Bait Shop Blues

by Nancy Pirri

  “Not a peep from me, boss, unless Cassandra asks.”

  “Great,” he grumbled as he strode around the counter and made his way down the hallway to his room. With the efficiency of someone who packed often, he loaded his duffle bag and hauled it into the hallway, closing his door just as Cassandra opened hers.

  His breath hitched at the sight of her tousled hair and sleepy eyes, his gaze sliding down her womanly curves.

  Chapter Two

  She wore a pair of loose-fitting white pants settled low on her hips, and a midriff-baring sleeveless top. The sight of her narrow waist and dainty navel made him gulp. He decided a cold shower would quench the heat roaring through his body. Suddenly, much to his irritation, the idea of staying home with Cassandra, instead of going fishing, was more appealing.

  “You’re leaving?” she asked.

  “I’ll be gone three days.” He tilted his head to the side and looked her over. Finally, he grinned into her eyes. “Think you’ll miss me?”

  She folded her arms across her breasts and his gaze followed their movement. Cleavage—Marilyn Monroe cleavage—invited him to not only look but touch. It took all of his willpower to keep his hands in his pockets.

  As though from a distance, he heard her say, “It’ll be nice settling into my new home on my own. Have a nice trip.”

  Oh, she was a cool one! Envy stole over him at her calm visage, yet somehow he guessed she simmered inside, and that she would never reveal her anger to him. This calmness prompted him to want to push harder. The problem was he was never any good at comebacks, especially where women were concerned. And instead of saying something suave and sophisticated, he muttered, “Don’t get too comfortable.”

  He snatched up his bag and strode down the hallway, gritting his teeth. Cassandra’s bare feet smacked the wooden floor behind him. The woman was really starting to get under his skin.

  “You going already?” Maxie asked from where she sat behind the counter, reading a newspaper.

  Leif nodded. “I’ll be back Tuesday night, if things go according to schedule.”

  She folded the paper and set it aside. “Only three days, hmm? Don’t worry. We’ll take good care of the place. And Leif? No heroics. You land that plane if the weather turns bad. Hear me?”

  “You worry too much.” He narrowed his eyes on Cassandra. “When I get back we’ll have a have a little talk about you, me, and Gateway.” He looked at Maxie. “Maybe you can explain the ropes to our guest while I’m gone. You can start by showing her how to fill the bait tanks.”

  Cassandra raised her brow and leaned against the counter. “Bait?”

  Leif nodded, kept his expression bland. “We cater to the fishing population, so, on a daily basis, you’ll need to empty the tanks of dead bait and replenish them with new stuff you’ll have to pick up in town from Mason’s Bait.”

  Cassandra tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “What sort of bait?”

  Leif folded his arms across his chest and rocked back on the heels of his boots. “Oh, just normal, every-day stuff like waxies, leeches, fatheads and frogs.”

  She grimaced. “You say this needs to be done every day?”

  “It sure does. We open by five-thirty for the early morning fishing crowd.” He smiled when she tipped her head back to meet his gaze. He started reaching out to tuck one curling lock of silvery hair behind her ear until he saw the panicked look in her eyes. Obviously, she didn’t want him to touch her. If he didn’t know better, he’d guess she was scared of him. He continued moving his hand to his head. There he swiped a fallen lock of hair off his forehead.

  “Maxie will do a good job training you, so there’s no need to worry,” he said brusquely. “Besides, you won’t need to learn everything since you’ll only be here a short while.”

  She tilted up her chin. “I’ve already told you, I’m in no hurry to leave.”

  “Don’t you need to return to your job soon?”

  “No. A friend is managing my business. I’ve also rented my condominium to someone for several months. But don’t worry. It shouldn’t take too long for me to decide whether I’ll be staying or selling out my half of Gateway.”

  Leif sucked in his breath. “So, bottom line, how long are you staying?”

  “I’m not sure. There’s a possibility I may decide to live here permanently.”

  Stabbing his finger against the counter, he snapped, “Make that possibility slight. Got that?”

  “I understand,” she said calmly, “but I’m afraid I can’t oblige you. I plan on staying as long as it takes to make the right decision—for me. And if I decide to sell out my half of Gateway, it’ll be to whoever makes me the best offer.”

  “It figures.” He snorted. “Why on God’s green earth would I ever expect rational thinking from a woman?”

  “My reasoning is solid and practical. How am I being irrational?”

  “It only makes sense that if you decided to sell, it would be to me!”

  She raised her brows. “And why would I do that?”

  “I know this place like the back of my hand. I’ve a right to it. I was here first! I’m the one who sweated alongside your grandpa for years to make something out of Gateway to Paradise.” He shook his head in disgust and headed for the door, but came to a jarring halt with her next words.

  “That may be true, but Grandfather left me half of Gateway. It’s my birthright.”

  He stopped breathing. The woman didn’t pull her punches. He should have accepted her grandfather’s offer to adopt him all those years ago, but he’d put him off telling him he expected his own father to show up for him any day. After fifteen years, that day had never arrived. Then he thought, to hell with her. Roy had left him half of Gateway, birthright, be damned. He had every bit as much right to the place as she did—maybe more.

  “Suit yourself, darling. By the way, have I warned you about the wildlife around these parts?”

  “Now, Leif,” Maxie said, “be nice.”

  Cassandra grinned. “You mean squirrels, birds, and rabbits? I adore animals!”

  “More like lions and tigers and bears—”

  Cassandra’s smile slipped.

  “—and blood-suckin’ mosquitoes the size of my thumbnail.”

  Cassandra watched Leif depart, cringing when the door slammed in his wake. Good. His ornery ways helped diffuse her attraction for him.

  Thank God she’d concealed her feelings. She’d made the mistake of falling fast and hard over Scott, her second fiancé, and Todd before him. Unfortunately, too late in the game, she’d learned that neither of them had truly loved her. And while Todd had constantly tried to coerce her into making love with him, Scott had only blessed her with shy, brotherly kisses.

  She’d wanted to make love with Todd because she had been in love with him. But, with Scott, it had been different. Other than a few chaste kisses and holding hands, he’d never allowed their relationship to become too physical. However, from day one of their acquaintance he had been eager for her to walk down the aisle with him. She’d been pleased with his attentions, until she learned the reason for his infatuation.

  Somehow, wedding a gay guy in denial didn’t meet her expectations of happily ever after. And the jerk hadn’t even given her the opportunity to walk out on him first.

  Never again would she allow passion to overrule her thinking. The vow of celibacy she’d made after Todd had left her she took seriously. A man would need to learn to love her for who she was inside, and not because she held a passing resemblance to Marilyn Monroe.

  “Don’t believe a word he said,” Maxie retorted. “I’m going to start sorting the jigs in back.”

  “I’ll watch the front,” Cassandra offered. She sat on a stool, leaned her elbows on the counter, and enjoyed the lake view. Perhaps she’d been a bit premature in telling Leif she planned on staying awhile. But she wanted to learn all that she could about her grandfather. By living here she’d have the opportunity to learn about him, through Ga
teway, and to a lesser degree, through Leif, the man Grandpa had spoken of so highly. The man her grandfather had fostered through his rebellious teenage years.

  While her business, Pretty Woman Cosmetics, had tripled its profits since she’d conceived and developed it seven years ago, the pressures that came with the success were overwhelming. From the moment her grandfather had invited her to visit the Minnesota wilds several months ago, it had sounded appealing. Through his letters, she’d learned of his love for this far northern haven. Gateway and Leif had meant everything to him.

  It was time for a change in her life, time for a slower pace. Now that she’d had her first glimpse of Gateway, she could envision a neat row of quaint cabins lining the edge of the lake, a two-story lodge built of white pine logs, the inside equipped with a fine bar and rustic dining room on the first floor. Above it she imagined a dozen bedrooms to rent out to tourists. She had big plans for Gateway, but she had a hunch Leif wouldn’t agree with a one of them.

  She slapped her palm against her forehead and groaned. What was she thinking? She’d come up here for peace and relaxation, not work! Lord, but her Type A personality was going to kill her, eventually.

  An hour later, Maxie came out front. “Let’s switch places. I’ve started sorting the new tackle into separate bins. You just keep opening the packages and following the pattern I started. Let’s have a cup of coffee first.

  “You know something?” Cassandra rose from her stool. “I don’t think Leif likes me very much. He’s kidding about the wild animals, isn’t he?”

  Maxie gave her a skeptical look. “You’re a smart woman and know there are no lions and tigers around these parts. The bears are small to mid-sized black ones, harmless if you leave them alone. But I got to admit he’s right about the mosquitoes.”

  “Is he always like that?” She followed Maxie down the hallway to the kitchen.

  “Surly, you mean?” Maxie took two cups from a cupboard and filled them to the brim with the leftover coffee she’d made for Leif before he left. She handed a cup to Cassandra and sat down at the table.

  “He hasn’t minced words on how he feels about me being here, has he?” Cassandra asked, joining her.

  “Nope. But, you’re threatening his way of life so I can’t say as I blame him.”

  Cassandra frowned. “How am I doing that? It certainly isn’t what I intended.”

  “Up until Roy took Leif in when he was fourteen, he hadn’t had much security in his life. Other than his mother, who at the time had been more in love with a bottle of wine than with Leif, and a few uncles and cousins who live to the west, on Red Lake Reservation, he has no other family.

  “He doesn’t like change, neither do I for that matter. Big city folks have a tendency to want to change and improve things up here when we like them just the way they are.”

  Cassandra looked away, unable to meet Maxie’s eyes as guilt set in. She couldn’t dispute her words because she had been making plans to do exactly what Maxie said. She was a big city woman looking to change things. But change was a good thing, wasn’t it?

  “I don’t like to see Leif living here alone,” Maxie said. “Now that your grandpa is gone, he needs someone to encourage him to get some work done around this place.”

  “He appears to be pretty self-sufficient.” Cassandra set down her cup.

  Maxie’s jaw gaped. “Have you taken a good look around? Besides a heavy-duty cleaning, the screens need replacing, and every sheet-rocked wall in the living quarters needs a coat of paint.”

  “Why doesn’t he just hire somebody to do the work? Did my grandfather take care of those things?”

  “Roy and Leif jawed about it often enough, but let’s face it, neither of them have ever been movers and shakers, with one exception.”

  “And that is?”

  “Fishing. Old Roy lived and died for the sport. So does Leif. He hates being cooped up indoors. Did you notice the landscaping around Gateway? How neat and trimmed everything is?”

  Cassandra nodded.

  “That’s cause he enjoys outdoor work. And, as you’ve most likely noticed, the inside isn’t so neat. When I mentioned making repairs to Leif, he replied that a bait shop was supposed to look like this!” Maxie sighed and gave Cassandra a sidewise look. “By the way, how are you at managing books?”

  “I’ve owned my own business for years so I’d say I’m pretty fair.”

  “Thank God!” Maxie narrowed her eyes. “What sort of business?”

  “Facial and beauty products such as cleansers and moisturizers, make-up and scents.”

  Maxie grinned. “No kidding?”

  “I started Pretty Woman Cosmetics eight years ago and have done very well for myself, if I do say so.”

  “I’ve read about Pretty Woman and its success,” Maxie said with enthusiasm. “I don’t recall the name of the owner, but it was you, huh?”

  Cassandra nodded. “Though I used another name for business purposes.”

  “Would you—” Maxie began but paused, her face turning pink.

  “Would I?” Cassandra gently prompted.

  “Give me a make-over?” Maxie said quickly, her cheeks turning from pink to red. “I’ve always wanted someone to show me how to put on all that stuff.” She raised her hands and slapped them against her cheeks. “What in the world am I thinking? I guess it’s a silly idea since no one much sees me working way up here, anyway.”

  “I’d be happy to show you. And you’ll do it for your own enjoyment, and no one else’s.”

  Maxie pulled Cassandra from her chair. “Come on back to the office with me and take a look at the ledgers, why don’t you?”

  “Right this minute?” Cassandra asked, lengthening her stride to keep up with Maxie’s long legs.

  “With Leif gone, it’s the perfect time. As a matter of fact, it’s the only time since the man tends to be sort of territorial, if you know what I mean.”

  “I sure do.”

  An hour later Cassandra sank against the back of her chair with a sigh, thoroughly exhausted. “The accounts are a mess,” she told Maxie. “Leif hasn’t balanced the checkbook in months. I’m surprised he’d neglect something so important.”

  “Things changed when Roy got sick last year. Roy used to take care of the books. Unfortunately, he never did teach Leif the bookkeeping end of the business. Think you could do it?”

  “Of course. So could Leif. It’s not rocket science.” She nodded at the computer to her right, covered in plastic. “Does it work?”

  “I think so. Roy bought it brand-spanking new last year with intentions of using it, but never did. Although he’s always kept ledgers, with the exception of the last six months when he was ill. I would think you’d be able to figure things out since all of the checks, deposits, withdrawals, and receipts are here.”

  “Do you know if it has a program called Quicken?”

  “No idea.”

  How did my grandfather keep track of store inventory?”

  “That’s the easy part! Roy bought the same goods and quantity every year for the twenty years he owned Gateway. I can get you the counts from the inventory sheets.”

  “Grandpa never made adjustments for new products or discontinued ones? And what about varying sales?”

  “Guess not,” Maxie said and shrugged. “I didn’t have anything to do with the bookkeeping.”

  Cassandra frowned. “You know, it doesn’t seem to be all that busy around here. As a matter of fact, not a single customer has stopped by since I arrived this afternoon.”

  “The busiest time of day is early morning, before seven, and then between six and ten in the evening after supper, when the tourists go out night fishing.”

  “What time do you close up for the night?”

  “I just did and it’s after ten-thirty. We open our doors at five-thirty in the morning.”

  “Are there others who help out here? It seems ridiculous to work such long hours.”

  “When Leif’s out guiding
, my son takes a shift. But often enough I’m working the entire shift on my own. That’s okay, though. You see we’re closed for the season from October through April so we take plenty of time to rest then.”

  “Why not hire extra folks?”

  “Your grandpa never wanted to, although while Leif was away at college he had a couple of local teenagers helping out from time to time.”

  Cassandra shuddered at the thought of being open fifteen hours a day. But then the slow times would allow her the opportunity to get the books in order. Once she figured them out, she’d get the inventory figures from Maxie. Then she’d pay visits to some of the towns in the area to check on local artisans’ works to purchase, which would hopefully attract more business.

  Now, more than ever, for the sake of Gateway, she needed to stay. She needed to make changes in order for the place to survive. This was her grandfather’s legacy to her and even though he’d died, before she had the opportunity to learn to know him, she wouldn’t allow Gateway to perish.

  She knew this would involve advertising, and changing Gateway’s image from simply a bait store to a decent gift shop. And adding the restaurant would help, she thought. But before delving into something that large she made a mental note to herself to check out the area and see what was available by way of food establishments.

  She couldn’t see how just selling bait would keep the place going for much longer. She justified these changes in her mind because of that reason alone, and not her Type A personality. Hopefully, in the future, Leif would see the sense of this.

  Maxie came to her feet and headed for the door. “Well, it’s time to get the kitchen cleaned up.”

  Cassandra followed Maxie. When she stopped at the sink and closed the drain, Cassandra said, “I’ll do them.”

  Maxie eyed the countertop covered with dishes from two day’s accumulation. “You sure?”

  “Yes,” Cassandra said with a nod, having caught the older woman’s hopeful tone. “But I’ll tell you this, once I’ve established Gateway’s financial situation, a dishwasher will be at the top of our shopping list.”