“Well, I’m not willing to rely on that,” Flo said stubbornly. She got up from the chair, pacing around the porch, her tiny feet leaving the ground every now and then as she thought. Then she smiled. “I have an idea. A really great way to get Jake and Laura talking.”
“What are you up to now?” Lotta snapped, her hands going to her hips.
Oh, it’s nothing to worry about!” Flo began vanishing right in front of Lotta’s angry eyes. “It’s a really great plan……..”
Chapter Seven
Laura breathed a sigh of relief when the last order went out. She wiped the sweat from her brow and gave Alfie a thumbs up. He smiled happily as he set to work cleaning up the kitchen after the lunch service. Laura was really pleased. They’d had ten customers in for lunch, all curious to try out the food of the new cook, plus Sam had also dined with them again so she must be doing something right! Martha was beaming as compliments came in thick and fast with promises to return. If things kept up, they would have a good foundation on which to build the business back up.
Laura was incredibly grateful to have something to focus her attention on other than the incident with Jake and most especially the conversation she’d had with Walter the day before. It had been so hard to hear the truth; that Jake was still in love with another woman. Pain twisted in Laura’s heart. She should have realised that she didn’t stand a chance when Jake kept pulling away, but she’d wanted to believe in the wild passion they’d shared when they kissed. She’d lost sight in those moments of the one truth she’d known all along anyway; men just didn’t see her that way.
Feeling depressed, Laura pushed the thoughts of Jake to the back of her mind and made her way into the diner to talk with Martha. She was standing at the cashpoint, smiling as she dealt with a customer’s bill. Laura waited until the couple left before making her way to Martha’s side.
“How’s it going?” she asked as she leaned against the counter.
“This has been the best lunch service we’ve had since Rosalie walked out! You should have heard all the compliments your foods been getting. Everyone that ate here said it was the best they’d ever had and were sure to come back. If things keep going, we’ll be out of our financial hole in no time.” Martha dabbed at her suddenly teary eyes with her handkerchief. “You’re really saving us honey. I don’t know how to thank you. I was heading for bankruptcy for sure, until you came along.”
“Saving this place is thanks enough.” Laura replied really touched by Martha’s gratitude. She’d never felt like this in her job back in England. This place gave her the sense of purpose and enjoyment she’d always wanted. Plus there was a deep satisfaction in helping someone as good as Martha out of an impossible situation. Not enough good things happened to good people in the world as it was. She felt privileged to be part of this happy ending.
“I’ll hopefully be able to start paying you real soon. I won’t forget all this work you’ve been doing. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.” Martha’s face took on a determined edge. She sniffled slightly and blew her nose.
“Don’t worry about that for the time being. We’ll work it out as we go along.” Laura smiled. She had so quickly formed a friendship with the kind woman and her sweet son. She hadn’t had this many friends in years. With her mother’s illness, she’d been mostly cut off from the world and people at her job were very much interested in only their lives. She finally felt a part of something for the first time in a long time. It was a warm, fuzzy feeling she held deep in her heart.
The door to the diner opened at that moment and Laura turned to see a short, portly man with a balding head walk in. He had small piggy eyes and a sly look about his face. Laura disliked him on sight. She especially hated the way he turned his nose up slightly as he surveyed Martha’s diner.
Martha stiffened visibly. “What can I do for you, Mr Blankton?”
He turned his small piggy eyes on her, attempting to look down his nose which was impossible due to his less than statuesque height. He sniffed disdainfully. “Word on the street is you’ve hired a new cook,” he stated in a nasally voice. Laura cringed at the horrible sound.
“Yes, what of it?” Laura could see Martha’s defences rise up like a battleship. Her hands flew to her hips and her eyes narrowed on the horrid little man.
“Why are you wasting your time Martha?” Blankton shook his head at her, with a fake sad expression on his face. “I have no idea where you managed to drag in a cook from, but really it won’t make any difference. Why won’t you just admit defeat? This place is through, washed up!”
“That’s what you think!” shouted an enraged Alfie as he flew out of the kitchen, having heard Blankton’s comments. “Our Laura is ten times, no fifty times better than your old Rosalie! Everyone who ate in here today said so! We’re going to wipe the floor with you at the barn raising, you just see if we don’t! Then we’ll see who’s washed up!”
Martha tried to calm the irate young man down as he all but lunged across the counter to get at Blankton, who stood with his mouth hanging open. He gathered himself together, glaring daggers at Alfie.
“You should learn to control your temper before it lands you in trouble lad.” He shook a finger in Alfie’s face as a warning. Turning to look in Laura’s direction, his small eyes roved all over her in a condescending fashion. “This is the little cook you’ve hired? She doesn’t look like much.”
That stung coming from him. It was the last thing Laura wanted to hear after having already been reminded, none too gently that she was anything but beautiful or even pretty.
“What I look like has nothing to do with how I cook!” she snapped, surprising herself. Somehow, it felt good to stand up for herself. She straightened her spine determined this nasty little man would not get the better of any of them.
“I guess you’re right,” he conceded grudgingly. “But at the end of the day, you’d have to work miracles to turn this place around. You have a magic wand hidden somewhere? Cause you’ll need it.” He laughed with a nasty derogatory snorting sound. It seemed to fit his rather piggy self.
“You just watch this space!” Laura said with deadly quiet. Mr Blankton stopped laughing at the steely determination he saw in her eyes. He took her measure for a moment; Laura could almost see the cogs and wheels in his brain going round. She didn’t like the look that came over his face. It was calculating and cunning. She felt as though they’d both thrown down the proverbial gauntlet.
“Indeed. I look forward to it.” He smiled a sickly smile as he turned on his heel and walked out of the diner.
“What a horrid little man!” Laura huffed after the door closed.
“That he is,” Martha agreed. “Unfortunately, he has a lot of money, so he pretty much thinks he can buy and do anything he wants.” She threw down her cleaning cloth, taking deep breaths. “And even more unfortunately, he usually can.”
“Don’t let him get to you ma.” Alfie put his arm around his mother’s shoulders. “We got Laura now. He can’t do anything to us anymore. She’s our very own angel. We’ll save our diner for sure.” The young man threw an adoring look in Laura’s direction. Her heart swelled at his faith in her. She just hoped she wouldn’t let them down. She pulled her determination around her like a cloak. She couldn’t afford any doubts.
“We can do this together!” She announced, grabbing both their hands and squeezing tight. “Starting with the barn raising. I’ll finish drawing up the budget for Jake and take it to him this afternoon for approval. We’ll show that man we’re anything but beat.”
Martha started crying all over again. “What would I do without you both?” she sobbed. “Thank you so much for all your support.”
Laura smiled at them both before she grabbed her bag from her locker. Taking out the papers she’d begun to work on, she sat at an empty table to finish the budget so she could get it to Jake as soon as possible. She was more determined than ever to turn the diner around. She refused to let someone like Blankton driv
e the place into the ground.
*****
It took Laura longer than expected, but finally she headed back to the ranch in the late afternoon so she could speak to Jake. She wasn’t sure how much she wanted to see him. On the one hand, her foolish heart sped up at the thought but at the same time she dreaded it. She shoved down her feelings. It didn’t matter either way. She was doing this for Martha and Alfie, who were depending on her. She wouldn’t let her own feelings interfere. She could handle a meeting with Jake for heaven’s sake!
She parked her car and went in search of him. He wasn’t in the ranch house or the stable. Bill was busy feeding the horses. He waved when he saw her.
“How’d it go today?” he asked with a cheery smile.
“Pretty good, actually,” she called back. “Have you seen Jake? I need to speak to him about the food for the barn raising.” She indicated the papers in her hand.
“He’s out in the small barn,” Bill told her. He gave her directions then turned back to the feisty black stallion that had just tried to take a bite out of his arm for taking so long with his feed. Bill laughed, pushing back on the soft nose in gentle rebuke. Laura left him to it as she made her way to the small barn.
She found Jake clearing out the space of a pile of rubbish that had obviously built up in there since the last barn raising. She stood in the doorway breathless as she watched him work. His muscles bunched in his arms as he loaded up bits of rubbish onto a flat bottomed wagon. He’d taken his shirt off, damn him! Just to add to his masculine draw! How was she supposed to concentrate on what she wanted to talk to him about when all she could think of was jumping on him and kissing him senseless? It was so unfair!
Gathering her wayward thoughts, she determined to get them firmly under control. Just keep thinking of Martha and Alfie, she told herself, their names becoming like a mantra in her head. She walked forward on shaky legs, clasping her papers in front of her like a shield.
“Jake,” she called. His head snapped up, his eyes landing on her like two branding irons. She wasn’t sure what reception she’d get considering their argument the day before about Dan. She’d avoided him at dinner, staying in her room on the pretence of working on the budget she now held in her hands. In truth, she’d spent the evening in depressed crying fits.
“Can I talk to you about the diner’s budget for the barn raising? Is now a good time?” She decided to try to be professional and business like. It should be safe enough ground. She just wished he put his damn shirt back on! That would make things so much easier.
He wiped his hands on the seat of his jeans as he thought a moment. “I guess now would be okay,” he finally agreed. He took a seat on an upturned crate and indicated for her to do the same. He took her papers from her, looking them over carefully. Unfortunately it left her with nothing to do but stare at him. She tried looking round the barn, but there really wasn’t much to see except a pile of rubbish. Her disobedient eyes made their way back to him time and again.
She gazed at his strong brown hands holding the very white paper she’d handed him, but somehow her eyes drifted to his very bare muscled chest instead. He was nicely tanned from all the work he did outside. A dusting of dark hair across his chest made her fingers itch to tangle themselves in it while she explored his sculptured body.
Her eyes caught a bead of perspiration that travelled down his body towards his trouser line. Suddenly she wanted to lick the moisture away with her tongue and carry on in the direction it was headed. Laura felt hot and breathless with the thought, just about catching herself before she started to fan herself with her hand. Stop it this instant! she told herself firmly.
Squirming on her seat, she tried to think on something else. Something nice and boring and safe! She glanced at his face, trying to gage his reaction to her proposal. Instead, she got caught up staring at his lips, her mind drifting back to the kiss they’d shared the day before and the wild fire that had sprung up between them. It had been so incredible. She knew somehow that she would never feel that way with any other man. Yet he was in love with someone else? Where was that fair? Why couldn’t he feel the same way about her?
Sadness filled her that had things been different, they might have stood a chance. If only she’d met him first, before he’d given his heart to that woman! As it was, she’d only had two stolen moments of heaven. It would have to be enough. She dared not let it ever happen again. Her heart was already in too deep. She was terrified of getting even closer. She would just have to keep her distance.
“Laura!” his voice penetrated her melancholy, drawing her back to the barn. She jumped when she realised he’d been trying to get her attention for some time. “What were you thinking about?” he asked, his gaze penetrating into her as if he could see straight into her mind.
“Nothing!” she snapped, suddenly defensive. The last thing she needed was for him to know any of what she was feeling or thinking in those moments. Her face flushed a telling red. “Well, what do you think?” She waved her hand at the papers, wanting to draw his attention away from her.
He grinned at her, as though he knew anyway. But he let it drop as he turned his attention back to her proposal. “In theory it’s good. The thing is that I had Henry Blankton here a short while ago and he is putting in a budget that is at least 30% cheaper than this one.”
“What!” Laura shrieked. “That’s not possible. What the heck is he providing for that cost?”
“It’s a good spread, I have to say. I was surprised he was offering such a cheap deal. He usually aims to make as much as he can from an event.” He shook his head regretfully. “As it is, I’m going to have to ask you to lower your costs.”
Laura sat fuming. She snatched back her proposal. “This isn’t right. It’s obvious to me that he is footing some of the bill himself just so Martha can’t match him. He knows she’ll end up with an inferior spread and he’ll come out on top. It’s not fair Jake! What are you going to do about it?”
“What can I do? I can hardly tell the man to up his budget can I! I’m sorry Laura, but you’ll have to match his costs. I’ve always done it that way when Blankton opened his diner, to be fair to both places.”
“But it’s not fair!” Laura snapped at him. “This allows someone who has more money to take advantage and get the chance to ruin Martha. Can’t you pay Martha’s costs, just this once?” She’d get down on her knees and beg if she had to.
“No can do. I can’t be seen as being unfair and changing rules I made before. Nobody in town would speak to me if I did that. I’m sorry Laura, but….”
“Yes, I know!” she interrupted. “I’ll have to change the budget. I get it!” She sat chewing on her lower lip in thought. Jake followed the movement, trying to ignore the tightening in his groin. She looked so adorable, all fired up with indignation. Her cheeks had gone a lovely shade of pink in her rage, her green eyes sparking fire at him. She was an amazing sight to behold when angered. And he found he really enjoyed riling her up!
He’d never realised before yesterday that under all that sweet exterior was a little spitfire when roused. He should have, considering the passion she displayed when they kissed. He tried not to think too hard on that. He was already fighting the urge to kiss her again. It was dangerous being around her. She was fast becoming like a drug he couldn’t live without.
“What if I pay the difference? Would that be acceptable?” she suddenly threw at him. He blinked in surprise.
“You could, in theory, but why would you want to?” he asked. “You’ll be out of pocket.”
“Because I won’t let that horrid little man ruin Martha. She and Alfie deserve better. He’s done this on purpose. He came into the diner today, throwing his weight around like he owned the place. He was rude and insufferable. I hate men like him that think they can tread all over people and get away with it. Well, not this time.” She sprung to her feet. “I’ll pay the difference. Don’t tell Martha, just pay her bill. She’d feel awful if she knew.�
�
She began to march towards the door. “Laura, wait.” Jake sprang up to follow her. She stopped, turning to face him. “Why would you do this for people you barely know?”
“I really like Martha and Alfie. They’ve become good friends in this short space of time. And besides, I’m tired of good people getting a rough deal in this world. If I can make a difference with this, I will. Don’t bother trying to talk me out of it!”
He looked at her face. She was hiding something. Something flitted behind her eyes, but he wasn’t sure what it was. There was more to this, he would bet on it. “Why are you really doing this?” he asked quietly.
She paused a moment in stunned surprise. Swallowing hard, she contemplated him for several long seconds before she stepped closer to him, leaning in towards his ear. “That Jake, is none of your business. You keep your secrets close to your chest, so why the hell should I tell you mine?” she hissed in his ear.
Proud of herself, Laura walked rapidly to the closed barn door for a dramatic exit. Funny how she didn’t remember closing it! She took hold of the latch and pushed. The door didn’t budge. She pushed again, using more of her body weight against it. Still it didn’t budge. What was wrong with this stupid door?
“You having trouble?” Jake asked quietly from behind her, his voice sounding suspiciously amused. She spun round, fixing him with her best icy glare.
“It’s stuck!” she announced kicking the door in her frustration.
“Don’t be ridiculous. That door never gets stuck.” He moved her out the way and tried to open the door. To his complete shock, it didn’t move. Not an inch. “This is impossible! What did you do?”
“Oh, sure. Blame me!” Laura huffed crossly. “I didn’t do anything. I don’t even recall closing the damn thing. It must have blown closed in the wind.”
Wild Fire (The Fairy Tale Match Series) Page 11