BooksBarbecue
Back Sweet Surrender
Chapters (73)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. TABLE OF CONTENTS
  3. PRAISE FOR K. BROMBERG
  4. ALSO WRITTEN BY K. BROMBERG
  5. CHAPTER ONE
  6. CHAPTER TWO
  7. CHAPTER THREE
  8. CHAPTER FOUR
  9. CHAPTER FIVE
  10. CHAPTER SIX
  11. CHAPTER SEVEN
  12. CHAPTER EIGHT
  13. CHAPTER NINE
  14. CHAPTER TEN
  15. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  16. CHAPTER TWELVE
  17. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  18. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  19. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  20. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  21. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  22. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  23. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  24. CHAPTER TWENTY
  25. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  33. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  34. CHAPTER THIRTY
  35. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  36. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  42. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  43. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  44. CHAPTER FORTY
  45. CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
  46. CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
  47. CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
  48. CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
  49. CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
  50. CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
  51. CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
  52. CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
  53. CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
  54. CHAPTER FIFTY
  55. CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
  56. CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
  57. CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
  58. CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
  59. CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
  60. CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
  61. CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
  62. CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
  63. CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
  64. CHAPTER SIXTY
  65. CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
  66. CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
  67. CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
  68. CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
  69. CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE
  70. CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX
  71. EPILOGUE
  72. EPILOGUE TWO
  73. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER ONE

Hendrix

“Ten. Eleven.” I count the twenty-five pound bags of flour for the second time and come up short. “Barney?” I call over my shoulder to the open door where my wholesaler is busy unloading my order in the back alley.

“One sec.” His voice is muffled and labored.

I move through my kitchen area, past the long kitchen island lined with stacks of empty cookie sheets and past three industrial mixers. Just as I clear the doorway to the back alley of my shop, he lifts his head. He’s short but burly with tufts of salt and pepper hair peeking out from beneath his company cap.

“Sorry. What was that?” he asks.

“My order is short unless you have eight more sacks of flour and ten more of sugar in the back of that van that I’m not seeing.”

His grimace should be enough of a warning—one I should expect if the past month is any indication—but I hold tight to my optimism. Fleetingly. “You probably need to take that up with the accounting department.”

Optimism? Gone.

Accounting department? His wife, Annie.

“Meaning?” I ask, but I already know.

“You’re behind on the balance due.” He shifts uncomfortably and his Adam’s apple bobs. “As it is, Annie had my ass for delivering this much, but it’s you. We both know you’re good for it, but we have bills to pay too.”

I attempt a sweet smile but my stomach sinks. “I know. I am good for it. I’m slowly figuring everything out.”

Fuck you, Paul.

It’s a refrain I’ve said too many times over the past few weeks. One that makes me feel good even though it also feels like a Band-Aid placed on a bullet hole at the same time. “Tell Annie I’ll be catching up on it.” How? I have no fucking clue. “This . . . all of this caught me way off guard.”

Barney falters and then continues to pull off his work gloves. He sets them on the handle of the pallet jack before looking over to me. There’s compassion in the depths of his eyes. “I’m sorry this happened to you. Truly, I am.” He hangs his head.

“Thank you. It . . . is what it is.”

“Yeah, but . . . I saw him here. With her. I could have assumed a lot of things, but you’d be amazed at the shit I see so I never said anything. I just figured she was a friend or you guys had an open”—he waves his hands back and forth as he searches for a word and his cheeks color—“thingamajigger. I didn’t know and it isn’t my place to interfere. Annie’s taught me that over the years.”

Leave it to Paul to make my supplier feel guilty over his cheating ass.