Her face glowed as she nodded. “Several actually. I’m beyond pleased.”
“Great.” He munched on a grape.
Pastor and Merry joined them. “This sure brings back memories of our early days in ministry,” Pastor said.
Merry nodded. “I kind of miss those days.”
“Why’s that?” Estelle asked.
“We were youth pastors, and the teens were so much fun. Granted, some could be a handful, but I’ll never forget our time with them.”
Pastor took his wife’s hand and held it. “Oak Knoll Community Church was our first and only pastorate.”
“Is that right?” Blake asked. “How long have you been here?”
“Twenty-two years,” Pastor said. “We’ve had ups and downs, but this place is home.” He looked toward Blake. “After bemoaning how busy everyone is and how disconnected we’ve started to feel from the church, we were challenged by friends to reach out to individual families and get to know them.”
Merry nodded. “Take you for example, Blake. We see you every Sunday. Say hello and ask how you are, but that’s the end of it. We know little about you or what makes you who you are. Sure we know the old timers, but not the younger generation.”
“So,” Pastor said, “we’re doing our best to get involved and play a more active role in the lives of the people around us.”
“Good for you,” Derek said. “If we all did that, I think our sense of community would grow by leaps and bounds.”
“Speaking of leaps and bounds, we should probably get back to work, so our progress can grow by leaps and bounds,” Blake said.
Amber giggled and placed a hand on his forearm. “I like how you did that. Too funny.”
He sat frozen, unsure how to respond. Was Amber flirting? He shot a look to Estelle for help.
She raised a brow and quirked a grin then stood. “Come on, Amber. Let’s see who can finish their scene first.” She wound her arm through Amber’s, and mouthed, “you owe me” to him.
He’d never be able to pay Estelle back at this rate. She’d saved his hide with the musical, that much was certain, because no way would he have been able to pull it off without her expertise and assistance with the kids since this year’s program was so much more complicated than anything he’d ever attempted. Who knew she’d volunteered at a children’s theater in LA before and got along so well with kids and teenagers?
A crashing sound made him jump up and whirl around. Oh no.
Chapter Seven
Estelle blinked rapidly and slid the back of her hand across her face. Paint dripped off her chin and ran down her neck. She looked down at herself and groaned. Her clothes were likely ruined. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The barn had suddenly become deathly quiet. Heat flooded her body.
“Are you okay?” Blake rushed to her.
“I think so.” Her knees hurt along with the palms of her hands from catching herself on the rough flooring.
“What happened?” Derek asked.
“I don’t know. One minute I was walking over to dip my brush in a tray and the next, I was sprawled on the ground covered in paint.”
“I’m so sorry,” Amber said. “I think that was my fault. I set a paint can down, turned away for a second, and then you tripped.”
“Landing in the paint trays we’re using,” Blake said with dismay in his voice.
She looked down and spotted a puddle of white paint pooling on the barn floor. Bending over, she righted the can.
“Come on.” Blake motioned toward the yard. “Let’s hose you off.”
Her heart warmed at his obvious concern, but worry nipped at her. “What about the floor? It’s ruined.” One more thing she’d have to figure out how to fix. She’d add it to her growing list. Today had been a rough day filled with unexpected issues. Including one at her restaurant.
“I’ll take care of it,” Derek said. “Don’t worry, Estelle.”
“Will your mom be upset?” She was afraid to hear the answer. Helen was the last person she wanted to cause problems for.
“No. She’ll be fine. Trust me.” Derek moved toward the utility sink. “I’ve got this. Go get cleaned up. By the time you come back, you’ll wonder if you imagined the whole thing.”
Amber chuckled. “I very much doubt that.” She looked with compassion and regret to Estelle. “I’m so sorry that happened. I promise to be more careful.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Estelle heard herself say without thinking. She’d sure come a long way. The last time something like this happened, she’d had the person who caused it fired. Now she felt bad about that, but there was nothing she could do to right her wrong all these years later. She headed for the hose outside in the yard.
Closing the door behind him, Blake followed her. “You okay?”
“I’ll live. Although I have a feeling I’m going to be sore. She looked down at her knees and noticed one was bleeding. Great. “I think I’m going to hide out in the cottage after I get the bulk of this paint off. I had something come up with my restaurant I should deal with, and clearly I’m too distracted to be working around the set.”
“You do whatever you need to do, but you’re more than welcome to join us if you change your mind. Accidents happen.” He picked up the hose and turned it on. “It’s going to be cold.”
She shrugged and braced herself. A hard shot of spray hit her arms. She screamed.
Blake stopped. “Maybe you should just toss your clothes and go take a shower.”
“No way. I love these cutoffs. Keep spraying.” She squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself for the icy spray. It wasn’t so bad once she got used to it, plus the sun warmed her, so that helped.
“I think I’ve got as much as will come off.”
“Thanks. Guess I’ll slosh my way to the cottage.”
“I’ll stop in later and see how you’re doing.”
“That’s sweet but not necessary.” She needed time alone to figure out what she was going to do about Jeff. She couldn’t believe he’d given his two-week notice. That didn’t give her much time to find a replacement. The worst part was she suspected he was leaving because of her. She should have known better than to date her executive chef.
Her feet squished in her sneakers as she wove around the side of the house and on into the courtyard. She slid her shoes off outside the door then made a mad dash for the bathroom to keep from dripping all over everything.
Once behind closed doors, she turned on the shower to as hot as it would go. Maybe she could melt away what was left of the paint. She imagined the scene that had played out in the barn. How had no one busted out laughing? Well, Amber had giggled. Come to think of it, Amber was probably the only one who’d witnessed her graceless fall. A chuckle escaped her lips. It was pretty funny. Amber had shown great restraint. Estelle stepped into the shower and laughed until her sides hurt. If someone had been filming, that clip would have gone viral for sure.
Later that evening, she sat on the couch, wearing sweats and a T-shirt with fluffy socks covering her freezing toes and worked on her laptop. The evening had cooled drastically. She pulled a soft blanket off the back of the couch and wrapped it around her shoulders. A knock sounded on the door. “Come in.” She looked over her shoulder expecting to see Helen.
The door swung open. “You up for company?” Blake asked.
Her insides leapt. She’d forgotten he promised to check in on her. “Sure, come in and close the door. I’m freezing. I thought you were Helen.”
“Sorry to disappoint you.” He settled onto a slipcovered chair situated to her left.
“I’m not disappointed. I mean . . .” Oops.
He chuckled. “How’re you doing?”
Nice. He let her out of the pickle she’d talked herself into. “Paint free—at least I hope I am.” It had taken quite a lot of work to get it all out of her hair. Looked like he’d managed to escape getting paint on himself—at least she assumed he had. He smelled fresh, like he�
�d showered recently. “How’d everything go after I left? Did Derek get the floor cleaned?”
“For the most part. Helen took a look, and she didn’t seem upset in the slightest. She was more concerned for you but decided to give you some space.”
“Didn’t stop you.” She raised her chin.
“Nope. I don’t mind making a pain out of myself.” He winked.
She chuckled. “You’re not a pain, Blake.” He was the opposite. More like balm to soothe the rough edges of her day.
“I’m glad. Since you’ve arrived in Oak Knoll it seems all you’ve done is help me. I’d like to offer my services to you. What do you need besides an extra set of eyes?”
“Ha ha. I only fell because my mind was pre-occupied.”
“I figured that had to be it.” He leaned forward. “Maybe I can help. What’s going on?”
Although not sure why, she knew she could trust Blake. “There’s nothing you can do, but it might help to talk about it. I know I’ve only been here a little more than a week, but something has come up at my restaurant that I must deal with in person.”
He made himself comfortable as if planning to stay for a while. “What happened?”
“Jeff, my executive chef, gave his two-week notice. He received the opportunity of a lifetime at a place in New York.”
“The guy who dumped you when you wouldn’t marry him?” He blew out a long breath. “So he quit to get back at you?”
“Maybe. I don’t know.” She shrugged. “But I need to hire a replacement for him as soon as possible.”
He sighed and looked down. “When will you leave?”
“I have someone working on it for me. Once she finds a chef, I’ll fly home and interview the candidate to see if I agree with her choice. Hopefully, I will, and that will be the end of it, but if I don’t, then I’ll stick around until I find someone. When I opened Estelle’s, I was the cook. I can do it again if necessary.” Although her passion for her restaurant wasn’t what it used to be and she hoped and prayed it wouldn’t come to that.
He looked at her squarely. “Will you get back together with Jeff?”
“Not a chance. I don’t love him like that. I should’ve broken up with him a long time ago, but I guess I was too comfortable and didn’t want to mess up anything. He’s a good guy.” Heat rushed to her face. She sounded so shallow. Staying in a relationship simply so she didn’t rock the boat was stupid, and in the process she had hurt Jeff. Guilt knotted her stomach. She glanced at Blake. “I’m sorry about the theater.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I expect to miss more than a few rehearsals.”
“I hadn’t processed that far yet.” Disappointment filled his eyes.
She didn’t blame him. She’d taken on a lot with the children’s theater, and for her to walk out now would be a challenge for him. At least he had a team of volunteers who could pick up the slack. But none of them would be able to be Kayla’s understudy. She’d be breaking her word to both Kayla and Blake. That was what worried her the most about leaving.
~
“You named your restaurant Estelle’s?” Blake’s mind was playing catch-up with everything she’d just told him. The name struck him as unoriginal for such an original person. “Then again, I suppose your name is your brand.” The ramifications of her words were finally sinking in. What would he do if Estelle had to be gone for an extended time?
“I know it sounds conceited, but you’re right about my name being my brand, plus at the time it seemed like a good idea. You look like you might have a panic attack. It’s going to be okay. I’m sure Amber will be a great help and—”
“Not Amber.” She was nice and everything, but there were times she made him feel uncomfortable, as if she wanted him to ask her out. He wasn’t interested in dating Amber—she wasn’t his type. Okay, maybe she was, but he wasn’t attracted to her like he was to Estelle.
He sucked in a hard breath. She hadn’t showed the slightest bit of interest, which was probably for the best. She was fresh off a long-term relationship, and probably headed back to California sooner than later.
“What’s wrong with Amber?” Concern filled her voice.
“Nothing.” He shrugged and stood, walking to the fireplace and resting an elbow on the mantle, his focus on the flameless box below. “I don’t know what to say.” He barely got the words out.
He couldn’t tell her where his thoughts had strayed. The realization that he had more than a passing interest in Estelle and the news that she would be leaving for an undetermined amount of time hit him to his core. He never should have allowed her into his life.
“O-kay . . .” She dragged out the word. “If you’re worried about Amber, I can talk to her. Maybe you misunderstood her. She’s kind of a touchy-feely person. I’ve seen her act like that with other people too. She probably doesn’t even realize she’s flirting.”
“So you noticed too?”
She nodded. “I rescued you, remember?”
“Please don’t say anything to her. If you’re right, she’ll only get embarrassed, and she might quit. I can’t lose both of you.”
“You’re not losing me. I only need some time away to get things straightened out. I’ll be back.” She shivered and ran her hands up and down her arms. “Does it always get so cold at the end of such a nice sunny day?”
“No.” He pointed to a switch on the wall. “If you’re cold, why not start a fire? It only takes the flip of the switch since it’s gas.”
Her mouth opened slightly. “That’s okay.” She set the computer on the coffee table and stood to face him. “Back to the subject. I won’t say anything to Amber, but we need to make a plan so you aren’t scrambling when I leave.”
When not if. There was no hope then that she’d change her mind and try to manage things long distance. Disappointment hit him again. “What can I say to make you change your mind about leaving?”
Her face filled with regret. “There’s nothing to say. I have to deal with this in person. I also need to clear the air with Jeff. I don’t want him leaving for New York bitter and angry.”
He was drawn to her all the more for her care and concern for this man. But at the same time, if she couldn’t make something work with the chef of her own restaurant, what chance did he have, living in another state? He had to keep from feeling anything more for her. “What can I do to help?”
“Pray we find someone fast. This could drag on for months.”
“Months?” He was thinking a few weeks, not months.
Estelle nodded. “I’m so sorry.” She stepped close to him and rested a hand on his arm. Her touch shot tingles through him. “If I had thought for even a minute that something like this would happen while I was here, I never would have become so involved with the theater.”
Unshed tears shown in her eyes, twisting his gut. A breath of expectancy hung between them. He wanted to pull her close and tell her everything would be okay, but he refused to give in to the impulse.
She removed her hand from his arm and crossed her arms. “Maybe starting a fire would be a good idea after all.” She flipped the switch, and heat burst from the gas-powered flames. She returned to her spot on the couch.
The hot flames forced him to move away. He parked himself in the chair again. “This musical will fall apart without you. I have a strong team of volunteers in place, but if you aren’t Kayla’s understudy, she’ll quit. Those were her terms.”
Disappointment filled her face. “I know, but I’m hoping she’ll be reasonable when I explain the situation. Plus we still have two weeks before I’d absolutely have to leave. If we find someone before that, maybe I can fly the person here for the interview instead of going there.”
His head snapped in her direction. “That’s a great idea.” Lord please send someone fast. We need Estelle here.
Her eyes lit. “It is, isn’t it? It popped into my head right as I said it.”
He chuckled and flipped a throw pillow at
her. “You’re a nut, Estelle Rogers.”
“Certifiable for sure,” she deadpanned. She tossed the pillow back at him, catching him in the chin.
He relished the light moment. “This means war, lady.”
Her blue eyes widened. She squealed and leapt over the back of the couch, taking cover. Her hand reached over the top and felt around, presumably for a pillow.
He held back a laugh. Instead he ducked down on all fours and nudged the pillow within her reach. Her slender fingers tugged it over the back of the couch. A second later she crouched and flung it at him hitting his head.
He tossed it back, missing her. He grabbed two more pillows, one in each hand and crept around to where she’d taken cover. “Ha.” He raised the pillows.
She drew her knees to her chest, tucked her chin, and shielded her head with her arms. “I surrender. I surrender.”
Laughing, he eased down beside her, stretching his legs out in front of him. He needed that—they both did.
She tilted her head and peeked at him then raised her head. A twinkle lit her eyes. “Thanks.”
His insides turned to mush as he folded his hand around hers. “Anytime. I’m already praying you don’t have to leave.”
“Good. Me too.” She angled her face in his direction. “If anyone had told me a week ago we’d be sitting here like this, I never would’ve believed him.”
“Me neither. But you’ve grown on me.”
She laughed, yanked her hand away, and shoved him in the shoulder.
They both laughed a moment longer, then sobered.
“Blake?”
“Hmm?” Worry at her tone squeezed out the carefree feeling of a moment ago.
“You know there’s a strong probability I’ll have to leave, right? Everything might not work out the way we want.”
He nodded. “I know,” he said softly. The last thing he wanted was for Estelle to go, but he’d be grateful for any time he had with her. Not to mention the kids would be devastated.
Chapter Eight
An Encore for Estelle (Melodies of Love Book 2) Page 7
