“You’re welcome. And I’m helping because showing off my muscles while doing good helps me with the ladies.” I didn’t believe that for one second, but I let him believe I did.
“Happy to help.” The drive was short but necessary, since it would take at least two trips to get all the food and utensils into the long and winding building. “So, what’s new with you?”
“Not much. Working on my sauces for the cook-off. What about you? Seeing anyone new?”
I let out a loud laugh and pulled into a parking spot right against the community center building. “Where would I find the time? Or the man?”
Living in a small town made dating difficult, since there were almost no new men in town, and when there were… well, they weren’t all they were cracked up to be.
“There’s always time.”
“If you want there to be, yes. I don’t.”
“I know.” Rafe hopped from the van and went to the back to start unloading, where I joined him a moment later. “I’m just curious why. You’re cute and when you show it off, you have a pretty bangin’ body. You’re the best cook I know, which begs the question—why are you single?”
I grabbed two small boxes that contained several of my side dishes and we walked inside. “You remember me from back in the day? Shy and weird and awkward? Still true today, only significantly less charming at our age.” It wasn’t a pretty sight and the boys agreed, keeping a good distance between me and them until… well, let’s just say for a good long while.
“Teenage boys have a very set definition of the kind of girl they want.”
He was trying to be nice and I appreciated it, but I’d made it a rule to never lie to myself. “You mean pretty and popular and charming? How odd.”
“Smart ass.” He bumped my shoulder and opened the door that led into the small utility room the sheriff had booked for meals and rest. “This is it?”
Though I agreed with Rafe’s assessment, I shrugged it off. “All you need is a chair and a table to enjoy Reese’s Famous BBQ.”
“You don’t have to tell me. Just put a stack of napkins and an ice-cold beer beside me and it’s my very own picture of heaven.”
“All of your women will be devastated to hear that.” He gave me an affronted look that made me laugh. “But they won’t hear it from me.”
“That’s my girl.” He flashed his beautiful smile and I grinned back, wishing it did something more than make me wish I was attracted to him in that way. “Where is everyone?”
It was a good question. I looked around the empty room with a frown. Tyson had assured me someone would be here to receive the food. “Anyone here?”
“Why didn’t I think of that?” Rafe snorted under his breath.
“Shut up and go see if you can find anyone. I’ll stay here with the invoice.” When he continued to stare at me, confused, I shooed him away. “Go!”
“You’re bossy,” he complained.
“You’re slow. Imagine if these police boys saw how slowly you dragged ass around here?” I smiled when that lit a fire under him, and he left me alone in the big empty room. It was the perfect time to arrange the food on the long tables that had—thankfully—been set up earlier in the day.
I unloaded the chicken and ribs, each with my signature sauces, along with some side dishes, biscuits, and cornbread. It was the perfect Texas treat, and hearty enough for whatever they’d been doing all day.
“You wanted to see me?”
The sound of Jackson’s voice startled me and I froze, taking a moment to compose myself before I turned to face him. “Are you the person assigned to receive the food?”
He glanced over my shoulder and licked his lips. “I am.”
“Then, yes, you are who I wanted to see. Just sign this and we’ll be on our way.”
“Right,” he grunted and accepted the clipboard and paper to sign. “It was nice of your boyfriend to take time out of his schedule to help you.”
I snorted and shook my head. “Come off it, Detective. We both know that Rafe and I are just friends, unless you’re unfamiliar with the word friend where women are concerned? It’s when two people—”
“I know what it is,” he growled, cutting off my words with his dark stare.
“My bad.” I turned back to the table, stacking plasticware and napkins just as the doors opened and men and women filtered in, wearing athletic clothing bearing the name of dozens of different police departments. “Just sign there, please.”
“The whole town thinks you’re dating. You know that, don’t you?”
I shrugged. “I know the truth and so does Rafe. What everyone else thinks is no business of mine.”
“Could hurt your efforts to find a husband and get your white picket fence.” He was fishing, and trying to get a rise out of me. I knew that. But still, his words bothered me.