it—not too often, thank God—and it had always been an unpleasant chore. With Jesse, she couldn’t get enough of it.
“Hey!” Georgie snapped her fingers in front of Cyn’s face. “Where did you go in there?”
“What?” Cyn gave herself a mental shake. “Sorry. So tell me about the gossip? Something really good?”
The other three women looked at each other and burst out laughing.
“You could say that.” Georgie wiped her eyes. “Yes, it was really good. I had to get it secondhand because we were busy all weekend with guests.”
Cyn cocked an eyebrow. “So if it’s that good, please dish. I want to hear it.”
Amy drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “It’s about your rub.”
Cyn nearly dropped her coffee mug. “My rub ? You’re kidding. I haven’t even started selling it yet.”
“But you served samples,” Jinx pointed out. “To lots of people.”
“And they were lined up outside your door Saturday morning waiting for more,” Reenie added. “Buck saw them when he walked out of the bank. You never saw such a bunch of disappointed people when he told them no more samples until this week.”
“I’m glad they liked it.” She bit off a tiny piece of cinnamon roll. “That bodes well for the business.”
“Oh, that store will do well.” Amy giggled. “Believe me. You may not be able to keep the stuff in stock.”
Cyn looked at each of them in turn. “Okay, what aren’t you telling me?”
Jinx raised her hand. “I’ll tell her. Sweetie, remember how we asked you if you added a little something extra to the recipe that could, you know, ramp up the libido?”
“And you told us about the damiana?” Reenie added.
Sweet Jesus.
Cyn set her mug down carefully. “Don’t tell me.”
“Yup. Saturday morning at the Bit and Bite, all the men were discussing their suddenly ramped-up sex lives and the women were giggling like teenagers. I’m telling you, that stuff will fly off the shelves.”
“My Lord.” Cyn closed her eyes and sat back in her chair. “I have to fix it. I better call Alfredo today. Damn. I wonder how much of it he’s prepared already.”
“No, no, no,” Jinx protested. “Don’t do that. You don’t have to tell people what’s in it. Let them go on thinking it’s the extra spice that’s giving them, well, the extra spice.”
“But that’s dishonest,” she protested. “What if some people decide to protest? Maybe drive me out of business.”
Jinx placed a hand on her arm. “We’ll take care of that. Don’t worry. The power of the press and all.”
“But—”
“We’re telling you it’s all good,” Amy assured her. “Everyone wants to know how soon the store will open.” Then she started laughing again “You’ve even got a great slogan for marketing. ‘Spice up your barbecue and your sex life at the same time.’”
“Amy!” Cyn stared at her friend. “I couldn’t.”
“Promise me you’ll think about it, okay? I personally think it’s hilarious. You’d make a mint.”
“Any chance you can move up the date?” Reenie asked.
“I-I don’t know. I’ll call Alfredo and see where he is with production. Then I’ll ask Jesse what he thinks about his work. I checked first thing this morning and everything else I ordered will be in the end of this week.”
“Go talk to him,” Georgie urged. “Oh, and pick up some chicken on the way to the store if you haven’t had a chance to get to that meat wholesaler. I expect a mob scene waiting for samples today.”
“I need to get back to the ranch.” Amy rose and carried her plate and mug to the sink. “I have stock records for two operations to bring up to date. But I’ll give you a call later.”
“I need to go too,” Reenie said. “I have a website to finish that the client wants to preview tomorrow.” She looked at Cyn. “We need to talk about yours too. And soon.”
“Maybe I should get the store open first.”
“If you want, but we can still plan.”
“I
“Hey!” Georgie snapped her fingers in front of Cyn’s face. “Where did you go in there?”
“What?” Cyn gave herself a mental shake. “Sorry. So tell me about the gossip? Something really good?”
The other three women looked at each other and burst out laughing.
“You could say that.” Georgie wiped her eyes. “Yes, it was really good. I had to get it secondhand because we were busy all weekend with guests.”
Cyn cocked an eyebrow. “So if it’s that good, please dish. I want to hear it.”
Amy drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “It’s about your rub.”
Cyn nearly dropped her coffee mug. “My rub ? You’re kidding. I haven’t even started selling it yet.”
“But you served samples,” Jinx pointed out. “To lots of people.”
“And they were lined up outside your door Saturday morning waiting for more,” Reenie added. “Buck saw them when he walked out of the bank. You never saw such a bunch of disappointed people when he told them no more samples until this week.”
“I’m glad they liked it.” She bit off a tiny piece of cinnamon roll. “That bodes well for the business.”
“Oh, that store will do well.” Amy giggled. “Believe me. You may not be able to keep the stuff in stock.”
Cyn looked at each of them in turn. “Okay, what aren’t you telling me?”
Jinx raised her hand. “I’ll tell her. Sweetie, remember how we asked you if you added a little something extra to the recipe that could, you know, ramp up the libido?”
“And you told us about the damiana?” Reenie added.
Sweet Jesus.
Cyn set her mug down carefully. “Don’t tell me.”
“Yup. Saturday morning at the Bit and Bite, all the men were discussing their suddenly ramped-up sex lives and the women were giggling like teenagers. I’m telling you, that stuff will fly off the shelves.”
“My Lord.” Cyn closed her eyes and sat back in her chair. “I have to fix it. I better call Alfredo today. Damn. I wonder how much of it he’s prepared already.”
“No, no, no,” Jinx protested. “Don’t do that. You don’t have to tell people what’s in it. Let them go on thinking it’s the extra spice that’s giving them, well, the extra spice.”
“But that’s dishonest,” she protested. “What if some people decide to protest? Maybe drive me out of business.”
Jinx placed a hand on her arm. “We’ll take care of that. Don’t worry. The power of the press and all.”
“But—”
“We’re telling you it’s all good,” Amy assured her. “Everyone wants to know how soon the store will open.” Then she started laughing again “You’ve even got a great slogan for marketing. ‘Spice up your barbecue and your sex life at the same time.’”
“Amy!” Cyn stared at her friend. “I couldn’t.”
“Promise me you’ll think about it, okay? I personally think it’s hilarious. You’d make a mint.”
“Any chance you can move up the date?” Reenie asked.
“I-I don’t know. I’ll call Alfredo and see where he is with production. Then I’ll ask Jesse what he thinks about his work. I checked first thing this morning and everything else I ordered will be in the end of this week.”
“Go talk to him,” Georgie urged. “Oh, and pick up some chicken on the way to the store if you haven’t had a chance to get to that meat wholesaler. I expect a mob scene waiting for samples today.”
“I need to get back to the ranch.” Amy rose and carried her plate and mug to the sink. “I have stock records for two operations to bring up to date. But I’ll give you a call later.”
“I need to go too,” Reenie said. “I have a website to finish that the client wants to preview tomorrow.” She looked at Cyn. “We need to talk about yours too. And soon.”
“Maybe I should get the store open first.”
“If you want, but we can still plan.”
“I