“I’m sorry about that. You’re welcome to join me in the kitchen for a cup. I put the pot on to brew more. It will be done any time, and once I finish up this last dish, I’m taking a break.”
Piper grinned. “That sounds nice. Thank you.” She pulled out a bar stool and sat at the granite counter. “I hear you haven’t been working here long. How do you like it?”
“I love it. I sometimes miss my old life, but I would never go back.”
Piper feigned nonchalance. “Oh? Why’s that?”
“For starters, Nick and I are getting married in October. We’d originally planned for September, but I needed a little more time, but that has nothing to do with it.” Zoe slipped off the gloves then took two white coffee cups from the cupboard and poured rich smelling coffee into them. “How do you take it?”
“Lots of cream and sugar.” She shrugged. “I have a sweet tooth.”
Zoe chuckled. “Me too, but not when I have coffee. I prefer a pastry for the sweetness.” She held a finger to her lips, then reached into the oven and pulled out a plate with three donuts.
“Where did those come from?”
“I know I shouldn’t eat them, but once a week a friend brings them by. I hide them in the oven until I have the kitchen to myself. Go ahead and take whichever one you want.”
“Oh, now I feel special.” Piper reached for a donut with chocolate icing and sprinkles. For some crazy reason being here with Zoe sharing donuts reminded her of Chase. She hadn’t seen or heard from him since Wednesday night when she went off on him. Her stomach had been in knots ever since. “Thanks for sharing.”
“You’re welcome.”
Piper skipped doctoring up her coffee to see if Zoe was right about black coffee tasting good with donuts. She took a bite then sipped the rich brew. Nope. “It still needs cream.” She poured some then stirred and tasted it. “Much better.”
“Are you okay?” Concern etched Zoe’s face.
“I’m fine. I had some disappointing news the other day, and I didn’t handle it well. I guess I’m still feeling guilty.”
“Been there, done that. Would it help to talk about it with an impartial person? I have time to sit for a bit.”
“Thanks, but I’m afraid you wouldn’t be impartial. It involves Chase.”
Zoe’s eyes widened. “Oh that stinks, but I’d love to help if I can.”
Piper appreciated Zoe’s gesture, but discussing her innermost fears and insecurities with someone she hoped would one day be her employee seemed unwise. There was no way she wanted to reveal that Chase’s offer on the property felt too much like when an old boyfriend swooped in and ripped a deal right out of her hands. She should have known better than to trust Devon, but love is blind.
At least she was seeing things clearly when it came to Chase. Her heart constricted. She missed him. They’d clicked, and she had felt so comfortable around him. But now, everything was messed up. She still liked him but was afraid. She looked up and noted Zoe watching her. A twinkle lit Zoe’s eyes. “What are you grinning about?”
“I’ve been watching your face as you were lost in thought. I don’t mean to be presumptuous, but you look like a woman in love. Does your issue with Chase have anything to do with the heart?”
Piper hesitated and mustered a smile. “You couldn’t be further from the truth. I am not in love.”
“Oh. That’s too bad.” Disappointment shadowed her voice. “How is your project coming along?”
“Great. They broke ground yesterday.” She feigned excitement, but the truth was, she’d lost her passion for the project after her falling out with Chase.
“But?” Zoe drew the word out.
“But nothing. Everything is moving along as planned.”
“If you say so.” Zoe bit into a Bavarian cream donut. “These are so good.” She closed her eyes and chewed.
Piper studied the woman she was convinced would be the perfect fit for the resort’s restaurant.
Zoe opened her eyes right then. “What? Do I have cream on my face?”
“No. I was thinking how much I want you to run the kitchen at the resort restaurant.”
Zoe inhaled sharply. “For real?” Her voice raised an octave. “I’m honored that you would ask, but…”
“I know. You and Nick have a good thing here, but please think about it. Normally when I do a project our firm is doing it for someone else or with the intent of selling. This project is different. I will be staying on after completion to run the resort.”
“Congratulations!”
Piper grinned. “Thanks. It’ll be quite a change for me, but I’m up for the challenge, and I’d like to have you on board. You’re the reason I’m staying at the Wildflower. You have a reputation that will draw guests to my restaurant.”
Zoe looked at her with wide eyes. “Wow. Thank you! I’m honored by your offer.”
“Wait. Before you answer,” she pulled a business card from her back pocket and wrote a generous number across the back. “This will be your salary, with full benefits.”
“Oh my. I don’t know what to say.” Conflict dimmed her eyes.
“The menu and staffing would be under your control, and I will do my best to accommodate your requests. Within reason.” Okay, she’d laid it all out there. Hopefully Zoe would see the offer for the great opportunity that it was and accept.
“I need to talk with Nick about this.”
“Talk with me about what?” Nick asked as he strolled into the kitchen. “Donuts?” He went directly to Zoe and snagged the last donut. “Where’d this come from?”
Zoe shook her head. “You weren’t supposed to see that.”
He pulled it from his mouth with a large bite missing. “Oh. Do you want the rest?”
She playfully punched his shoulder. “It’s all yours now.” The sparkle was back in her eyes.
“This is my cue to leave.” Piper gripped the coffee cup and tossed the last bite of her donut into her mouth.
“Wait,” Zoe said. “I’d like you to stick around in case Nick has any questions.”
Piper sat. “Okay. I’ll do my best.”
Mild concern filled Nick’s face. “What’s going on?” He looked to Zoe then Piper.
“Piper has made me an offer that’s difficult to pass up.” She explained about the job. “I know we’ve talked about me working at the golf club restaurant, and decided against it, but this is different. I’d have complete control. It’d almost be like it would be my own kitchen. What do you think?”
Nick’s face split into a grin. “I think the B&B needs to be looking for more help. There’s no way you can do both jobs.”
“Maybe not in the same capacity as I’m doing now.” Zoe sucked in her bottom lip. “I might be able to recruit someone I know in Portland.”
Nick nodded. “I hadn’t mentioned this yet, but Daisy’s cooking isn’t what guests expect from this B&B. I’d like to put her on housekeeping fulltime. Then you’d only need to prepare breakfast and the tea. Could you handle that? I assume you wouldn’t be getting home until nearly midnight. Which would make mornings tough.” He looked to Piper, apparently for confirmation.
She nodded. “That’s something to consider, Zoe. Your breakfasts here are so delicious, I considered offering that meal at the resort as well, but I can see now that asking you to do both breakfast and dinner is unrealistic.”
“Agreed.” Zoe cradled Nick’s hand. “I think we could make it work. I’ll continue to cook here and at the restaurant.”
“Not at the expense of your health. I don’t want you run ragged.” Nick looked lovingly into Zoe’s eyes. “I care too much about you to allow you to do that. Once the resort is up and running, we’ll place an ad and see what happens. Or perhaps that friend you mentioned in Portland would be interested in the job.”
“For real? You think this will work and not cause you a hardship?” Zoe’s voice rang with pleasure.
Nick looked her way. “I think you’ve hired yourself a
fine executive chef, Piper.”
Zoe wrapped her arms around Nick’s waist and snuggled into his chest. “Thank you. My mind is going a mile a minute with ideas.”
Smiling at her success, Piper slipped from the room. They deserved some privacy, and there was plenty of time to work out the details later. Laughter from the direction of the kitchen confirmed her thoughts.
It was nice to see such a happy couple. She wanted that kind of love for herself too, but it seemed to be out of her reach.
Chase pulled a thistle from his garden and tossed it into a bucket. The sound of a backhoe invaded the usual quiet—the noise a reminder of that horrible evening when Piper seemed to walk out of his life for good. If he could have a do-over, he never would have put in an offer for the Hunt land. But like they say, hindsight is twenty-twenty. If only he could think of a way to make it up to her.
He squatted and pulled a handful of weeds. The beds were mostly weed free since he considered his yard a showcase for his work. The sound of a car approaching caused him to stand again. A black Miata came into view. What was Caleb doing here on a Saturday?
He tossed his gloves and dug his hands into his pockets. He’d hoped for a quiet day to himself, but with the racket from the site, and now Caleb’s arrival, that wasn’t to be.
His business partner unfolded his legs from the little car and stood. For once he wasn’t wearing a sports jacket but rather a simple, white Polo shirt with khaki colored shorts. He strode over to where Chase stood. “You’re not returning my texts or calls. I wanted to make sure you were still living. It’s been days since we talked.”
“As you can see, I am. Now, feel free to leave.” He wasn’t in the mood to be chewed out again, and Chase didn’t care to deal with him.
Caleb narrowed his eyes. “What’s with the attitude?” He strode past him and pulled open the door to his house.
“Make yourself at home,” he muttered, following. “What’s really going on, Caleb? It’s not like you to make an extra trip here.”
“We missed our Thursday meeting, so this isn’t extra.” Caleb pulled a can of soda from the fridge and popped it open. “I had an interesting phone conversation this morning.” He leaned against the kitchen counter.
“I’ll bite. What was it about?”
“We won the landscape and design bid for The Wildflower Resort and Spa!” His buddy raised a hand for a high-five.
Chase stood tall and met him in the middle. Maybe things weren’t as bad with Piper as he thought. But wait… “Why’d she call you and not me?”
Caleb shrugged. “Who cares? The point is this is going to seriously put us on the map.”
“We have a good reputation already.” Did they get the job because they underbid the competition or because Piper was sending a private message of forgiveness? He wanted to believe it was the latter.
“True, but this will seal the deal.”
“The job is going to complicate things. We bid low, so I’ll need to do a lot of the work to cut costs.”
Caleb took a long drink from the can. “As far as I’m concerned you can focus all your time and energy on that project. I can handle everything else. I’ll even roll up my sleeves and help out at the job sites if needed.” His face practically glowed with satisfaction.
Chase hadn’t realized what a big deal this job was to Caleb. No wonder he’d been miffed and had been giving him so much grief. “Good. You may need to do that with all my time and energy being focused here.” He glanced at the oven clock. He’d hoped to meet up with Zoe today to discuss her garden wedding vision.
“I’d like to meet Piper in person. Do you think you could introduce us? We spoke on the phone this morning, and she sounds hot.”
Chase didn’t know whether to laugh or chew out his friend. Every protective instinct in his body went on alert. Caleb was a great business partner, but he’d left a trail of broken-hearted women behind. Chase didn’t want him within a hundred feet of Piper, but what choice did he have? “I suppose I could set up a meeting, but I’m not exactly her favorite person.”
“Come on. If she didn’t like you we wouldn’t have this job.” He set the soda can on the counter. “Should you call her first, or do you think it’d be okay to go to the job site and see her without an appointment?”
“Let me text her. She may not be at the site.” He shot off a quick text asking if he and Caleb could meet up with her today. Her quick reply surprised him.
Meet me at the B&B in fifteen minutes.
“We better move. She wants us at the B&B right away.”
Chase grabbed his wallet and keys. “Meet you there.” He hustled to his pickup and hopped in. His heart rate kicked up a notch. Would this meeting go better than their last?
Chapter Fifteen
Piper’s hand shook as she pulled lipstick from her cosmetic bag on the bathroom counter. Chase and his business partner would be here soon, and she wanted to look her best. She yanked the cap off sending it flying into the tub. “Chill, girl.” She stared at herself in the mirror. Dark brown eyes filled with anxiety stared back. She had yet to talk with Chase since their almost dinner and didn’t want this meeting to be awkward. She needed to keep things professional—that was the key.
She’d never been one for much makeup, but she’d recently started wearing lipstick and liked the effect it had on her face. She gently ran the tube across her bottom lip and pressed her lips together. “Perfect.” The pinky/peach was exactly the right color. Ack. The Mickey Mouse T-shirt did not scream professional.
She tossed the shirt on the bed and grabbed a black button up sleeveless top, then slipped into khaki colored trousers and finished off the outfit with a pair of black sandals. At least her pedicure from last week still looked good. She closed the bathroom door and took in her appearance on the full-length mirror—good.
A knock sounded on her door. She pulled it open. “Hi, Zoe.”
“You look great! It looks as though you were expecting the guests downstairs. They’re waiting in the sitting room.”
“Thanks.” She followed Zoe down and immediately spotted Chase in the room to the left of the entrance, along with another man she assumed to be Caleb, the other half of C&G Landscaping and Design. “Hello, gentlemen.” She held out her hand to Caleb. “We haven’t met. I’m Piper Hunt.” His firm grip enveloped her hand.
“A pleasure. Thanks for meeting with us on such short notice.” He motioned to the chair beside the couch where the men had been sitting.
She perched on the chair. “What can I do for you?”
Chase cleared his throat. “I was hoping to get a copy of the resort’s design so I could begin my work on the landscaping plan. And we hoped to get insight as to what you are expecting.”
“Sure. I’ll have that printed up and sent to you by tomorrow. As far as expectations go, I want it to fit in with the feel of the island, but it should be upscale. Keep it low maintenance and low water use, and there should be a spectacular feature near the entrance. I’d like the grounds to be enjoyed by our guests, so benches, chairs, maybe a ring toss or horseshoe pit. Something families and friends can enjoy together.” She looked at each of the men and noted Chase taking notes. “I think that should cover it. Send me an email or text when you have a design to share.”
Chase stopped writing and grinned. “Will do.”
Her defenses firmly in place she gave him a polite smile and stood. “If there’s nothing else…” She raised a brow. She wanted to go back to the warm friendship she and Chase once had, but keeping things professional was best—at least where her heart was concerned.
Caleb bolted up, but Chase was slower to move. “That’s all,” Caleb said. “Thank you for meeting with us. We look forward to working with Hunt Enterprises.”
Did she look forward to working with Chase? “Good.” She nodded. “Gentlemen.” Her body trembled as she tried to walk casually from the room, then up the stairs. Only a little further and she’d be safe behind closed doors. A d
oor beside hers opened, and she jumped as two teenaged boys charged into the hall. She scurried out of the way. “Careful,” she warned.
“Sorry,” one of them said as they raced down the stairs.
Voices drifted up the stairwell. One in particular grabbed her attention. “Do you have time to talk about your wedding plans, Zoe? You mentioned wanting help figuring out how to set up the garden with chairs and such.”
“Sure. Let’s go sit out back, and I can explain what I’ve been thinking.”
Piper scooted into her room. Her anger with Chase had cooled, and based on the hopeful look in his eyes, she’d say Chase wasn’t holding that night against her. All she had to do was say the word and they could pick up where they left off, but did she dare go there? The thought made her so nervous she was like a leaf on a windy day—not good. She’d been burned once, and although Chase seemed sincere and not out for personal gain, trusting was so hard.
She walked to the window that looked over the Sound and spied Zoe and Chase walking in the backyard. Zoe waved her hands as she talked. Piper grinned. She liked the woman and would enjoy working with her at the restaurant—which she still needed to name, but there’d be plenty of time for that.
With a sigh she turned from the window. Thankfully her nerves had calmed and she felt more herself. The project foreman would be waiting on her if she didn’t get a move on. She grabbed her hardhat and a pair of socks. She’d change into boots once she arrived on the jobsite.
So far things were moving along on schedule. They’d accomplished a great deal in a short amount of time. Exactly the way she liked it.
Even though Dad had turned the project over to her and gifted her the resort, he expected a daily update, and she would deliver nothing less than perfection. She wanted to prove to him that he hadn’t made a mistake in turning everything over to her.
Her cell rang as she reached her Jeep. Tempted to ignore it, she instead pulled it from her purse and frowned. “Hi Tom. I’m on my way.”
“Don’t bother. We were shut down.”
Island Dreams (Wildflower B&B Romance Book 2) Page 9
