by Vella, Wendy
What niggled at Mandy was that he’d known she was a virgin; surely that alone deserved a phone call. Hey, just checking everything is good with you? She’d have said yes, he could have hung up, job done. But nothing.
It was funny how, as the days passed, the doubts and negative thoughts filtered in and out of her head.
Was he regretting it? Had the experience been so bad he didn’t know how to face her?
Never having experienced this kind of thing, it was like wrestling an octopus in Jell-O trying to work out her next step… or his. So she did nothing and carried on as if nothing had happened.
She’d seen him once; he’d been leaving Phil’s when she arrived. Mandy smiled, he smiled back and said hi. Then he left like they were friends.
Maybe they were. Did friends make each other feel that way?
“Why are you frowning?”
“I always frown,” she said as Rory wandered into Tea Total. “Strange you don’t know that about me, seeing as we’re friends.”
“I like this new sassy you.” Rory leaped up on the counter.
“I’m fairly sure you just broke at least seventeen health regulations doing that.”
Rory ignored her and took a cookie out of the jar on the counter.
“So what’s up?”
Mandy thought about the question. Could she ask Rory some questions without rousing her curiosity? How?
“I have a friend.”
“Another one? Go you!” Rory punched her arm.
“This one I met online. She’s gentle and intelligent, and doesn’t—”
“I get it, she’s nothing like me and therefore boring. Carry on.”
“We’ve kind of become friends and talk to each other about stuff.” She was lying, and that didn’t sit well, but she couldn’t tell Rory she was asking questions about herself. She’d want to know all the details, and no way was she going there.
Rory frowned. “She’s not a stalker, is she? I’ve heard weird stories about people tracking down people and doing bad stuff to them after meeting on the internet.”
“We met through a course I’m doing,” Mandy improvised.
“What course?”
“Cake decoration.”
“Okay, sounds legit then. Hit me, I’ll see if I have the answer. But I have to warn you, my piping is not great. I made a rose cake once, but it looked like spaghetti.”
Mandy rolled her eyes.
“This person, I’m not saying her name, she slept with this guy she’s known for years, then he ignored her for days—”
“Douchebag.”
“She saw him at a place she goes that sells these little muffins with vanilla—” She embellished to make the story sound real.
“Only you would add detail to a story like muffin frosting. Get on with it, Mandy.”
“Right. She saw him. He said hi, then smiled and left.”
“Bastard.”
“There’s more.”
“I need a mocha latte to go with this cookie. Thinking food.”
Mandy was happy to get behind the coffee machine so she wouldn’t have to face Rory as she lied to her.
“He took her to bed, and it was, so she said, really nice.”
“Really nice? Can’t have been that good if she’d described it that way.”
“She’s hardly going to say more to me.” Mandy steamed the milk while she talked.
“I mean, lemon cream cheese icing is really nice. An orgasm is bone melting.”
“Rory.”
“Don’t be a prude, Mandy.”
She felt her friend’s eyes on her.
“Have you had one?”
“One what?” Mandy concentrated on the coffee.
“An orgasm?”
“Of course.” At least that wasn’t a lie.
“Well, all right. Can I ask who with?”
“Absolutely not.”
Rory muttered something Mandy missed.
“Getting back to my friend.”
“Can you make a unicorn cake?”
“Rory, focus.” Mandy handed her the coffee.
“Right, sorry. But that gold horn has to be hard right?”
“My friend was a virgin, Rory. She doesn’t know whether she should talk to the guy or leave it to him to talk to her. She’s confused and has no clue of her next move, and let’s face it, I’m hardly experienced on that front either.”
Rory made a humming sound. “How old is she?”
“What does that matter?”
“It doesn’t. I’m curious.”
Mandy chewed the inside of her mouth to stop saying anything else. Rory would answer the question when she was ready to.
She cleaned the coffee machine.
“I think he’s a rat for not communicating with her yet, especially as she was a virgin. Guys can be real a-holes. Sounds to me like she picked one to have her first tango with. I’d tell her to move on. He probably already has.”
“Okay, I’ll pass that on.”
“At least the experience was good though, right? That’s got to count for something.”
“It was, so she said. But I think she hoped for more.”
“Like I said, guy’s a loser.” Rory leapt off the counter. “I’ll catch you later. Thanks for the sustenance.”
Mandy was still thinking about what Rory had said when her aunts arrived.
“I’m taking Marla to the hospital to have her leg checked soon, Mandy.”
“Okay, Aunt Sarah, I’ll lock up.”
“It’s bridge night, dear, so we’ll probably just go straight to Mrs. L’s house. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Okay.” Mandy looked at her aunts and came to a decision. If she was going to do this, she needed their consent.
“Can I talk to you both before you go?”
Aunt Marla wore a red dress today with a flirty little hem and Aunt Sarah was in pink. Both, of course, looked amazing, as they always did.
“Of course.” They sat at one of the tables.
“Is everything all right, darling?” Aunt Sarah said.
“Yes, I’m fine… better than fine, actually.”
They both beamed.
“We’re so glad you’re taking life in both hands now, Mandy. We don’t talk about what happened, but we need you to know how proud we are of the young lady you’ve become,” Aunt Marla said.
“I’m trying.”
“We know. We’ve always been proud of you, dear, never forget that. But lately, it’s been like watching a flower open up to the sun.”
“That was pretty, Marla.”
“Thank you, Sarah.”
“Now. What I wanted to discuss was the shop next door. I know we discussed it briefly but I think we should go for it. But I won’t do that unless you’re both on board.”
They nodded.
“As I explained, I want to lease the shop, knock out that wall, and make Tea Total bigger. Then I want to put in a reading nook and sell books and have story time.” Mandy said the last sentence so fast she wasn’t sure her aunts understood it.
They turned as one to look at the wall, then back at her.
“Yes, dear, you’ve explained all that to us, and we love the concept and were just waiting for you to go ahead with it.”
“Really?” These women were always amazing her. To have such faith in her was humbling. “I have done up some budgets and prospective costings that I need someone to look over—”
“Ted’s your man for that,” Aunt Marla said as Aunt Sarah went to answer the phone. “How long were you sitting on this idea before you told us?”
“Since I saw the sign in the window,” Mandy admitted. She wasn’t showing Ted.
She should have just stayed a virgin, then she would have had none of these feelings inside her. None of the fluttering when she thought about him and that day in his gym.
She didn’t want him to know that she thought about him constantly like some silly girl who had found her first love. Not that she loved
Ted, it was simply a figure of speech.
Shut up!
“It will be more work, and we may just have to hire someone to help us, but I have to admit, it is exciting,” Aunt Marla said.
“Really?” Mandy asked.
“Really. And now I need to get this leg checked so I can get the boot off and start moving again. Well done, darling, I’m very proud of you.”
Mandy was kind of proud of herself too.
“That was Lenny from the lodge. They have five down tonight, and two of them are in the kitchen. He’s ringing around desperately trying to find help,” Aunt Sarah said. “They’re full, and the dinner rush is approaching.”
“Oh, poor Ted,” Aunt Marla said.
“I told Lenny I’d see if you had any time to spare, Mandy.”
“Me?”
“You. You’re good with food, even if you don’t have a fancy certificate.”
You’re strong in here.
She did owe Ted in so many ways. Perhaps this could in a small way help to repay that debt. But could she seem him again and act natural? But you have to see him some time.
All these emotions were exhausting.
“All right. I’ll go over after I’ve closed up and see what I can do.”
“Excellent.” Her aunts both looked far too happy with her reply.
She finished the cleanup, then got into her car and drove to the lodge. The day was still warm, even as the sun lowered in the sky.
Parking in a staff space, she let herself in the kitchens through the side door.
“Hi, Kirby.”
The usually immaculate and calm chef looked anything but. Her face was flushed, eyes tight, and the strangest thing of all was that she only had one other person with her in the kitchen. This place usually had four staff on for the evening shift.
“Mandy. Go on to the gardens, I can’t stop now, we’re shorthanded.”
“I know, that’s why I’m here. Can I help in any way? Lenny put out an SOS call.”
“Oh Lord, I would be grateful! Grab an apron from there and get all that hair out of the way.”
Mandy did as she was asked, braiding her hair and then pulling on the apron, large and blue-and-white striped. Soon she was washing and cutting vegetables, enjoying the buzz of working in a large kitchen.
This was another thing she’d missed out on, casual work while she studied or found her way in the world. She’d just stayed tucked under her aunts’ wing.
She wasn’t sure how many hours she’d been in the kitchen when Ted appeared. All Mandy knew was that she’d cut herself once and burned herself twice, and she was loving every minute of the experience.
“What the hell are you doing in here?” He looked frustrated, and angry.
“Helping you out.” Mandy didn’t back away, nor did she show the excitement she felt at seeing him. Instead she continued to slice the fruit Kirby had handed her.
“Who asked you to?”
Mandy carefully put down the knife so she didn’t throw it at him like she had the paintbrush.
“Lenny. He rang around looking for help as you were short staffed, and as you have helped me on several occasions, I thought I’d reciprocate.”
“My staff can cope. Go home now.”
“Your staff are not coping. So stop being rude and get out of the kitchens so we can do what needs to be done.”
Her heart was thudding as she withstood his scowl. Then he turned around and stalked out without saying another word. Mandy picked up her knife and continued chopping, even though her fingers shook.
“Holy cow, girl.” Kirby appeared beside her.
“Pardon?” Mandy looked at her.
“You. No one speaks to the boss man like you just did. Nice work.”
“Is he often like that?”
“No. Just when he’s really pissed off about something. He’s a good boss, fair,” she added. “But sometimes he can be a bear. He’s really trying hard lately though.”
“In what way?”
“He’s organizing staff social functions and interacting better with us. Everyone’s far happier.”
“That’s good. But he’s not my boss, so I don’t have to put up with his moods,” Mandy said, smiling.
Kirby nodded. “I like this new you, Mandy.”
“Me too.”
Chapter 24
Ted walked out of the lodge kitchens and down the hallway. Reaching the front entrance, he then nodded to the staff on the desk and headed out into the warm air.
Moving until he was out of sight, he then bent at the waist and braced his hands on his thighs.
Mandy was in his kitchens.
If someone had punched him hard in the gut, the reaction he’d just felt would be no different. Eight days since he’d touched her lovely body. Eight days of remembering every moment, and he wanted it to stop. Seeing her again had not helped.
Ted wasn’t an avoidance kind of guy. He tackled everything head-on, that had always been his motto. But Mandy….
“Aw hell.” He straightened. Why her? Why couldn’t he move on? He needed to sleep but every time he did, she was there, inside his head.
He’d been an asshole for not making contact with her. A coward, because he should have checked on her. He’d taken her innocence and then avoided her. He was a louse but didn’t know how to deal with this… whatever the hell this was.
“You all good there, bud?”
“Would you be offended if I just told you to fuck off, Fin?”
The ranger smiled.
“My best buds are the Trainers, man. I get told that on a daily basis.”
Ted grunted.
“So here’s the thing, Mr. Bear. You look peaky, and pissed off, and just generally not you.”
“The hell you say! I’ve never been anything close to peaky a day in my life!”
Fin leaned in and got a closer look at his face.
“You got tinges of peaky, bud.”
“I’m not having this conversation with you. We’re four staff down, and Mandy is in my kitchens—”
“Ah.”
“What the hell does ‘ah’ mean in that tone?” Ted demanded.
“I’ll let you in on a little secret, Ted.” Fin moved closer. “I’m a watcher. See things others don’t—”
“Like hell you are,” Ted scoffed.
“Observant.” Fin tapped the side of his face. “Have to be in my line of work.”
“Okay, I’ll give you that much.”
“The thing is, I’ve been watching you and Mandy.”
“Stop right there.”
“And I’m fairly sure there’s a connection that you’re both doing your darnedest to ignore.”
Some parts of that statement were eerily accurate. Others, not so much. Because he hadn’t been ignoring Mandy when he’d made love to her. And that thought just conjured up more vivid pictures in his head.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, he tried to push them out.
“Still here.”
“Whatever,” Ted said. “Now, Dr. Phil, if you’re done, I have work to do.”
“Need a dishwasher? I have plenty of time tonight. My date came down sick.”
“Really, did she? Or did she realize that you have a wiener the size of a pencil?”
Fin’s smile grew. Like so many of his friends, you could not insult this man.
“Now we both know that’s not true, Teddy Bear. And it’s a sad day when a friend’s jealousy gets so ugly.”
“Dickhead.”
“Loser.”
They headed back inside, and Ted, weirdly, felt better. He was soon grabbed by a staff member, and Fin wandered away to God knew where.
“There’s this guy in the restaurant making all kinds of noise about the food being substandard, Ted.”
“Have you offered him a free beverage?” Lenny nodded. “Free dessert?” Lenny nodded again.
“He’s loud and obnoxious.”
“My favorite kind,” Ted said. “Let’s go an
d have a chat with Mr. a-hole.” As they walked, Lenny filled him in on all the details he knew about the guest.
The restaurant was full, and he could see a lot of the guests were all turned, watching the man who was yelling. With him was Gwen, one of Ted’s most experienced waitresses.
“Your staff are bad mannered, and your food is disgusting. I—”
“I’ll handle this, Gwen.” Ted reached the table, which had four other people at it. Offering his waitress a reassuring smile, he nudged her away.
“What seems to be the problem, Mr. Cartwright?”
“The problem is this meal was shit, and the service the same.”
He’d been drinking heavily; Ted could smell it on the man’s breath. He knew the sort. Lots of money, but not a lot else to recommend him.
“We pride ourselves here on the quality of our food and service—”
“Are you saying I’m lying?” The man pushed his face closer to Ted’s. “I want to speak to someone in authority.”
Ted stuck out his hand. “Ted Hosking, owner.”
The man blinked.
“Your place is the worst I’ve ever been to.”
“Excellent, you won’t mind leaving then.” Ted signaled to the two security guards Lenny had called. “My staff will help you pack. I’ll call a car to drive you out of Ryker Falls.”
“What!” The man didn’t look quite so belligerent now.
“Let me make something clear to you, Mr. Cartwright. I have excellent, well-trained staff, and my chefs are the best there is. I will not allow anyone to abuse them… ever,” he added softly. “Therefore, as they are not leaving, you are.”
Ted turned and walked away.
“Give everyone in here a free glass of something, Lenny,” he said as he passed his manager. Ted didn’t realize he was heading to the kitchens until he looked up and saw the doors.
“Edward?”
Turning, he found a woman. He searched her face but didn’t recognize her.
“I’m sorry, have we met?”
“It’s me, Anna Tait.”
“Anna?”
She nodded. She’d aged, as had he, but he could find no sign of the girl he’d once loved… or thought he had.
Her face was perfectly made up, clothes expensive. But there was a hard edge to her she hadn’t had as a teenager.