by Lynn Cahoon
“Interesting analogy, but yeah.” Felicia turned back to Angie. “And get this, when he left, he told me not to get my hopes up for the contest because he had it in the bag.”
“Okay, so none of that screams ‘killer’ to me. He’s a jerk, I admit, but so is Miquel.” Ian finished his ice cream. “Sorry to call this short, but I’ve got an early meeting tomorrow.”
Angie scooped the last of the ice cream out of her dish. The chocolate had slid down and mixed with the melted ice cream, hiding a few last peanuts for a burst of salt. This was a perfect way to end the evening.
In the truck, on the way home, Angie was daydreaming about how to change the extra room they had into the banquet room she’d envisioned. The room was at the edge of the building so it had two brick walls that would add atmosphere. The city council was always looking for meeting space. The last time, they’d borrowed Ian’s small conference room in the farmers’ market office to meet, but that meant people had had to stand. That might have made the meeting shorter. They could volunteer the space for nonprofits and use that as a community service project.
She was so deep into the pros of building out the area that she almost didn’t hear Ian when he turned down the music.
“I have something I need to ask you.” His voice was tense.
She sat up, putting the new space out of her head. Worry filled her as she focused on his profile in the dark truck cab. “What’s going on? Is your mom okay?”
“Mom’s fine. And no, I’m not taking off for England. I told you I’d tell you the next time I needed to leave. Before getting on the plane.” He took her hand and squeezed it. “This is a favor I need to ask.”
“If you’re worried about me getting involved in the investigation, this time it’s different. My friends are in danger. What if we win on Friday? Will I or someone I love be poisoned just because we made a better dish? This is so stupid. I can’t believe someone’s doing this. Or that you’d ask me to just stay out of it. Sometimes your uncle can be so infuriating.” Angie ranted on for several minutes, then realized Ian wasn’t talking. She fell silent.
“Are you done?” he asked in the darkness. They were off the freeway and driving on the back roads toward her farmhouse now. Cars sharing the road were few and far between, even at ten thirty at night.
“I’m done. Sorry. I’m a little tired.” Angie took a breath. “Let me start over. What can I do for you, Ian?”
“I need you to hire someone. She has absolutely no work experience. And I’m not sure she’s ever even tried to cook before. But she needs a job and a purpose.” He sighed. “I’d hire her myself, but I don’t have any more funding for wages. None at all. I could give her volunteer experience, but she needs to make some money.”
“Sure. Send her over and I’ll tell Felicia to train her for the front of the house. If you get good experience there, you can get a job almost anywhere. It won’t pay a lot, but it’s a good skill. And if she’s good, we’ll move her up into a server position.” Angie leaned on the door, watching him. “So, where did she come from?”
“She was sleeping in the alley. For goodness’ sake, she must be no more than fifteen. She says she’s eighteen, though. I had Allen run a check on her, and there’s not a missing persons report here in Idaho. That is, if she’s telling us the truth on her name.” He shook his head. “She’s been sleeping in the back of the office for about a week. I thought it was temporary, but now, I don’t know.”
“What’s her name?”
“She goes by Bleak. I’m pretty sure no normal parent would name a blond-haired, blue-eyed baby girl Bleak, but she swears that’s her name. If she’s lying to me about that, I know there’s a lot more she’s lying to be about.”
Angie felt conflicted. On the one hand, Ian taking care of a street kid was so his personality, but she hoped it wouldn’t come back and bite him. “Is she on drugs? I can’t have her working for me if she’s on drugs. The crew all has to take a prehire drug test. After that, it’s based on trust.”
Ian sighed, and turned on the blinker. His face turned red in the flashing light, but his eyes looked sad. “I don’t think so. I’ve told her I’d take her shopping for clothes if this works out. And I’m going to have to find a better place for her to live. Maggie says she can stay with them for a while if she gets a job. The women’s group at the church is looking into low-income housing, but she’s been less than forthcoming about working with social services. I think she’s scared she’ll be taken home or sent to a group home.”
“Your aunt is a smart woman.” Angie relaxed. “Let me talk to Felicia in the morning. We’ll set up a doctor’s appointment for a physical and the drug test. And take her shopping for some clothes. Felicia knows all the good secondhand shops that have upscale donations.”
“Thank you.” He turned and smiled at her. “I know taking someone in off the street isn’t an ideal way to get a new employee, but I’m hoping we can turn this girl’s world around. And if she sees there are good people in the world, maybe she’ll open up.”
Angie hoped Ian wouldn’t be taken advantage of. She knew how much he cared for others. And this girl seemed like just one more project he needed to save.
Dom was ecstatic to see her, but still he left her in the house and went out to the barn with Ian to feed Mabel and Precious. Angie watched them walk through the barnyard toward the large door. Dom would look up every so often, which meant Ian was talking to him. Her dog had wrapped Ian around his paw as badly as he had Angie. She made a cup of coffee and poured it into a travel mug. It wasn’t far from her farmhouse to Ian’s apartment over the farmers’ market office, but she’d rather he be wide awake for the drive. Then she started a pot of hot chocolate for herself. She and Dom would spend some time in the living room catching up on her DVR’d shows until she got sleepy.
She set her alarm on her phone so she’d remember to call Felicia, then smiled as she watched Ian and Dom move back toward the house. Ian picked up strays just like she did. However, her last rescue was the goat in her barn, not a troubled teen. The only thing that made her feel better about this was that Sheriff Brown and his wife were involved as well. That woman had an iron fist. She went back to stirring the pot of hot chocolate, muttering one of Nona’s favorite sayings: “What will be, will be.”
The next morning, she turned off the alarm and crawled out of bed. She’d been up for over an hour already anyway, tossing and turning. She didn’t know what was bothering her—well, besides competing in a contest where the winners turned up dead. And Ian picking up a teenage girl to raise. And running a restaurant with a mortgage on the building. And… Dom woofed at her, interrupting her listing off of all the things that might be keeping her awake.
“You have a dog door. And I know you can’t be hungry.” She looked down at her dog and then flopped back on the bed. She held her arms open, and he moved in for the hug. It was a morning tradition since the time when she had been able to pick him up and give him a squeeze. Now, if he sat on one of her feet, he crushed it. Angie leaned into his head and kissed him on one of his big ears. “I love you to the moon and back.”
That earned her a big, sloppy kiss on her face. Laughing, she got up and headed to the bathroom. Time to shower and get ready. She decided to call Felicia right after she’d checked on the barn crew. And made coffee.
A few minutes later, she sat at the table, her phone angled against a book as she called Felicia. Her coffee was starting to do the trick. She really needed to learn how to sleep better. Dragging through the day wasn’t her best look.
“Hey, I was just about to call you.” Felicia’s cheerful voice filled the speaker. “When do you want to get together on the new project?”
Had she actually called Felicia last night? Or had Ian told her? Angie felt confused, then realized her friend was talking about the other new project, setting up a banquet/meeting room. “No time like right now. I
’ll drive in if you’ll make breakfast.”
“Sounds like a plan. Do you want anything special?”
Angie wanted a lot of things, like an open mind and assurance that Ian’s rescue wasn’t going to turn into a disaster for all of them. “As long as it’s food, I don’t care.”
“Perfect. I’ll see you in thirty minutes.”
When Felicia clicked off, Angie looked at Dom, who wagged his tail hopefully.
“Sorry…” Angie stopped. If she was doing a favor for Ian, he could return one and watch Dom if they went into town shopping with his new project. “You’re right, you should go.”
Dom woofed his approval at the word “go” and went to sit by the door. Angie put some food into a baggie along with a bottle of water and a couple of dog toys. Then they left for their adventure.
When she reached town, she parked in the back and let Dom out of the SUV. He ran to the back door of the kitchen and watched her approach. “Just because you’re faster than me doesn’t mean you’re the boss of me.” She rubbed his head and realized, that yes, the dog had become her boss over the last few months. And she didn’t care one iota.
She unlocked the door and Dom went into the kitchen, then turned right and stood at the bottom of the stairs. Somehow he knew the kitchen was off-limits here versus at home, where he spent most of his time with Angie in the kitchen.
Dogs, they were amazing creatures. Angie pointed up the stairs, letting him go first since there wasn’t room for both of them. She heard Felicia open the door and praise Dom for beating her.
When she reached the landing, Angie shook her head. “The only reason he wins is because I let him go first. Not everything is a race, you know.”
Felicia stepped back so they could come into the apartment. “You can’t tell him that. How are you this morning?”
They talked about little things, like their dinner dates the night before, the upcoming team meeting and family meal before service on Wednesday, then Angie took a breath.
“Go ahead, tell me the bad news.” Felicia turned to check on something in the oven.
“What are you talking about?” Angie saw Dom had already taken to the bed Felicia kept under her dining room table and was halfway asleep. “What bad news?”
“You don’t usually come over for breakfast after just seeing me last night. Did Ian do something stupid?” Felicia closed the oven and came over to sit on a counter stool next to Angie.
“Yes and no.” Angie went on to tell her about the teenage girl he’d found sleeping in the alley. When she got to the fact that the girl needed a job, Felicia perked up.
“Tell him to send her to us. I don’t know how many teenagers I trained as servers at El Pescado. Remember Joey? He was homeless when he came to work for us. The shelter down the street had him walking around checking every business in the area for a job.”
“Joey? The tall kid with bright red hair? He was so funny.” Angie smiled at the memory. “Didn’t he leave to go to college?”
“Yes. The restaurant paid for a small scholarship with the school to cover his room and board. He keeps in touch. He started a job with an engineering firm in a town north of the city.” Felicia sipped her coffee. “I thought I told you this.”
“Maybe.” Angie thought back. She’d been dealing with the whole Todd mess at the time and probably her mind hadn’t been on the business as much as it should have been. “Do we help out Hope?”
“You really don’t listen, do you?” Felicia turned back to the oven and pulled the warm egg, potato, and cheese casserole out. Angie watched as Dom’s head popped up when he smelled the food.
“Guilty as charged.” She stood and got plates out of the cabinet while Felicia went to the fridge for freshly made salsa.
“Since Hope’s living at home, we pay her tuition. As long as she gets a B average.” Felicia plated a large square out of the dish along with salsa and then topped it with half of a sliced avocado. She set the plates on the counter and glanced at Felicia. “Orange juice?”
“Sure. Just a little.” Angie took silverware out and then sat, taking in the dish. “Do we have this on our class menu?”
“Not yet. I wanted to see what you thought. We have the brunch class in two weeks, and it’s already full, with a waiting list. I’m tempted to add more, but then, is that oversaturating the market?” Felicia poured the juice, then sat and watched Angie take a bite.
Angie took her time in responding. She could taste the fresh herbs along with the spices that the potatoes must have been fried with. The cheese was a sharp cheddar and melted into large strands as she ate. “The only thing I might add is a different cheese. Either add or replace. I’d like something that felt more umpcious.”
“I don’t think that’s a word, but I agree with you. Maybe a layer of ricotta and egg like a lasagna in addition to the cheddar.”
Angie imagined the creamy goodness that change would bring and nodded. “Yep, that’s perfect. So, she’s hitting her grades, right?”
“Who, Hope? Of course, she’s mostly an A student. I think the classes she struggles in are the theory courses. You give her a recipe, she can cook anything. I think working with Estebe has been good for her confidence.”
Angie smiled and took another bite. “So, Estebe…”
Felicia shook her head. “No, no way, and no again. I’m not talking about my relationship with Estebe with you.” Felicia’s cheeks brightened.
“So, it is a relationship?” Angie pressed.
Felicia set her fork down. “Okay, this I will say. I enjoy spending time with him. We have a lot in common. He gets my jokes, mostly. And I love how he opens the car door for me. I feel like a princess.”
“You should feel like a princess.” Angie thought about Felicia’s last boyfriend, who had basically used her as a second set of hands for his nonprofit. “I just wanted to say, I’m glad for both of you, but don’t screw it up and lose me a sous chef.”
“Sometimes you are a little too direct for my taste.” Felicia laughed. “But yeah, we know that dating someone you work with can be an issue. We’ve talked about it, and we both agree that if either one of us wants to call it quits, we’ll part amicably.”
Angie had seen Felicia break up with someone she cared about before, and it wasn’t an easy break. Estebe had a reputation for being cool and overconfident in the kitchen. Maybe even brusque at times. No, a breakup between those two wouldn’t be amicable. Not in the least. She just hoped the County Seat wouldn’t implode with their failed relationship.
Felicia had been watching her as she processed the look she saw on Angie’s face. Now she sighed. “Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking too.”
Chapter 10
After breakfast, they put another meeting time on their schedule to talk about the new dining area and went to meet Ian and Bleak. They were in Ian’s office, drinking coffee. Ian stood and gave Angie a kiss as they walked in, then greeted Felicia. Dom came and sat on his foot until he acknowledged him.
“Bleak, this is Angie Turner, Felicia Williams, and this big guy here is Dom.” He nodded to the other chairs around the thread-worn sofa. “Let’s sit down and talk about what’s going to happen today.”
Bleak ignored the woman and focused on Dom. “Does he bite?”
“He’s a big teddy bear.” Angie got Dom’s attention, then pointed to Bleak. “Go say hi, Dom.”
Wagging his tail and eager to meet someone new, Dom complied. Bleak fell to her knees and gave him a huge hug. “You’re such a beautiful boy.”
“We think so.” Angie watched the two interact, then met Ian’s gaze. “You’re babysitting him while we go to the doctor and clothes shopping.”
“I’m not sick.” Bleak stood and flopped back into her chair. “I don’t need a doctor.”
Felicia shook her head. “You do if you want to work in our restaurant. It’s
the law. Besides, it’s free to you. Take us up on our generosity.”
Bleak narrowed her eyes. “What about the shopping? Will I have to pay you back for the clothes? Because I have clothes. I don’t need more. I don’t have anywhere to keep them anyhow.”
“Here. You don’t have anywhere here. But when you move in with the Browns for a while, you’ll have your own bedroom with a closet.” Ian quickly glanced at Angie. “Besides, she needs a specific uniform at the restaurant, right?”
“Black pants, white shirt, and good, solid shoes. You’re going to be on your feet a lot.” Angie took out a job application. “While we’re driving in to Boise, you can fill this out. It’s a new employee packet we give all our hires. And Felicia will go over your schedule and pay. Do you need a certain schedule?”
“I don’t understand. Don’t you set my work hours?” Bleak took the papers and a pen from Angie.
“Yeah, but if you have appointments or want to take some classes, we can work around things like that, especially if we know up-front. It’s harder to replace you after the schedule has been set. But don’t worry, if you have an emergency, your team will help out.”
“Just curious, Bleak.” Ian leaned back in his chair, like he really wasn’t interested in the answer. “Did you finish school? Because if you didn’t, we can set you up with the GED people. And we’ll find you a ride into Boise for the classes.”
“I told you I was eighteen.”
Angie could see the anger in the girl. And the fact that she was hiding something was as apparent as her fury. She thought about saying that even if she was eighteen, that didn’t mean she’d graduated, but she didn’t want the girl to stomp out. “Okay, then no restrictions on your work hours.”
Bleak opened her mouth to say something, then closed it and leaned back into the chair, appearing bored with the whole conversation.
“Okay then, Dom, stay with Ian.” Angie handed Ian the backpack. “Make sure you take him out every two hours. He’s used to having his open schedule using the dog door.”
