“You,” Ma said pointing her thin finger at Sage. “Clean up. Then make sure our boy has sheets and a blanket to sleep on. And make sure you don’t leave your shoes out. The twins are still on an April Fools rampage. I don’t think any of us will be safe until midnight.”
“Ma,” Sage smacked the table. “Don’t you think they need to be punished?”
Her mother threw her head back and laughed. “They know for a fact if they try anything on me, I’ll make their lives miserable. It’s what’s keeping me safe.” She laughed again at Sage’s look of indignation. “It’s only one day, lass. Don’t be such a stick in the mud.” When she reached the stairs, Ma called up, “Max and Meg, you better be in bed. And I don’t want to hear about you pulling any shenanigans on our guest. Understand me?”
From the second story, two voices floated down. “Yes, Mama.”
Sage’s mouth dropped. “Can you believe her?”
Nikolai chuckled, but his laugh didn’t reach his eyes. He quickly stood and excused himself as he headed for the guest bathroom.
Shaking her head, Sage cleared the table and put the dishes into the dishwasher. Nikolai was still in the bathroom as she took his computer and headed for the living room. While she waited for it to boot up, she made him a bed on the couch, glad Ma had insisted he stay.
A few minutes later he finally joined her and took a seat on the couch all the way across the room from her. He kept his eyes locked on the computer screen and said nothing to her. She wanted to move over to the couch and snuggle up beside him like they used to do in high school, but lately, it seemed like some kind of invisible barrier had gone up between them. She knew if she probed, he’d only deny it. Instead, she kept the subject on school and what she was hoping to do once she graduated.
“I’ve sent out a few applications, but I don’t want to leave Madison Creek.” She rambled on, uncomfortable with the quiet that would settle between them if she wasn’t talking. He certainly didn’t seem to want to talk for some reason. “I’ve thought about opening an online shop and offer to do websites and graphic design. But, it’ll take a while to build up a clientele.”
“You’re good.” He pointed at her screen. “I’m looking at some of your work while waiting for this scan to finish. These pictures are amazing, Sage.”
Her throat tightened from his praise. “Thanks. But don’t be snooping around my files, dude. Some of that’s private.”
He rolled his eyes and finally smiled. “What would I find if I did snoop? Love letters from your secret admirers?”
She threw a small pillow at him. He thanked her and tucked it behind his head.
“Well, maybe I should take this opportunity to snoop around, too.” Not that she would know where to find his files. He had some kind of strange program where he was able to hide things he didn’t want others to have access to. His smirk told her that he was fully away of this.
“What about you?” She settled lower into the plump chair, throwing her legs over the arm. “Have you thought much about what you’ll do after graduation? With your computer building skills, someone is bound to snatch you up. You should be charging for all the computers you’ve been fixing. After you’re done with mine, that is.”
He shrugged, grinning. “Maybe. Sometimes people pay me. Other times I barter for things I need.
“I’ve checked out a couple of leads, but there aren’t many jobs around here. I’m not interested in moving to Detroit, or Grand Rapids. Or out of state, either.” He set the laptop on the coffee table and pulled the blanket up around his chin. His red-rimmed eyes made Sage wonder if he was exhausted or if something else was going on with him. “Like you, this is my home. I guess. Maybe I’m being stupid. It’s not as if I have a family like you do that is keeping me here.”
Not that her family would deter her from moving to a place where she could find a good job. “How was your visit with your mom?”
His brows furrowed for a moment before he yawned and kicked off his sneakers. As an afterthought, he pushed them under the couch with a crooked grin. “Mind if I take a shower? I’ll need to leave early in the morning. Probably before you wake up.” He generally hated talking about his family, so she didn’t pry.
“Really? I was going to see about catching a ride with you.”
“I promised to help Mr. Winters plaster some walls. Thought I’d see if I could get some work done before class. I should have your computer done by then. I’ll just bring it with me.”
Sage took that as a hint he was ready to be left alone. With a nod, she stood, holding his computer in her left arm while she hung her pack over her right shoulder. “Sounds great. Thank you, Nikolai. You’re my knight in shining armor, you know that, right?”
As she passed by the couch, she reached out to ruffle his blond hair with her free hand. To her surprise, he jerked away, then as an afterthought, he offered a withered smile. “That’s what friends are for.”
She gave a quick nod. Right. Friends. She’d promised to leave it at that, too. She’d seen too many friends turn to enemies when they let more seep into a relationship.
* * * *
The next morning, Sage raced out of the house, running late as usual. She’d stayed up until nearly midnight trying to finish her project. Though she appreciated Nikolai loaning her his computer, she found it difficult to find what she needed, and she simply didn’t wish to disturb him again. He’d looked so exhausted when she left him.
Once she did finally finish her project, she spent the next couple of hours tossing and turning over the distance that had grown between them. Did she simply imagine he was being more standoffish? At first, when he’d returned from the mission trip last summer, she and Moi thought he’d met someone and didn’t want them to know, fearing they’d tease him.
But after a couple of months they’d abandoned that idea. Moi said their boy was growing into a man. Oh, mighty wise one Moi with her sensible logic. Sage bit back a grin. Their Nikolai was indeed growing into a handsome man. Gone were the lanky arms and legs they often teased him about in gym class. He’d wanted to drop out of college several times to get a full-time job, but they’d gained up and talked him out of it. Someday he would thank them when he was making good money working with computers.
True to his word, Nikolai was gone when she came down for a cup of coffee and to offer to make him breakfast. Her heart sank when she found the folded blanket and sheet.
A half hour later, while her Saturn warmed up, Sage considered sending him a text to see if he’d slept well. When she pulled her phone from the bottom of her purse, she found he’d beat her to it.
Thanks for the place to crash. Will bring ur puter to class. Think I have it clean now.
She texted back: Ur my hero. See u there.
As she pulled out onto Old Orchard Road, her steering wheel trembled in an unfamiliar way. Sure, she probably needed an alignment. And brake job. And a set of new tires. A tune up. Oil change. But really, who had the time or the money for all that? She sent up a prayer for it to hold out. “Please God. At least, until I get a job and have money to fix it? Please?”
The Madison farm came into view. She’d stop by on her way back to town. Now that the place had her attention, the old Victorian would be a pretty place for a reception. A little farther down was what looked like part of a barn in the process of being re-built. The whole front was glassed in, and the outside freshly painted. “Wow.”
Nikolai had said Mr. Ethan was building some kind of adventure lodge on his property. If he and the blond were getting married, why did they have separate plots of land? Strange.
A loud pop sounded. The front end jerked. Sage hit the brakes and pulled off onto the shoulder. The front passenger side bumped along.
Great! A flat tire.
“Guess you didn’t hear me, Lord?” She smacked the steering wheel. “Can you, possibly send someone who knows how to change a tire? I’m running late. And… I don’t know… how.”
She checked the
road, wondering how often people passed along this long stretch of farm land. Madison Creek was a quiet town, so she wasn’t too worried about any psychopaths stopping to help her. Still, a girl had to be careful, and she’d dressed extra nice in a lacy beige dress and pumps for her presentation. Not to mention the job interview later.
She considered going back the quarter mile to the inn, but the idea of walking beside the road in a mid-thigh length dress and high heels didn’t appeal to her.
“Well, sitting here isn’t getting me anywhere, either.” Maybe if she had the hood up and the tire ready. How hard could it really be to change a tire? She was a self-sufficient, modern woman, right? Waiting for someone to rescue her was ridiculous. She started to open her door when she spotted a little yellow sports car pulling out of the drive of the Victorian. Leon! Yes! A handsome knight in shining armor.
“Thank you, Lord!” Surely his leaving at this particular moment was providence.
The Mini Cooper sped up as it neared and zoomed past, rocking her car in the gush of wind blowing in his wake.
She stared at the shrinking car, her mouth gaping open in shock.
So much for being saved by a knight in shining armor. She shoved opened the door and stomped outside to the back. Opening the trunk, she realized something she should have known all along. There’d never been a spare tire back there and if she did have one, she had no idea where to find it.
So much for being a self-sufficient, modern woman.
Chapter Four
Nick parked his battered Civic on the gravel drive beside the inn. He’d checked the barn, but Mr. Ethan was nowhere in sight. Hopefully, he wouldn’t interrupt his breakfast with his fiancée. Miss Haley had invited him to stop in for a bite to eat on his way to school. She always wanted to feed people.
Climbing out of his car, he slipped into his jean jacket. He needed to stop by a laundromat soon. First, he needed to earn some cash. He’d spent his last twenty on gas that morning.
Something would come up. Always did. He might be in a rough spot, but the Lord had taken care of him and met whatever needs had come up so far. Nick prayed for a new place to stay. He appreciated Mama Dolan’s offer to let him sleep on their couch, but he didn’t trust himself being so close to Sage.
In their younger days, he, Sage and Moi had many sleep-overs where they’d camp on one or another’s living room floor and watch horror movies all night. The days of being their lovable adopted brother were long gone. He needed to remember that.
He entered through the back door of the spacious kitchen. Miss Haley stood at the island with Leon arguing over what spices needed to be added to a potato salad. From the other room came the sound of a violin playing.
“Good morning, sugar.” Miss Haley greeted him, coming around to plant a quick kiss on his cheek. She had her long blond hair braided and wore her work jeans and an old faded flannel shirt. Maybe she intended to help Mr. Ethan plaster walls, too. “How are you today? Finally taking me up on my breakfast invitation?”
Nick shook Leon’s hand. Mr. Perfect was dressed to impress as usual in his dark slacks and expensive pull-over. Aside from the nice clothes and flashy car, Nick didn’t see why the girls were always goggling over him. “Actually, Mr. Ethan said he wanted to get started on plastering walls. I have a couple of hours before class. Thought I’d stop by and see if he wanted to get started.”
Maybe if they saw him in that apron, they wouldn’t be so gullibly impressed.
“Doubt it.” Miss Haley waved toward the doors leading toward the garden room. “He spends two hours every morning practicing. But you can help me settle an argument with my talented chef. I’m right, but I think he needs to hear it from someone besides me.”
Leon chuckled, rolling his eyes.
Moi and Sage had been crushing on him ever since he showed up in Madison Creek about a month ago. Nick found him quiet and a little snobbish.
The one person Leon seemed willing to lower his guard for was Miss Haley, who loved to pester and tease him. As she did with just about anybody she came in contact with. Every time she called Leon her big lump of sugar, he melted.
Nick repressed a grin, knowing he did, too.
“I think potato salad must have sweet pickles. Mr. Chef here insists we use dill. But I’ll get the dill taste when I add my seasonings. The sweetness offsets the tartness of the dill. People like it.”
Leon wiped his hands on a towel and tossed it over his shoulder. “Some people don’t care for the sweetness, Miss Haley.”
So, the GQ chef did speak.
“Sure they do. You Yankees like everything bland. Sweetness makes life happy. It’s why we Southerners are so laid back and charming.”
Leon shook his head, his lips pulled tight in a grimace. “You’re the boss, Miss. I will do it your way. Perhaps we can serve both varieties and see which one is favored? You did plan to serve… um… buffet style?”
She scowled at him, folding her arms over her chest. “Good night, you look like you just swallowed a rotten grape, Leon. Buffet on Thursdays and Fridays. I want a casual atmosphere on those nights.” She went to the oven when it dinged and pulled out a pan of cinnamon buns. The scent of buttery spices made his mouth water. “Saturday, when we provide live entertainment, we’ll serve it all fancy like you want. These first few weeks will be trial and error. I’m not going up against the Lakeshore when it opens. People want fine-dining, they can go there. When they want good grub, they’ll come here.”
The violin music stopped. A moment later, Mr. Ethan entered dressed in jeans and a long sleeved red Henley. “Young Prater!” He threw his arm around Nick’s neck and ruffled his spikes. He’d worked hard to get them just right that morning, too. “I’m surprised to see you here so early.”
“Thought I’d stop in before class and see if you wanted to get started, sir.”
Ethan dragged him over to the table, pulled out a chair and shoved him into it. “Nope. My mornings are set aside for practice and spending time with my beautiful girl. Join us for breakfast. We have business to discuss.” He pounded Nick’s back. “Coffee or orange juice?”
“Coffee, please.”
Leon also joined them at the table set in the breakfast nook. Bright spring sunshine shone in on them as Miss Haley served a roll and side of bacon and scrambled eggs to everyone. Once she was seated, Ethan led him in a prayer before the three of them set to discussing the next week’s plans while they ate.
“I really think,” Miss Haley doused her eggs with a heaping spoonful of salsa. “That I’m going to need another server.” She looked across the table at Nick. Leon sat next to her, both bathed in a beam of bright light like a couple of angels. “Is your friend Sage seriously interested?”
“She is. I think she plans to stop by this afternoon and speak to you about the reception and the job.”
“Perfect. I like her.”
Leon tore off a piece of roll. “Sage… isn’t she from that big Irish family? She’s friends with Moi Tamsyn, correct?”
Nick narrowed his eyes at Leon, wondering why he was asking. “Yes.”
Leon said nothing more, but his brows rose in a way Nick didn’t really care for. He was protective of the girls and had gotten into a couple of scrapes with guys who had the wrong intentions. Especially with the flirting Moi-Toy.
The discussion went on about Mr. Ethan’s work at the barn and then turned to reservations that were booked for the wedding weekend.
“If you need my room, Miss Haley,” Leon said, “I can spend the weekend at my parents. Just let me know.”
“No, you’re fine. Besides, you’ve paid up for the whole month. I won’t kick you out, I promise.” She patted his shoulder. “Shouldn’t you get going? Don’t want to be late for your classes.” She turned to Nick. “Aren’t you two attending the same college over in Muskegon?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Nick served himself more eggs. Never knew when the next good meal would come along. “But I only have one class today, and
it’s in the computer science building. The culinary school is all the way across the campus, I believe.”
Leon gathered his plate and utensils and set them in the dishwasher. “I’m stealing your cinnamon roll recipe, Miss Haley.”
“You can try, sugar, but I have a secret ingredient you’ll never figure out.”
As he dashed out of the kitchen, he called over his shoulder, “Probably cloves. You use that in a lot of your desserts.”
“Drat that little smart-aleck. He’s too smart for his own good.” She shook her head in exasperation.
The back door banged closed and the roar of his fancy little sports car revved in the drive.
Ethan chuckled and patted her shoulder. “Too smart and just enough arrogance to make him successful. He’ll do well at the Lakeshore when it opens.”
“Wait,” Nick’s fork froze between his plate and his mouth. “He’s not staying here to work for you?”
“Oh no.” Miss Haley waved her hand. “I can’t afford him. While he’s in school I’m letting him get some hands-on training here. He lives in Muskegon with his family. But his uncle is opening the Lakeshore and promised him a place in his kitchen. So he wanted to come early and get to know the town a bit.” She stacked the plates into a pile. “I give him a place to stay at a discounted rate, and he’s helping to get my restaurant going. I have another cook who will replace him, but he can’t come until late October.”
Mr. Ethan pushed away from the table and began gathering the empty serving dishes. “While we have you here, Nick, we’ve both wanted to ask you about something.”
“What’s that?” Nick took the plates from Miss Haley and followed Mr. Ethan, dumping the stack into the deep steel double sink. He offered to rinse while Mr. Ethan piled the dishes into the washer.
For a moment, Mr. Ethan seemed hesitant to speak his mind. He glanced toward the table where his girlfriend was busy putting the leftovers away. Though Nick wasn’t sure, their silent exchange must have been a plea for help because it brought Miss Haley to his side.
Secretly In Love: A Madison Creek Novella Page 3
