by Nicole Ellis
Meg grumbled a little before giving Zoe her phone and returning to stand next to Taylor. “For the record, I hate having my picture taken.”
“Hmm.” Zoe peered at the image and frowned. “Something’s not right.” She stepped back through the open barn doors. “Come out here so you can stand in front of the barn, just like the couple in the painting.”
Meg turned to Taylor and he shrugged. “I’m not telling Zoe no. I once told her it wasn’t practical to serve something at a wedding and she insisted it could be done and would turn out amazing.” He sighed, remembering how stubborn she’d been. “She was right.”
Meg stared up at the rafters high overhead. “Fine.” She stomped out of the barn.
They’d both worked with Zoe at the Lodge long enough to know it was easier to go along with what she wanted than to fight it.
When they were in position, Zoe finally took the picture. She examined the result and her face lit up. “I love it. Make sure you send me a copy, because that’s going up on a wall somewhere once we get this place renovated.” She handed the phone back to Meg.
Meg looked at the photo, then showed it to Taylor, who burst into laughter. “We look like we just tunneled out of a prison.” Their clothes were covered in dust, and stray bits of hay stuck out from where they’d worked their way into his hair. He ran his fingers over his head and brushed the debris away.
“Eh. You look fine.” Zoe gestured to the piles outside of the barn. “Looks like you’re making some good progress.”
Meg nodded. Now that she wasn’t having her picture taken, her mood had improved. “We were hoping you’d take a look at the furnishings today and let us know what we should keep.”
Zoe eyed the piles again. “How did all of this even fit in there?”
“I don’t know, but that’s only half of what we took out. The rest is in the dumpster.” Meg gestured to the giant metal bin to the side of the barn.
“Well, I’ll take a look at it before the end of the day,” Zoe promised. “I actually came by to see if you were interested in having something to eat. Celia and I got out sandwich fixings. She’s leaving soon to go shopping with a woman from church and Shawn and I are going to take a picnic down to the beach, but you’re welcome to grab some lunch.” She glanced at her watch. “I’d better get back. Shawn’s got us on a tight schedule today.”
Taylor smirked. Zoe’s love of schedules and lists was well known, so it was much more likely that the schedule she’d referred to was of her own making. “Thanks. Lunch sounds great.”
“Good. I’ll see you later.” Zoe looked at her watch again and hurried off.
“Are you ready to eat?” Meg asked Taylor.
“I could eat, but I’m not starved.” His stomach grumbled loudly in protest and she gave him a pointed look.
“Okay, okay,” he said sheepishly. He hadn’t wanted to quit until she was ready to do so, but his body had betrayed him. “Maybe I’m hungrier than I thought.”
They removed their work gloves and Meg looped the strap of her bag over her shoulder. As they emerged into full sunlight, Taylor took a few deep breaths, letting the salt-scented air clear the dust out of his lungs. Although he was no stranger to exercise, the muscles in his arms and legs were sending off signals that they’d be aching the next day.
“So, what do you think of the barn now?” Meg asked as they walked toward the Inn.
“I think we’re making progress and it’ll be a great space when we’re done.” He hesitated. “But there’s a lot more to do.”
“No kidding. I think it’ll help once Shawn gets the tractor out. That thing takes up a ton of room.” She sounded much more optimistic now than she had that morning.
She led him to a door at the back of the Inn. They used a boot scraper to clean off their dirty shoes, then entered the mud room, which led to the main part of the house.
“Wow, this place is huge.” Taylor looked curiously at all of the closed doors lining the long hallway.
She laughed. “Well, it was built to be an inn, so I’d hope so. I can’t imagine living here all by myself like Celia did for so many years. It seems much too big for just one person.”
“Tell me about it,” an elderly woman’s voice carried down the hall from the kitchen.
Meg shot him a guilty look and whispered, “I didn’t know she was still here.”
They walked another ten feet, stopping when they reached a large kitchen decorated in various shades of blue that mimicked the waters of Willa Bay. It wouldn’t have been Taylor’s first choice of color, but it suited the surroundings.
Celia stood next to the sink with a cup of coffee in her hand. “Good afternoon. How is the barn cleanout going?”
“It’s going well,” Meg said. “Sorry about my comment about the Inn being too big for you. I didn’t realize you were still here. Zoe said you went shopping.”
Celia beamed at them. “Carla had to make a phone call first, but she’ll be here soon. And you’re totally right—I used to rattle around this place when I lived in it by myself. It’s so nice to have Shawn and Zoe here all the time now.” Her smile grew even wider. “And I’m really looking forward to having guests once the rooms are completed.”
Taylor nodded, his gaze straying in the direction of the entry hall with its small check-in desk. “When will the first guests arrive?”
“The grand opening is in a few weeks, at the end of the month.” Celia got plates out of the cupboard for them. “It’s going to be wonderful to see the Inn so full of life again.” Her face held a dreamy expression as she handed one to each of them, then gestured to the table. “Have as much as you’d like. We went a little overboard.”
Zoe had told them that she and Celia had set out some sandwich fixings, but “some” was a gross understatement. Sliced tomatoes, huge leaves of bright-green romaine lettuce, rings of onions, and an assortment of deli meats and cheeses covered most of the table. A smaller platter held apple slices and baby carrots.
Taylor’s eyes widened. “Okay, now I’m hungry.”
His sandwich ended up being about six inches high, whereas hers was a more modest size. He’d built up quite an appetite after working all morning in the barn. They took their sandwiches, chips, fruit, veggies, and cans of soda out to the picnic table perched a safe distance back from the cliffside. Taylor imagined it would eventually be difficult to get a seat at one of the picnic tables, once the Inn started accommodating overnight guests. For now, though, the amenities were wonderfully uncrowded.
They sat side-by-side on the bench, facing the water. Zoe and Shawn were distant figures as they walked down the beach together.
“This is nice.” Taylor took a deep breath and gazed out at the bay. “Back home, the sand is crammed with beachgoers and all of their gear. It’s nice to have room to spread out here and actually enjoy being near the water.” He took a deep breath of the salty air, which was simultaneously familiar and different from what he was accustomed to.
Meg finished a bite of her sandwich and set it down on her plate. “You’re from Southern California, right?”
He nodded. “Yep. A suburb of San Diego.” He popped the tab on his Coke and took a long swig of it.
“How’d you end up in Willa Bay?” she asked. “It’s not exactly a booming metropolis.”
He laughed. “Nope, that it’s not. Actually, a friend of mine lives in Seattle and I came up to visit him. The restaurant I’d been working at had just closed down, so I was between jobs.” He shrugged. “I heard about an opening at the Lodge, and when I interviewed for it, George hired me on the spot.” He took a big bite of his sandwich, relishing how the bread, vegetables, deli meats, and cheeses came together to form something so simple, yet unbelievably delicious.
“Do you like it here?”
He swallowed, then looked at her. “Most of the time. I miss my family, and the surfing in Washington isn’t great, but there are plenty of places to climb and I’ve gotten into hiking. The Northwest is pr
etty cool.”
They sat in companionable silence while they ate their sandwiches. When she was finished, Meg carefully wiped off her hands and dug around in her bag.
She removed the journal and set it on the picnic table, opening it to the first page. Taylor looked on intently as he finished his food.
This journal belongs to Davina Carlsen, read an inscription on the first page.
“Davina Carlsen?” he said. “Do you think she was a guest at the resort?”
“I don’t know,” Meg said softly. She turned a few more pages, but the glare from the sun made it difficult to read the handwriting. The pages were sketchbook-style, devoid of any lines or guides for writing. Davina had made full use of the blank pages, decorating them with small sketches.
Meg tugged on Taylor’s arm and pointed at the page. “Look at this.”
He popped the last bit of carrot into his mouth, chewed, then wiped his hands on his pants before leaning in closer. “What is it?”
“She put recipes in her journal. It’s too bright to see well, but she seems to have written about her life and must have been into cooking.”
They both stared at the recipe, trying to make out the words.
“Golden Chicken?” Taylor read the recipe title out loud. “I’ve never heard of it.”
She shrugged. “Must have been a specialty from those days.” She scanned the top of the page for a date. “Looks like she wrote this during the 1920s.”
“Can I see it?” he asked. “I love old recipes.”
She passed him the book, taking care to not scrape the old leather on the picnic table. As he took it, his skin grazed hers, sending tingles through his fingertips and up into his arm. His gaze shot up and he momentarily took his eyes off the journal. The old leather hit the table. He fumbled to catch it, tearing a page in the process. She cringed as though she’d been physically injured.
He held the book in his hands, staring at in horror. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. It just slipped out of my hands.”
“It’s okay.” She smiled at him. “It’s not a big deal.”
He ran his finger over the ripped paper. “I think I can tape this, if you’d like. I’m really sorry.” Judging by the reverence she’d shown while handling the journal, it was obviously important to her. She’d only had it for a few hours and he’d already managed to ruin it.
She laid her hand on the rough table, a few inches away from his and looked him in the eyes. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll tape it when I get home. It’s an old journal. I’m sure it’s seen its share of war injuries. Besides, if it hadn’t been for you helping me with the chest of drawers, it probably would have ended up in the dump.”
A glimmer of a smile slid over his lips. He stood and gathered up their plates and empty cans of soda. “Maybe we should get back to work in the barn. Who knows how many more journals are lost in that mess?”
She laughed. “Maybe we’ll find a whole set of them.”
They didn’t find any more journals, but they did sort through a previously untouched corner of the barn. It felt like they were making progress. Zoe came by to help Meg make decisions about which furniture to throw out and which was good enough to move back into the barn until they could work on it. Moving things back in felt like they were going the wrong direction, but it still looked better than it had that morning.
“Thanks, Taylor.” Meg took her work gloves off and wiped her hand over her brow. “I really appreciate your help. I think we’re getting somewhere now.”
“No problem.” Taylor took his own gloves off and handed them to her.
“You know, you should really be out having fun on your days off, not helping me.” Her back was turned to him as she put both pairs of dirty gloves into a plastic sack and then tossed them into her bag.
He raised an eyebrow. “Fun like what?” There weren’t exactly a lot of things to do or people to hang out with on Monday and Tuesday, his customary days off from his job at the Lodge. When he took vacation time, he usually went home to see his family in California.
She picked up her bag and, rubbing the worn leather strap between her thumb and forefinger, turned to face him. “I don’t know. Like spend time with friends? You said you like hiking and climbing. Maybe go out on a date with a nice girl.”
He cocked his head to the side. “And just where am I supposed to meet this ‘nice’ girl? We don’t get a lot of singles frequenting the Lodge, except for weddings, and there’s no way I’m going to ask out a wedding guest. The single women at weddings can be a little crazy sometimes.” He wasn’t sure why he was even talking about this with Meg. They didn’t usually discuss his love life, or lack thereof, although she’d sometimes relayed information about her dates with Theo.
Blood pounded lightly in his ears. He wished she wouldn’t tell him about Theo. That guy didn’t seem right for Meg, although she seemed to like him a lot.
They walked out of the barn and she slid the door closed. While they were making their way back to the Inn, she snapped her fingers. “Hey, what about my sister, Samantha? You guys would be great together.”
He gritted his teeth. He’d thought she was done with this, but he should have known better.
“Sam loves to do outdoor stuff and she doesn’t have a normal schedule, at least for the next week. You should totally ask her out.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her look up at him, but he pretended not to see. “I really think you should get out more.”
He sighed. She was like a dog with a bone. “I don’t know. I don’t have time for dating.” His last relationship, with a woman he’d met through his friend in Seattle, had fizzled out over a year ago. They’d both been wrapped up in their careers and hadn’t made enough of an effort to see each other. Eventually, it had just been easier to let their relationship go.
She grinned. “No problem. Sam just got out of a long-term relationship and isn’t looking for anything serious either. I think you should ask her out. Honestly, you’d be doing us all a favor. She seems a little lost after her breakup. She could use some fun, especially with a nice guy like you.”
A nice guy. He knew she’d meant it in a good way, but the words still stung. Was that all she thought of him? He quickened his pace. The faster they got to the Inn’s parking lot, the faster he could escape this conversation and drive home in peace.
She jogged to keep up with him. “Why are you so against having a little fun? Are you scared?”
He stopped and ran his hand over the top of his head, picking out a stray piece of hay. “No, I’m not scared.” The hay floated to the ground as Meg bounced impatiently, waiting for him to complete his thoughts.
When he didn’t continue, she said, “Look, I’m not trying to be annoying, but working in a restaurant is a high-pressure job. You need to have an outlet to blow off a little steam. That’s the only reason I mention it. You should do something outside of work.” She put her hand on his arm and he gritted his teeth to keep from thinking about it. “I didn’t realize until I started dating Theo how focused I was on work. It’s been good for me to get out of my comfort zone.”
Is that what her relationship with Theo was? A way to get out of her comfort zone? Were Meg and Theo not as serious as he’d thought? His eyes glazed over as he replayed everything she’d ever told him about her boyfriend.
“Hey. Are you okay?”
He shook his head to clear it. Meg’s relationship with Theo wasn’t any of his business.
“Yeah, I’m good. Talking about work reminded me that I need to submit our meat order for next week.”
She shot him a funny look, but didn’t question him. “See, I told you that you need to have some outside interests. On your day off, you shouldn’t be thinking about a meat order that’s a week away.”
He nodded. “You’re right.” He shouldn’t be analyzing his friend’s relationship either. “Check with your sister and find out if she’d be interested in going out with me. Maybe I do need a distraction outside
of work, and it sounds like she could use some casual fun too.”
She nodded vigorously, the exertion flushing her cheeks so prettily that he couldn’t take his eyes off of her. “I’ll talk to her.” She gave him a quick hug that he didn’t see coming. “I think the two of you are really going to hit it off.”
He started walking again, trying to forget the feeling of her body pressed up against his. “I hope so.” His heart was obviously confused by their friendship, and meeting someone new could be the recipe for change that he needed so badly.
10
Meg
Make a roux with flour and butter, then add milk and chicken broth, Meg copied the instructions from the journal onto a 3x5-inch index card. She squinted to make out the rest of the recipe. Stir constantly until thickened. Golden Chicken seemed like a fairly simple recipe, but it wasn’t something she’d ever made before.
She, Zoe, Shawn, and Celia had decided months ago that they’d have a 1920s theme for the Inn’s grand opening, and she’d decided to prepare some of the recipes from the journal. It seemed like fate that she and Taylor had discovered the journal and its recipes just in time for the big event. Maybe the dishes she’d chosen to cook wouldn’t go over well with modern-day diners, but the vintage recipes would add a dash of flair and authenticity to the party. Besides, cooking the unfamiliar dishes took her mind off of the situation with the barn and gave her an opportunity to contribute something of her own to the grand opening.
Since she couldn’t cook in her own restaurant yet, her mom’s catering kitchen was the next best thing. Her mom and sisters would be in sometime after noon to start preparations for the rest of the food for the grand opening. Most of the food Willa Bay Provisions would be serving would be from their regular menu, but they’d also be offering the Golden Chicken, Baked Rice Milanaise, and an icebox cake—all recipes from the journal. Meg had asked Taylor if he was interested in helping her out before his shift at the Lodge, but he’d hemmed and hawed, and she wasn’t sure if he’d show up or not. He’d seemed interested in the journal too, so she’d been surprised at his reluctance to try out the recipes in person.