

"You know I hate to give advice," Shelby added.

He smiled. "You love to give advice."

"Okay, I do," she admitted. "And while you usually hate to take my advice, you should consider my suggestion carefully."

"What's your suggestion?"

"Put your dating life on hold for a few weeks. Don't put Maddie in the crosshairs of Mitch's anger."

He should take her advice, but he really didn't want to. He couldn't imagine not seeing Maddie. He usually needed to have his own time, but with Maddie, he hadn't felt that need for space. His need had more to do with getting closer than getting farther away.

When he didn't say anything, Shelby tilted her head, giving him a speculative look. "You really like her, don't you? She's not just an old friend. She's more than that, isn't she?"

"I think it's our turn to play," he said as Maddie and Dylan gave each other high-fives.

"You didn't answer my question, Burke."

"Yes," he said shortly. "She's more than an old friend." How much more was still to be determined.

Chapter Sixteen

Burke couldn't believe how good Maddie was at pool, how well she mixed in with his friends, or how she got prettier every time she smiled at him. He wasn't the only one drawn to her flame. Every single firefighter in the bar had his eye on Maddie. She had a natural charisma that drew people to her. She was having so much fun that it was impossible not to have fun with her.

After the pool tournament, they shared appetizers and beers at a long table and talked about everything under the sun. Dylan and Colton regaled Maddie with tales from Burke's youth, most of which were highly embellished. Rachel and Shelby contributed with tales from the firehouse, including one particularly grateful survivor who'd brought him casseroles for a week after he'd pulled her out of a burning car.

While he didn't usually like his life being put on display, he did like Maddie's interest in hearing every story. And she was happy to throw in a few of her own stories from their high school days. All in all, it was a great evening, and he was sorry when it ended, but Maddie had an appointment to look at an apartment.

After saying their goodbyes, they made their way out of the restaurant.

"Are you starting to feel like my cab driver?" Maddie joked as they got back into his car and buckled up.