Recipe for Love

by Aurora Rey

  She and Nick ordered beers from the bar but took them to a hi-top table in the corner.

  “How did she take the news?” Drew asked. It was cowardly on her part, but she’d let Nick tell Hannah about her involvement in the gala. It seemed better, though, than reaching out via text. Or showing up completely unannounced.

  “You know Hannah. She’s proud and doesn’t like accepting help, much less having people know she needs it.”

  “So, really bad?”

  Nick offered her a sheepish smile. “I wouldn’t say really bad.”

  She tried not to let it sting too much. Had the tables been turned, she probably wouldn’t have taken it well, either. “It’s okay. You don’t need to protect my feelings.”

  “She was mad that I kept it from her, but I think she’s come around.”

  Drew sighed. She could tell he was being kind. Still, the show would go on. They talked about the schedule for the night, the staffing, and the menu before falling into a comfortable silence. It reminded her of all the reasons she loved working for Nick, why she hoped to again. She’d just steeled herself for broaching the subject when Nick set down his beer.

  “I already know the answer, but I’ll ask you anyway. Any chance you want to come back?”

  She studied his face, looking for signs he might be joking. He didn’t know about her conversation with Javier. He couldn’t. “Are you not happy with Poppy?”

  He shook his head. “It’s the other way around. She’s not happy in her new role. She’s not going anywhere, but she’s made it clear she doesn’t want the position permanently. Too much people, not enough cooking. I believe those were her exact words.”

  She could appreciate the sentiment. She didn’t share it, but she could appreciate it. “Well—”

  “Drew, I was kidding. Please don’t feel bad or like I’m trying to pressure you.”

  He was such a fucking good guy. Just like Javier. How had she managed to hit the jackpot of nice bosses in an industry known for the opposite? “It’s not that. I’m,” she paused, “actually, I am interested in coming back.”

  He blinked a few times, narrowed his eyes. “Seriously?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Wow.”

  Discomfort, laced with guilt, made her press on. “I get that you might not believe a word I’m saying, but I mean it. I made a mistake leaving and I want to come back.”

  “Is it Hannah?”

  Wasn’t that the million-dollar question? He might not believe her on that front either, but she decided to go with the truth. “I’d be lying if I said she wasn’t part of it, but it’s more than that. I love Fig—the kitchen, the people, you. I even love the little town and my weird little house. I didn’t realize how much until I left.”

  She was pretty sure that was the cheesiest speech ever given, but it was true, all of it.

  “I felt that way once, sort of in reverse. I couldn’t wait to get out of here when I turned eighteen. It was only after I left that I realized this was where I wanted to be.”

  Just like Grann’s story, Nick’s made her realize how little she knew about many of the people she cared about. Hell, how little she knew about anything. “You really want to hire me back?”

  He shrugged. “We could consider it more of a leave of absence if it would make you feel better.”

  Drew chuckled. “It might.”

  “I assume you’ll need some time to tie things up at your other job?”

  “A couple of weeks. I want to stay on Javier’s good side, especially since he’s doing me such a huge favor this weekend.”

  “Of course. I’m looking forward to meeting him. I’d like to be on his good side, too. And Poppy isn’t running for the hills. I’m sure she’ll be happy just knowing you’re coming back.”

  “Thanks, man. I don’t think I could have imagined a better outcome if I’d tried.”

  “And Hannah?” He raised a brow.

  On that front, she’d not even allowed herself to imagine an outcome. “I’m going to see her now.”

  Nick stood, clapped a hand on her shoulder. “I hope she comes around.”

  Drew thought about the ache that had taken up residence in her chest. Not as acute as the day Hannah basically told her to go to hell, but it never went away completely. She really hoped she wouldn’t have to learn if it was one of those things that faded with time. But she couldn’t worry about that now. “Thanks.”

  “You’re really in love with her, aren’t you?”

  Everyone seemed to know it. Except, of course, Hannah. “Totally gone. Trying not to be pathetic about it.”

  “You’re not pathetic.”

  “I’m not heroic, either.”

  Nick pointed at her, looked her right in the eye. “Hannah doesn’t need a hero. She needs a partner, someone by her side she can count on no matter what.”

  Drew sighed. She’d fucked that up pretty good, too. “Yeah.”

  “If it counts for anything, I think you’re perfect for each other.”

  It might not count in her chances of winning Hannah back, but it sure as hell was nice to hear. “It does.”

  “Good luck.”

  “Thanks.” She got up, rolled her shoulders. “I think I’m going to need it.”

  * * *

  Hannah finished arranging jugs of apple cider and stepped back to admire the neat rows. She put her hands on her hips and looked around, pleased to see so many people in the farm stand on a weekday. It felt normal, the kind of normal she’d been missing ever since Drew left and the land went up for sale and everything turned chaotic.

  And then the people and the apples and everything faded into a blurry background and nothing felt normal at all. Drew stood just inside the entrance, looking right at her, like she had so many times before, like nothing had changed. Hannah’s heart thudded and her knees threatened to buckle. She should have expected it, really, but she hadn’t. She swallowed, willed her legs to support her. Drew closed the distance between them, a hesitant smile on her lips. Those gorgeous, full lips that Hannah immediately imagined on her neck, on her breast, on her—

  “Hi.” Drew was now right in front of her, so close Hannah could smell her cologne.

  “What are you doing here?” She swallowed the emotion that swelled in her throat, refusing to let Drew’s presence unnerve her. But even with the advance warning from Nick, it did. She clutched at indignation like a life preserver. “Why did you come back?”

  “I—” Just as Drew started to speak, she stopped. As though she’d thought better of whatever she was going to say. She glanced at the ground for a moment, then looked right into Hannah’s eyes. “I wanted to be here. I wanted to help.”

  It was horrifying enough to need help in the first place, but to have Drew here like some celebrity on a charity mission, it was almost too much. Pride made her straighten her shoulders, lift her chin. “I don’t need your help.”

  Drew narrowed her eyes. “You agreed to let Nick host the event. If I can help him pull it off, maybe up the ticket price, why would you have a problem with that?”

  “Nick is invested in the farm. He has a stake in it succeeding. Even more than that, he’s like family.”

  Drew’s jaw clenched, the muscles in her cheeks moving back and forth. “And in your mind, I’m neither of those things.”

  “I think you made it clear you’re not.” It came out as more of an accusation than a simple statement, but it was too late to take it back now.

  Drew’s eyes flashed with anger and something else, something Hannah couldn’t put her finger on. “Only after you made it clear you couldn’t get rid of me fast enough.”

  “That’s not what happened at all.”

  “‘Let’s not pretend,’ you said. I’m pretty sure that’s an exact quote.”

  She wasn’t about to take responsibility for Drew’s leaving. Yes, she’d tried to make it as drama-free as possible, but surely she hadn’t affected the outcome. “Your mind was made up from the day you
moved here.” That fact, and the knowledge she’d let herself fall for Drew in the first place, still haunted her. “Don’t apologize for it. You were clear about your intentions from the beginning.”

  Drew’s expression shifted. The anger seemed to dissolve. In its place, something that looked an awful lot like regret. “Is that what you think?”

  “Am I wrong?”

  Drew took a deep breath and appeared to choose her words carefully. “It was true, certainly in the beginning, but things changed. Things between us changed.”

  If Hannah didn’t know better, she’d think Drew was saying she’d changed her mind, that maybe she wished she’d never left. The possibility sat heavy in her chest. She’d spent so much of the last few weeks trying to get over Drew. The idea of the whole situation being thrown back into disarray left her—what? That was the problem. She didn’t even know. “I can’t have this conversation with you right now.”

  A shadow passed across Drew’s face, but she didn’t argue. “Of course. I didn’t mean to interrupt your work. I won’t keep you.”

  A wave of guilt spread through her. “Let’s talk later, maybe, when it can be just the two of us.”

  Drew nodded. “Sure.”

  “I’ll have everything you requested delivered to the restaurant first thing in the morning.”

  “That would be great. Thanks.”

  Drew started to leave, making Hannah feel like even more of a heel. “I do appreciate it, you know, what you’re doing. I’m sorry if I seemed ungrateful.”

  Drew sighed and it sounded like resignation. “I’m glad to be a part of it. I hope you believe that.”

  She left then, leaving Hannah standing alone in the middle of the bustling farm stand. Someone brushed past her with a pumpkin, jarring her back to the moment. A line had formed at the register, so she hustled over to help weigh produce and total purchases. Drew’s words echoed in her mind—things between us changed.

  Hannah tried to shake it off. She did not have time to obsess about Drew right now. She had a business to run, and to save. The next few days could very well make or break the future of Three Willows Farm. Even with all the help she was getting, she needed to be on her game if she expected it to go well.

  Things didn’t slow at the farm stand until sunset. Between the abundant apple crop and the unseasonably warm week, it seemed as though all of Tompkins County had made their way through the orchard. McIntosh picked out early and people were going to town on Empire and Paula Red. She couldn’t press cider fast enough and the doughnut machine hardly slowed. It felt like every other person made a comment about the gala, too. That felt good, knowing that so many of the attendees were customers, people who cared about the farm.

  After closing down for the night, she sat down with Clare to go over the design for the gift certificates. Clare presented her with three options to choose from—one elegant, one quirky, and one kind of classic. Hannah gravitated to the classic look, but based on the vibe of the website and social media, she had a feeling she was supposed to pick the quirky. Hannah pointed to it. “We should go with that one, right? It goes better with everything else you’ve designed.”

  Clare grinned. “Consistency of brand. Exactly.”

  Hannah angled her head. “So why did you even show me the others?”

  She shrugged. “I wanted you to feel like you had a choice.”

  “And what if I’d chosen one of the others?”

  Clare shrugged again, this time with a slight wince. “I would have gently nudged you to the right one.”

  Hannah rolled her eyes, but chuckled. “Spoken like a true marketer.”

  “That is the point.”

  She resisted Clare’s poking that she come home with her for dinner. She had enough on her mind already. Drew showing up like some butch in shining armor threatened the thin thread that held her in a calm, rational state of mind. What right did she have, showing up like some kind of savior? It was humiliating, insulting. It was sweet. Of course, she couldn’t admit that because it would mean letting go of just how mad she was at Drew for leaving in the first place.

  She got home and showered, then ate a piece of cold lasagna standing at the sink. She half watched a movie before going to bed, lying awake and thinking about Drew. Where was she staying even? How long would she be in town? And how in the world was Hannah supposed to be gracious and appreciative when being anywhere close to Drew made her heart ache?

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Drew looked around the dining room. If the restaurant glowed on opening night, tonight it sparkled. The regular tables had been moved out to make extra space. Hi-tops with stools lined the perimeter. Under Clare and Kristen’s direction, Nick had managed to suspend a zigzag of twinkle lights from the ceiling. Between that and the mini red carpet photo area they’d set up, it felt more like a fancy gala than dinner at a farm-to-table bistro.

  The change in setup had allowed them to sell two hundred tickets instead of eighty. Even without the auction Nick’s wife had dreamed up, they’d be able to give Hannah a check for twenty thousand dollars, enough for her to at least make a down payment on the land. The party hadn’t even started and already it was a success.

  If only she could say the same about things with Hannah. It had been her idea to keep her involvement secret until the last minute because she’d guessed Hannah wouldn’t take it well. But to have it play out just as she’d imagined left a hollow feeling in her chest. Maybe after the initial shock wore off, things would be better. Maybe when Hannah realized she was back to stay, or would be in the near future.

  She shook her head. There’d be plenty of time to worry about the train wreck of her personal life. Tonight she wanted everything to be perfect. The stakes were too high for it to be anything else.

  “Why do you look like you might throw up? Is it something in the kitchen or the girl?”

  She hadn’t heard Javier approach. Not only had he snagged her two hot chefs for the event, he’d come himself. He’d also donated a thousand dollars, an especially generous gesture since she’d given her resignation less than a month into working for him. “The girl. The kitchen couldn’t be better, thanks to you.”

  He offered his signature shrug and a flick of the wrist. “What can I say? I’m a hopeless romantic.”

  “Let’s just hope the girl feels the same way.” Even if the gala wasn’t a play to get Hannah back, she hoped it helped her cause rather than hurt it.

  “I’ve got a good feeling.” He winked at her. “And I’m usually right about this sort of thing.”

  Javier went off to talk with Nick about the artists whose work hung in the restaurant. He’d gotten it in his head to redecorate one of his dining rooms with a more idyllic feel. Drew turned to go back to the kitchen, then froze.

  Hannah stood less than twenty feet from her, looking absolutely stunning. Her hair fell in soft waves around her shoulders and the deep green of her dress suited her coloring perfectly. She’d put on makeup—more than Drew had ever seen her wear, but still minimal by most standards. The result made her look at once glamorous and wholesome. Drew opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out.

  “Hi.” Hannah’s smile seemed uncertain. It tore at Drew’s heart.

  “Hi.”

  Hannah laced her fingers together. “I wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier. I wasn’t expecting to see you and I reacted badly.”

  A little of the tightness in her chest eased. “You don’t need to apologize. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you myself. I was afraid if you knew I was involved from the beginning, you’d nix the whole plan.”

  Hannah chuckled softly. “I guess you know me pretty well.”

  There were a thousand things she wanted to say. Several of them included throwing herself at Hannah’s feet. She’d yet to settle on one when Clare and Kristen bounded through the dining room holding hands. They stopped short. “Sorry,” Clare said.

  “Yeah.” Kristen angled her head toward the bar. “We�
�ll be over there.”

  “It’s okay.” As much as she wanted to talk to Hannah, as much as she didn’t want to let Hannah out of her sight, the doors would be opening any minute. “I should get back to the kitchen.”

  “Yeah. Big night.” Hannah offered a slightly more confident smile. “We’ll talk later?”

  “That would be great.”

  Hannah watched Drew disappear into the kitchen. She couldn’t decide if that had gone well or made things worse. She’d have to wait to find out. She had more pressing matters.

  Nick and Javier appeared, along with Leda. Leda gave her arm a squeeze. “Ready?”

  She took a steadying breath that did little to steady her. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  Nick offered her a reassuring smile. “Let’s do this.”

  Twenty minutes later, she was certain she’d shaken more than a hundred hands and exchanged almost as many hugs. She recognized many of the faces from the farm, which warmed her heart. A few were strangers, perhaps fans of Drew or the other chefs visiting from the city. Baker and her girlfriend came, which was very sweet. Jenn was solo but chatted up a group of people in no time.

  She turned to greet the next person in the makeshift receiving line and found herself face-to-face with her father. She’d known her parents and brothers bought tickets, but seeing him—in a tie, even—was a shock to her system. She hugged him, then her mother. “Thank you for coming. It means so much to me.”

  He nodded briskly. “It’s clear you’ve built something people care about. Of course I’d be here.”

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  As if sensing she was on the verge of tears, her mother gave her hand a quick squeeze. “And we’re excited to try all the fancy chef food.”

  Her dad grunted at that. Hannah laughed. “I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

  By eight, the majority of guests had arrived. Waiters snaked through the crowd with no fewer than a dozen small bites. Several stations had been set up as well, serving everything from lamb skewers to fig and goat cheese turnovers.