“I’m not a bully, Zoey Bear. I’m protecting my establishment and my employees from being harassed by a media outlet.”
Zoey aimed a firm look at him. “You’re the only employee. And you’re the only one harassing people.”
“Okay, fine,” Graham said, king of his tiny domain of processed meats. “But don’t blame me if their food is lukewarm and barely edible.”
“I was under the assumption it always is,” River shot back. “Are you usually this rude to your customers?”
An amused look was his only response. “Only the ones I don’t want.”
Before River could reply, Bree grabbed her arm, looking around excitedly. “This is how it’s supposed to be here. Didn’t you read the reviews? It’s one of those places where they deliberately insult the customers.”
“Can we hasten along the hazing of the new people and get to the fries?” Jessie’s voice had taken on a whine. “I’m starving.”
“I want a Growly Bear.” Bree held up her phone. “The review site says we can’t leave without one.”
“It’s a bad idea.” Shaking her head at a picture of a very inebriated individual holding up a bright blue drink, River added, “We have work to do. We can celebrate after the shoot is over.”
Graham winked at River, as if she and he weren’t becoming mortal enemies then and there. “You run a tight ship, Captain. Come on. A Growly Bear makes everyone feel better.”
Bree and Jessie looked so disappointed, River caved and turned to Graham. “Fine, whatever. One Growly Bear each, but that’s it. Plus all the things on the grill for all of us.”
“I don’t know,” he murmured. “It feels like we’re running low. This big ass guy walked in here first and he cleaned us out.”
“Graham.” Easton’s growl was menacing enough, it made the person on his other side jump. “Feed her.”
“Only her?”
Easton aimed a flat stare at Graham, who grinned and didn’t even flinch. The man must have had nerves of steel, because everyone else around them—her crew included—shifted out of Easton’s proximity. Finally, he held up his hands in supplication. “Hey, hey, no need to yell, buddy. I didn’t know you were so sweet on her.”
If there hadn’t been so much hair on Easton’s face, River might have been able to tell if the comment made Easton flush with embarrassment.
Token protest to their existence made, Graham took their orders and payment with the quick, professional actions of someone who had to move a lot of patrons through his door. Except the man had never met Bree. Bree, who could spend an hour staring at a menu in a restaurant. Give her more than three options, and they would be stuck for an hour.
To his credit, Graham tried to be patient. He waited. And waited. And waited some more. Eventually, he leaned on the counter.
“Darlin’, I hate to break it to you, but the options aren’t going to get any better the longer you think about it. I can put the meat on the fries or the fries on the meat. Or get you really drunk. But that’s it.”
As usual, Jessie—impatient as ever—was going insane. “Hey there, SH. Help a lady out. What’s good here?”
“SH?” Zoey asked.
“Sexy Hagrid,” they replied in unison.
The look that crossed Graham’s face was akin to a small child at Christmas. “Everyone’s eating for free.”
“He’s not like Hagrid,” Zoey protested. “Your muscles are much more muscly and less ogre-ish. And the beard is sexy, not off-putting.”
“Far sexier than Hagrid.” River winked at him while Jessie sized up his arms.
“Hagrid after a lot of cardio.”
Bree chimed in. “Maybe if Hagrid and a wood nymph had a slightly less Hagrid-esque child.”
When Easton stood, River hooked his arm and pulled him back down, snickering. “Come on. You’re one of the crew now. You’re going to get some ribbing. It’s part of the whole ‘we’re isolated on location, so we annoy each other as much as possible’ theory of surviving film shoots.”
“No cameras,” Graham warned them as he dropped a fresh basket of fries into the fryer. “I will deep-fry your equipment.”
“He actually will,” Zoey said. She flashed a pretty smile at Graham, then turned shy eyes to River. “You’re River Lane, aren’t you?”
“Most days.” River turned to Zoey with the friendly pleasantness she always took when meeting fans. “It’s nice to meet you, Zoey.”
Unlike with Easton, it was more than easy to see the flush of embarrassment on the other woman’s face. Zoey opened her mouth, then closed it again. She mumbled something close to it’s nice to meet you, then sat back down on her seat.
“Hey, East, I think my fiancée got starstruck,” Graham said, not unkindly. “Help a lady out? Anything embarrassing you could share about your companion over there?”
Oh, they were doing this now?
“Graham, don’t tease her,” Zoey immediately said. “I mean it, mister.”
“Can Easton tease her?” he countered. “They’re teammates. She said the ribbing was mutual.”
“Your ribbing gets mean.”
“Easton can tease me all he wants,” River told the other woman reassuringly. “Bring it on. When your life is regularly plastered over entertainment news, and rarely with stories that are true, you build up a thick skin.”
When Easton’s mouth twitched a little on one side, River knew he was willing to play the game.
“She did kidnap me,” Easton said.
“No, I didn’t.” River shook her head. “You offered me the ride. If anyone was kidnapped, it was me. You’ll have to do better than that.”
“She tried to poison me with the worst coffee I’ve ever had.”
“There’s no accounting for taste.” River stole one of his fries. “Come on. Hit me where I live.”
“She told me I had to go on a date with her tonight.”
Despite herself, River couldn’t keep the offense out of her voice. “I did not. I never once pressured you—and this is not a date.”
“Food, alcohol, your being mad at me. Feels like most of my dates. If you order a salad and steal all my fries, I might as well call it what it is.”
Graham leaned on the counter, stealing Zoey’s hand. “Sounds rough, man. I’d try to save you from her, but I’m a little busy at the moment.”