by Aurora Rey
Lauren frowned but nodded. “That would be nice. Thanks.”
Cam stood. “Come on, Tilly. Let’s go home.”
The dog stood and wagged her tail. Poor thing. Hopefully, she’d take to Lauren. And vice versa.
* * *
Lauren studied Cam out of the corner of her eye, trying not to be obvious about it. Even after learning Cam was related to Jane and Kitty, seeing her at the vet’s office caught her by surprise. The flash of attraction hadn’t been a surprise, but it threw her nonetheless. Everything about this experience seemed to be throwing her off. Being off balance was a foreign feeling for her and not in a good way.
She just needed to shake it off and take charge. Once she had her bearings, she could start making decisions and making things happen. Whether that involved Cam or not shouldn’t be at the forefront of her mind. She’d worked through distractions before. This time would be no different.
Since Cam hadn’t uttered a word since they’d started walking, she decided to venture conversation. “So, did you grow up here?”
Cam glanced at her, then down at Tilly, who loped happily between them. “I did.”
“What is your favorite thing about living here now, as an adult?”
The look on Cam’s face told Lauren it was the last question in the world she expected. “The people, I’d say. It’s a small community, close-knit. People take care of each other.”
“I’ve never lived anywhere like that.” The words were out of Lauren’s mouth before she realized it. She was supposed to be getting personal details, not giving them.
“Have you always been in New York City, then?”
Lauren figured she already knew the answer, but decided to ask anyway. “How do you know I’m from New York?”
Cam gave her a knowing smile. “Surely you’re not surprised to be the topic of conversation.”
Lauren chuckled, not as bothered by the idea as she might have expected. “I suppose not. And yes, I have always lived in the city.”
“You’re in for quite the culture shock, I’d say.”
“I venture out to the country now and then.” She thought about the place in the Catskills that had given her ideas about revamping the inn. It was in the middle of nowhere. Not her speed for any length of time, but it had been rather charming.
“Right.” She nodded and looked unimpressed. Why did Cam seem to have such indifference for her already?
They walked in silence for a bit. Lauren weighed her options. She could steer clear of Cam moving forward, focus her attention on people who seemed likely to be her allies. People like Charlotte and Mrs. Lucas. Or she could try to win Cam over. Having Cam and her distillery in her corner could be quite advantageous. And she did love a challenge. She smiled, her mind made up. “So, what about the Rose & Crown? Are you a regular patron?”
Cam looked at her sideways, like it might be a test. “Three or four times a week I’d say, for lunch or a pint.”
Interesting. “Would you say it’s busy a lot of the time?”
“There are regulars, the odd person passing through town. I’m not sure I’d use the word busy.”
That’s what she was afraid of. “Is it that there are better places in town or that no one comes to town?”
“Some people visit.” Cam scowled.
Lauren wondered if she’d hit a nerve. Before she had a chance to ask about it, they rounded the corner near the pub. Tilly, as if sensing how close she was to home, took off. Well, took off might be a bit of an overstatement. She trotted ahead, tail wagging. Maybe having a dog wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all.
Arriving back at the Rose & Crown saved her from having to continue the conversation with Cam. Apparently, winning her over and pumping her for information were going to be mutually exclusive. Lauren opened the door, and Tilly walked in like she owned the place. Kind of endearing, really.
One couple sat at a table, having what appeared to be breakfast. Charlotte stood behind the bar, arranging glasses. Not the most inspiring scene to walk into, even if it was only eleven in the morning. Charlotte looked her way and smiled, then her gaze landed on the dog.
“Tilly.”
The reunion that followed warmed Lauren’s heart, even if she didn’t consider herself a dog person. Tilly’s tail went into overdrive. Charlotte came from behind the bar and leaned over, rubbing Tilly’s face and ears with both hands. Tilly flopped onto her back and Charlotte got down on her knees to rub her exposed belly.
“I think she missed home,” Cam said.
Lauren chuckled. “It looks like it.”
“You’re going to keep her, right? She belongs here.”
Lauren thought about her long-term plans, the plans that included selling the pub and going back to New York. Other than her initial conversation with Mr. Brightwater, she’d not disclosed the idea of selling to anyone. Now that she was here, she realized she should keep it that way. It would be enough of an undertaking to overhaul things. If people thought she was in it for nothing more than a quick buck, she’d only make things harder. She looked over at Cam and smiled, keeping her answer specific to the dog. “Yes, she definitely belongs here.”
Cam left and Tilly settled into her bed near the fireplace. Even without a fire, she seemed perfectly at home, which technically, she was. Lauren contemplated going to the office to do some planning, or tracking down Mrs. Lucas to go over the books, but neither task appealed to her. She wasn’t opposed to the unpleasant or the mundane, but there were plenty of ways to be productive.
Charlotte offered to make coffee for her and she gladly accepted. She set herself up at the bar with the paperwork Jane had given her related to the estate and started reading through everything. The stake in the sheep farm was interesting. She’d have to investigate that further. And find the keys to the car.
“Can I get you some breakfast? Toast?” Charlotte set down a cup of coffee and looked at her expectantly.
“No, thank you. This is great.”
“Cream? Sugar?”
“No, thanks. I take it black.” Lauren smiled and took a sip. It was all she could do not to spit it out.
“Is it bad?”
Well, it wasn’t good. Not terrible, necessarily, but definitely instant. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had instant coffee. “It’s fine.”
“A rotten liar, you are.”
Despite the judgment behind the statement, Lauren couldn’t help but smile. “Not what I’m used to. I’ll get some to brew when I go out. There’s a market, right?”
Charlotte nodded. “A Tesco. Small, but it has the essentials.”
“Perfect.” Lauren took another sip. Now that she knew what to expect, it wasn’t quite as jarring. She turned her attention back to Charlotte. “You seem like a smart woman.”
Charlotte narrowed her eyes. “Should I say thank you or is there a however coming?”
Lauren smiled. “Neither. I’m merely making an observation. One I hope will serve us both well.”
“How’s that?” She didn’t seem suspicious, but reserved. Lauren respected that.
“From what I can tell, people aren’t beating down the door to drink here. Or eat. Or spend the night.”
Charlotte tipped her head back and forth. “You’re spot-on there.”
“I’ve done an initial review of the books, and it looks like the place is barely staying afloat. The inn is in even worse shape than the pub.”
“It’s through no fault of Mrs. Lucas. The guests that do come are happy.”
Lauren appreciated the loyalty, in principle but also because it matched her initial impressions of the inn and Mrs. Lucas. “That’s good to know. Do you know if Albert did any advertising or other promotion of the place? I did find the website.”
Charlotte let out a snort of laughter. Then she covered her mouth with her hand and looked horrified. “Sorry.”
Lauren lifted both her hands. “Don’t be. It’s terrible. It actually makes me feel better that we agree.
We can work with that.”
“What do you mean?”
No need to elaborate on the exact whys, or why she wasn’t in a huge hurry to get back to her life in New York. “I happen to work in marketing. And I’m invested in making this place work. For that to happen, I think we’re going to have to make a few changes. I think you’re the perfect person to help me implement them.”
“You do?” Charlotte blinked a few times and then something passed through her eyes. “I mean, you’re right. About the changes. And me being the one to help you.”
Charlotte didn’t strike her as an insecure person, but maybe she’d been wrong. Or maybe she’d not been entrusted with any of the business side of running things. Either way, Lauren intended that to be one of the things that changed. “So, you’re on board?”
Charlotte beamed. “Completely on board. I think we could update the look of things, and maybe the food. I don’t have much to do with the inn, but I could help there, too. I don’t mind hard work.”
The level of enthusiasm made Lauren smile. “Excellent.”
“You know who you should get to help?”
Please let there be a sexy butch contractor in town she could hire. “Who’s that?”
“Cam.”
At the mention of Cam’s name, Lauren’s stomach did a flip. She hoped it didn’t show on her face. “Cam?”
Charlotte nodded. “She’s a bloody genius when it comes to making drinks. She could probably do the whole cocktail menu.”
“Really?” Oh, this was very interesting. Assuming, of course, Cam would agree to help her.
“Oh, my God.” Charlotte’s face lit up.
“What?”
“You could help Cam with Carriage House.”
“What’s Carriage House?”
“It’s her new line of gin. She’s been hemming and hawing about how to increase sales. You mentioned you’re in marketing, right? You could totally help each other.”
Right, right. She’d had Carriage House in her G&T last night. The idea of having something to barter made Lauren’s mind hum. The fact that it was something she was really good at? Icing on the cake. Since she and Charlotte didn’t know each other well enough for her to do a happy dance, she tapped her finger on the bar and nodded. “Interesting. You think that’s something she’d be interested in?”
“She ought to be. This would be perfect.”
A thought crossed Lauren’s mind. “You and Cam. Are you?” She hesitated. Knowing was more important than not coming across as nosy, but she wasn’t sure how explicit or direct she should be.
Understanding flashed in Charlotte’s eyes. She shook her head. “We used to be. Ages ago.”
“Ah.” The relief was maybe more pronounced than professional curiosity warranted. “So you’re…” She trailed off again, feeling like it was none of her business but like she still wanted to know.
“Mates. Very close, but no funny business.”
Lauren laughed out loud at the description. “Okay. For what it’s worth, your private life is none of my business. Unless, of course, it overlaps with business.”
“Oh, no, no. I understand completely. Work and play do not mix. It’s one of my rules.”
Lauren had a flash of Philip. Not that she’d have wanted to play with him under any circumstances. But his inability to follow that basic principle had seriously fucked her over. She shook her head. Asshole.
“Did I overstep?” Charlotte made a face. “Cam always tells me I don’t have a filter.”
Lauren schooled her expression. She’d need to be careful how much she let her mind wander. “Not at all. I was thinking about something else. I think that’s an excellent rule, one I share.”
“Oh, good. If you want, I could talk to Cam for you.”
Hmm. She was accustomed to handling her own negotiations. But if Cam and Charlotte were as close as Charlotte implied, she might have better luck swaying her. She also didn’t want to lead with the idea that Cam needed help. “Maybe you could break the ice, see if she’d be interested.”
Charlotte grinned. “I’ll convince her she’d be crazy not to be.”
Whether it was the prospect of working with Cam or being included more generally, Lauren couldn’t be sure, but Charlotte’s enthusiasm radiated from her. Either way, she was glad to have Charlotte in her corner. “I think you and I are going to work well together.”
Chapter Six
If she hadn’t promised to meet Jane for lunch, Cam might have skipped the Rose & Crown altogether. Not that she planned to let the new owner drive her away. But something about her put Cam on edge. She couldn’t put her finger on the why, but it made her restless and she didn’t like it.
Besides, she was curious about what the new owner had in mind. Would she be looking to make changes or leave things as they were? Did she plan to run it herself or put someone in charge and be gone in a week? For Charlotte’s sake, Cam hoped it was the latter. She’d been taking on more and more responsibility as Albert slowed down, with the ultimate goal of buying the place from him. Cam knew she didn’t have the capital yet to make that happen, but she might in the next few years. At least enough for a down payment.
If this Lauren woman was looking to shake things up, or worse, shutter the place, Charlotte would never get that chance. Imagining the pub empty and abandoned put a knot in Cam’s stomach. So many pubs had suffered that fate, unable to compete with chain restaurants or adjust to the ever-shrinking, not to mention aging, populations in the villages. She was pretty sure Albert kept things going out of sheer will, combined perhaps with a relaxed outlook on profit margins.
But as sad as it was when any pub closed, or was taken over by developers catering to anyone but the locals, the idea of it happening to the Rose broke her heart. She’d practically grown up in the pub, not to mention the fact that her parents had courted there and her grandparents before them. Hopefully, that wouldn’t be the case. She shook her head, shaking off the malaise that came with the direction of her thoughts, and left her office.
When she arrived at the Rose & Crown, she found Charlotte, Jane, and Lauren huddled around a laptop, seemingly all talking at once. The unease returned, although it was hard to know whether it had to do with the fate of the pub or how much the scene reminded her of school, when groups of girls traveled in packs, leaving her invariably on the outside. There was also the problematic way her body seemed to react to Lauren. She’d managed to convince herself the attraction was a fluke, some combination of novelty and beauty that would only sucker punch her that one time.
She almost backed out the way she’d come in, thinking to send Jane a text of apology and hightail it back to work. But Tilly, who’d lifted her head at the sound of the door, hefted herself from her bed to come over and say hello. Charlotte chose that exact moment to look up and her fate was sealed. “Good afternoon, Cam,” she said, her voice annoyingly cheerful.
Both Lauren and Jane looked her way, although she only really saw Lauren. Nope, not a one-time fluke. Cam clenched and unclenched her fists by her sides, failing at distracting herself from the visceral reaction. Jane waved and said, “Hello.”
Cam bent down to give Tilly some belly rubs. “Ladies.”
She still couldn’t tear her eyes from Lauren, who shifted on her stool and offered Cam a slow smile. “Hi there.”
It was the kind of smile that seemed to hold secrets, but also a trace of challenge. Did she give everyone that sort of smile or was it special for Cam? Did Cam want to know? No. No, she did not. She gestured to the computer. “What’s so interesting?”
“You.”
Charlotte’s voice had a teasing edge that normally wouldn’t bother her. In this context though, Cam’s suspicion bloomed. “Dare I ask?”
Jane smiled with her usual sincerity. “Lauren is looking to bring the Rose & Crown into the twenty-first century, and Charlotte said you’d be perfect for helping with the food and drink menus.”
Charlotte nodded. “And the up
dates to the inn. Since you oversaw the tasting room remodel, you know all the local people who do that sort of work.”
“Including Dad, of course,” Jane said.
Both Charlotte and Jane seemed thoroughly pleased with themselves. Cam looked at Lauren. She didn’t seem pleased, exactly. Maybe hopeful. But also flirtatious. Cam had yet to glean whether it really was flirtation or just her demeanor. Either way, Cam’s brain and body responded—a frustrating mix of defensiveness and desire that left her stomach in knots and her thoughts hazy.
“I—” She fumbled for an excuse. As if bored with the whole thing, Tilly retreated to her bed and curled herself into a ball.
“From what I hear, you’re a genius when it comes to cocktails,” Lauren tipped her head slightly and winked, “among other things.”
Bloody hell, how much had they been talking about her? Way more than she was comfortable with, that’s for sure. What was she supposed to do with that? “Genius seems a bit much.”
“And humble. I like it.” Lauren nodded and made a point of keeping her tone playful. Hopefully, her eyes didn’t give away where her mind was because it was way beyond playful. In her mind, she was naked and under Cam, with Cam’s hands roaming over her. Not to mention her lips. God, why couldn’t she stop herself from going there every time Cam was within twenty feet of her?
Cam shrugged. “I mean, I do know how to mix spirits, but the other things might be a stretch.”
“I think you’re being modest,” Jane said.
Charlotte folded her arms and nodded. “Totally modest.”
Charlotte’s delivery had more sarcasm that Jane’s, but it probably had more to do with her friendship with Cam than the sentiments being expressed. At least Lauren hoped that was the case. “And I wouldn’t be taking your help for nothing. I understand you’re trying to launch a new brand of gin.”
“Technically, it’s already launched.”
Lauren cringed on the inside, but her smile didn’t waver. “Yes. Carriage House. Charlotte made me a G&T with it my first night here. It’s quite good. More than good, actually.”