have such an aversion to seafood?”
Samantha shrugged. “I just know I never liked the smell, the taste or the texture.”
“Or maybe it’s because you had a big-time nasty reaction every time you tried it,” Emily said. “You’re allergic to it, you idiot.”
“Don’t call your sister an idiot,” Cora Jane scolded automatically. “Are you sure it’s an allergy?”
“Swear to God,” Emily said. “Gabi, don’t you remember the time Mother insisted Samantha at least taste a crab cake and the next thing we knew we were traipsing off to the emergency room? She could barely breathe.”
Samantha looked momentarily taken aback. “I’d blocked that, but you’re right. I was scared to death. After that even the thought of seafood turned my stomach.”
“Well, I’ll take the soup, the burger and the fries,” Boone said. “Jerry, why don’t I help with those burgers?”
Emily frowned. “I guess that means we all should be back on our feet helping out. Grandmother, you stay put. We can handle everything. B.J., can you find silverware and napkins? Do you know where they are?”
He beamed at her. “Sure. I’ve helped with setups before. Want me to show you?”
Emily grinned at his eagerness. “That would be great.”
“I’ll get the drinks,” Gabi volunteered. “Are you all sticking with sweet tea? Do you want to switch to beer? Sodas?”
“I’d love a beer,” Samantha said, “but tired as I am, that would knock me right out. I’ll have a soda.”
“Make that two,” Emily said.
As soon as all the orders were in, they went about their respective assignments, working together as smoothly as if they’d been a team for years.
When two tables had been pushed together and set, drinks had been served and Boone came around with the bowls of soup, Cora Jane regarded them all with approval.
“I don’t ever want to hear any of you say you couldn’t take over this place in a heartbeat,” she said. “As long as it’s been since you were last here, you still remember everything I taught you.”
“Don’t go getting any ideas,” Gabi warned her. “Running a restaurant takes skill, business savvy and passion. Boone obviously has it, but I sure don’t.”
“Me, either,” Samantha declared. “Sadly I’ve kept up some of my skills working in restaurants between acting gigs, but it is not my calling.”
“And apparently you’ve forgotten my tendency to lose patience with difficult customers,” Emily reminded her. “I believe you were forced to pay several cleaning bills my last summer here after I accidentally dropped a few things into people’s laps.”
Cora Jane chuckled. “A few of them would have tested my patience, too,” she admitted.
“And I came close to dousing a few drunks with ice water after I heard about the unwanted passes they were making at you girls,” Jerry chimed in. “Only thing that stopped me was that you took care of them yourselves.”
“Actually Gabi and I didn’t,” Samantha said, grinning. “We turned ’em over to Emily. She really enjoyed retaliating.”
“I did take a certain amount of pleasure in it,” she agreed. When she noticed B.J. listening, wide-eyed, she leaned close. “What I did was not appropriate, though. Do not follow my example.”
“Thank you for that,” Boone said wryly. “After listening to you all, I’m probably going to have to completely deprogram him before I ever let him near a customer in any of my restaurants. We pride ourselves on impeccable, friendly service.”
“Well, fortunately, the lunch crowd rarely gets that rowdy,” Cora Jane said. “It’s one of the reasons I’m happy we close by midafternoon and that beer’s the strongest thing we have on the menu. Let the other places deal with the out-of-control drinking, loud music and such. This place is meant for families. It’s rare that the real party folks wander over from the beach in the middle of the day.”
“You’ve definitely made Castle’s into something unique,” Boone said. “It’s a real institution in town. I hope my restaurants last even half as long.”
“You run a good kitchen and have great service,” Jerry told him. “Last time Cora Jane and I came by, we were both impressed. I had a conversation with your chef, and he clearly knows his stuff. He’s got the whole Cajun influence going on, and you know I can appreciate that.”
Emily listened to the praise with growing surprise. Coming from Jerry, those were high marks, indeed. He might be working for a seaside diner, but his own credentials in the kitchen were pretty impeccable, and his standards were high. She recalled when her grandfather had recruited him from a restaurant in Louisiana.
“Thanks,” Boone said. “I paid close attention to everything you and Cora Jane taught me. If I’m succeeding, it’s because I had the best possible teachers.”
He stood up. “Now, let me bus these tables, help with cleanup and get B.J. home. You ladies should probably take off now. It’ll be dark soon, and you still need to be cautious on the road. Most of the debris has been cleared from the highway, but there’s bound to be some piled up on the side roads.”
“Boone, you went by the house,” Cora Jane said. “Anything we need to watch out for there?”
“There are a lot of branches in the yard, but the driveway’s clear. Just watch your step going inside. I flipped on the outside light, just in case the power came back on. I called your neighbors earlier and they say the power did come on over there. You should be okay. I didn’t spot any leaks in the house, but you might want to take a closer look.”
Cora Jane gave him a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you.”
“Not a problem. Are you still planning to open here tomorrow?”
“Just with deck seating,” Emily told him. She gave a pointed look at Cora Jane. “We compromised.”
“Then I’ll be back here early in case you need help,” he promised. “What time?”
“Grandmother scheduled the bakery delivery for five-thirty,” Emily said dryly.
Boone laughed. “Of course she did. And that is why I run a restaurant that serves only dinner. I also postponed our reopening till the weekend. I wanted my employees to have time to get their own situations under control, deal with insurance issues or whatever they needed to do.”
“Can we come help you out, instead?” Samantha pleaded.
“Traitors,” Cora Jane said. “Family comes first, and don’t you forget it. We’ll all be here at five-fifteen with smiles on our faces.”
Jerry chuckled at their groans. “Well, at least you and I will be, Cora Jane.”
“Oh, we’ll be here,” Emily said. “But the smiles might be expecting too much.”
Fully
