A Haven on the Bay: A Willa Bay Novel

by Nicole Ellis

  “Dad and I were thinking we’d take you out to dinner tonight.” His mom peered up at him. “Is that okay? I still feel weird cooking for a professional chef.”

  They’d had this conversation too many times over the years. He shook his head. “Mom, you have nothing to worry about. I love your cooking.” She didn’t look convinced. He looked at his sisters. “Are you going to be joining us at the restaurant?”

  Cammie shook her head. “Nope. We’re going to meet up with the rest of the girls for Diana’s bachelorette party. I’m going to stop by the house and drop the boys off with Darren first, but they didn’t want to miss out on seeing their Uncle Taylor tonight. I’ll see you tomorrow at the wedding, okay?”

  He nodded.

  Susanna put her hand on his back. “See you later. We need to catch up. I want to hear all about your life up in Seattle.”

  There wasn’t anything exciting to tell her about his life, but she’d never believe that. “Sure. Have fun tonight.”

  Susanna winked at him. “Oh, we will.” She took Andy’s hand and followed Cammie and Jason over to the elevator leading to the parking garage.

  His dad cleared his throat. “Do you have everything?”

  Taylor pushed his massive suitcase out in front of him and grinned. “I can’t imagine what I could have forgotten.”

  They left the airport and stopped at Chang’s, his favorite Chinese restaurant, a few miles away from his parents’ house. When he slid into the booth across from his parents, noting the familiar cracks in the red vinyl seat, nostalgia hit. They’d come here for every one of his birthdays when he was a kid, and his parents brought him here every time he came home to visit. Like always, his mom started grilling him about his life in Willa Bay as soon as they’d ordered their food.

  “How are things going at work?” she asked. She poured herself a cup of jasmine tea and blew on the surface, sending little ripples across the amber liquid.

  The waitress came by to drop off their appetizer, and while she was rearranging their place settings to fit the massive pupu platter she was about to set on the table, Taylor finished off the last drop of tea in his own cup. He refilled it, then put it down to cool. “Things are going well. I still love my job.” A vision of his neat, orderly kitchen at the Lodge came to mind. When he’d originally requested vacation days for Diana’s wedding, Meg had still been his second-in-command. His new sous-chef wasn’t quite up to the task of taking over for a few nights, so although Meg was no longer an employee at the Lodge, the Lodge’s owner, George Camden, had allowed Meg to step in for the long weekend. Meg had been concerned about coming back after her disagreement with George’s daughter, Lara, but she’d reluctantly agreed to fill in for Taylor so he could attend the wedding.

  Taylor frowned. He’d hated to put Meg in such an awkward position, and hoped she hadn’t felt obligated to help him because he’d assisted her with the barn. Unfortunately, he was short on options and they couldn’t close the kitchen on Labor Day weekend. Lara didn’t work on the weekends, so with any luck, everything would go smoothly for Meg.

  “Is everything okay?” His mom set her fork down and peered at him. “You seem troubled.”

  His father stuffed half an egg roll in his mouth and looked at the table, avoiding the conversation. Taylor could count on his hand the number of times he and his father had talked about serious subjects, and he knew he could count on his dad to be there for him when needed, but Taylor also knew the man did not like awkward situations.

  Taylor faced his mom. “No, not at all.” His stomach twisted at the denial. “I’m just a bit worried because I left the restaurant in the hands of my former sous-chef and things were a little weird when she left the Lodge.” He relayed to them the whole tale of the renovations at the Inn at Willa Bay and Meg’s subsequent departure from the Lodge.

  His father raised an eyebrow. “Wow. It seems like a lot has happened since the last time you were here.”

  Taylor paused for a moment. He spoke to his family fairly often. Had he not told them about all of this? He’d known that leaving the Lodge was the right choice for Meg, but it hadn’t been an easy transition for him. He swallowed a wave of uneasiness that had formed in the back of his throat and washed it down with a slug of lukewarm tea.

  “It sounds like you miss having Meg in the kitchen,” his mother said. “You used to talk about her all the time, but you stopped sometime over the summer. I always wondered why, but I didn’t want to pry.”

  He wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so he followed his father’s lead on avoidance tactics, and stuck his fork into a slice of barbecued pork. He dipped the marinated meat into Chinese hot mustard, followed by a generous coating of sesame seeds. Even after years working in some of the best restaurants on the West Coast, he’d yet to find better Chinese food than Chang’s.

  “Taylor?” His mother prompted. “Why didn’t you tell us that Meg had left?” She glanced at his father, who immediately grabbed the other half of his egg roll. She rolled her eyes and turned her focus back on her son.

  Taylor finished chewing the pork, then shrugged. “I don’t know. It must have slipped my mind.” He put his hands flat on the table and pushed himself out of the booth. “I’m going to visit the men’s room before our dinner arrives.”

  His mom looked like she wanted to say something, but a warning glance from his dad stopped her.

  The food had arrived by the time Taylor returned. Steaming platters of cashew chicken, broccoli beef, pork fried rice, and chicken chow mein had been crammed onto the tabletop, interspersed between their place settings and appetizer dishes.

  “This looks great.” Taylor helped himself to as much as he could fit on his plate and started eating.

  The rest of their meal and evening together were uneventful, and, thankfully, his mother didn’t mention Meg again.

  The next morning, Taylor slept in until ten o’clock, and was awakened by the sound of little footsteps pounding down the hallway outside his room like a herd of tiny elephants.

  “Boys,” Cammie said in a mock-whisper that could clearly be heard through the closed guestroom door. “Uncle Taylor is still sleeping.” She said in an even louder voice that held a hint of humor, “I bet he could use a wakeup visit from two little boys though.”

  Not thirty seconds later, Jason and Andy flung open the door. Taylor pretended to be asleep under the covers and readied himself for the onslaught.

  The boys pounced on his still form, and he surprised them by sitting up and trapping them in his arms. “Gotcha.”

  They shrieked, then broke out into a fit of giggles. Their laughter was so infectious that Taylor couldn’t help joining in. He released them after a minute of letting them struggle playfully against his grip, then sent them off to find their mother, took a quick shower, and dressed.

  As soon as he’d finished, he ventured down the hall and found the boys and his parents eating a big pancake breakfast, complete with scrambled eggs, bacon, and strawberries.

  “What happened to Cammie?” he asked as he filled a cup with coffee. He sat down at the table in front of an empty plate.

  “All of the women in the wedding party have appointments at the hair salon this morning,” his mom said. “Cammie drew the short stick and had to take the earliest one. Afterward, she’s going to help get things ready down at the church. Darren is working today, so we’ve got the kids. Well, your father has the kids. I’ve got to head out soon too.” She held out the plate of bacon. “Take as much as you’d like. I made plenty.”

  “Thanks.” He grinned at the kids. “Sounds like you and Grandpa and I are going to have some fun today.”

  They both nodded enthusiastically, and Taylor’s spirits lifted. He didn’t know Diana’s fiancé well, and hadn’t been upset to not be one of the groomsmen, but he’d wondered what he was going to do all day before the wedding began. Spending the day with the boys would be fun and a welcome change from the hectic pace of his job in the Lodge’s kitch
en.

  A few hours with the boys dispelled any notions he had about having a relaxing day. By the time they’d cleaned the maple syrup off the kids, run around in the yard with them for a few hours, scrubbed off mud from playing in a puddle, brokered more than a few peace treaties when fights broke out, and got them down for a nap, Taylor was ready for a nap of his own.

  “It’s not as easy as it looks, huh?” His dad shot him a sympathetic look from his blue leather recliner. “I usually need about a week of rest after they spend a night here.”

  Taylor laughed as he eased his aching muscles into the matching recliner. “I don’t know how Cammie and Darren do it.”

  “Practice.” His dad grinned. “You have to work into it.”

  “Were we this much work?” Taylor leaned back and kicked out the footrest. “I don’t remember ever having that much energy.”

  His dad chortled. “There were four of you, and every one of you were just as energetic as Cammie’s boys. Your mom and I used to collapse into bed every night and wonder how we were going to do it all again the next day.” He smiled, and a far-off look came over his face, as if reliving those days.

  “We were that bad?” Taylor asked.

  His dad sat upright, pushing the footrest in. Suddenly serious, he looked straight at his son. “I wouldn’t change a minute of it.” He ran his hand through his thinning brown hair and cleared his throat.

  Taylor stilled, wondering what his dad was going to say to him. “Dad? Is everything okay with your heart?” His father had experienced some chest pain the year before, but after a full battery of tests, the doctors had proclaimed him fit as a fiddle. Taylor had wanted to come out to see him when it happened, but his father had protested, saying it was unnecessary. His parents told him everything was fine since then, but had that been true?

  His father sighed and Taylor’s own heart seemed to stop. “Dad. What is it?” Usually calm in a crisis, Taylor barely recognized his own voice as the pitch rose with his growing panic.

  “Shh.” His dad cast a furtive glance at the room off the hall where they’d put Jason and Andy down to nap. “If you wake them up, they’ll be crabby tonight and we’ll take the blame.”

  Taylor sighed in exasperation, but spoke at lower level. “Dad. What aren’t you telling me?”

  His dad shook his head and stared at his hands in his lap, then locked eyes with Taylor. “There’s nothing wrong with me. Your mom is worried about you.” He expelled his breath sharply. “I’m worried about you.”

  His father’s admission hit Taylor harder than the bad news he’d steeled himself against.

  “I’m fine. I told you that last night. Everything’s going great at work.”

  “Yes, I know. At work. We know you love your job at the Lodge.” His father stared at the ceiling and then back at him. “But what about outside of work? Do you have friends? People you can talk to? You always had these huge groups of friends when you were growing up. Now you barely talk about anyone in Willa Bay. Your mom and I thought maybe this Meg girl was special to you, but then you stopped talking about her too.”

  “I have friends,” he blurted out.

  “But are you happy there?” His dad stood and paced around the living room, obviously uncomfortable discussing personal matters with his son. “We need to know if you’re happy.”

  “I like living in Willa Bay.” The question rang in his ears though. Was he happy? Last spring, he would have had no problem answering that question with a resounding yes. Now, it wasn’t so easy. He missed having Meg in the kitchen with him every day—missed seeing her. Everything had changed when she’d left, and he’d spent the last couple of months floating along. He’d tried to fight his feelings for her, but he couldn’t shake them—a fact that hadn’t escaped Sam’s attention on their date. If Sam saw it, did everyone else?

  “Did something happen with Meg?” his dad asked.

  “No!” Taylor got up too, pacing the opposite side of the room from his dad. “Nothing happened with her. We’re just friends.”

  His dad stopped. “But you want to be more than friends.”

  Was he really having this conversation with his dad? It wouldn’t have surprised him if his mom had confronted him about Meg, but his dad had never been the touchy-feely type.

  “Maybe,” Taylor admitted. “At one point. But she’s dating someone and seems happy with him. She’s not interested in me.”

  His dad crossed the room and grabbed Taylor’s arms. Taylor looked up at him—a rarity for someone who was over six feet tall—and froze at the gravity on his father’s face. This whole interaction was like something out of the Twilight Zone.

  “If she’s important to you, tell her how you really feel. And if that doesn’t work, move on.” He studied Taylor. “Life is too short to be unhappy. I know your career is important to you, but I want you to know you’re always welcome here if you want to look for another job a little closer to home. We’d all love to have you around more.”

  He pulled Taylor to him, hugging him fiercely. When they parted, Taylor could have sworn there were tears in his father’s eyes.

  “Thanks, Dad.” From down the hall came the sound of a minor squabble and Taylor sighed. “Looks like we’re in trouble.”

  His dad laughed. “Don’t worry. I’ve got a secret weapon.” He walked into the kitchen and returned with a bag of Hershey’s Kisses.

  Taylor raised an eyebrow. “Candy?”

  “If I bribe them enough, they’ll be as good as gold during the ceremony.” He winked at Taylor. “Just don’t tell your mom or Cammie.”

  Taylor laughed, feeling closer to his dad than he had for a long time. “My lips are sealed.”

  Taylor didn’t have much time to dwell on his father’s advice in the next few hours, which flew by as they got the boys a snack, dressed up in their wedding finery, and drove to the church located a few towns away. Waiting for the ceremony to start, however, was a different matter.

  Seeing his family pull together to make Diana’s wedding a success reminded him of how much he’d missed since he’d left town. His nephews were growing up so fast, and soon Diana would probably have children too. He wouldn’t be a part of any of that.

  Was his job at the Lodge worth the sacrifice? He loved having his own kitchen, and loved planning the menu and managing the restaurant. It was everything he’d always aspired to do. If he left, there was no guarantee that he’d ever find anything like it again. And although he hadn’t given his parents a full run-down on his life in Willa Bay, he did have friends. He had a few buddies in Seattle that he saw once in a while, and through working at the Lodge together, he’d become friends with Cassie, Zoe, and Meg.

  Meg. His father’s advice to tell her how he felt wouldn’t work because she was happy with Theo. So, where did that leave him? He couldn’t keep torturing himself by being friends with her while he had feelings for her. Either he had to somehow forget about his attraction to her, or he had to leave town.

  His eyes blurred with tears as he watched Diana walk down the aisle. Her smile was so brilliant that there was no doubt of her love for her husband-to-be, and from the look on the groom’s face, the feeling was mutual. Would he ever get the chance to be that happy in love?

  He swiped at his face with his fingers before his parents, seated next to him, could see him crying. Of course, they would probably be written off as happy tears, but he knew the truth. He smiled as his sister and her new husband walked back down the aisle, hand-in-hand. When they had reached the back of the church, the wedding party followed and everyone else filed out after them.

  Taylor went through the receiving line to congratulate the bride and groom. He gave his sister a hug. “You look beautiful,” he told her. To her husband, he said, “Welcome to the family,” and shook his hand.

  He meant it. Being back home had given him space to think and finalize his decision to leave Willa Bay. Now, he was looking forward to getting to know Diana’s husband and spending more time
with his whole family.

  Later, Susanna joined Taylor for a pre-dinner drink. She sipped her Chardonnay and gazed over at the newlyweds. “They look happy, don’t they? Her wistful tone caught Taylor’s attention.

  He smiled at her. “They do.”

  “Do you think we’ll ever find our perfect matches?” she asked, echoing his thoughts from earlier.

  “Probably not.” He smirked at her, hoping to lighten the mood. “It would take a very special someone to fall in love with you.”

  “Taylor!” She slugged him on the arm. “That’s not very nice.”

  “Okay, okay,” he grumbled, rubbing the spot she’d hit. “I’m sure you’ll find someone soon. I, on the other hand, will have to be content to be the doting uncle.”

  “I’m sure that’s not true.” She frowned at him. “What about that friend of yours you’re always talking about? Meg?”

  “She has a boyfriend. I’m not going to get into the middle of that.”

  “But you do have feelings for her?” She peered at him. “If you do, you should tell her.”

  It was like everyone was conspiring to fix him up with Meg. His phone rang before he could come up with a witty retort. He removed it from his pocket and checked the caller ID. It was the Lodge.

  Why would someone be calling him from the Lodge while he was on vacation? Surely Meg and the rest of the staff could handle any issues that arose.

  He answered. “Hello?”

  “Taylor, this George Camden.” His boss sounded weary. “I’m afraid I have some bad news.”

  He gripped his phone tighter. “What is it?”

  George sighed, his breath coming out in a short puff that echoed over the phone line. “There’s been a fire in the Lodge’s kitchen. The firemen are still working on putting it out.”

  Blood pounded in Taylor’s ears. A fire? They were in the middle of the dinner rush. Meg! His chest constricted. “Is everyone okay?”