Return to Gray Harbor

by Bryant, J. J.

  Beth wondered. It had been a long time since she felt an attraction like this and it had certainly been a long time since her last date. Maybe — oh, forget it, she thought. She had to focus on her menus. After all, it was tourist season and you never knew when a food critic might stop by. She needed to focus. No out-of-towners for her, especially not ones with history ... no matter how sexy.

  Chapter 6

  Beth came to work the next morning feeling a little distracted. Seeing Michael the night before had caused a flood of memories for her, and not all of them were pleasant. High school had been tough; being in the ‘in crowd’ was costly. And for Beth, being ‘in’ was really not being in. Being on the basketball team meant she got invited to all the parties and was included in things she otherwise might not have been, but she always felt out of place. Basically, her height had been both a blessing and burden in high school. Being able to play basketball was the obvious blessing, the burden really was the taunting. And guys like Michael’s brother Jesse, and his football goons, were the ones who made life just a little more difficult. That eased up once her sister and Jesse started dating. But Beth never understood what Jenny saw in him.

  Things had changed a lot since high school. Beth didn't always know she wanted to be a chef. In fact, she had tried to convince herself to become a doctor, but after her parents had passed away, she picked up cooking with her grandmother. Her older sister was too busy out with the ‘in crowd’ but Beth stuck around and helped out. As her grandmother continued to age, Beth began taking over the cooking at home. Her grandmother was always an excellent cook. It was one of the reasons Beth loved the holidays so much. Her grandmother and she spent many Friday nights and Sundays in the kitchen just baking and experimenting with new recipes. And when Beth had decided she wanted to go to culinary school instead of studying medicine or something ‘practical,’ her grandmother had supported her through it.

  Fortunately, the university Beth attended in Rhode Island had not only an excellent culinary program, but it also had a women's basketball team. When she graduated, she managed to get out and work at some of the top restaurants in both Providence and Boston, but a few years ago she finally decided she wanted more. She wanted something of her own and she wanted to put down roots somewhere. Boston was too expensive and Providence had never felt like home.

  Beth came back to Gray Harbor before her youngest sibling headed off to college. A grand old home near the Gray Harbor Lighthouse had been in bad repair and eventually made it to the auction block. Beth had saved some money and decided to bid on it. Her grandmother pitched in, too.

  The original property also had a small guesthouse, which Beth now made her home. She lived with her little sister Lisa and with her grandmother, and they had of frequent visits from her brother, Bob. After extensive renovations, three years ago the buildings were completed. Now the Warren Inn and Tavern, named for the former homeowners, had become a hit not only with tourists but also with locals. Beth had a restaurant that served dinner each night and did a special brunch on Sundays for the after-church crowd.

  The tavern offered a more limited selection than the Inn's restaurant but it became a popular place for locals to have burgers and beers and meet out-of-towners while watching a ball game. She looked around and smiled at what was around her now. She could hardly believe it. When she was a child, her family had struggled to put any food on the table and now here she was, feeding others oysters, caviar, Angus beef, and lobster. Thinking of where she had come from, and where she was now, made her smile. What made her even happier was that her little sister Lisa had decided to follow in her footsteps to become a chef. In fact, Lisa would be Beth’s Sous Chef this summer. It took a little soul searching for Lisa to set her mind on the culinary arts, but Beth was excited that she had and that made Beth even prouder that Lisa was now attending the prestigious Johnson and Whales after making some tough decisions.

  Beth went to the kitchen and took a quick inventory of what they had and what they would need before Lisa came in. There was a bicycle tour group arriving tomorrow and she wanted to be ready for them. Lisa had stumbled upon their biking/culinary tours online and reached out to them. If things went well this weekend, the Inn would host them four times this summer, as well as accommodate them for some fall trips. This would really help boost the Inn’s business and help make it a tourist destination!

  She was happy about all the success she had achieved but she felt like some things were passing her by in life. She was always so busy and dating was tough. She was always cooking on weekends and her restaurant was one of the hottest date spots in town. It was always awkward for someone to bring her there and then learn she was the owner. Not a big deal to her, but often men were uncomfortable with her success, and with the knowledge that there was no chance she'd pick up and leave for them. The only men she seemed to meet who didn't care about that weren't exactly what she was looking for. She wanted someone who lived a life beyond Gray Harbor. Gray Harbor was a great place, but for Beth it had taken leaving for her to realize just how great. Speaking of leaving, she was wondering where Michael was off to and what he had been up to for all these years.

  The next morning, she couldn't help herself. When she got to the Inn, she called her brother Bob, who was undoubtedly her best friend and closest confidant.

  “Hey Beth! Do you have any idea what time it is?” said Bob.

  “Oh, come on, Bobby, it’s only seven,” said Beth.

  “Okay, okay. So what’s up?”

  “Michael Malone came in last night ... I barely recognized him.”

  “Mmmhmm. Now I’m awake. Do tell?” said Bob.

  “Not much to tell. Good taste in food, looks good in glasses.” She began to feel oddly turned on just thinking about him.

  “I heard Mr. Malone is sick, I bet that’s why he’s back in town,” said Bob.

  How terrible, thought Beth. That explained Michael’s sullen demeanor at the bar last night, she thought.

  “What exactly does he do that he could take leave like this?” asked Beth.

  “Well, apparently he’s some big time executive in New York. But why are you so interested, anyway? Wait a second. You have the hots for him!”

  “NO! No, I do not. He’s not someone I’d ever be involved with. I mean, for one he’s just passing through, two, he’s not even interested, and three, the Malones aren’t exactly my favorite people,” said Beth, trying to convince herself.

  “Oh, please! Excuses. You can’t blame the guy for his brother’s actions. And what’s wrong with a little fling here and there? You could stand to get laid!”

  “Bob!” said Beth in shock.

  “What! Oh, come on, don’t tell me you weren’t thinking it, too!”

  She didn’t want to admit it but she was thinking it. Michael was just passing through, not someone who she should get involved with. Not that he had indicated any strong interest anyway. Even Bob admitted that Michael was quite handsome. But a handsome face doesn’t always lead to a relationship ... it usually leads to heartache. After she and Bob hung up, Beth sat there in the kitchen, thinking about the night before. She was so deep in thought she didn’t even notice her sister Lisa walk in.

  "Hello, McFly, earth to Beth," Lisa said loudly, referencing one of Beth’s favorite old movies from the eighties.

  Beth snapped out of it. "Oh, hey there, sis! You ready to discuss the menu for the week?"

  "Totally!" Lisa said.

  Beth smiled. She loved the twenty-four-year-old’s enthusiasm. Beth felt like having Lisa around just energized her, and it would certainly take her mind off Michael. She would be sad to see Lisa go back to school again in the fall. But was hoping that after graduating, Lisa would consider being Beth’s partner in the business. Lisa had started off her pursuing business but much like Beth decided her true path was to cook and was back in school.

  "So, here's what I am thinking; six of the cyclists are vegetarians, so a zucchini lentil pie could be an option.
It would be like shepherd's pie but vegetarian and extra delicious, and I was thinking for sides we can do grilled asparagus, herb salad, and that delicious truffle vinaigrette you make. What do you think?"

  Beth smiled. "That sounds amazing. Let's test it out this morning, and if they like it, let's add it to the fall/winter menu. It's a little hearty but I think that with all their biking, they’ll work up an appetite for it."

  Lisa looked like she was slightly disappointed but perked up and said, "I also thought of something lighter that I think could be a great appetizer or even an entree: bay scallops, frisée, grapefruit, and I’m thinking we add sherry? I read up on that but I’ve never really had sherry, so I’m not sure?"

  Beth exclaimed, "Now, that’s a great idea! I like it, let's add that to the overall menu for the week, as well. I was also thinking some halibut would be good. We can herb baste it and then make a little crab and spinach ravioli and add a lobster cream on that."

  Lisa nodded with enthusiasm. It wasn’t often that someone so young in their culinary career got to come up with new menu items like she did at the Warren.

  "Great, well, why don't you get started on the prep and I’ll head over to Malone's Market and see if they have enough for us."

  "I can go to Malone’s if you like, Beth?" Lisa offered.

  "No, that's all right. I really want you to get started on the scallop recipe and the lentil pie. Also, make sure the staff is ready for tonight’s menu, we'll use the one I wrote up last night for our specials," said Beth.

  She noticed her sister's disappointment and wondered what was at Malone's Market that was interest for her. Maybe it was just the thrill of fresh ingredients. That's always what did it for Beth. She smiled and headed out of the kitchen and into her office. She was going to make a list and head to Malone's for some of the supplies she needed. She loved Malone's for her seafood, she just wished they would finish up so she wouldn't have to go across town to Cinzano's Market. As a chain, Cinzano's didn’t have access to all of the local fisherman like Malone’s did. But she had to admit if it weren't for the fish, she probably wouldn't do business with Malone's, not with how things there were lately.

  Michael was back at Malone's Market by six that morning. He decided that whether his father liked it or not, he was going to help the family any way he could. By noon, he had everything sorted and ready for review and eventually to be color-coded and filed. Doing this was cathartic and it helped him take two things off his mind: his father and Beth. Even though he and Beth didn't interact for a long period of time last night, and despite the fact she wasn't exactly his “type,” he couldn't fight his attraction for her, and he didn't really know what he wanted to do about that.

  So for the time being, his plan was to ignore those feelings and focus on the tasks at hand. He was ready to finally get to the bottom of the family's troubles and get them a little more organized, and he didn't want to stray from that mission. He had around two and half weeks left here and then it was back to his own trouble. It's funny, it was only Tuesday but it felt like he had been here forever. Not once since he’d been here had he received a call or even an email from work. And although he was on vacation, his office wasn't exactly the kind of place that respected people's personal time or vacation schedules. You had to be all in all the time … unless you were out. And by out, Michael thought, he meant finished with the company, as in fired, or, worse yet, demoted. That was something Michael couldn’t accept. Michael pushed those thoughts out of his mind and he went to the first stack, bills. He figured he'd get that started and make some spreadsheets and then get them organized and filed away.

  Just as he was looking up from the computer, he noticed Annie had popped in. Her long brown hair was pulled back and her blue eyes looked serious. She was wearing her usual Malone’s Market t-shirt and jeans.

  "Hey, little brother, how goes it?" said Annie.

  Michael knew she wanted to talk about their father, but he wasn't really in the mood. So he responded and said, "Going all right, I’m just about to tackle the bills."

  She nodded, sensing that it wasn’t up for discussion, and asked, "What time did you get in? I drove up a little before eight and your car was already here? What are you trying to do — make me look bad?" she smiled.

  "No, I just wanted to get an early start and tackle some of the more tedious work before anything more fun could pop up."

  By fun, he meant stressful. Annie grasped his meaning and smiled again.

  "So, Mom isn't here today. She went to run some errands and spend a little extra time with Dad. Any chance we can get some lunch and then maybe you can help me out on the floor today? Tuesday can sometimes be a busy day here and I need all the help I can get."

  Michael looked down at his dress khakis and his button-down shirt and expensive Italian loafers. Not exactly appropriate for being a fish-monger for the day. Annie noticed that he was looking down at his outfit.

  She rolled her eyes. "Relax, Mr. Fancy Pants, I just want you to ring people up, maybe work the cheese counter? Think you can handle that?"

  "Aye Aye, Captain," Michael said sarcastically, while giving Annie a military salute. He smiled at her visible annoyance.

  "All right, all right, let's get some food. I brought you a sandwich because I figured you wouldn't have one. I made the kids PB and J today so I made us some too."

  Michael realized in the four days he had been back he had not yet seen the kids or Tom. "How are the kids? And Tom? Maybe I could, I don't know, come over one night and play. Or better yet, why don't I babysit one night so you and Tom can have a night out? "

  Annie looked stunned. " Are you kidding?"

  Michael was surprised she would be so surprised, but then realized he hadn't really taken an active interest, aside from sending the kids gifts and cards … and his secretary took care of all that.

  "Yeah, I’m serious. I'd like to hang out with my nephews and after doing this initial work here in the office, I’m realizing how hard you've been working. You deserve a night off. And you know, the Warren Inn’s tavern has great food, you should check it out."

  "Do they? I’ve been meaning to go. Beth and her sister Lisa come here all the time to buy their seafood and she’s been telling me to come in. Thank god they still come here. She's one of our biggest customers."

  "Beth Adams?" Michael was confused, was Annie talking about the same Beth?

  "Yeah, Beth, you remember her. The tall redhead. Her sister dated Jesse? She’s the owner of the Warren Inn and Tavern and also the chef.”

  Michael still wasn’t able to process all of this.

  “Didn't you go there last night? Maybe she wasn’t there. Beth is amazing and she insists on supporting the local businesses. Thank god for that, she’s our most consistent revenue. Another reason I could use your help is that she’s going to be keeping me pretty busy today. She’s doing these new culinary bike tours and offers them special menus each time, which is great for us, ‘cause she develops the menus on the fly and likes to keep it very local. Very Maine, you know?"

  Michael couldn't believe his ears. Beth Adams was the chef and owner of the whole inn! He had to admit it was really well done and quite cosmopolitan for Gray Harbor, and the culinary bike tours ... what a brilliant idea. Gray Harbor was, after all, quite beautiful for that sort of thing. He had her all wrong. Not that it mattered what she did for a living really. It didn’t change anything; he still couldn't get into anything with her. He was leaving soon. But he supposed there was no harm in a little flirting or even making friends. After all, two and half weeks was a long time.

  She was going to be here today. Suddenly being out on the floor today didn't sound so bad. He perked up.

  "All right, I’ll be out on the floor. But let's eat lunch; I’m starving all of a sudden. I’ll pick up on the bills tonight."

  Annie and Michael headed over to Annie's office and had some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and sodas. Michael couldn't help thinking it would be great if
there were more places to get lunch around here. It might be nice to have a food stand or even an eatery here at Malone's. Something to think about. Before he suggested any other new ideas, though, he figured he should get a better handle on the business and the current situation.

  Annie and Michael made small talk as they ate and decided that Michael would babysit the next night while she and Tom finally had a night to themselves to do anything, maybe even just go out for a movie or a drink at the Tavern. Michael was glad he made someone in his family happy by being there. They finished up and Annie took Michael downstairs and got him ready for his afternoon shift as cashier.

  Chapter 7

  Beth pulled up to Malone's Market. Although she liked the new space, she had to admit she missed the smaller market it once was. Of course she would never tell Annie that, given all the work she and her family had put into the place.

  Over the past three years, she had really come to respect Annie. Beth believed in small business, but frankly, she was worried for the Malones. With Cinzano’s cornering the specialty food market in Gray Harbor, it might be hard for Malone’s to make a comeback — but again, Malone’s was Maine.

  As Beth got out of the car, she checked her hair and makeup. She didn't usually care what she looked like to meet Annie, but she couldn't help thinking maybe she'd run into Michael. She was slightly embarrassed that she might meet him wearing her chef's jacket and checkered chef pants and clogs, but she had to live with it. And besides, he didn't exactly seem like the kind of guy who would work at the fish market. Maybe he wouldn’t be there at all and she was stressing out for nothing. She knew he did in high school but, well, Beth didn't really know what to expect. And frankly, she didn’t know why seeing him again was taking up so much space in her brain. She locked her car and headed for the entrance.

  She walked through the market area and decided she’d look to see if she could find grapefruit for the scallops. She found a few that were acceptable and placed them in her basket. She then found some frisée and few other items. She didn’t usually buy produce here, but since this was for a special menu and it was “on the fly,” she figured why not.