Turn up the Heat

it’ll be too late. Who knows?” Blythe continued whispering. “Maybe Penelope the Beautiful won’t care. Anyhow, Kevin gets crazy whenever he talks about her, so that’s why we all tease him. It’s like being in junior high around here. We love each other, but we have to give each other hell.”
    “No kidding. I don’t want to know what you guys say about Josh and me!”
    “Oh, nothing bad,” she said at normal volume. “Don’t worry. Anyhow, I have to get back to work. Kevin, you want me to help you carry those out?” Blythe made kissy faces at Kevin as they left the kitchen to deliver the desserts to Penelope, Eliot, and Naomi.
    “I haven’t seen you in ages, Chloe.” Owen walked toward me.
    Everything about Owen was familiar and comforting. Instead of feeling enraged at him for his stupid lies, I felt happy to see him. There was simply nothing threatening about Owen. My DSM theory was falling apart. Owen was empathie and kind. He was a great friend. No one in Boston obeyed traffic rules; Owen’s driving was no more deviant than anyone else’s. Yes, he was unconventional but unconventional in a healthy, interesting, lovable way.
    “I know,” I said. “Not since we found Leandra. How are you doing? I’ve missed you.” I gave Owen a hug and ignored the fish smells coming from him.
    “Good. Well, okay. I guess Ade must’ve told you the police are still asking me questions. I don’t even have my truck back yet, so I’m using another company one right now. I’ve got to get going, though. My truck is still running outside, and I’ve got a few more deliveries to make.” Owen brushed his black hair off his face to reveal his bright blue eyes. They were not the eyes of a killer! Even though I knew Owen, really knew him, I’d still let that silly DSM book brainwash me. Yes, Owen was a dunce but not a killer.
    Adrianna burst into Simmer’s kitchen looking madder than I’d ever seen her before. She charged over to Owen. “Anything you want to tell me, Owen?”
    “Adrianna? What are you doing here?” he asked his furious fiancée.
    “I just got a phone call from the bank about truck payments! You lied to me, to the police, to everyone else about that goddamn truck! Are your stupid fish more important than I am?”
    Owen blanched. “I’m sorry, Ade. Listen, I’ll explain everything later, but I really have to get out of here.”
    I backed up out of the kitchen and into the dining room. I felt relieved that I wouldn’t have to break the bad news to Adrianna, but I was still in danger of getting sucked into her fight with Owen. Consequently, I had no desire to stick around. Just as I backed into the main dining area, I almost bumped into Kevin. He had a bar towel over his arm, but he didn’t appear to be doing any work. Rather, he’d apparently been listening in on the beginning of Adrianna and Owen’s fight. I couldn’t blame him for his prurient curiosity. If they hadn’t been my friends, I’d have been dying to hear what was going on, too.
    “Kevin.” I took a step back. “Did they like the desserts?”
    “I think so. But, Chloe, listen. I need to talk to you about Josh and Simmer. It’s something big. Can we find somewhere private?” Kevin suddenly looked deeply worried. My bet was that he wanted to tell me about Wade and his obnoxious habit of bad-mouthing Josh to Gavin. I hoped that the two-faced GM hadn’t done anything to get Josh in real trouble.
    “Yeah, sure. Where do you want to go?”
    Blythe was out on the patio with Naomi, Eliot, and Kevin’s inamorata, Penelope; other servers were arriving for their shifts; and Wade was probably around somewhere. I could hear Adrianna’s voice as she continued to chew out Owen, who was going to be stuck in the kitchen for a while. That was for sure!
    “Um...” Kevin looked around the room. “Why don’t we go talk in the back hallway? Or outside?”
    I began to feel increasingly alarmed that Kevin was about to deliver terrible news. I followed him down the hallway. When we reached the end, he held the back door open for me. Owen’s truck was still out there in the alley, its engine running, its rear door open. If Owen had known that Ade was going to interrupt his deliveries, he’d certainly have lowered and locked that sliding door. He might even have turned off the engine. I remember that as Kevin and I walked down the back steps, I was trying to see into the back of Owen’s truck and wondering whether any seafood