Dani opened her mouth and then closed it. After a pause, she shook her head. “No.”
“Make sure you let you father know that. Did you do anything you’re ashamed of?”
“Noooo,” Dani said.
“Then hold your head high and tell the truth.”
“He’s coming to get us and take us home. He’s crazy overprotective since my mom left us.” Dani’s voice didn’t waver.
“He’ll be relieved that you’re safe.”
Alex and David came into the kitchen in time to hear their last exchange. “Patricia’s right. Your dad will be glad you’re safe. He’s coming here? Now?”
“I left him a message,” David explained, “after the car’s battery died. We couldn’t stay out in the car any longer, and I didn’t know how long her dad would be.”
“Good man,” Alex said approvingly.
“He said he’s coming right away.” Dani chewed a fingernail.
Moments later an SUV pulled up, its red-and-blue lights flashing through the restaurant’s front windows. A tall state trooper emerged and walked up to the front door just as Alex opened it.
“You got some kids for me?” the man asked.
“Sure do. You can get my nephew home, too?”
“I would very much like to take him home. I’d like to talk not only to him, but to his parents.”
The boy’s shoulders visibly slumped. Then he turned, looked at Dani, and straightened them again. “It was my fault, sir,” he said.
The chief’s eyes narrowed. “When two young people go parking, it’s usually mutual. And when they’re too preoccupied to notice they’re in the midst of a blizzard, things have gone way too far.” He frowned. “Things can get out of hand.”
That was for sure. She’d let things go too far with Carl, although not in the way the police chief meant, and her whole life had gotten out of hand.
“No, Daddy,” Dani protested. “I...” She looked over at Patricia. “I didn’t do anything I’m ashamed of.”
“I respect your daughter, sir,” David said. “I’d never hurt her.”
Chief Davis’s eyes met Alex’s, then flickered back to David. “You have good intentions, I’ll give you that. And you were smart to come here when your battery died. But I was young once.” He glared meaningfully at the boy and then nodded to Alex. “Thanks for taking them in.”
“Sure.” Quickly, Alex introduced Patricia to the trooper while the teenagers sought out their coats.
The police chief’s eyes skimmed over Patricia and then back at Alex. Not disrespectfully, but with curiosity.
Probably wondering what Alex wanted with a woman like her. She straightened her shoulders and held her head high.
“Patricia got stuck in the storm, too,” Alex said mildly. “Lots of travelers stranded.”
“You’re telling me,” the chief said. “We’ve been pulling people out of drifts and calling tow trucks all night.” His walkie-talkie buzzed, and then static-filled words came out. Patricia heard “accident” and “interstate.”
He said something into his handheld and then turned back to the four of them. “Can they stay for a little while longer? I need to check this situation out.”
“No problem.”
“You can supervise them?” He lifted an eyebrow, looking around the group.
“Da-ad,” Dani whined.
“They’ll be fine,” Alex said.
“We’ll keep them very busy,” Patricia promised. And maybe she could learn a little more about the overprotective, super-handsome man who wore the clothes of a restaurant cook but knew next to nothing about cooking.
Chapter 3
Alex rubbed his hands together and looked around the restaurant. The four of them were stuck here, for now. And it was silly of him, but Alex didn’t want the teens to reveal his identity. Being with a woman who didn’t know he was a celebrity felt refreshing, took him back to younger days when he could trust that people liked him for who he was, not what he’d done and earned.
Patricia was nice to be around, for sure, but what was her story? Maybe, by cooking with her, he could find out more.
“Patricia and I need to make some food for tomorrow’s party,” he said to his nephew, who sat at a table catty-corner from the one where Dani slumped. “Can I trust you guys alone in here?”
David let out a snort. “Since she’s not speaking to me, yeah.”
Dani’s head spun toward him. “If you hadn’t called my dad...”
“Hey.” Patricia raised a hand. “I think we should all cook together. There’s a lot to do. It’s an ‘all hands on deck’ sort of situation.”
So much for hanging out alone with Patricia. Unless they refused to help.
“What do you mean, all hands on deck?” Dani’s voice was sullen.
Patricia explained about the party and David slapped his hand to his forehead. “Bisabuela’s party! But my parents said you’d hired some fancy caterers instead of giving the work to the local people who need it.”
So that was what people were saying about him. He schooled his expression, but not quickly enough to hide it from Patricia’s curious gaze.
“David! You’re not supposed to say that in front of him,” Dani scolded. “He doesn’t remember how we do things here.”
Had he really changed that much in his time away from Arcadia Valley? Alex rubbed the back of his neck. “At any rate, the caterers can’t come. So we’re going local after all. In fact, so local that Patricia and I are doing the cooking ourselves, tonight.”
“With your help.” Patricia held out a hand to each teenager. “Are you in?”
Alex opened his mouth to disagree and then closed it again. What could he say? That would be better for the kids, keeping them occupied.
And Patricia was likely to find out the truth about him anyway, soon enough. And that would be fine. It wasn’t as if he’d been running drugs or serving a prison term. He needed to focus on his family, not the ladies.
“She’s right,” he said. “Come on.”
“But I can’t cook!” David jerked his thumb toward Dani. “And she’s not in the mood.”
“Don’t tell me what mood I’m in,” Dani snapped.
Patricia raised an eyebrow at Alex. “We’d better get started.”
In the kitchen, both teens slouched against a counter on opposite sides of the room. Patricia washed her hands and surveyed the equipment. Then she looked expectantly at Alex.
Even the dog sat up, his alert eyes watching Alex. They all seemed to be waiting for him to take charge.
Only the kitchen was definitely not his domain. And the only family member who could help, Javier, was currently on an international flight. “I’m not sure where to start.”
Patricia frowned. “Aren’t you a cook here at the restaurant? Don’t you at least have some clue?”
That was it. Cue David and Dani revealing the truth about who he was.
But when he looked at the teens, they were both texting furiously. Obviously, the adult conversation was of limited interest to them. Were they texting each other?
Texting. He could text Pablo and Maria, see if either of them could offer advice, at least.
But neither one responded. Maria was undoubtedly deep in her own party planning, and if Pablo had headed out in the storm — which, being only twenty and a risk-taker, he might have — he knew better than to text and drive.
He pondered his options, which were shrinking by the minute. Why hadn’t he at least paid attention when the caterer had described his menu for the party?
Because he’d thought throwing money at the problem would solve everything. He was an idiot.
“Look,” Patricia said. “We need to plan.” She grabbed a tablet and paper from the billing desk and pulled up a stool to the counter. Then she beckoned to Alex.
He had no problem at all going over to stand close to her.
“Okay.” She forked her fingers through her hair. “How many guests?”
&nb
sp; “Could be anywhere between forty and sixty.”
“A pretty big range.” She wrote something on the tablet. “And the occasion is an 80th birthday party, right? What time of day?”
“It’s early afternoon. That’s Abuelita’s best time.”
David pocketed his phone and strolled over, listening.
Patricia looked up at them. “So... not a whole meal, then? Just cake and coffee, and such? Couple of hours?”
Alex and David looked at each other and laughed. “You don’t know Latino families, do you?” David asked.
Patricia looked puzzled. “I guess not. One of my friends is from Mexico, but I never got to meet her family.”
“There’s always a major meal,” Alex explained. “And the party is never just a couple of hours.”
“Sounds fun!” She smiled and started jotting things down on the paper, drawing lines, making a kind of chart. “Is it all grown-ups, or are kids coming?”
“Lots of kids.” Which was a blessing. His family might be interfering at times, but they were warm and welcoming, loving to all generations.
“So, kid-friendly options.” Patricia wrote down a few things, then tapped the pencil against her chin, studying the paper.
The way she dug into the task charmed Alex. She didn’t know any of them from Adam, but she was willing to help.
“Are there special foods your grandma really likes?” she asked.
“She loves the old-fashioned soups. Family recipes. And rice.”
“You should make buñelos,” Dani said, coming over to stand an arm’s length from David. “I love those.”
“You know what buñelos are?” David asked. “I didn’t think Anglos ate them.”
“Don’t stereotype.” Dani tossed her hair.
“I never heard of them,” Patricia said. “What are they?”
“They’re so good!” Dani closed her eyes and touched her fingers to her lips. “They’re ball-shaped, like donut holes, only deep fried and with fruit fillings or sauce.”
“Nuh-uh.” Alex and David shook their heads simultaneously. “Ours are flat with cinnamon sugar,” David explained.
“There are different kinds, then, and we can see about making them,” Patricia said. “Although deep frying might be more than we want to get into. Now, you must have ordered a cake, since it’s a birthday. Was it coming separately or with the caterers?”
“The cake.” Alex could barely restrain a groan. “I forgot about it, and yeah, the caterers were bringing it.”
“Well, do you still want to have one?”
“Definitely,” David said. “It won’t be a birthday party without cake.”
There was a first for everything, Alex thought gloomily. He’d messed this up royally. He should never have used out-of-town caterers.
Patricia pointed to Dani. “Do you like to bake?”
“She’s great at it,” David said, which made a big smile break out across Dani’s face. “She binge-watches cooking shows.”
“Good,” Patricia said. “You two can bake.”
And that way, you won’t be telling my secrets. However much Alex told himself otherwise, a little more time being anonymous mattered.
Patricia looked at him. “If they’re making cake, I guess we’re in charge of the main meal.”
He nodded, liking the sound of that we.
And maybe, just maybe, she did too, because she met his eyes and held his gaze.
“Uncle Alex, hello? I asked if we can use the mixer.” David sounded impatient.
“Oh, sure.” Focus. He helped his nephew lift the heavy appliance down from the shelf.
Then he turned back to Patricia. “Soup to start with?”
“Perfect. It’s easy to make ahead. Do you have a family recipe?”
So Alex dug through the messy drawer that held all their recipes, notebooks and recipe cards and scraps. Man, they needed to modernize, get all of this stuff on computer before the traditions were lost forever.
One card, decorated with a border of chili peppers, made him pause. His mother’s recipe for flan, in her handwriting. He stared at it as memories swirled inside him.
“Did you find it?” Patricia asked.
“Not yet.” He tucked the card into his shirt pocket. He’d type up a copy for the restaurant. He needed to keep this one.
Eventually, he found a recipe card with the heading Caldo de Res/Mexican Beef Soup. He pulled it out, and studied it alongside Patricia. “Yes, this is the one my grandma loves.”
“Let’s see if we can make it work, even if we have to do some substitutions.” Then she called out the ingredients — beef, corn, cabbage, onions, tomatoes, jalapenos — while he went around the kitchen and refrigerators and pantry, finding the closest approximations and bringing them to the table.
“I don’t love using all this canned stuff, but it looks like we have everything, or at least a decent substitute.” She studied the recipe again and then looked at the ingredients in front of her. “You do the onions,” she said, pushing a bag of them toward him.
He started in and thought he was doing well, given the tears running down his cheeks from the fumes. But Patricia shook her head and stood beside him, showing him how to chop the vegetable into small, uniform pieces.
And he might’ve pretended ineptitude just a little longer than he needed to, just to keep her standing nearby.
Because he wanted to divert attention from himself, and find out more about her, he asked her questions. Turned out that she had done a lot of cooking for her family when she was younger, since her parents both worked, but had gotten away from it lately. “Just busy doing other things.”
Alex was getting more curious about her. “There’s not a man you cook for?”
She snorted. “Not one who appreciates my cooking.”
“Why not?”
“He’s part of my past,” she said firmly.
“Good.” Had he really said that aloud? He focused on hunting for more potatoes in the storage pantry.
Heated words came from the table where Dani and David were breaking eggs and measuring flour.
“I told you we should’ve stayed at my house,” David said, “so stop blaming me for everything.”
“There’s no privacy there, David. Your little brothers and sisters are all up in our business.”
“Get used to it, because after this, we’re not ever going to be allowed to go anywhere again.”
“I, for sure, will be grounded for life.”
Alex came out in time to see David open his mouth to retort. From behind Dani’s back, he just shook his head and made a zipping motion over his mouth.
David stopped, took a breath. “I’m sorry. You’re right. As the guy I should have taken more responsibility. I should have taken better care of you.”
Alex nodded approvingly, and he wasn’t surprised to see that Dani’s tense, puffed-up posture eased. Good apologies went a long way with women.
Not that he was any kind of an expert.
Dani went to David and wrapped her arms around him from behind. “I’m sorry to be cranky. I’m upset that we may not be able to see each other as much, that’s all. It was just as much my fault as yours.”
David twisted toward her and returned the hug, and once Alex had made sure his nephew was being respectful, he stepped away to give them their privacy. And saw Patricia watching the teens with a tender smile.
He was drawn to her as if to a magnet. “That fight ended well,” he said in a low voice.
A musical chuckle. “That’s what happens with young love.”
“Kinda sweet.” And totally different from his own forays into dating and his brief engagement.
Their eyes met again, full of questions. Oddly, Alex felt the goodness of the situation, cooking with a woman and kids. Warm and emotional, like a family.
He glanced away and saw that the teens were still hugging. “David, could you come over here a minute?”
When David came over, Alex put a
n arm around him. Almost unconsciously, his other arm went around Patricia. “I’m just checking in. How are we doing here? What else needs to be done?”
Patricia leaned into him for a fraction of a second and then eased away. “Now you’re talking like a cook!”
David snorted. “He’s not a cook! He’s a—”
Alex’s heart leapt into his throat, but before David could finish his sentence, there was a loud crash from the direction of the road.
The lights went out.
Chapter 4
At the sound of a second crash, Patricia ran to the window just behind Alex and the teenagers. “Can you see anything?”
“Nope. Guessing it’s either a collision, or a car hit an electric pole.” Alex shoved his feet into boots. “Come on, David. Let’s see if we can help.”
Patricia and Dani looked at each other, and then as one, they ran back to the kitchen to grab coats. No way was Patricia letting the men go out there alone, and it looked like Dani felt the same way.
But as they started out the door, Alex raised a hand. “No. You stay inside where it’s safe.”
“Not when someone might be hurt.” Patricia sat down to put on her boots and Dani did the same.
“We’re men,” David said bluntly. “We’re stronger.”
“Yeah, but we’re smarter,” Dani retorted. “I already called the dispatcher.”
“Good idea!” Patricia shrugged into her coat. “Look, we should all go and see if there’s anything we can do to help. It can’t hurt, and if need be, we can bring people back to the restaurant to warm up.” Although, with the power out, there was no telling how long the restaurant would stay warm. One fire in a dining room fireplace wouldn’t keep the whole building heated.
As they hurried across the parking lot toward the car, Patricia’s heart stuttered. Its front end was crumpled like tinfoil.
A police SUV pulled up, lights flashing. “Did you see what happened?” one of the officers yelled at them as the other jogged toward the wreck.
“Car hit a pole.” Alex didn’t even seem to be winded. “Let’s check inside.”
But a gorgeous, curly-haired brunette was already emerging from the driver’s side, seeming a little wobbly but unscathed. She leaned against the car. “I don’t know what happened.”
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