Later I would file that under BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR, but I didn’t know that at the time.
By the time we got back down to the main level, the place was deserted, though I could hear angry voices coming from an offshoot room tucked away near the fireplace. I tried to hear what the two men were fighting about, whoever they were, but I couldn’t make much out other than the fact that their voices were raised.
“Are you actually eavesdropping, Suzanne?” Jake asked softly beside me.
“Me? I wouldn’t dream of it. I’m just standing here admiring the fireplace,” I lied. It was fifteen feet away from where I was snooping, but the fireplace in question really was stunning. Sheets of hammered copper covered the edges of the enclosure, and there was a stack of firewood ready to be lit inside it. The andirons were shaped in the form of the house itself, clearly having been produced by a real craftsman. A chill was in the air, and I couldn’t wait to see a fire lit there so we could enjoy it. In the meantime, though, I couldn’t think of another reason to tarry a moment longer. “Let’s check out the back porch,” I said as we walked to the rear of the structure. The dining room, and what I had to suppose was the kitchen, were off to one side, but a hallway led directly to the back where I’d spotted rocking chairs lined up facing outward.
It was an expansive deck, twelve feet wide with a ten-foot overhang, plenty of room to get out of the rain if needed. The railings were made up of sheets of thick glass with thin metal columns holding them in place, spaced every three feet or so, so no scene was obstructed.
Jake noticed me studying the setup. “It certainly doesn’t impede the view at all, does it?” he asked me.
“No, it’s perfect. I can’t even begin to imagine how much this place must have cost Killian to build,” I said.
“Knowing that man, I’m guessing that he didn’t let the expense stop him. As long as I’ve known him, he’s never done anything halfway in his life. What’s that over there?” Jake asked as he walked toward one end of the decking.
“It’s a hidden gate,” I said. I looked for a latch and finally found it cleverly tucked away into the wall itself. The steps on the other side went down, and I started to follow them when Jake touched my shoulder lightly.
“Should we really be doing this?” he asked me.
“I don’t see why not,” I answered.
I heard him laugh behind me, but I was already making my way down the steps to the lower level.
The floor below was without any of the niceties ours upstairs had sported. Where there had been oak up there, here was concrete on the floor. The walls had been painted a nondescript builder’s beige, and the plain doors, though they looked solid enough, lacked any wrought iron, and the locks were ordinary. I tried one of the doors, and to my delight, it opened. Stepping inside, I flipped on the light switch and looked at what kind of room it was.
It could have been a chain hotel room in just about any city in the country, though it lacked the ubiquitous artwork most sported. Instead, it offered a photo of the mountain outside as its only real decoration. I wasn’t sure if Killian was trying to make up for the lack of windows in the room, but it made me feel a tad bit guilty for the splendor we were enjoying upstairs.
“It’s kind of stark, isn’t it?” I asked Jake.
“I think it’s perfect. What more do you need? There’s a bed, a nightstand, a chair, and a closet. There have been times in my life when I would have loved to have something this good. It’s got all the comforts of home.”
“Well, most of them, anyway. A bathroom would be nice,” I said.
“There must be communal ones on the floor,” he said. “Suzanne, whoever is going to occupy these rooms is most likely here to work. I think it’s nice of Killian to provide lodging at all. As you said earlier, that mountain would be tough to drive in the dark.”
“I guess so,” I said.
He smiled gently at me. “You have a big heart, my love.”
“You do, too. I guess you just see the practical side of things more than I do.”
My husband took me in his arms and kissed me soundly, something I never discouraged. After we broke apart, he added, “That’s why I love you as much as I do.”
“But it’s just one of the reasons, right?” I asked him with a grin.
“Now you’re just fishing, but yes, the reasons are too numerous to name.”
“Okay, then. I was just checking.”
We left the room and, after peeking our heads into one of the two communal bathrooms, I started back the way we’d come.
Jake didn’t follow, though.
“Where are you going?”
“Suzanne, there has to be another way up. After all, Killian can’t expect his workers to go upstairs by braving the elements. I’m sure he’s going to get plenty of snow up here, and I can’t imagine that he didn’t plan for it.”
The thought of tackling that drive in the snow made me shudder even more. How could it even be plowed? “Do you think he’s going to be able come up here year-round?” I asked him.
“I don’t see how he can afford not to after how much this place must have cost him,” Jake answered.
“The upkeep alone has got to be way out of my reach. At least with my donuts, I’ve got something coming in to cover my expenses, and it’s a rare month I’m not able to come up with a little extra to set aside.”
“I believe that most people with money think differently than we do,” Jake said as he glanced at his watch. “We’d better be heading up. You’re due in the kitchen soon.” A moment later, he said, “Here it is.”
My husband had found the door to the upstairs floors, and we walked up a set of plain pine steps and came out into a nook on the other end of the fireplace.
Killian was standing there alone, deep in thought, and he was clearly surprised to see us coming out of the servant entrance. “How did you two end up downstairs?” he asked us, clearly puzzled by our sudden appearance and caught a little off guard as well.
Before Jake could answer, I told him, “We went exploring. That room on the third floor is amazing. I could sit there for hours taking in the views.”
Killian smiled. “I nearly made it my penthouse, but I decided in the end to keep it for everyone who visits.”
“Where are your quarters?” Jake asked him.
“I’ve got a room on the second floor that I’ve loaned out this week, so for now I’m staying down where you two were just exploring,” he said, surprising me. He must have seen the look on my face. “I know, folks expect the owner to have a grand suite, but honestly, it’s just a place to sleep as far as I’m concerned. I’m happy enough downstairs this week.”
“You don’t even have your own bathroom?” I asked him incredulously.
“Well, the room I’m in is pretty modest, but I did allow myself that one luxury. Would you like to see it? Honestly, if you peeked into any of them, they’re all pretty much the same except for the fact that mine has a tiny bathroom.”
“No, we don’t need to do that,” I said. It cast a different light on the level of comfort in the quarters we’d seen below. After all, if it was good enough for the owner of the place, no one else had any right to complain. My estimate of Killian went up again, and I wondered just how complex this man really was. He had more facets than I’d expected, and I looked forward to getting to know him better. What better way to do that than to cook side by side? “Are you ready to start making dinner?” I asked him.
“Are you sure you want to help out?” he asked me.
“Positive. How many people are we feeding, exactly?”
“There will be eight of us, including us three,” he said. “I’ll brief you on everyone else as we cook, and you can catch your husband up later.” He then turned to Jake. “Can you keep yourself occupied in the meantime?”
“I’m sure I can find something to do,” he said with a smile. “Unless you need my help, too.”
I answered the question before Killian c
ould. “Thanks for offering, but we’ve got it under control, Jake. Have fun.”
“You, too,” he said. Jake could make one dish—chili—and I doubted Killian was going to be serving that tonight. Otherwise, my husband was not all that much at home in the kitchen. That was fine by me. Our skills were complementary, which helped our relationship, not hurt it.
“Let’s get started then, shall we?” Killian asked me.
“Lead the way,” I told him.
Chapter 4
THE KITCHEN, NO SURPRISE, was state of the art. Stainless steel countertops, a high-end gas cooktop and two massive ovens filled the space, and there was enough storage to feed an army for a month. I glanced in the freezer and saw row upon row of every kind of meat imaginable, and the oversized fridge had as much bounty within it as well. “I see the supply truck had no trouble making it up the mountain,” I told him with a grin.
“It’s amazing what a little incentive bonus can do to motivate people,” Killian answered with a smile of his own.
“Are you expecting to spend the rest of your life up here?”
“You never know. I might have gotten a little carried away at that, but most of this will keep.”
“So, what’s on the menu tonight?” I asked him.
“To be honest with you, I hadn’t really planned that far ahead. Is there something in particular you’d like us to make, Suzanne?”
I’d seen some nice ground beef in the cooler. “Would you have any problem with my mother’s meat loaf recipe and some sautéed vegetables to go along with it?”
“I haven’t had a good meat loaf in years,” Killian said with another smile. “Take the lead.”
“Excellent,” I said as we both grabbed aprons and put them on. “What, there aren’t any chef’s hats?” I asked.
“Take your pick,” he said as he opened another drawer. There were indeed hats, aprons, and pants there, all ready for the real chef I was sure would be taking our place tomorrow.
“I was joking. I’d feel silly wearing one. Besides, I don’t feel as though I’ve got the right to wear it. I’m a decent home cook, but that’s a long way from being a chef.”
“I’ll reserve judgment until I taste your mother’s meat loaf. I’ll be your assistant, so tell me what to do,” Killian said.
“Are you sure you don’t mind taking orders from me?”
“Suzanne, it will be a nice change of pace, to be honest with you. Sometimes it gets old being the one in charge all of the time,” he said with a hint of wistfulness in his voice.
“I only have a staff of one besides myself, so I can’t really relate. It must be exhausting.”
“It can be,” he said, and then the owner looked at me, expectantly awaiting my orders.
“Why don’t you chop a few onions and red bell peppers,” I suggested while I raided the spice rack.
“Do you want them finely chopped, rough, or diced?” he asked.
“Someone knows his way around the kitchen better than he claims to,” I told him.
He laughed, which was a nice sound. “As I said, my wife loved to cook, and I often helped her out much like this.”
“I’ll take a fine chop, if you don’t mind,” I said as I preheated one of the large ovens to three hundred and fifty degrees F. Fortunately I’d made Momma’s meatloaf enough times in the past to be able to do it by heart, give or take an ingredient or two. I’d even made it my own over the years, substituting chopped bell peppers for the carrots she liked in hers. From the spice cabinet I grabbed some salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. I was happy to see that they had catsup on hand, as well as bread crumbs. It took me a second to find the eggs in the overstocked fridge, and when I did, I grabbed four of them. I was doubling the batch, which should provide plenty of food for everyone and make enough for sandwiches later if anyone was still hungry.
“I noticed that you have green beans and asparagus in the veggie bin,” I said. “They’ll be perfect for the sauté, and we can add some potatoes as a side, too.”
“Should I get started on those next?” he asked me.
“No, that can all wait until we’ve got the meatloaf in the oven,” I told him. I found a large mixing bowl and added the ground beef, ground pork, onions, peppers, breadcrumbs, and everything else I’d accumulated, including the eggs, after I’d beaten them first.
“Do you need a spatula to mix that all with?” he asked as I noticed him watching me.
“No, I honestly think my hands do a better job,” I said. After washing them and removing my wedding ring, I dove in, mixing everything together thoroughly but not overdoing it.
“I’ve never seen it done quite that way before,” Killian said with a grin.
“Would you like to try your hand at it?” I offered.
“No, but thanks for the offer.”
The mix was ready, but I suddenly realized that I hadn’t greased any loaf pans yet. It was going to be handy having someone helping me out after all. After I got Killian to do what I needed, I scooped out the mixture and patted half of it firmly in place in each pan. After cleaning my hands thoroughly, I added enough catsup to the tops to add some great flavor during baking and then I slid them into the oven. After pricking the skins of a handful of potatoes with a fork and then rubbing them in olive oil and salt, I placed them on a large cookie sheet and slid them into the oven beside the meat loaf pans.
“That should all be done somewhere between an hour and an hour and a half,” I told him as the overhead lights flickered for a few moments before coming back on. “Does that happen often?”
“Too often for my taste,” he admitted. “We have some power issues up here, but the electric company has promised to run new lines, and in the meantime I’ve got two large generators coming. They’ve been backordered, but hopefully we won’t have any major power outages until they get here. It’s all part of the joy of building out in the middle of nowhere,” he explained. “Should we get started on the vegetables now?”
“There’s no rush. Besides, you promised me a rundown on who’s here at your place tonight.”
“I did indeed,” Killian said. “Would you like a glass of wine while we chat?”
“Thanks, but to be honest with you, I have a pretty bad palette for it. It all pretty much tastes the same to me. What I’d really like is cup of tea.”
“We can do that, too,” he said as made us each a fresh cup of tea. While the mugs were steeping, Killian led me to a bench seat along a window in the chef’s office. We sat there and enjoyed the view as we sipped our teas.
“Let’s see. Where should I begin?” Killian asked. “Let’s start with my family. You’ve already met my nephew, Jasper. He used to work for me in the grocery business, but he was never really very good at anything. I could deal with that when I had a large group of people working for me, but I knew that once I sold the business I was going to have to set him loose to make his way on his own. He has not flourished, I’m afraid,” Killian said sadly.
“And Beatrice?”
“Ah, I’m afraid that my niece’s stunning good looks have been her downfall her entire life. Do you know how kids often go through an awkward stage growing up?”
“Know it? I lived it,” I said with a hint of laughter. “I was a complete and total mess all through junior high school.”
“Beatrice has never experienced that. She was a beautiful baby, a charming toddler, a lovely teen, and is now a breathtaking woman in her late twenties. She’s relied on her looks much more than she should have, and unfortunately, because of that she’s never really had to grow up.”
“And you’re supporting both of them?” I asked him gently.
“You heard our squabble, I take it,” Killian said with a frown. “I’m sorry about that.”
“Every family has its issues from time to time,” I told him.
“I promised my sister on her deathbed that I’d take care of her children when she was gone. She was not only family, she was my best friend. I’ve lo
st so many people I’ve loved in this life,” he said wistfully, and then he shook himself a bit. “But I’ve had a great deal of joy with them as well, and that’s something I’m thankful for every day.”
It was the right attitude to have, but I was sure it must have been tough on him. “I get that.”
“Anyway, I’ve decided that it’s time for them both to grow up. There’s no doubt in my mind that their selfish behavior killed their mother, at least prematurely, and if I continue to let them feed off of me, it’s going to kill me, too. I’m telling them that the free ride is over this weekend, and I can only hope they somehow manage to flourish once they can no longer count on me. No matter what the result though, it’s time to cut the cord once and for all.”
The prospect clearly troubled him, so I decided to change the subject. “You said some business associates were here as well?”
“Yes, but it’s a completely different set of issues there. I should have said former associates. Abel Gray started the grocery business with me forty years ago, but at one point when we were having serious troubles, he suddenly lost his nerve. I bought him out, though I had to mortgage everything I had to do it, and he stayed on as an employee. I managed to turn things around, and Abel would have been a very rich man if he’d just had a little faith in us, in me, but he couldn’t do it.”
“That must have killed him to stay on with the company,” I said.
“It was his choice, and the man was a real asset, at least then.”
“I take it he wasn’t in favor of you selling the business?” I asked.
“He wanted to have me committed,” Killian said with a slight grin.
“And yet he’s still here,” I said. “That must say something.”
“I have a feeling it’s more out of a sense of self-preservation than loyalty to me. And then there’s Vera Whitehurst. You haven’t met her, either. Vera started off as my secretary, but she made her way up in my organization to become a minority partner. I thought she had my back, but now, it turns out that she and Abel are trying to force me into going back into a business I’ve grown to hate.”
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