Chris ran a hand over his five-o’clock shadow. The woman and her son were sure to liven things up. He’d been here a couple of days scouting for an investment property as well as a place for himself, but hadn’t found anything on his own. It was time to employ the services of a Realtor in the know. Tomorrow morning he had an appointment with a local agent to go over the inventory on the island. So far his search had turned up little.
He’d lived lean for the past five years in order to save up enough cash to buy an income maker. A duplex would be ideal, but the idea of running a B&B appealed too. Ultimately his dream was to live off the profits of his investments. Even though he loved his job as a software developer, he’d always been interested in investing in real estate, and ever since Wildflower Resort had come to the island the value of property had grown exponentially. Too bad he hadn’t had the money saved a few years ago.
He glanced toward the stairs where Rachel had been only seconds ago. The kid was cute, but his mom was even more so. Her husband was a lucky man. He wanted a family someday. He should have had one by now, but life didn’t always turn out as expected—especially when his ambitions made slowing down long enough to meet the love of his life difficult.
This island would be the perfect place to live at a slower pace and raise a family. Most of his adult life had been consumed with first school then work. He was good at what he did, so his services as a software designer and consultant were in constant demand. It was a nice place to be but also left no time for a life. That needed to change, according to his doctor, who’d recently diagnosed him with hypertension and warned of a heart attack if he didn’t learn to relax. He had no intention of following his dad and grandfather to an early grave. He ate well and exercised, but clearly that hadn’t been enough. That’s when he decided it was time to make a change. And here he was.
He folded the paper he’d been reading before the rascal knocked over the lamp, and strode toward the stairs. He detoured to the dining room and grabbed a plateful of goodies. Fresh fruit, vegetable sticks, dip, and lemon bars graced the table. He filled a plate with fruit and veggies. This would have to tide him over until this evening. He had reservations at the much talked about resort restaurant, Wildflower Fresh. Though the name was simple, just like the resort name, the place was famous for fresh Northwest cuisine.
Plate in hand, he went up the stairs to his bedroom at the end of the hall. The deep green accent colors and four-poster bed suited his taste—rich and masculine, but not overly fussy. He’d spoken with Nick, the owner of the B&B, about the décor, since the idea of owning a place like this appealed. The man told him that his wife insisted on redecorating almost all of the guestrooms after they were married. From what he’d seen in old pictures the place had originally been filled with Victorian antiques. As far as he was concerned, the change was for the better.
He devoured the snack and spent about an hour or so working on his current project. If he was going to make this island home, he wanted to be familiar with it before investing his life savings. He grabbed his winter jacket and slipped it on as he headed out to explore.
A path leading toward the Sound drew him in spite of the cold. He hurried along not willing to waste a second. He stepped off the trail and onto the pebbled beach and breathed in deeply. Peace settled over him and for the first time in his life he had no doubts. This was his future. He believed it to his core. He picked up a smooth pebble and flung it into the Sound. It skipped twice.
“That the best you can do?”
He whirled around. “Rachel, right? Where’s your little guy?”
She pointed off to the left where the boy stood near the water’s edge with slumped shoulders staring at the Sound. “He wants to swim. I told him the water is too cold. He had to see for himself.” She shrugged then bent down and picked up a smooth rock and flicked it at the water. It skipped four times.
He chuckled. “Competitive much?”
“Sorry. I spend too much time with a three year old.”
“He’s rubbing off on you, huh?” He teased with a wink.
She shot him a sheepish grin.
He clasped his hands behind his back. “What brings you to Wildflower Island?”
She glanced toward her son, never fully allowing her attention to drift from him. “I’ve been hired as the new sous chef at Wildflower Fresh. I’m super excited to work with Zoe. She’s the reason I went to culinary school.”
“Really? That’s amazing. So your husband followed you here to the island?”
She flicked an indiscernible look. “My husband died a few years ago. It’s just Jason and me now. It’s time to go, Jasie,” she called to her son, and held out her hand.
There he went with his big mouth. He needed to learn to leave well enough alone and mind his own business. “I have reservations at Wildflower Fresh for this evening. The reviews have been impeccable.”
“Let’s hope they stay that way.” She glanced at her watch. “I need to drop Jason at the sitter’s house before I head to work. I’ll see you around.”
He waved, then turned back to face the water. She was single and not a tourist. What were the chances two future island residents would be staying at the Wildflower B&B? He didn’t believe in coincidence, and now, more than ever, wondered what the future on the island held for him.
Coming October 30, 2015
Chase’s Lasagna
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Ingredients:
8-10 lasagna noodles
24 ounce cottage cheese or Ricotta cheese
2-3 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
2-3 cups of shredded mozzarella
Parmesan
Italian seasoning
Parsley flakes
1 to 1½ lbs. of ground beef
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
1 teaspoon of salt
½ cup water
Bring a pot of water to a roiling boil then add noodles. Cook for five minutes. Meanwhile brown the ground beef in a skillet. Drain off grease then add spaghetti sauce, salt, and water.
Pour half the sauce/meat mixture on the bottom of a 14-inch (or close in size) baking pan. Place three or four noodles on top of the sauce then layer according to how much you like in this order: cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, parmesan, Italian seasoning, and parsley flakes.
Repeat layers of noodles, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, parmesan, Italian seasoning, and parsley flakes.
Add the rest of the sauce and finish off with the remainder of the cheeses.
Cover with foil and cook for one hour. Let rest five to ten minutes after it comes out of the oven.
Note from Kimberly: This is the recipe my mom uses, and I’ve tweaked it through the years. I prefer to mix ricotta with the cottage cheese. If you choose to mix the cheeses, purchase the size down from the one listed above. The amounts of cheese and spices used are to taste and what looks good to you. I like it really cheesy.
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Island Dreams (Wildflower B&B Romance Book 2) Page 15
