The Queensbay Series: Books 1-4: The Queensbay Box Set

by Drea Stein

  “Lots of people can make good cookies,” Darby said. She took her hands back and scrubbed them over her face.

  “True, but not all of them want to serve them to the world. Look, if you want to do something different, then you should. It’s your life. You can’t be happy fitting into other people’s idea of who you are,” he said, knowing his voice was tinged with bitterness.

  Darby cocked her head, searching his face, as if trying to find something.

  “You’re right,” Darby said slowly.

  “Sometimes you have to take a chance. Take a leap,” he said. He knew they weren’t talking about cookies anymore or The Dory.

  “A leap,” she breathed, and he could feel the way her pulse skittered under her skin.

  Somewhere, not too far away, there was the sound of the twinkling bell telling them that someone was coming through the door. Darby shot up, smoothed her apron, and then looked down at him.

  “Right.” Darby stood up, smiled, and said, “What can I get you?”

  He almost answered “you,” but realized that she would just brush him off. “Well, how about some coffee and one of those scones?”

  “To go?” Darby asked.

  “I guess.” He waited a beat before adding, “I have an idea, something I would like to test out.”

  She watched him, an expectant look on her face.

  He moved closer and half expected her to rear back from him, but she didn’t; she stayed still and watched him.

  “I was thinking that you’re a nice girl and that since I’m a guy’s who trying to be better, that I should just walk away.”

  “Away?” She breathed.

  “But then I couldn’t stop thinking about you.” All night, he almost added and then stopped himself.

  “And what were you thinking?” She asked.

  Sean swallowed, “That I would like to do just this.” And then he leaned in and kissed her. Actually he meant to just let his lips brush hers, to see if the heat, the incredible electricity he had felt yesterday had been for real, or just a product of his imagination.

  But once his lips touched hers, they connected and she met him fully. Before he knew it, his arms went around her shoulders and pulled her close to him. He was dimly aware that there were people watching but somehow he didn’t quite care.

  He was the one who broke it off first and took a step back. Darby stood looking at him, her eyes unreadable.

  “I guess you’re really not sorry.”

  She shook her head, giving him a slow, sexy smile that was laced with heat. “I know I should be, but I can’t quite stop thinking about you either.”

  “Well then, Darby Reese, I guess I’ll be seeing you around,” he said. He smiled and turned, nodded at the couple of teenagers who were staring at him, trying not to laugh, and walked away, knowing that he had left her looking after him. He had passed the test. Yes, he found Darby Reese incredibly attractive, but he would, and could, take things slowly. And he was going to enjoy every moment of it.

  Chapter 14

  “Was that your stud muffin I saw leaving?” Caitlyn Montgomery was suddenly in front of her, having just finished watching the retreating back of Sean Callahan as he left The Dory.

  “Caitlyn, down girl,” Darby answered, automatically. She was still trying to process things. One that her father might be selling The Dory, and two, that she had just let Sean Callahan kiss her again.

  “So, that’s the infamous Sean Callahan?” Caitlyn turned and smirked at Darby. “You’re right, probably not my type. But I could so see how he might be yours.”

  “Please.” Darby rolled her eyes, hoping that would throw Caitlyn off the scent.

  Caitlyn stepped up to the glass display case. “Scones, brownies, muffins . . . my, you’ve been pretty busy here. Whole town’s eagerly waiting for your next yummy treat.”

  “Thanks,” Darby said, waiting patiently while Caitlyn took her time making her selection.

  “I met Quent while I was walking here.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Darby perked up, glad that Caitlyn wasn’t asking more about Sean.

  “He seemed quite pleased with himself,” Caitlyn said, eyeing the brownies. “I’ll just take a box of those for the office.”

  “Isn’t he always?” Darby said as she put the brownies in the box. “He told me my dad was going to sell The Dory to him. That it was almost a done deal.”

  “Does that matter to you?” Caitlyn asked carefully. “I mean, it’s not like you’ve quit your perfectly good job as a lawyer so that your dad will feel sorry for you and let you work at The Dory so you can bake chocolate-caramel brownies for the good people of Queensbay . . . . Oh, wait, that’s it exactly. I can see how selling it to Quent would put a dent in those big plans of yours.”

  “Shh,” Darby said, throwing a glance over her shoulder. For all she knew, Kelly the waitress, or one of the other customers, was listening. News traveled fast in Queensbay and could quickly make its way across the Atlantic to her dad in Italy.

  “Ahh, well now, the stakes have been upped. There’s a new variable in the mix. I think this calls for a strategic planning session, and food. My house, dinner. We can cook.”

  “We?” Darby asked doubtfully.

  “Okay, I’ll supply the wine, you supply dinner, and I’ll help.”

  Darby raised one eyebrow.

  Fine,” Caitlyn amended. “I’ll watch and drink, you cook. Deal?”

  “Much safer that way,” Darby concurred, handing Caitlyn the box of brownies and an iced coffee.

  “I am so excited. I feel like I’m back in high school again, planning on how to get a boy to ask me out. See you tonight.”

  Darby shook her head as Caitlyn waved and clacked her way out of there in a pair of shoes that probably cost more than what most people made in a month.

  Chapter 15

  “The review in the newspaper got picked up by one of the area’s websites. Reservations have been steadily ticking up. We even had to turn some people away the other weekend.” Sean slapped the printout down on the coffee table.

  Chase reached for it, glanced at it, and grinned. “Well, just like I thought they would.”

  Sean and Chase were having their weekly partner meeting over a cold beer and a pizza in Chase’s private quarters above the Osprey Arms. Sean was happy that Chase was pleased. Chase had given him a second chance and had given Sean free rein to create his own vision of what the restaurant should be. Sean was glad that he was also able to bring in the profits.

  “Thanks for your vote of confidence, but really, this place had nowhere to go but up.”

  Chase laughed. “You’d be surprised. Some of the old timers have told me that they miss the baskets of fried shrimp.”

  “And what do you tell them?”

  “I tell them to check out your chipotle shrimp cocktail instead.”

  Sean laughed, feeling comfortable with Chase. Chase wasn’t his boss but his partner, and they both had skin in the game. It was a good feeling and Sean was really enjoying the chance to run the restaurant his way.

  “Well thanks again, I mean for everything,” Sean said. He’d never truly said it before, well, because he was a guy and it was hard for him to say stuff like that.

  “Think nothing of it. Listen, I made you an open offer and if it took a while before you had the sense to realize what a great thing you were passing up, well then I guess you were just slower in the brains department than I thought.”

  Sean decided that he wanted to be serious. “No man, I mean, even after that thing went down with Will Green and my bosses, I just can’t believe you had my back.”

  Chase waved a hand, “Listen, I thought the way they dropped you without giving you a chance to explain wasn’t right.”

  “Probably because I couldn’t explain away hitting a guy.” Sean caught himself flexing his fist, then stopped himself. “I thought those days were behind me.”

  “Well, we all make mistakes. Deserve a second chance. Lord knows
, I have needed a few of them myself.”

  Sean looked at Chase. They were about the same age, just over thirty, but Chase had sailed the world, racing sailboats for prize money. He had been smart with his winnings, invested well, and had returned to Queensbay to run the family business when his dad got sick. In just a few short years he had taken a small marine hardware shop and turned it into an upscale mail order company. Then he’d gone on to invest heavily in Queensbay real estate, like the Osprey Arms.

  “You’ll have to tell me,” Sean said.

  Chase laughed. “Over something a little stronger than beer. Let’s just say if you haven’t had a misunderstanding with the authorities of Monaco, you’re probably ahead of me.”

  Sean grinned. “I guess a couple of ball-busting lawyers would have seemed minor league to you.”

  “All depends on the lawyer. For instance, if you sent over Darby Reese, I just might count myself lucky that I needed some defending.” There was a gleam in Chase’s eye that Sean recognized as interest.

  Sean swallowed. Sometimes it was easy to forget that Queensbay was a small town, just like the one he’d grown up in, where it was only a matter of time before everyone knew your business.

  “So I take it you know her?”

  Chase nodded. “Sure. In case you haven’t figured it out, it’s not a big town. We went to school together. She was a couple of years younger, but even so, out of my league. And not about to waste any time with boys like me. I was bit of a wild child. But she was the class president, member of the debate club, captain of the field hockey team. Classic overachiever. And hot too, in a quiet kind of way. But man, when she made cookies for the bake sale, well let’s just say there might have been a few fights over who got the last of them.”

  “But you two never, you know . . . ?” Sean wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer to the question.

  “Dated?” Chase laughed. “Like I said, she was younger and out of my league. I was kind of the guy with a reputation. Reg, her dad, would have kicked my ass if I’d shown an interest in his Darby. He’s kind of a big guy. You know, sort of like Bluto from Popeye. Kept a close eye on her.”

  “Are you trying to tell me to stay away?” Sean didn’t like to be told what to do, but he also knew that in high school he’d been the guy slouched in the back of class, marking time until he could be released out into the real world. In high school, and until lately, the Darbys of the world wouldn’t have given him a second glance.

  “Nah,” Chase said easily. “It’s just that Darby’s always been a bit choosy about who she’s gone out with. Always seemed like she was destined for bigger and better things than the rest of us, and last I heard, it seemed like she was well on her way to making them all come true.”

  Sean tried to make his features look blank. He guessed that it wasn’t common knowledge that Darby had been taking cooking classes and was planning on asking her father if she could join the family business. There was a big difference between being a lawyer and running a deli.

  Chase watched him and leaned in. “Of course quite a few of us are wondering just how a big deal lawyer was able leave her work behind and come and run The Dory for a couple of weeks.”

  Sean shrugged. Darby had entrusted him with a secret, and he wasn’t about to break the confidence. Besides, if things went as Darby planned, then the cat would be out of the bag soon enough.

  “Yeah, it’s interesting. Maybe I’ll ask her the next time I see her.”

  Chase leaned back. “So you’re planning on a next time.”

  “A guy can dream, right?” Sean said, knowing he was grinning just thinking about her.

  Chapter 16

  “I have red and white wine to drink.” Caitlyn started talking as soon as she opened the door to Darby. “I didn’t know what we’re making.”

  “What we’re making?” Darby echoed, as she followed Caitlyn down the polished wood floor of the hallway toward the kitchen.

  “You said I could watch. Doesn’t that count?” Caitlyn tossed over her shoulder.

  “It’s not that hard, you know,” Darby said, putting her grocery bags down on the granite counter. Caitlyn’s mother had redone the kitchen recently, and everything was new and gleaming.

  “And don’t worry, it’s just us. My mom’s away at another of her artist retreats, so she won’t subject us to any inquisitions about our love lives.”

  Darby glanced around, eyeing the restaurant-quality appliances. “I don’t know why you guys have such a nice kitchen when neither one of you even likes to boil water.”

  “I know, I know, you’re right. But she sold one of her pieces and decided to fund the renovation. I think she thinks if she fixed the kitchen up, it would appeal to buyers.”

  “You’re not thinking of selling the house, are you?” Darby asked, shocked. Caitlyn’s house had been in the Montgomery family for generations, built by a sea captain ancestor. It commanded a prime piece of real estate high on one of the bluffs overlooking Queensbay Harbor and Long Island Sound beyond. The house, on the outside, was an appealing example of the Greek Revival style: simple yet regal but with a great porch and high ceilings, wide floorboards, and cozy rooms.

  “Not if I can help it,” Caitlyn said. “Red?” she asked, holding up a bottle to indicate that the subject was closed.

  Darby nodded and accepted the glass Caitlyn handed her.

  “Cheers.” Caitlyn held up her own glass, and they clinked.

  “So, you seem like you’ve settled in here for a while?” Darby asked carefully, setting out her ingredients. She was going to make them a pasta dish: spicy shrimp and chorizo, dressed with a light tomato cream sauce.

  “Yes. I’m enjoying my work at the Randall Group. You know me, as long as I get to be around money all day I’m happy.” Darby knew that Caitlyn was only partially joking. Caitlyn had a talent for making money and was a successful financial advisor and investor.

  “It’s funny. I never thought you’d come back here after what happened.” Darby groped for words, letting her hands rest on the cool granite counter. It had been too awful for Caitlyn to deal with, the sudden death of her grandfather, and she’d left for college early, seemingly determined never to set foot in town again.

  “Times change. People change,” Caitlyn said softly, “and sometimes it feels like there’s only one place where you belong.”

  Darby could understand that. Part of her had never wanted to leave. Not her actual childhood home, since she was more than happy to be living in her own place, but somehow she had always imagined that she’d wind up in Queensbay eventually. The harbor, the town, the way the weather was its own mood. She had loved it since she was little and loved it still. But then again, Queensbay didn’t hold the same kind of painful memories for her as it did for Caitlyn.

  “You haven’t seen him, have you?” Darby lined up her ingredients while Caitlyn stared into her wine glass. She knew Caitlyn would know whom she was referring to.

  “Noah? Not in a long time. But then again, he’s been busy.”

  Darby nodded. Noah Randall and Caitlyn had been inseparable in high school. Even watching from the outside, it had been hard to miss the heat between those two. But they’d been young and gone their separate ways. Noah now ran a startup in California and to Darby’s knowledge, he hadn’t been back to Queensbay either. Darby knew there was a story there, but something about Caitlyn’s posture told her it was still off limits.

  “But enough about me,” Caitlyn said. “It seems like you’ve been running into Sean Callahan quite a bit around town.”

  “Where are your cutting boards?” Darby asked, trying to dodge the question. She and Sean . . . well, there really wasn’t a “them,” yet. Just the faint promise of something heady brewing between them.

  Caitlyn looked around and pointed vaguely toward one of the cabinets near the oven.

  Opening it, Darby was pleasantly surprised to see a range of boards, neatly stacked. She selected one and took out a knife.
/>   “Chef Sean?” Darby asked, trying to keep her voice neutral.

  “Or Chef Sexy, as I like to think of him. Tall, blonde, and handsome. With all that charm. I used to watch him on TV and just found myself oozing over him.”

  “Hands to yourself,” Darby said, keeping her voice casual.

  “I knew it.” Caitlyn smiled. “So you’ve laid claim to him?”

  “It’s not like that,” Darby said and then set her knife down. Caitlyn would wheedle it out of her eventually. “We kissed.” And then had attacked each other like randy teenagers, but Darby decided to keep that part to herself.

  “Oh my . . . and what was it like?” Caitlyn leaned in, ready to hear all of the details.

  “Good. Amazing. Just wow. I think if we hadn’t been interrupted, things might have gone even further.”

  “Well, you know, he does have a bit of a reputation,” Caitlyn said.

  Darby looked and saw that Caitlyn’s gray eyes were studying her. “For what?”

  “Well not just for yelling at people. Apparently, he even punched someone that worked for him. I just want to make sure he’s not the type of guy who uses his fists to settle things.”

  There was a deadly look in her eye, and Darby wondered just how much more of a story was behind Caitlyn’s sudden decision to call off her engagement in London. Darby had only met Michael St. James once and he had seemed a bit too much the perfect picture of an English gentleman. But Caitlyn had appeared happy, so Darby had done what good friends did—kept her mouth shut.

  Darby said nothing, just stirred the garlic slices in the heavy skillet she had found.

  “So,” Caitlyn said, leaning forward in her barstool across the granite countertop, “a ‘no comment’ usually means a yes.”