“Chris?” Paxton’s voice came from behind her just as she was unlocking the car.
“Come on, Paxton!”
“Look, I get that I’ve rubbed you the wrong way, but you’re friends with my sister and her girlfriend, along with all those other women in there.” Paxton pointed behind her toward the house. “I don’t know anything about you, including your skillset. So, in there, yes, I was just kind of going along with the whole thing. But if what they all said in there is true, you know food service.”
“I’ve been waiting tables most of my adult life; I should hope so.”
“I don’t know what I’m doing with this whole thing. Don’t tell my sister that, though, okay?” Paxton laughed a little, and Chris thought her endearing in that moment as Paxton stuck her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. “I’m going back to Seattle to sort out the rest of my life. When I come back, though, I’m probably going to own a rundown hotel. So, it wouldn’t be charity for you. It would be charity for me if you would consider helping out. Just think about it, okay? It would be a real job, Chris. I’d do it right.” She pulled her hands out of her pocket. “Anyway, that’s all I had to say. Have a good rest of your night.”
◆◆◆
It had been a week since Paxton returned to Seattle. Chris had worked three doubles during that time. Wes had gotten a D on his most recent chemistry exam. She’d told him he’d have to give up working at the bookstore since even working fewer hours wasn’t helping his GPA. They’d had his battery replaced, which wasn’t as costly as it could have been, but it was still an unexpected expense. She’d work a few more doubles and would be able to make it up, but the tips were inconsistent at best, which meant it was difficult to budget and plan ahead.
She’d had a rough few shifts at work recently. She just hadn’t been focused on work. She’d been thinking about something else entirely. Well, she’d been thinking about someone else. Paxton Williams hadn’t really left her mind since the last time she’d seen her looking kind of cute in the driveway of their shared friends’ home. The woman had had this goofy smile on her face and appeared genuine in her offer. Chris had attempted to push those thoughts out of her mind repeatedly but couldn’t seem to shake the idea of working with Paxton at her new hotel. Of course, it was a ridiculous idea.
Paxton’s hotel wasn’t even open yet. It wouldn’t be for months, at minimum. That meant the restaurant inside it wouldn’t be open for months if everything went well. Chris had never opened her own restaurant. She had no idea what needed to be done. That hadn’t stopped her from doing a lot of research online and asking Marco a few stealthy questions here and there about how his family had started Donoto’s along with how they’d made it so successful.
“She’s really serious about this whole thing,” Adler said the next night as she and Morgan sat at Donoto’s in their usual booth.
“What’s the problem, Addie?” Morgan asked. “I think it’s awesome.”
Chris had just sat down next to them, as was her custom when they stopped by and she could spare a minute.
“What do you think, Chris?” Adler asked her.
“About what?”
“Paxton buying this hotel; or bed and breakfast, I guess.”
“Oh, I don’t know that I have an opinion on it either way,” Chris replied.
“She asked about you yesterday,” Adler said.
“Who did?” Chris asked, scrunching together her eyebrows in confusion.
“Paxton. My sister.” Adler laughed.
“She asked about me?”
“She got back in town the day before yesterday. She asked if we thought you’d consider working with her,” Morgan explained.
“She did?”
“She did.” Adler took a drink of her sparkling water.
Chris sat forward in the booth and replied, “She does know I’m a waitress, right?”
“That she does,” Morgan answered.
Chris looked around the room and noticed two of her tables needed refills.
“I’ll be back in a bit,” Chris said.
But she never got around to sitting back down with them. She got busier and busier, until the restaurant closed. Then, she went home, crashed onto her bed, and fell asleep. When she woke the next morning, she was grateful she didn’t have to be in until five. She was unsure how much longer she could go on like this. She knew there were bags under her eyes. She’d been surviving off of pizza, pasta, and coffee recently. She showered, dressed, and decided she’d run to the grocery store to pick up some of Wes’s favorite snacks. On the drive, she passed ‘The Pine Tree Guest House’ and noticed something. She pulled into the drive that led to the small parking lot to the right of the building. There was only one other car there that she recognized. She wasn’t exactly sure what she was doing there, but she got out of her car, walked up to the front door of the hotel, and knocked.
Paxton Williams opened the door and said, “Chris?”
“Hi,” Chris replied and swallowed right after. “I was just driving by. I saw your car.”
“Adler’s car,” Paxton corrected. “Mine is still in Seattle. I’m driving it down the next time I come back.”
“Right. I guess you’re back,” Chris said for some reason.
“A couple of days now, yeah.” Paxton held onto the doorframe with one hand. She was wearing a pair of jean shorts with a plain black t-shirt. Her hair was pulled back, and she wore no makeup. “Sorry. Come on in.” She moved out of the way and motioned inside. “This is my new place. Well, sort of. I don’t live here, obviously.”
“Where are you living?” Chris asked as she entered the foyer.
“Another hotel.” She smiled. “I know, right? I own a hotel, and I’m staying in another one. I’m just here to sign the paperwork and find an apartment to live in while I sort all this out.” She motioned around with both hands.
“So, you own it?”
“I do. Signed this morning, actually. She’s all mine now.” Paxton’s smile was infectious. It lit up her whole face. “I can’t believe I’m a hotel owner… I don’t even own a house.”
“You’re a realtor who doesn’t own her own home?”
“I guess I never found my dream home.”
“And this place… She’s a she?” Chris referenced Paxton’s previous comment.
“She is a she, yes.” Paxton laughed. “Hey, I was asking about you the other day.”
“You were?” Chris pretended she had no idea what Paxton was talking about. “Why?”
“I know you hate me, and we have this whole thing where I was a dick to you, but I was wondering if you would actually ever consider working here.”
“Paxton, I–”
“I know. I was–”
“An asshole for interrupting me. How is it that you just think you know what I’m going to say or that it’s okay to interrupt me when I’m trying to say it?”
“I’m sorry.” Paxton held up her hands in supplication.
“This is why this wouldn’t work.” Chris pointed between the two of them.
“Because I interrupted you?” Paxton crossed her arms over her chest. “I apologized, Chris. God, I’ve actually apologized for everything I’ve done since we met.”
“That’s a lot of apologies for someone I’ve known for a couple of weeks, Paxton,” Chris argued.
“Fine. Never mind, then, Chris.” Paxton took a few steps backward to lean against what had been the front desk of the hotel. “I have a million things to worry about. I don’t need this, too. I’ve apologized to you. You don’t want to be here? Feel free to leave whenever you want.”
Chris watched Paxton run her hand through her hair, rub her neck for a moment, and then look down at the floor as she walked out of the room. Chris exhaled, closed her eyes, swallowed her pride, and followed. She found Paxton on the back patio of the hotel. She also found that the back patio of the hotel overlooked the lake. She’d known that. But knowing that and actually seeing that were two very
different things.
“Wow,” she whispered.
Paxton turned around from where she was leaning over a railing and replied, “I thought you were leaving.”
“It’s beautiful back here,” Chris said, unable to focus on Paxton’s words. She moved to stand next to her and stared out at the water. “I live here, but, sometimes, I forget just how beautiful it is.”
“It is.” Paxton turned to face her. “You have a brother, right?”
“Wes.”
“How old is he?”
“Seventeen.” Chris kept her eyes on the water.
“Does he want a job? Manual labor.”
“I told you, he needs to focus on school and tennis. He works on the weekends.” Chris replied.
“How much does he make?” Paxton asked with a lifted eyebrow.
Chris looked over at her. That eyebrow looked nice like that; nice and deadly at the same time.
“He’s at just above minimum wage. He stocks books and helps people find them. He’s not exactly performing open heart surgery.”
“I pay a lot better than minimum wage, and I could use the extra hands. I plan to do a lot of this work myself; the gutting part, at least. He’d get a good workout and make good money.”
“Why are you trying to employ my entire family?” Chris asked.
“Not your entire family; just you and your brother,” Paxton replied with a smirk.
Chris swallowed and said, “I’ll ask him. It’s his decision.”
“Your parents don’t need to sign off on it? He’s seventeen.”
“No,” Chris replied. She pushed back off the railing and asked, “What exactly are you hoping I would do here?”
“Help me figure out what to do with the restaurant. But you can also help knock shit down for me, too.” Paxton smiled at her.
“I’d need to make more than what I make at the restaurant on a good week,” she replied.
“Okay.”
“You just assume you can pay me that?”
“No. I haven’t actually agreed to pay you anything. I just said okay to your statement, Chris.”
“I’m good at my job. I make good tips,” Chris argued.
“I’m aware. Why do you think I’m arguing with you right now? I’m not. Tell me the number you need, and if I can pay you that, I will. I can’t promise you anything other than that, though. I haven’t decided if I’ll keep the place or flip it. I don’t even know if I’ll keep the restaurant or not. I’m just pursuing everything right now.”
“Then, I can’t work with you. I need a full-time, permanent job, Paxton.”
“Why don’t we just start with you being a consultant, then? I’ll pay you for the hours you consult for me about the restaurant. You can still keep your day job.”
“Consultant?”
“Consultants make good money,” Paxton replied with a smile.
Chris squinted at her and replied, “This is a bad idea.”
“I’m going to give you my email address, okay? I made a professional one for this place since it’s separate from my other company. You can email me your resume. If I like what I see, I’ll call you. We can go through the whole interview process so it’s legit. I’ll think through what I need you to do. If there’s a match here, I’ll put together an offer for you. If you want it, you’ll take it. If not, I’ll leave you alone.” Paxton stared back out over the water. “I love this place,” she said it softly just as the wind blew a few strands of her hair around her face. “I don’t know what it is about it, but I just wanted it the moment I saw it.”
Chris stared at her for a moment before she said, “Then, you shouldn’t sell it, Paxton.”
“Pax.”
“What?”
“You can call me Pax. Most people do,” she said, turning to look at Chris.
“Okay. Pax.” She nodded at her. “I have to get to the grocery store now.” She walked off but turned back. “Oh, what’s that email address?”
Paxton turned to face her, smirking.
CHAPTER 8
“Do you have any idea what you’re doing?” Adler asked.
“I know I don’t want this wallpaper and that this wall is going to have to be replaced.” Paxton smashed into it with a sledgehammer. “And now I feel all the stress leaving my body.”
“I cannot believe you are tearing out walls,” Adler said, stepping back.
“Miss Williams, do you want the wall in the other room torn down, too?” Wesley asked her, entering into what was left of one of the guest rooms. “The one by the bathroom, I mean.”
“That one goes, too,” Paxton told him.
He turned and left the room. A moment later, she heard a loud crash of sledgehammer meeting the wall.
“How’s he working out?” Adler asked her.
“He’s great. He’s only here on the weekends. That was the agreement Chris and I had. He works four hours a day. He makes more than he did at the bookstore, working fewer hours. It was important to her.” She swung the sledgehammer again.
“That was nice of you.”
“It’s not charity, Adler. He’s a good worker. He’s already finished tearing down two rooms, and it’s his third day.”
“And Chris?”
“What about her?” Paxton took a sip from her water bottle.
“Last I heard, you two were negotiating salary,” Adler said.
“Oh.” Paxton laughed. “Not really. She gave her notice at Donoto’s, though. She starts on Monday. She gave them two weeks, and her boss said she could come back whenever. I’m paying her what she asked for.”
“What about your employees in Seattle?” Adler asked.
“They’re fine. I’ve given them most of my clients that I was working with. I’m going back next weekend to get the rest of my stuff and drive my car down here.”
“So, you’re officially moving, then, Pax?” Adler asked. “You said you still didn’t know last time we talked; which was yesterday, by the way.”
“I have a six-month lease on my apartment. I’m going to get as far as I can on my own with this place. Then, I’ll hire people to help finish it off. We’ll see how far I get, and I’ll decide then if I’m going to stay permanently or go back. My place in Seattle is up for grabs as of next weekend, though. I’d have to find a new place if I decided to return.”
“This is a big change… You’re not worried you’re making it too fast?” Adler sat on the small step stool in the middle of the empty, dusty room.
“No.” Paxton swung the sledgehammer again, tearing out a large chunk of wall. “I feel like I’m right where I need to be.”
“I’m happy for you, Pax. I’m happy for me, too, because it means I get to see my baby sister all the time,” Adler replied.
“Well, not all the time, since you and Morgan are traveling to all your stores soon.”
“It’s time to make the rounds, yes,” Adler replied. “But that’s, like, two weeks. Then, we’ll be back. I’d offer to help you get the car down here if I could, though. We could have had a fun sister road trip.”
“It’s only, like, thirteen hours; a couple more, with bathroom and gas stops. I’ll find a hotel about halfway through and stop for the night. I’ll be fine.”
“Okay. Well, I guess I should go. Morgan is meeting me at home so we can pack,” Adler said and stood.
“What’s that feel like?” Paxton asked.
“What’s what feel like?”
“Saying your girlfriend is meeting you at home,” Paxton replied.
“Really good, Pax. It feels really good.” She smiled.
◆◆◆
“I’ve got all my recommendations here,” Chris said, placing a folder on the front desk they’d been using as a makeshift office for the past few days.
“Thanks,” Paxton replied. “I thought you were leaving, like, an hour ago.”
“I was. But I got caught up in the search for new kitchen equipment and coming up with the budget. I figured I’d finish it befo
re I left for the night,” she said.
Paxton looked up and over at her, smiling as she did. They’d been working together for four days now. So far, they’d fought twice, but only over minor things. Chris had been on time each day. She’d also stayed nearly as late as Paxton. They’d agreed on a full-time job for Chris once Paxton worked out all the particulars of what she really needed. Chris had ensured her the job at Donoto’s was safe should this arrangement not work out. She’d helped with some of the teardown and had already started working on plans for the restaurant once the place was open. Paxton was satisfied with her work, and that was what mattered. What didn’t matter was how good Chris looked in her white t-shirt and jeans.
“So, you won’t be here this weekend, right?” Chris asked her.
“No, I’m catching a flight tomorrow.”
“If it’s okay with you, I’ll come in with Wes, then. I think there should be an adult here if he’s working.”
“I gave him the weekend off. Did he not tell you?” she asked.
“No, he didn’t. I haven’t seen him much this week, though. He’s been staying late for tennis practice and then going to the library to study until it closes. By the time he gets home, I’m usually asleep. Can I tell you how nice it is to be asleep by ten o’clock?”
Paxton laughed and replied, “Hey, what are you doing this weekend?”
“Me? Nothing. Why?”
Paxton watched as Chris must have realized that she’d just admitted to having no plans for the weekend.
“Come with me,” Paxton said.
“Where?”
“Chris, come with me to Seattle,” Paxton answered with a laugh. “Have you ever been?”
“To Seattle? No,” Chris replied as she crossed her arms over her chest. “But I can’t just go with you to Seattle this weekend.”
“Why not? You just said you didn’t have any plans.”
“I lied.” Chris shrugged.
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