“Who’s Ed?” Seth asks as he shuffles along behind us.

“My uncle.” Cara smiles at him, and I wish she’d turn that smile on me. I adore her smile. “He owns this place.”

“Gee, imagine that, with it being called Ed’s Diner and all.”

“Watch your smart mouth,” I warn him with a glare, and he glares back at me.

“You agreed,” Cara whispers, reminding me that she is in charge today, and I fidget. I don’t like giving up control, and I definitely need to be able to protect her from any harsh words Seth might decide to fling at her. “I’ve got this.”

She leads us into the diner and to a booth. We order three waffles with bacon and orange juice on the side.

Seth makes quick work of his own waffle and polishes off half of Cara’s. He definitely hasn’t lost his appetite.

As we are finishing up, Ed himself comes out of the kitchen, smiling when he sees Cara sitting in the booth. Cara stands to give him a big hug. “Hey, darlin’, it’s always good to see you.”

“Hi, Uncle Ed. You look great.” She grins up at the aging man lovingly. Ed is short for a man, but still much taller than Cara. He’s stick thin and gray, with kind eyes.

“So, I see you’ve brought me a new worker.” Ed narrows his eyes as he gazes at Seth.

Seth’s eyes go wide with surprise. “Worker?” Seth squeaks.

“I have. Seth is going to help you out this morning. Ed’s short a dishwasher today, so you’ll be filling in, Seth.”

“I am not!” Seth’s gaze turns to me. “What the hell, Uncle Josh?”

“You will be respectful and do as you’re told,” I tell him softly, barely keeping my temper leashed.

“Aren’t there laws against kids working?” Seth grumbles, making my lips twitch. This kid is really too smart for his own good.

“Not for just a few hours. Come on.” Ed walks briskly through a swinging door and into the kitchen. Seth follows, with Cara and me bringing up the rear. On one side of the kitchen is a large tub sink with a nozzle that pulls down from the ceiling and is used to power-wash dishes. Quite a stack is already waiting for Seth.

“This is gross!”

“Breakfast dishes usually are, son.” Ed winks at him and flips an egg. “Gravy and syrup are the worst.”

“You have an electric dishwasher! Why are you making me wash these?” Seth crosses his arms and scowls at all of us.

“Because,” Cara begins softly, “you said yourself yesterday that it doesn’t matter if you work hard. It doesn’t matter if you pass school, or if you fail. Today, I’m going to show you just a few of the reasons why it does matter.”

“I’ll pay you seven dollars an hour to wash those.” Ed gestures with his spatula. “That’s minimum wage.”

“I can wash some stupid dishes. It’s not hard.” Seth scowls and sets his jaw.

Ed’s lips twitch. “Okay, get started then.” Ed shows him how to work the nozzle and how to wash them properly, then leaves him to it. Cara and I stand to the side and watch. I can feel her body heat next to me. I glance down and tuck her hair behind her ear, smiling when she looks up at me in surprise.

“This one has a spot on it. Rewash it.” Ed hands a plate back to Seth, who scowls at him.

“It does not! It’s clean!”

“I say it’s not. Rewash it.”

I feel my hands clench. I want to argue with Ed—it looks clean to me—but I remind myself that they’re trying to teach my nephew a lesson.

Fuck, I hope he learns it.

Cara sighs beside me, flinching when she shifts her feet. I have a feeling it’s because her ass and inner thighs are sore from riding yesterday.

Without thinking, I reach down and cup her ass in my hand. “Are you sore?”

She gapes at me, looks over at Ed in a panic to make sure he’s not looking, which he’s not, and then gapes at me some more.

“Yes,” she hisses, and moves out of my grasp. “Stop that.”

Her face flushes as she clears her throat, crosses her arms under her round breasts, and unknowingly presses the fabric against them, showing me that her nipples are puckered.

Damn, I want to take her right here.

“I’m done,” Seth announces, his voice tight with anger.

“Here’s some more.” A waitress drops off a tub full of more dirty breakfast dishes, and Seth growls before pulling them out and washing them.

So it goes for the next hour, Seth washing and grumbling and Ed barking orders at him. Finally, at around nine thirty, Cara kisses Ed’s cheek and turns to Seth.

“Okay, I think we’re done here. Dry your hands.”

Seth quickly dries his hands and starts to walk out of the kitchen without a word to anyone, but Ed stops him.

“This is where you can thank me, son.”

“Thank you for what? You should thank me for washing those gross dishes.”

Before I can step in and remind Seth of his manners, Ed shakes his head and says sternly, “No, you can thank me for the seven bucks an hour.”

Seth just shrugs and nods and walks sullenly out to the car to sit in the backseat. “Are we going home now?”

“How was that?” Cara asks rather than answer his question as she pulls out of the parking lot.

“It sucked.”

“Okay.” She nods thoughtfully. “Was it as easy as you thought it would be?”