Liquid Lies (50 page)

“I thought I just saw him come in here.”

“Nope.” Pam fiddled with the menus on the hostess stand, perfectly aligning their edges. She wasn’t very good at casual conversations. Not such a great trait to have in the hospitality business, but it made her incredible back in the kitchen. Good thing she recognized that and gave front of the house to someone else to run.

“But he works here?”

“Yeah. He’s my saucier.” When the freckled woman looked confused, Pam added, “One of my line cooks.”

The woman shifted her weight and a snow chunk slid off her fuzzy boot. “Any chance you have a reservation open for tonight?”

Pam flipped open the mahogany leather reservation book and lazily dragged her finger down the page. “So. How do you know Xavier?”

The woman blushed almost as red as her hat. Xavier was horrible at guessing ages, considering his own was about as twisted as a screw, but she was younger than him. Mid-twenties, most likely. She kicked at the dislodged snow. “I…I don’t.”

Oh shit.

Pam looked like the fox who’d swallowed a chicken. Wrong person to learn a woman was looking for him. She’d been trying to get him to date since he’d aced his job interview. Even got her girlfriend to badger him. Between the two of them the barrage was endless.
Let’s get the quiet cook laid.
They thought it funny, a game.

To Xavier, it was anything but.

Pam arched an eyebrow at the freckled woman, her wicked smile tipping toward flirtatious. “Oh, really?” She tapped the reservation book. “Look at this. Lucky for you. We have an opening at eight. For how many?”

Shed had been booked up for weeks, if not months.

“Um. Two. Put it under my name. Heddig.”

“Got a first name? Just in case I need it?”

Pam would need it all right—to needle Xavier all shift. He considered calling in sick but knew he couldn’t. Not during the festival, when every table would be full from lunch through close. Not when being alone and unoccupied in his house would throw open the doors and invite the Burned Man to take up permanent residence.

“My name’s Cat,” said the woman.

“Great, Cat.” Pam clicked the pen closed and grinned. “See you tonight.”