She suddenly had all his attention. “Why is that?”
Heaven help her, she’d said too much. She didn’t want to talk about the past now or even later with this man.
“Come on, I’ll show you the stage area.” China started moving again.
They walked further down the beach and far enough that the crowd swelled out. They began to have trouble moving around without running into someone. China stumbled when the smooth sand rolled under her foot. A hand grabbed her arm, steadying her. Payton’s hand.
“Thanks,” she mumbled. When they reached the barriers the security guard stopped them. They flashed their badges, and he smiled and walked away.
“This really is a major production. I had no idea how large it was,” Payton said.
“And it’s a really great thing these celebrities do for the coast. They not only bring money in, they get us noticed in the headlines. We need to start back.”
He nodded.
When they’d come up off the beach and had reached the area where the concessions were located, China sat on the low curb and begin taking off her tennis shoes. Payton followed suit and they emptied sand out of their shoes. Done, and standing again, Payton said, “Hey, let’s grab a bite to eat before we go to work. I bet we won’t have a chance later.”
“You mean this type of food?” She waved her hand around at the tents and food trucks lining the way. “These menus rely heavily on frying, which might not meet the specifications of your discerning palate.”
“My, do I sense some sarcasm in that question? Just so you know I can eat good, unhealthy food with the best of them on occasion, come on, I’ll buy.” He headed down the lane.
“I don’t think so.”
“You know you want some. It’s just your type of food,” Payton called back over his shoulder.
“Please don’t imply that you know me so well.”
He stopped and looked at her. “Oh, I would never make that mistake. Okay, if I can’t convince you to eat with me then at least suggest which truck might be the best.”
She pointed toward the bright orange moving-van-sized truck with slide-up sides. A large shrimp was painted over most of the passenger-side door and overlapped onto the hood.
“Sid’s is the best.”
“Then Sid’s is the place. What do you recommend?”
She looked at him as if he had three heads. “No self-respecting Gulf coaster would have anything but shrimp, hush puppies and fries. Ours is the best in the world.”
Payton stood amazed at how animated China became about eating at Sid’s. This was obviously serious business to her. For once she wasn’t uptight around him. He liked this China a lot, wished he saw more of her.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to get you a basket?” Payton asked.
“I’m sure.”
“Okay, but it sounds like your loss.”
He stepped to the window but before he could place his order a man almost too large for the space he was standing in said in a booming voice, “Hey, my China doll. Come to have some of Sid’s famous shrimp?”
“Not tonight, Sid.”
“But you are my best customer,” the man complained. His smile was so large Payton felt such there wasn’t a single tooth in his head that wasn’t showing.
“I know, but my...” she hesitated a second as if searching for the right word “...friend would like to have your shrimp basket.”
So now China considered him her friend. He’d certainly moved up in the world.
“Shrimp basket coming up.” Sid turned around.
“So I’m your friend now, uh?” Payton asked in a teasing tone.
“Only as long as you like the same kind of food as I do.” She grinned at him for the first time ever where it really reached her eyes. He couldn’t help but stare.
A flash of yellow caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. Flames filled the space in front of where Sid stood. A curse word ripped the air as the blaze grew. Sid backed away, at the same time dropping the metal frying basket. He held his hand and doubled over in agony. A guy in the truck with him rushed to the fryer with a fire extinguisher. After a couple of blasts from the container the flames died out. Steely-colored smoke billowed out the serving window. The smell of sodium bicarbonate filled the air.
“Sid!” China’s shout of alarm added to the chaos.
“China.” Payton caught her before she rushed inside the truck. “Run to the med tent and get us two bottles of saline and bandages.”
She didn’t argue or question, was gone before he could say another word.
Payton hurried to the end of the truck and entered the doorway left open for ventilation. As the air cleared he could make out Sid, holding his hand wrapped in his apron. He moaned with pain.
“Sid, I’m Dr. Jenkins. Let me have a look at that.”
The man’s face, which had been rosy minutes before, had taken on a pale pallor. Payton’s lips tightened into a tight line. Burns like this hurt like the devil.
“Push that stool this way,” Payton barked to the young guy pinned in the truck because Payton and Sid filled the space between him and the door. The young man did as directed.
“Sid, you need to sit. I don’t need you to pass out on me.”
The man took the seat, moaning softly, his face contorted in pain.
Payton glanced at the helper, gaining his attention. “Get some cool water, not cold. A lot. We need to get Sid’s hand in it.”
The guy did as Payton said without question, thankfully. The helper handed Payton a cooking pot filled with water.
“Okay Sid, I need to see your hand. Be careful when you take it out of the cloth. We don’t want you to lose that skin covering your wound.”
Carefully Sid unwrapped his hand from the apron.
Payton examined the red injured skin. There was no blister present. A second-degree burn at least. “I don’t think this is going to require a trip to the hospital, but you were close.”
They had just finished submerging the hand in water when China returned.
She entered and unceremoniously placed the supplies bundled in her hands on the counter. “I also brought some dry clothes.”
He glanced at her. “Good girl.” A look of surprise and then satisfaction flickered across her face. “We need to get the hand clean and dry. We’ll have to work fast because it will hurt like hell when it is out of the water.”
Payton sat on his haunches in front of Sid. China brushed Payton’s shoulder with her thigh as she maneuvered around him in the tight space.
“How are you doing?” China put her hand tenderly on Sid’s forehead, pushing the tuft of almost nonexistent hair back.
“I’ve been better,” he said through clenched teeth. “This is the worst burn I’ve had in a long time.”
“We’ll have you fixed up in no time, and you’ll be frying shrimp for me again,” China assured him.
Payton watched the interaction with interest. China cared about this man. But, then, China cared about everyone. She tried to make things better for each person she met. His mom had shown that same type of compassion until he’d announced that he wanted to do something different with his life. Then she’d not been pleased.
“Okay.” Payton brought their attention back to him. He nodded toward the young man with the stricken look on his face. “Sid, we’re going to let your help step out of the truck before I get started.”
China brushed past him again as she exited so the helper could get by. When the man was gone, China returned, her thighs brushing his shoulder again. The space was unquestionably too tight.
“China, get a pan and fill it with soap and lukewarm water. We’re going to have to get all the oil off. We’ll do this once and do it well, so put plenty of soap in the water.”
China went to the tiny sink and did as Payton asked. Bringing the pan back, she maneuvered around the other pan and placed the one she carried on the floor.
“Sid, I can’t lie. This is going to hurt, bad. As soon as I’m done, back into the cool water it’ll go,” Payton said.
Sid nodded. Sweat covered his forehead.