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

by Drea Stein

  “Yeah, I think Sam was putting the moves on Kevin’s sister. Once Sam assured Kevin he’d treat her right, I think the whole thing was settled. Good thing there wasn’t a knock-down brawl.” Sean took a deep breath. “I’m just glad no one got hurt. I mean really hurt.”

  Chase paused for a moment. “Seems like they all have you to thank for that.”

  “What do you mean?” Sean’s head was pounding a little less now. There was a lump on the side of his head, but a small one and it no longer hurt when he took a breath.

  “You stepped in, took a hit, didn’t hit back—and then told the other guys to cool down. Sounds to me like you’re the one who handled the situation pretty nicely.”

  Sean thought for a moment. Not once had he been tempted to hit back or even yell. His only thought was to make sure that nothing bad happened in his kitchen, that there wouldn’t be anything to interfere with the success of his restaurant.

  “I guess you’re right,” he said slowly. “I handled it like a real pro.”

  “Yes you did. I guess Queensbay isn’t such a bad place after all.”

  Sean smiled, “I can think of a few things I like about it.”

  Chase gave a laugh. “I’m guessing a certain redhead came to mind. Seems like you too are pretty serious?”

  Sean eyed his friend, who was standing behind the bar, arms crossed, rocking back and forth on his heels, as if he hadn’t a care in the world, but Sean could see that he was eagerly awaiting the answer.

  “A certain redheaded lady friend might have something to do with the recent increase in my satisfaction levels.”

  “You’re only satisfied?” Chase shot him a look. “This is Darby Reese you’re talking about. I mean this was a girl who was smart, hot, and could cook. And wouldn’t let any of us near her, back in the day. You have to give me a little more.”

  Sean smiled, feeling a bit like the cat that’d been given a nice big bowl of cream. “Let’s just say I find my time with Darby very satisfying.” He might have been about to give Chase a little bit more but Darby burst into the room.

  “What happened here?”

  “And look who’s here,” Chase said, pretending all of a sudden to be busy with some of the glasses behind the bar.

  Sean swiveled around. Darby was there, wearing jean shorts and a pink halter top that showed off her tan shoulders. Her hair was in a ponytail and there was a worried expression on her face.

  “I heard there was fight! Is everyone all right? Are you all right?” She took a step closer into the barroom and Sean felt his stomach do a little flip flop. Her top was the color of strawberry ice cream and he had a sudden desire to have a taste of her.

  “Nothing to see here,” Chase said, moving around from behind the bar. “Sean here was breaking up a fight and happened to get caught in the middle.”

  Darby looked between the two of them, as if searching for the truth behind the words.

  “What did you do?” She turned to look at Sean and he could see that she was bracing herself for bad news.

  “Nothing. I mean Chase is right, I stepped in the middle and took a punch to the stomach. Then I fell back and hit my head.”

  Darby’s eyes grew wide at the explanation. “Are you okay? Do you need to see a doctor?” She had moved closer and was looking Sean over, her green eyes filled with concern. Still, her arms stayed locked at her sides.

  “No, I’m fine. Just a little bump,” Sean explained.

  There was a pause and he watched as she swallowed, before she asked her next question. “Then what did you do?”

  He took a deep breath, noticing the way Chase had eased himself out from behind the bar and was sneaking away.

  “I got up, told one guy to take five and the other to clean up the mess. Didn’t even yell.”

  “You didn’t yell?”

  Sean shook his head.

  “You didn’t hit him back?”

  Sean shook his head and then called out to Chase, who was almost out the door. “Isn’t that right?”

  “He’s telling the truth, Darby. Handled it like a real professional.”

  Darby sagged against the bar in relief. “Oh my, I was so worried when I heard the story. Or part of it. It’s already making its way around town.”

  Sean winced. “I am sure it’s getting worse with every retelling.”

  Darby looked up at him and smiled. “Funny thing is though, you’re not in it.”

  Sean straightened up. “Really?”

  “Well, they are saying you’re the one who broke it up. But that’s it. They’re all talking about how Kevin’s sister is running around with Sam.”

  Sean looked at her. “So why did you come running down here?”

  Darby gave a little shrug. Sean smiled, reached out his arm and snagged Darby’s hand, pulling her close to him, so she was snug against him.

  “Were you worried about me?” he asked, trying to keep the elation out of his voice.

  Darby rested her head against his shoulder. “I might have been.”

  He ran his hand down her hair, smoothing it, loving the way she felt, nestled against him. He was overcome with a sudden, profound feeling that this was right, that everything was going to be all right.

  “That’s mighty sweet of you, sugar.”

  There was a muffled sound of laughter. “I told you not to call me sugar.”

  Chapter 30

  Darby looked around the deli, starting to feel like things were really coming together. The paint was mostly dry, so she had brought in the new tables and chairs she scouted from a local restaurant supply store. Now she was going over her budget and was carefully allocating money out for all the items she wanted.

  She’d been saving for years, just about everything she had earned. She’d even given up her apartment months ago, choosing to take a cheap sublet, so that she would have plenty of money in the bank for when she was ready to make the move. Her clothes had all been bought on sale and since she’d worked so much she hadn’t had much time for a vacation or, hell, even go to the movies.

  But without a doubt, doing it this way, remaking The Dory, was a lot less risky than trying to open a brand new restaurant. The Dory had an established location, with an existing clientele. All she was doing really was changing up the menu. But if her projections were right, she felt that soon there would be room for more than one Golden Pear along the coast. But the most important thing was to get the opening of the first one right.

  Her parents had given her so much already; she didn’t want The Dory to be just one more thing they handed to her. She wanted to show her dad that not only could she run it—

  and run it well—but that she had the cash to make a real offer for the place.

  Darby sighed and looked around. She ran through a mental checklist and decided that she’d done all she could for one day. Besides, checking her watch, she realized she needed to run down to Village Hall to drop off some paperwork for a business license for the catering part of her business.

  Just in case, she decided, she would bring the clerk a box of cookies, to make sure everything ran smoothly. Not a bribe exactly, so much as a goodwill present. As she rose up and stretched she realized she would relish the chance to get out and see the day.

  The afternoon was hot and steamy, the midst of the dog days of summer. But she knew it wouldn’t last. Soon, fall would be sweeping through New England, bringing riotous colors and cool days and cool nights without even a hint of humidity. But now, the sun was beating down, and the air was like a wet, warm blanket wrapped around her.

  She almost stopped and turned when she saw the other woman heading her way, but then decided that it had to be faced.

  “Hello,” Darby said.

  Mandy looked her up and down, managing to both toss her hair and give a sniff as if Darby didn’t smell quite right.

  Darby held her ground. She had dealt with Mandy’s type often enough—in college, in law school and even in court. They used the superior act to
fake you out, make you think that there was something—no matter how small—wrong with you, whether it was the color of your shoes or the bag you were carrying.

  The best thing, Darby had learned, was to ignore them.

  “Chef Sean had to go to the city; he had some business to take care of.”

  Darby kept her smile tight. She knew that, because Chef Sean had told her that exact information himself, before he kissed her goodbye.

  Mandy pretended to be examining a nail, then her blue eyes lifted, and she gave Darby a baleful stare. “Sean is a very talented guy. The cameras love him. But he needs to be in front of them for that to continue to happen.”

  Darby tried to keep smiling, but she could feel some of her bravado start to fade. Was that why he had gone to the city? Was he already planning his next move? No, Darby took a deep breath. He would have told her about it, right? They had talked, told each other about themselves—surely he wouldn’t be making a decision like that without telling her?

  She decided to play it cool. There was no use making an enemy of Mandy, but there was no sense in trying to be friends with her either.

  “I wasn’t aware that was something he was still interested in doing.”

  “Oh, but he is. He just seems to be having a hard time recognizing a great opportunity when he sees it. This could be the start of something bigger for him, but only if he stays focused. He can be out of this backwater town in no time if he doesn’t let anything distract him.”

  Darby drew herself up tall. Mandy clearly thought she was the distraction keeping Sean from pursuing his next big step. Suddenly, she wondered just how much of a stake Mandy had in Sean’s success. A celebrity chef needed a publicist a lot more than one who just owned a small town restaurant. And a publicist who could claim a big-name client was more likely to get more big-name clients. Mandy must be seething that Sean didn’t seem as interested in fame as he used to be.

  There was a pause, and Darby was struck by an idea.

  “Would you like a cookie? I baked them for the guys at Village Hall, but I have a few extra.”

  Darby flipped open the box of cookies she’d decided to bring with her, and the look of wariness evaporated from Mandy’s face.

  “They look really good, but I never eat carbs.”

  “Oh, they are worth every bit of carbohydrate grams in them,” Darby responded. Her cookies were known to turn sworn enemies into best friends, reconcile in-laws, and stave off break-ups.

  “How about a half?” Darby said, quickly reaching in and breaking a piece off. She held it up to Mandy, knowing she couldn’t refuse.

  “Well . . . .” Mandy accepted the cookie and took a huge bite. Darby was willing to bet that Mandy hadn’t had a carb in days, so satisfied was the look on her face.

  “Wow, these are really good.”

  “Thank you. It’s my grandmother’s recipe. With a few extra touches thrown in.”

  Mandy looked at her shrewdly, reassessing Darby. “You know, I could use a basket of these sent into the city. Think you could arrange that?”

  Darby hesitated for only a moment before she said yes. If she had to hand deliver them herself, she would make sure they got to wherever Mandy wanted to send them.

  Whipping out a small pen and pad from her purse, she wrote a note on a piece of paper. “Can you have them there for tomorrow, lunch time?”

  “Not a problem,” Darby answered.

  “Perfect. Be sure to send me the bill,” Mandy said, as she gave one last, tight, little smile. Darby watched her walk away, feeling her heart hammering in excitement. Maybe Mandy wanted to send cookies to the TV studio as a thank you. Or to another restaurant. Or any of her big-shot friends. Darby would make sure they were wrapped up nicely and had plenty of business cards. The Golden Pear’s first shot at fame.

  She looked down at the piece of paper Mandy had shoved in her hand. It took a second to realize what it was. Darby recognized the name. It was a big bakery that was known for picking up on the latest trend, whether it was mini-cupcakes or giant birthday cakes, and stealing it and making it their own.

  Mandy was probably hoping they would reverse engineer her cookies or something like that. So much for neutralizing Mandy. Apparently the way to her heart was not through her stomach.

  With a sigh, Darby kept walking, hoping that the cookie would end up permanently on Mandy’s hips.

  Chapter 31

  “Hey sugar.” Sean came in the back door and had his arms around her before she even knew it. He buried himself deep in the crook of her neck. “Vanilla and cinnamon. Scones? Cookies?”

  “Brownies,” she said, disentangling herself. Things were moving along nicely with the work in the café. Soon, she’d be able to open officially, though the sign painter said he couldn’t fit her in until the end of the week. She had decided that was fine as it was the last item on the to-do list. Serving just from the streets was getting more and more difficult and she was eager to have the restaurant back.

  She moved to the refrigerator to pull out some eggs. She’d also had time to think about what Mandy had told her. Was Sean really looking to make his next move? Was she just some sort of distraction for him? It was an unsettling thought since she had already decided that she was in love with him. But she’d known what she was getting into all along, right?

  “Hey, what’s up?” he said, watching her.

  “Nothing’s up,” she said. Two could play at this game, she decided. If Sean was only using her as a summer fling, well then she certainly wouldn’t go and reveal the depth of her own feelings to him.

  “How was your trip into the city,” she asked, setting the eggs down on the counter.

  He shrugged, “You know, I saw a few old friends, talked to some people. Not a big deal.”

  It was just that, Darby thought, Sean taking a day off, blowing off some steam; she knew she shouldn’t read too much into it.

  They had moved closer to each other and now he pulled her into his arms and held her tight.

  “I missed you,” he said.

  Her heart skipped a beat. “Missed you too.”

  “Good. I have to work tonight, but I was thinking maybe I could stop by later? Unless you have any big plans?”

  She looked up at him. “You know where the key is,” she told him.

  “Great. Well, I’ll see you later?” He looked down at her, and she nodded. He kissed her once and she melted into it. Finally, reluctantly, he pulled away, dived in for another quick kiss, and then left her sagging against the counter, her thoughts still tumbling along.

  Chapter 32

  She hadn’t exactly been honest with Sean. She did have plans. She picked Caitlyn up after work and headed out along the road that hugged the coast. They dipped up and over hills, a view of the water always in front of them.

  The town of Nattick was a good twenty minutes to the west of Queensbay and it was still just a little bit sleepy, but like Queensbay, the signs were all there. Proximity to the water, faster commuter trains, and even the fact that businesses were moving their headquarters out of the city all meant that it was a desirable, yet still affordable, address. And just far enough away from Queensbay to not cannibalize sales.

  “So this is it?” Caitlyn said doubtfully, eyeing the building. Darby knew that it didn’t look like much from the outside, but for her it was more about location. She’d been glancing through the real estate section of the newspaper when the ad had caught her eye. An empty store front on Nattick’s Main Street, not too far from the water. This spot was within walking distance of just about everything in town, so that meant it would be a popular stop. There were also some office buildings not too far away, so she’d get a solid lunch crowd, plus some catering jobs.

  The look was similar to The Dory in Queensbay, a nice-sized storefront, big plate glass windows, the building white clapboard with black trim. Classic and classy, even though the paint was peeling and one window had a crack in it.

  Darby turned off the engine and
hopped out of the car, determined to look through the windows. Behind her, she could hear Caitlyn’s door open and then the clack of her high heels as they followed her across the sidewalk.

  Darby peered in through the windows, but there wasn’t much to see, just the late afternoon sunlight filtering in and illuminating an empty space.

  “I think it used to be an antique store,” Darby said. “I called and the owner is retiring. But, before that it was a bakery and, supposedly, all the equipment, the ovens, and stuff is down in the basement.”

  “So if it all works,” Caitlyn said.

  “It will make startup costs a lot lower,” Darby finished for her. The space looked to be about the same size as that of The Dory, which would mean she could set it up along the same basic plan.

  “They haven’t had anyone interested in the place all summer, so I think there’s some room for negotiating the lease price,” Darby told Caitlyn, who had taken a step back and was surveying the property.

  “It needs a paint job,” Caitlyn said.

  “And the floors redone, a paint job inside too, tables, chairs, and display cabinets, and of course I’ll need additional equipment, but I figured if my projections work out I’ll be able to open up a second location by the end of the year.”

  “Moving a little fast, aren’t you?” Caitlyn said but there was a note of admiration in her voice and her gray eyes sparkled in anticipation.

  “Maybe, considering that I haven’t officially opened as the Golden Pear yet, nor told my dad yet that I’ve hijacked his restaurant, but already the new menu is drawing in more business and with the higher prices—and profit margins—it looks like revenue and net profits will be up over thirty percent this month.”

  “Not bad,” Caitlyn said, her lips pursed and Darby could already see the wheels turning. Caitlyn was a business genius and that’s why Darby wanted her advice.

  “How about I look over all your numbers and see if they make sense. You can make me a pizza while you’re at it,” Caitlyn said magnanimously.

  “What if I’m busy?” Darby countered.