Free Pitch Perfect by LUANN MCLANE

with a slight frown.
    “No . . . it’s fine,” Cam replied, and he slid onto the leather bench seat and took the menu she offered, but his gaze immediately returned to Mia Money, who was waiting on tables! Well, she was attempting to wait on tables. Strands of her pale blond hair escaped her ponytail and she had a decidedly frazzled look. “You hired her?” Cam looked at Bella with raised eyebrows.
    Bella flicked a glance in Mia’s direction. “Yeah, she’s a little bit flighty but seemed nice enough. Myra wanted to give her shot. Mia’s car is in the shop and she doesn’t have the cash to have it fixed.”
    Cam nodded slowly and watched Mia fumble through taking an order from a table of preppy-looking guys wearing designer polo shirts. From the looks of them, they were probably passing through Cricket Creek. “Has she even been trained?”
    “Um . . .” Bella rolled her eyes. “Actually she’s a fast learner, just like she promised. She already knows the menu inside out and can recommend what wine to go with it.”
    Cam raised his eyebrows. “At this time of day?”
    “Apparently she thinks all meals need wine.”
    “But?” Cam prompted when Bella rolled her eyes again.
    “She gets totally flustered and spills things.” Bella leaned forward and said in a low tone, “I think she’s much more used to giving orders than taking them.”
    “Then why’d you put her out on the floor?” Cam watched Mia struggle with a heavy tray of food. It tipped slightly to the side, causing everything to shift, but she quickly compensated and put it down with a clatter. He noticed that her hands shook, and he wanted to go over there and hug her . . .
Wait—hug her?
Cam was not a hugging kind of dude. He shook his head. “Yeah, she’s clearly out of her element.” But he thought of the beater car and her lack of funds and frowned. Nothing was making sense.
    “One of the waitresses was sick, and Mia insisted that she could handle it.” Bella flicked another glance in Mia’s direction. “Myra decided to let her jump right in.”
    “How’s she been holding up?” Cam asked and tried not to notice how cute she looked in the retro-style uniform. Damn, she was pretty in pink.
    “Better than I expected.”
    “Meaning pretty bad.”
    “Yeah, I feel sorry for her. She’s trying so hard but screws everything up. There have been a couple of YouTube moments.”
    “I can imagine.” Yeah . . . he had quite an imagination where she was concerned.
    “She should be over to take your order in a minute if she can ever get that table waited on. Those guys seem to be giving her a tough time.”
    “Why don’t you help her out?”
    Bella gave him a curious look but then shrugged. “I offered, but she insisted that she could do it alone. I finally gave up trying. She should do okay now that the big lunch rush is over.”
    Cam nodded and then remembered her pitiful pile of change. “Where is she staying?” He hated to think of her without someplace safe to live.
    “Ohhh . . .” Bella arched an eyebrow. “Sounds like you’re concerned, Cam.”
    “Just curious.”
    “Right . . .”
    “Hey, my only concern right now is baseball,” Cam insisted as he took the menu from her.
    “Sure it is.” Bella pointed to the ceiling. “She’s living in the apartment upstairs. Well, I’d better get back to my post.” She gave him a wink and then glanced in Mia’s direction and shook her head when Mia dropped a handful of straws onto the floor. “See ya at Sully’s tonight?”
    “Maybe.” Cam nodded absently and then concentrated on his menu, but after a few minutes he realized he wasn’t reading selections but listening to the asshats bitching at Mia. He ground his teeth in an effort not to get involved. A moment later Mia rushed over to his table. Her eyes widened when she recognized him.
    “Oh, hi,” she said a bit breathlessly and pushed at a lock of her hair.
    “So you’re working here?” When she