by Mona Ingram
“Is that so?” He smiled and his eyes crinkled. “That makes me feel better.”
“Why?”
He studied her face. “Because I don’t think I’d have forgotten if I’d ever met you.”
“I’ll bet you say that to all the girls.” Such a predictable, corny thing to say, but the intensity in his gaze made her forget how to talk.
“No,” he said, his voice low and husky. “I don’t.” He gestured to the expanse of rock beside her. “May I sit?”
“Of course.”
He climbed up and draped his arms over raised knees. “I love this spot,” he said, his tone almost reverent.
“I can see why,” she said, moved by his comment. “It has everything.”
He raised an eyebrow in a silent question.
“I mean it has the raw power of the ocean. At least I imagine it can be that way in the winter. And now, it’s calm... a safe harbour. It’s remote enough to feel like you’re in another world, and yet there’s a town close by, and Victoria is only a few hours to the south.”
“Or less if you fly.”
“Right,” she said. “Less if you fly.” She shrugged. “It’s perfect.”
He sat for a moment, absorbing her words. A comfortable silence settled between them.
“May I ask you something?” he asked finally, with a sideways glance.
She lifted one shoulder.
“What are you doing here?”
“I have no idea,” she said, gnawing her bottom lip. “Now it’s my turn. Is this your restaurant? We haven’t really established that.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I must be tired.” He scrubbed his face with one large hand. “Yes, this is my restaurant, and my land.”
“Why?” She spread her hands. “Why would you own something like this? I mean, from what I hear, you’re rarely here. You didn’t even know your cook was MIA.” The thought of Carly here alone made her lose her usual reserve. “What kind of an owner are you?”
Respect flared in his eyes as he studied her. “That’s a fair question.” He looked across the cove to the diner, and something in his eyes softened.
Chapter Seven
“WHEN I WAS A KID,” he said, “my parents used to bring us here to camp. Back then, a friend of theirs owned this land. My sister and I spent some marvelous summer holidays here. Our campsite was on the flat piece of land where the diner is now.” He appeared to drift for a moment, lost in memories. “Later on, after my parents divorced, they sold it to a local fellow who built the diner. He loved the place and planned to expand it – those are his plans for the deck expansion – but he died and his family had no interest in running it as a diner, so they decided to sell.” A tightening around his eyes indicated his displeasure. “I inquired about it... a casual inquiry, really. I didn’t need another business. But when I found out that a mainland corporation was interested and that they wanted to build a condo development, I had no choice.”
“So you bought it without knowing anything about restaurants.”
He gave her a wry smile. “It happens more often than you’d think.”
“Since we’re being honest, tell me something else. How can you afford a place like this on a pilot’s salary?” She pointed to the construction. “Not to mention the remodeling, and the new dock.”
“Wow,” he said. “You don’t hold back, do you?”
She looked him directly in the eye. “Since I assume you came here to ask me to stay on as cook, I’d like to know who I’d be working for.” It was her turn to gaze into the distance. “I was in a bad situation recently and I don’t want a repeat of the experience.”
“A wise precaution.” He pried at a loose rock and tossed it down the hill. “By the way, I followed up on Sean today. He ended up in jail a couple of nights ago and then on the way home he fell asleep, his car went off the road, and he broke a leg.”
“He’s lucky it wasn’t worse. Are you going to take him back?”
He shook his head. “Not until he makes an effort to quit drinking. That’s the best way I can think of to help him.”
“He has to want it first.”
Jesse nodded. “I know that. I’m told that a lot of people around here like him, and they’re going to see what they can do about getting him into a recovery program.”
“He still has to want it.” She gave him a quick, apologetic look. “Sorry, you already know that. It’s a common problem with people who work in the food service industry. Working at nights and on weekends, proximity to liquor... anyone who has the slightest problem can spiral out of control very easily.”
Jesse looked at her with haunted eyes. “Substance abuse is a terrible thing. I know about it firsthand.” He stood. “Do you want a cup of coffee? Carly said she’d make a fresh pot before she left.” He checked his watch. “I have another hour or so before I have to go back.”
“All right, but you still haven’t answered my question.”
She followed him up onto the deck and poured coffees. “Let’s sit outside,” she said, dragging a chair outside and placing it near the edge. The workmen had erected a temporary railing around the edge and she braced her feet against it.
“Like the outside, do you?” Jesse sat down beside her and sipped at his coffee.
“Yes, I think the addition will go over well.” She shot him a quick look. “Most men would need to be here supervising. That makes you the exception.”
“Larry is a friend of mine.”
Lexie frowned. “Larry?”
“The foreman. Larry Cousins. You haven’t met him?”
“I may have, but I didn’t get any names. There’s one fellow who’s older than the rest. I suppose that would be him.”
“Sounds right. Anyway I’ve known Larry since... oh, I don’t know how long. I trust him to do it right.” He tipped back his chair. “And I think I could trust you as well, Lexie, if you’d like the job of running the restaurant. I’d give you carte blanche to change the menu in any way you like.”
That would be the least of what she would require. “I’ve been thinking about this place and what I would do differently.” She gave him an oblique look. “Was Sean the only cook?”
“Yes, the place was only open five days a week and I let him set the hours.”
“Not enough.” Lexie gnawed her bottom lip. “Not nearly enough. You need to expand the hours, open on a regular basis, and hire more people if you’re going to pay for the new deck.”
“I like your style, Lexie Swinton.” He leaned closer and for one wild, heart-stopping moment Lexie thought he was going to kiss her. “And no, I won’t run out of money. I’m not just a pilot for Coastal Air. I own that, too.”
“But I thought...” She paused in mid-sentence. “When I’ve seen you in Victoria, you look so ordinary. You seem to be doing the same work as everyone else.”
He tossed back his head and laughed. “That’s me. Mister Ordinary.” A smile lingered on his lips. “Call me old-fashioned, but I believe that I should be able to do everything my employees do.”
“Really?” she challenged. “How are you at dishwashing?”
He looked steadily into her eyes. ‘Not my strong suit, but I’m willing to give it a go.”
Something fluttered in her stomach and she forced herself to look away. What insanity had prompted her to think that she could do this? Even someone with her limited experience knew better than to get involved with the boss. Especially when the boss was intriguing in so many ways. In the short time they’d spoken, he’d shown himself to be nostalgic, loyal, he had a good sense of humour, and his rugged appeal made her want to break all the rules.
“So what do you say? You must have thought about it.”
She looked straight ahead. If she looked at him, she wouldn’t be able to get the next words out.
“Yes, I’ve considered it, and I think it would be best if I pass on your offer.”
“Best for whom?” His tone was dangerously intimate.
“Best for you, Jesse.” She allowed herself a quick peek and found him studying her curiously. “What you need here is a competent cook. Preferably one with some flair, and a desire to actually cook, rather than defrost pre-fab food.”
He raised his eyebrows “Ouch.”
“Look,” she said, leaning forward. “You’re in a tough position right now but you’re obviously a big boy.” A flush crept into her cheeks, but she forged ahead. “So now’s the time to hear the truth and do something about it. Oh, and before I forget, you should start working on a liquor license.” She looked around, and in her imagination she could see the finished diner. “This place, run professionally, could be really popular. Do you know how many ocean-side dining establishments there are on the island?”
He smiled at her enthusiasm. “No.”
“Well, neither do I, but there aren’t many. This could be a gold mine.”
He sighed. “That sounds very ambitious, but I’d be happy with satisfied customers and a decent cash flow. However I’ll take your advice and get the liquor license.”
“It’s not all that easy, you know.”
“I know.”
She gave him a curious look. “Carly would like to learn to cook. She’s eager, and from what I saw today, she’s willing to do anything. And she can think for herself.”
“All right. I’ll talk to her and we’ll get her started in the kitchen.” He let a few moments pass. “Why, Lexie?... if that’s not too personal. Why aren’t you interested?”
Lexie undid the clip holding up her hair and let it fall down her back. She must have twisted it extra tight this morning, because the tension in her scalp disappeared instantly and a soft moan of pleasure escaped her lips. The release must have been symbolic, because she started to talk.
“Two days ago, I did something extremely unprofessional.”
Jesse remained silent.
“I quit my job.” She snapped her fingers. “Just like that. I walked out.”
Jesse had been about to take another swallow of coffee, but caught himself in time. He lowered his cup and gave her a penetrating look.
“Saying it out loud makes it sound worse.” Her lips twisted in a wry smile. “You should see the look on your face. Told you... you don’t want me.”
“No, it’s not that.” He seemed to be fumbling for words. “You surprised me, that’s all.” He lifted the coffee mug again. “You must have had a good reason. The way you’ve acquitted yourself around here proves that you’re anything but irresponsible.”
“Thank you, Jesse.” She blinked back tears. “Sorry, I don’t know where the tears came from. I guess quitting my job has been bothering me more than I realized.”
“Tell me about it.”
Lexie released a sigh. Maybe she should tell him; he had a good head on his shoulders and seemed to be a good listener.
“I worked in a high end restaurant in Victoria. You’ve probably heard of it... Bistro Provencal. In a few more weeks I would have been there five years. Anyway, I never really did get along with the manager, but he gave me free rein to run the kitchen.”
“I should hope so,” Jesse murmured.
“I took my training in Switzerland and learned to appreciate dishes utilizing cheese. Like most restaurants, we had specials from time to time, and we featured cheese at the Bistro. He often took credit for my ideas, but I decided early on not to let that bother me. Looking back now, I should have put a stop to it, but it was my first job as a chef, and I didn’t know any better.
My most successful idea was raclette dining. It became quite popular and people would book far in advance. Are you familiar with it?”
“Yes,” he said. “It’s a nice, relaxed way of eating.”
“We sold a lot of wine that way, too. Anyway, I got to know a few small farms on the island where they’re making some fabulous cheeses. One even makes raclette cheese, and we became their largest customers.
“Sounds good. I like the idea of using local suppliers.”
“We could do that here, you know.”
“We?”
“You. You could do that here.” She forced herself to ignore the slow grin that spread across his face. “Anyway, the day before yesterday...” She paused. Had it really been just two days ago? “...the day before yesterday, Chris announced that we were revamping the menu. He’d decided that the wine and cheese pairings were too extensive. So from now on, the cheese on the new menu will be sourced from local wholesalers, just like every other second-class restaurant.”
“He hadn’t consulted you? What about all your stock?”
“He plans to roll out the new menu in two weeks. Everything will have turned over by then.”
“And the raclette dining? That’s gone too?”
“Poof!” She removed her feet from the railing and started to pace the deck. “The least he could have done was give our suppliers some warning... given them a chance to develop new markets. We argued about that, and when I saw that he wasn’t going to budge, I quit.” She started to pace. “Of course he was also stealing in all the usual ways... buying cheap cuts of meat and expecting me to work wonders; bringing in bottles of booze and pocketing the extra money. I hate myself for not outing him about that, and then after a while I started to feel guilty for even thinking about it. All of a sudden, I became the bad guy. How twisted is that?”
Jesse thought for a moment. “You called this Bozo the manager; I take it he isn’t the owner.”
“No, he’s not.”
“Did you contact the owner?”
“No. You’ll think badly of me, but I don’t know who the owner is. My cheques came from some corporation in Vancouver.”
“I don’t think any less of you for that. Stealing from the owner is bad enough, but what really angers me is that he stole your ideas and took credit for them.”
“Believe it.”
“Why didn’t you say something?”
She spread her hands. “Who was I going to tell? Besides, I probably wouldn’t have said anything anyway.”
“Why not? Did you have something going with this guy?”
“No...” She took a few steps away and then turned back. “I think it had something to do with loyalty. Misplaced loyalty as it turned out.” She gave a short, mirthless laugh. “In hindsight, I haven’t been such a good judge of character recently. I ended up in Victoria because of someone I met in Switzerland. We were at the same school and he talked about all the great opportunities in Victoria for newly trained chefs. After graduation, I went to Victoria with him, expecting that we’d be together, but it turned out he was engaged already.”
“I’m sorry, Lexie.”
“Thanks.” She stopped her pacing. “I don’t know why I’m telling you all this. Anyway, that little episode stripped away my confidence. The thing is, I can run a kitchen, but when it comes to my personal life I’m a complete wimp.”
Jesse looked up at her. “I can see why you’d be leery. Two bad experiences...”
“And I don’t want to go for three.”
“Is that what you think this would be, Lexie? Are you afraid of strike three?”
What was he saying? “Here? With you?” She realized what she’d said and brushed the words away. “Sorry, that came out wrong. But no, this isn’t the same. At least I don’t think so.”
“Instead of the dreaded strike three, this might turn out to be a home run.” He grinned at her and her heart did flip flops inside her chest.
“You know,” he continued. “I was going to offer you something that I hoped would tip the scales in my favour.”
His tone was playful. She was intrigued.
He nodded toward the cabins on the far side of the cove. “I was going to offer to house you in one of the cabins for free.”
Lexie looked longingly at the cabins. From the moment she first spotted them, she’d wanted to explore. Tucked behind some fir trees, they were reminiscent of the cabin her parents used to rent in the summers.
“Why?”
“Because those cabins remind me of barefoot summer days.” She smiled at the memory. “Those were some of the happiest days of my life.”
“You grew up around here?”
“No,” she said, leaning on the railing and looking across the cove. “That was in Ontario, and on a lake, but the feeling’s the same. I heard it in your voice when you described camping here as a kid.” He rose and stood beside her, shoulder to shoulder. “Then you know why I had to buy it.” He smiled into her eyes. “You’ll forgive me for that, at least.”
“I’d have done the same,” she admitted. “In a heartbeat.”
“I like you, Lexie Swinton.” The look he gave her curled her toes. “Are you sure you won’t change your mind? I think we’d make a great team.”
Was he flirting with her or simply trying to convince her to stay? She wished she knew.
“Stand by,” he said, pulling out his cell phone and checking the display. “Excuse me, but I have to take this.” His face softened and he took a few steps away. “Hi, Luc. How’s it...” He stopped speaking and a fierce, protective look came over him. “Slow down, Bud. I can’t understand you.” He looked at Lexie without seeing her, his expression stricken. “Yes, of course I’ll come and get you.” He checked his watch. “I can be there in half an hour. Let me talk to Mr. Foster.”
Teeth clenched, he waited while the phone was transferred. A few words were spoken, but Jesse shook his head, even though the man on the other end couldn’t see. “Absolutely not. I’m coming to get him. You’re at the campsite on the west end of the lake, right?” He didn’t wait for confirmation. “I’ll be there in half an hour. Have him ready.” He disconnected and looked at Lexie as though wondering who she was.
“My son needs me,” he said abruptly. “I need to go get him, right now.”
Lexie’s concern outweighed her disappointment. “Of course. Is he all right?”