“One guy’s only got two elbows and a certain number of hours in the day,” Josh said defensively, as though he’d been accused of something.
“The important thing is that we have a plan,” Mitch said. “Which means now we can finally have some lunch.”
They all started toward the house, except Andy. When Mitch looked back, he said, “I should probably go…do some things. I’ll be back later this afternoon, though.”
“Rose doesn’t own the lodge. We do,” Mitch said. He managed to sound authoritative, but he mentally had his fingers crossed she wasn’t eavesdropping. “We’re taking a lunch break and I’m inviting you in to eat with us.”
Andy smiled. “You may own the place, but if my feet cross that threshold, her temper will level the place around your ears.”
That was probably true. “Let’s go into town, then. A burger sounds better than a bologna sandwich, anyway.”
“Sounds good to me,” Ryan said, while Josh shrugged and started toward the truck. “Give me a chance to meet the new owner.”
Mitch forced himself to keep walking and not give his brother the satisfaction of riding to the bait. Josh got to ride shotgun by default, because of the cast, so after Ryan and Andy crammed themselves into the not-quite-a-full-backseat of the truck, Mitch got in the driver’s seat and fired the engine. When the dash came alive, including the clock, he was a little relieved to see it was almost two o’clock, which not only explained the hunger, but also meant Paige would already be gone by the time they got there and, therefore, wouldn’t be meeting Ryan.
Except, as luck would have it, she was the first person Mitch saw when he stepped through the door of the Trailside Diner. She had her apron off and was leaning against the center island, as usual, talking to Ava. Paige turned her head to look when they walked in and she smiled at him, which was the best damn thing that had happened all day.
The urge to puff himself up like a rooster took him by surprise, though. Women smiled at him all the time. They smiled a lot, and he’d never gotten any kind of thrill at being the guy who’d put the smile on their faces. But, when Paige smiled at him, he wanted to pound his chest and let out a Tarzan yell.
Andy and Josh had continued on toward a table, but Ryan stopped next to him and waited. Mitch scowled at him, but he just grinned and made a none-too-subtle gesture with his head. Gonna introduce me?
Probably because they were standing in the doorway like idiots, Paige started toward them. “I was just on my way out. Stopping by for lunch?”
“Yup. This is my brother, Ryan. Ryan, Paige Sullivan. She’s owned the diner for two years now.”
Ryan laid on the charm with the smile and the handshake and the pleased-to-meet-you, but Paige turned her attention back to Mitch the second Ryan released her hand. “How are things going at the lodge?”
“Good. We’re making up a list of things to do, and it’s not too bad.”
“Glad to hear it. I have to run, but give my best to Rosie. Oh, and, if you’re really hungry, try Gavin’s special today—caramel apple pork chops and they’re so good.”
She was gone before he could form an opinion on the pork chops or even say goodbye, and Ryan’s low chuckle made him wish they were still young enough to get away with slugging his brother.
“Hate to break it to you, but that woman’s not into you,” he said before walking off to join the others at the table.
Mitch might have believed him and even found that thought a little depressing if Ava hadn’t paused on her way by with some menus. “Brothers. Can’t believe a word they say.”
* * *
There wasn’t much to do in Whitford on a Saturday night, so they all tended to make their own fun. And the first Saturday night of each month was the most fun for Paige because it was movie night with the girls. They rotated houses, though Paige never got to host since she had neither a television nor anyplace for more than two people to sit.
Tonight they were at Hailey’s, which was Paige’s favorite movie-night spot. Hailey had a cute Cape on the outskirts of town and no husband grumbling about being banished for the evening or kids who wouldn’t stay in bed. They didn’t have to worry about the movie’s rating and they could laugh as loudly as they wanted, which could grow more and more rowdy as the night went on, depending on who was mixing the drinks.
And, true to form, Hailey had chosen yet another romantic comedy based on how hot the leading man was rather than critical praise or word-of-mouth, never mind whether or not it was any good. If anybody asked what it was about, she’d hold up the DVD case and say, “Look at this guy!”
Paige wasn’t about to complain, though. Lauren had been on a Nicholas Sparks kick lately, which led to a shortage of tissues and a decrease in attendance. Fran was pushing for a Thelma & Louise rerun and the previous month, when Mallory had hosted, they’d sat through War of the Roses, which, considering her marital situation, made everybody a little uncomfortable.
“Funny movie, Fran’s nachos and a full rum-and-Coke,” Jilly Crenshaw, Gavin’s mother, said as she sank onto the couch next to Paige. “I love movie night.”
“Me, too.” Her drink was a lot more Coke than rum, but it wasn’t the booze that appealed to her. Or even the movies. It was the friendship. The sense of belonging and knowing these women of all ages, shapes and sizes. And they knew her, which was more than she could say for most of the people whose lives she’d moved in and out of like a temporary shadow. Some of these women already, in two years, had come to know her better than her own mother did. Because they wanted to.
“Gavin says business seems good.”
Paige nodded. “Better than I anticipated it would be two years ago, actually. Weeknights are still pretty quiet for dinner, but breakfast and lunch do pretty well. And the weekends are busy.”
“Good. I think Waters went out of business because he only gave a damn during snowmobile season,” Jilly said, referring to the diner’s previous owner. “Of course it’s nice to have all the sledders coming through, and you can always charge a little more when they can sled right to your door, but he never adjusted after the snow melted. None of us were willing to pay tourist prices for a cheeseburger and a soda, you know?”
Paige nodded, because she did know. Back when she’d first started asking around about the old, closed-down restaurant, she’d gotten quite an earful about Waters’ business sins, which only strengthened her conviction that the old diner should serve as the social heart of the community and not just a place to eat. She catered to the snowmobiling crowd somewhat, serving up big steaks and sirloin burgers and the like during the winter, but her priority had always been good food for reasonable prices for her neighbors.
“Five-minute warning,” Hailey yelled over the buzz of the multiple conversations taking place.
There was a mad rush to top off drinks, refill paper plates and hit the bathroom before the movie started, and Jilly stood up. “I need to grab some more of Rose’s banana bread before it’s gone.”
Since she already had two slices on her plate plus a great end seat on Hailey’s love seat, Paige didn’t move. A couple minutes later, Rose sat down next to her, juggling a full plate and a coffee mug.
“I went with the hot chocolate,” she told Paige after she’d set the mug on the end table. “I don’t know how she does it—and she won’t tell me—but Hailey makes the best hot chocolate.”
“How are things at the lodge?”
“Not too bad.” Paige thought Rose’s face tensed up a bit before she relaxed it into a smile again. “Ryan’s home, which has been nice. They settled in with beer, chips and the ball game, so I decided to come to movie night.”
“I met Ryan this morning. I’m surprised he’s not around more since he lives so close. Well, not really close, but it’s only a few hours.”
“Getting that boy to come home for a visit’s harder than getting an invitation to the White House. He says he’s always working, but I don’t see the point in having the headache of o
wning the company if you can’t take a long weekend now and then. Look at Mitch. He’s taking a whole six weeks off. Mostly. He sneaks off to use the computer a lot, and that fancy phone of his is getting a workout.”
Hearing Mitch’s name seemed to jack up the temperature in the room, and Paige hoped her sudden flush wasn’t so pronounced this woman, who was practically a mother to him, would notice. “How often are they all home at the same time?”
“Almost never. I don’t even know how many years it’s been. Maybe even since their dad passed away.” Rose shook her head. “We all got together when Sean got out of the army last year, but we all went to Ryan’s house because it’s close to the airport and, with Sean and Mitch and Liz all flying in, it made more sense. It’s not the same as coming home, though.”
Paige remembered when Rose and Josh had driven down to Massachusetts to welcome the middle Kowalski brother home. “How are Sean and his wife doing?”
“Wonderful.” Rose practically beamed. “No baby news yet, but I pray for one every day. Lord knows Katie doesn’t seem interested in giving me a grandbaby, so it’s up to one of the other kids. At the rate they’re going, Sean and Emma might be my only shot.”
Paige lowered her voice as the movie started. “You never know. One of them might meet the right person, fall in love and have you knitting baby blankets before you know it.”
The way Rose looked at her made Paige feel like the woman was reading more into her words than what she’d meant. “Maybe. It won’t be Mitch, though. Mitch doesn’t settle down.”
Paige forced herself to laugh and shrug. “Maybe it’ll be Ryan, then.”
Rose just smiled and turned her attention to the television, so Paige did the same. The other woman didn’t need to worry that Paige had her sights set on being the one to settle Mitch down. The eyes and the smile and the flirting might weaken her knees, but she wasn’t going to let them weaken her resolve.
Chapter Eight
Mitch deliberately timed his arrival at the Trailside Diner on Monday for that window between breakfast being over and lunch not yet started. He wasn’t really hungry, but a coffee never hurt. And he wanted Paige Sullivan all to himself. Or mostly, anyway. Carl would be in the kitchen, prepping for lunch and getting things ready to hand over to Gavin in the afternoon.
He’d stopped at Dozer’s to get a belt for the old tractor, which had led to rummaging around in boxes that hadn’t been rummaged through in quite a while, so he detoured straight to the men’s room to wash up first. He was surprised to find the door propped open with a bucket and even more surprised to find Paige up in the air, with one foot on the sink vanity and the other on a step stool.
Rather than risk scaring her and making her fall by shouting, “What the hell do you think you’re doing up there?” he tapped gently on the open door and cleared his throat.
She’d been so intent on trying to pop out the translucent plastic panel that covered the fluorescent ceiling light, he still startled her, but not so badly she toppled off her precarious perch. “Mitch! What are you doing here? Wait. Never mind. That’s a pretty stupid question.”
“I wanted to wash my hands before I sat down. I had to go digging at Dozer’s for a belt for the tractor.”
She laughed. “Get a little dusty?”
He wanted to put his hands around her waist to steady her as she climbed down, but he settled for holding the ladder instead. “Why isn’t Carl doing this for you?”
“Because he’s the cook, not the handyman, and he’s busy with cooking.” With her feet back on the ground, Paige wiped her hands on her apron. “It’s my lightbulb and I’ll change it, just like I changed the one in the ladies’ room a few months ago.”
“You’re lucky you haven’t broken your neck.”
“Because of the sink, I can’t quite get the ladder in the right position, so I have to kind of use both.”
“Step out of the way and I’ll do it. You can hand the new ballast up to me.”
“I can do it.”
God, he loved that stubbornness in her voice. “I know you can. But I’m here and I’m taller and it’ll take me about two seconds.”
It was tough logic to argue against, but she looked as if she might try. Then she sighed. “Okay, but your lunch is on the house.”
“Why can’t it just be a favor?”
“It’s still a favor. Your lunch will cost me nothing compared to having an electrician change the ballast.”
“Which you wouldn’t do.”
“Not if I can do it myself, which I can, even if it takes me longer.”
“Okay, you can spot me a sandwich,” Mitch said. The important thing wasn’t a battle of wills, but rather keeping her from breaking her neck by way of unsafe ladder habits. He shifted the ladder off to the side a little, since he had enough reach to do it properly. “You know, my brother’s in a cast for six weeks because he was stupid with a ladder.”
“It’s really charming, this whole make her feel stupid thing you’ve got going on. Does that usually work for you?”
He popped the light cover out and handed the panel down to her. “Right now I care more about you not hurting yourself than I do about getting in your pants.”
“The ladder was steady. I made sure my balance was good and the ladder wasn’t going to shift before I started trying to pull that down.”
“Josh made sure he footed the ladder, too.” He pulled out the old ballast and handed it down to Paige in exchange for the new one.
“Gee, however did I manage to run this place for two years before you blew into town?”
That made him laugh. “Part of being good at your job is knowing your limitations and finding people who can help you shore up the weak spots. For instance, I know Carl and I’m willing to bet he doesn’t know you’re in here doing this and, because you’re stubborn, you won’t ask him to do a fairly simple task he wouldn’t mind doing.”
“I prefer being self-sufficient.” When he reached down, she handed him the plastic panel. “I bet you’re not very good at admitting your weaknesses.”
“Sure I am.” He climbed down, off the ladder and folded it up to lean against the wall.
“Name one.”
He turned on the water and thought a few seconds while he waited for it to run warm. “Well, I figured out in the early days of Northern Star Demolition that I have trouble selling myself. Banging my own drum, so to speak. Prospective clients would ask me why they should hire me over another outfit, and I’d get flustered and stutter and shit.”
“You have trouble selling yourself? I find that hard to believe.”
“Believe it or not,” he said as he grabbed some paper towels from the dispenser to dry his hands, “I’m a very humble guy.”
She laughed, but he wasn’t offended. “So what did you do?”
“I sat at a bar with a friend of mine who was in PR and told him all the reasons Northern Star Demolition was the best company for any job. He typed it all up into a bullet-point kind of list, which I read over and over again until I had it memorized and could say it with confidence. I also don’t have any patience for politics so, if there’s political squabbling over a demolition, Scott—my second in command—steps in and handles all of that while I focus on the job.” He tossed the paper towel and turned to face her. “Doesn’t make me weak or not good at what I do because I had to ask for help.”
“Point taken. And thank you for changing the light.”
In a couple of steps, he was standing so close to her he expected her to back up. “Men can be handy to have around.”
“While I appreciate the help, you didn’t do anything for me I couldn’t have done for myself.”
“But it’s not nearly as much fun.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Are we still talking about fluorescent lights?”
He shook his head. “Fireworks, maybe.”
After rolling her eyes at him, she grabbed the old ballast and walked out of the men’s room. Since he d
idn’t know where the ladder went and it wasn’t very heavy, he left it where it was and kicked the door free of the bucket on his way out. Walking away from him wasn’t going to do her any good.
She’d promised him lunch.
* * *
She should have known she wouldn’t get rid of him that easily. After taking the ballast out back to be disposed of later, Paige went back for the stepladder and saw Mitch sit at the counter to wait for her. It annoyed her, even though she’d offered him a free lunch for helping her out.
Everything about him annoyed her at the present moment. The smile and the flirting while trying to convince her he was so humble he couldn’t even push his own company on people. The way he seemed so sure that if he just kept showing up and being a nice guy, she’d sleep with him. The fact she couldn’t sleep at night because she was too busy thinking about how much she wanted to sleep with him.
She should throw him out. Just point to the sign that reserved her the right to refuse service and then show him the door.
It was a nice visual, but she could never follow through on it, if for no other reason than not wanting to come up with an explanation for all her other customers as to why she’d tossed a Kowalski. Instead, she shoved the ladder back into the supply closet and, after washing her hands and giving herself a stern look in the mirror, went back to the dining room to find the counter empty. The disappointment she felt only made her more annoyed with him—until she heard his voice.
He’d moved to a booth, and Drew Miller was sitting across from him. The police chief looked tired, if not downright haggard, and Paige felt a pang of pity for him. No matter who was right or wrong—if there even was a right or wrong—their situation sucked.
All He Ever Needed Page 9
