Lethal Affair by Noelle Hart Page A

SEVEN
     
     
    “ So you're telling me the
clown was responsible?” Lyle asked Kim as they pumped out an order
for a table of four.
    Kim's cleaver hit the chopping board
with a decisive whack as he cut grilled lemon tarragon chicken into
strips. “He should'a turned off the valve and disconnected the
nozzle once he was done with the balloons and chipmunk talk. Said
he got distracted by the crowd's enthusiasm and plain forgot. Cost
him his job.”
    “ Thank God the kid, what's
his name...?
    “ Bart.”
    “ Well thank God Bart pulled
through without any brain damage. And that his parents are good
enough friends to let things lie.”
    “ Yeah. Big Bart and Amy have
been our neighbors for three years. Carrie and Amy hang out, have
each others backs with the kids. Counts for something.”
    Lyle passed a plate decked out with
tuna tar-tare onto the pass-through for Jolene to pick up. He
watched her approach and then load her large tray with four orders,
expertly balance them at shoulder level and walk away. It was a
busy evening with a hungry and noisy crowd, just the way he liked
it.
    “ How's the training coming
along, Kemosabe?
    Kim snorted. “What did you just call
me?”
    “ Don't look so insulted.
It's the Lone ranger's name for his faithful friend.”
    Kim cackled. “Scriptwriter came up
with that one. Could mean anything from trusted scout to a horse's
ass! Maybe I should be calling you that.”
    Lyle didn't appreciate the remark.
“You saying I'm a horse's ass?”
    Still laughing, “If the horseshoe
fits.”
    Lyle speared him with a solemn
look.
    Kim turned serious. “You started this
thing with Jolene, then tossed it at me the instant things heated
up. She took it personally and you aren't even aware. Maybe you
should send her out to the new location with me come November. 'Cuz
the two of you working side-by-side ain't gonna fly with this thing
between you unresolved.”
    “ I know that.” Flustered,
Lyle slammed an earthenware chili pot onto the counter.
    Kim raised an eyebrow. “Despite the
fact that we're seven billion strong on this planet right now, it's
hard to find someone you click with. Don't let her slip through
your fingers.”
    “ Why you playing cupid all
of a sudden?”
    “ Because you are one blind
dude right now and I'm hoping to shed some light. She's a rare find
with a heart of gold. And that, my faithful friend, counts. A
lot.”
    Three new orders appeared on the
computer monitor. They worked in tandem, their rhythm finely tuned.
By the end of the shift when the last of their customers had gone
and the kitchen had been cleaned, buffed and polished, they sat at
a corner table drinking their requisite cold beers, reward for a
job well done.
    “ I know what I'm going to do
about Jolene,” said Lyle.
    Kim took off his hair net and let his
braid unravel. “Can't wait to hear this.”
    Lyle grinned. “Don't come in for her
training session tomorrow morning. I'll be giving it to
her.”
    “ You'll be...” Kim wiggled
his eyebrows, “giving it to her?”
    “ Damn you, now who's the
horse's ass! I need to talk to her, iron this out.”
    Kim drained his beer and rose. “You do
that, Tonto. I'm outta here. Going home to my real
life.”
     
    *
     
    Out of breath, Jolene tapped on the
diner door window and waited for Kim to let her in. Running late,
she'd cycled over on her trusty ten speed through early morning
traffic and barely made it on time. A thin sheen of sweat glowed on
her skin as she untied her bike helmet and shook out her copper
curls.
    When Lyle swept the door open her
knees turned to jelly. Her first thought was, Oh God, I didn't wear
any makeup and these are my oldest pair of ratty shorts!
    He on the other hand, hair net and
all, looked heart-stopping. He took the handle bars of her bike and
steered it inside, propped it against the counter.
    “ Want coffee?” he asked,
pouring a cup of his special Colombian brew. “You're wondering why
I'm here instead of Kim.”
    She