by LuAnn McLane
“You’ve never worked a day in your life, have you, sugar?”
“I have!” Mia bristled a bit, even though Myra’s comment was said with gentle humor. She had arranged and hosted countless lavish parties for her father and had helped coordinate many a charity event, doing everything from getting donations to hiring the band. “I just haven’t always gotten paid for my services,” she added a bit defensively. “And I’ve fallen on some hard times. Lots of people have these days.”
“True enough. We sure know all about that here in Cricket Creek,” Myra agreed quietly and exchanged a glance with Bella. She reached beneath the counter and then placed some paperwork in front of Mia. “Fill this out and we’ll get back to you.”
Mia glanced down and spotted words like social security number, previous address, and references and felt her heart plummet. She looked right and left to make sure no one else was within listening distance. “Listen,” she said softly, “I’m not in any trouble or anything, but I’m trying to keep my whereabouts on the down low, if you know what I mean.”
Myra frowned. “Is someone stalking or trying to hurt you?”
Mia waved her hands in the air. “No, nothing like that. Let’s just say I have something important … well, at least important to me … to prove. Can we slide past the formalities and just let me earn some money? Just until I can get my car repaired?” She gave Myra her best doe-eyed look, the one that always had her father eating out of her hand. “Please?” she asked, but at the thought of her father she felt her eyes well up with unshed tears. She had always thought that Mitch Monroe was one of the most upstanding and ethical people that she knew and had always felt a sense of pride that she was the daughter of such a dignified, successful man. “I’m not opposed to good, honest work, and I think this restaurant is a charming stroke of genius combining home cooking with a modern flair.”
Myra looked at her thoughtfully for a moment but didn’t commit. “I don’t want any trouble following you here. I have too many people in this town that I care about to put them in harm’s way.”
Mia took this as an indication that Myra was considering hiring her and had learned from her father that if you see an opening, you should pounce. “I’m not in any trouble. I swear.” She crossed her heart and then felt sort of silly that she had used that childish gesture, but Myra smiled.
“You remind me of Madison, my great-niece.”
“And that’s a good thing, right?”
Myra inclined her head. “She’s a handful, but yes.”
Mia felt Myra wavering even more and smiled. “I also noticed that you have a sign advertising an apartment for rent upstairs.” She slipped her diamond bracelet off her wrist and extended her hand toward Myra. “This is real and worth several thousand dollars. I don’t have cash yet, but it can be a deposit on the rent.”
“Oh, sweetie …” When Myra looked down at Mia’s outstretched hand and then glanced over to Bella, Mia held her breath. Bella shrugged but didn’t put forth any argument.
“Do you want me to go and get Jessica?” Bella offered.
“No, she went home to take a nap with baby Ben.” Myra nibbled on the inside of her lip for a second and then nodded. “Okay, Mia, I’ll hire you on a trial basis, keeping you off of the official payroll. You have free room and board and three meals a day. Keep your tips for spending money and saving toward your car repairs. Sound fair enough?”
“Excellent!” She was hired! Well, unofficially, but still … she didn’t have to go running home to Daddy. Mia felt like jumping for joy.
“But,” Myra warned while pointing a finger at her, “the moment I sniff any kind of trouble following you, I’ll toss you out on your pretty little ear. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” Mia nodded her head rapidly and shoved her hand forward. “Deal!”
After shaking her hand firmly, Myra smiled. “Okay, let’s take you upstairs to your new home away from wherever …”
Mia smiled back and felt a surge of excitement. “Thanks so much. I won’t let you down. I promise.”
Myra gave her a level look. “Well, girlie, I don’t know what you’re into, but you have a firm handshake and looked me in the eye, and believe it or not that tells me a lot. I’ve always been a good judge of character, and I believe you. Now, let me show you around and we’ll go to Fred’s and get whatever you need out of your car. And you best get a good night’s sleep, because there’s nothing easy about the restaurant business. You’re going to work your tail off. You ready for that?”
“I’m ready,” Mia said with a brisk nod as she followed Myra over to the steps. Oddly enough, she wanted to call her father and let him know that she already had gainful employment and a roof over her head, but then a lump formed in her throat. Her father was the first person she always turned to, but instead she swallowed hard and inhaled a deep breath. She wondered if he was worried about her and felt another stab of guilt but then shrugged it off. After all, he was the catalyst for her leaving. Let him worry, she thought with a stubborn lift of her chin, but the lump in her throat remained.
4
Tough Love
“OH, BOY …” MITCH MONROE TILTED BACK IN HIS LEATHER chair and stared out the picture window overlooking his kidney-shaped pool. Sunshine glinted cheerfully off the water, but for the past two days nothing could bring a smile to his face, not even talking to lovely Nicolina Diamante, who had brought passion and fun back into a life that had been consumed with work. Mitch ran a hand down his face and sighed. Just hearing Nicolina’s sultry voice had him longing to have her in his arms, but after nearly a year of planning, she had officially moved to Cricket Creek to open her jewelry store. Mitch had used his silent partnership in the Cricket Creek Cougars baseball complex as an excuse to visit the quaint river town, but it was really seeing Nicolina that had him heading to Kentucky so frequently. He also gave her some retail-related advice, though not only was she creatively talented but she had a sharp business sense as well. He enjoyed their lively conversations about the store opening, and he loved having her beside him in his bed. Mitch wanted their relationship to move forward even more quickly, but Nicolina remained a bit guarded. He knew she wasn’t entirely comfortable with his wealth, and the distrust he sensed on her end bothered him. At the same time he found it refreshing that she wasn’t after his money. In fact, she had refused his offer to front her capital for her store, preferring to get started on her own.
Nicolina was an amazing woman, and his feelings for her were starting to grow deeper the more he got to know her. He had hoped to visit Cricket Creek this coming weekend, but having Mia storm out of her home had his stomach tied in knots. He wasn’t going to rest until he located his daughter.
“Oh, Mia, what have I done?” Mitch whispered, but he wasn’t referring just to Mia’s leaving. Hearing Nicolina talk about her close relationship with her own daughter, Bella, had made Mitch realize that he had worried way too much about making millions and hadn’t spent nearly enough time enjoying Mia’s company.
Mitch ran a hand down his face once more and sighed. He had spoiled Mia with material things in a misguided effort to make up for his absence. He had always thought there was tomorrow to spend time with Mia, but in the blink of an eye she had grown up and all of those tomorrows were long gone. Mitch knew he had failed her in more ways than one. He wanted her to be strong and independent and instead Mia was cultured and educated but lacking some important tools needed to live a full, rewarding life.
“And it’s my own damned fault!” Mitch growled and smacked his fist into his open palm. He thought of Mia’s big, sad eyes every time he had left for a business trip, missing birthdays and school events. He had justified leaving by telling himself he was making money for his daughter’s future, when in truth for years he had been showing his selfish, cheating ex-wife what she had given up by leaving him after his first business had tanked. After that Mitch had been on a mission to make money and had missed Mia growing up in the process. He lean
ed his head back against the cool leather and wished he could recover some of the time he’d spent sitting in boardrooms, when he could have been traveling with Mia or at the very least sitting across the dinner table from her talking to her about her day. He knew his daughter had always adored him … and that made the lost years even worse. Now having her angry with him was almost too much for Mitch to bear.
Mitch looked out the window at the empty lounge chairs. Even though it wasn’t quite summer, Mia had always loved to be near the water at the first sign of warm weather. Right now Mia would have probably been lying by the pool with a fashion magazine or hanging out with some of her equally wealthy friends discussing where they would jet off to next. If she saw him at the window, Mia would always lift her sunglasses, smile, and wave.
“Dammit!” Mitch gritted his teeth, grabbed a baseball-shaped stress ball off his cluttered desk, and started squeezing it. Mia was a sweet, loving girl, but he had spoiled her terribly, and when it came to real-life issues and problems, she was clueless. But having his daughter think that he had orchestrated a hostile takeover of Hanover was just about killing him.
Of course that wasn’t the case at all. He and Charlie Hanover had grown up together, and what Mitch had really done was bail his old friend out so that the struggling candy company could expand and grab a larger share of the marketplace. Once Hanover Candy recovered, Mitch would allow Charlie to buy him out. Mitch fully intended to make money on the deal, but in the end all would be happy. When Mia had misunderstood his intentions, in a sudden burst of inspiration he had allowed her to think the worst in an effort to get her to wake up and realize that his business dealings could sometimes get tough. Mia had been taking her wealth for granted and he wanted her to do something with her life other than shop. If something happened to him, Mitch wanted to know that his daughter could make it on her own, but she failed to take life seriously. He had tried to reason with her before about this same issue without any luck. She had recently run up some hefty credit card bills, and it was about time that she got a big dose of reality and learned to work on her own.
Mitch squeezed the ball harder and tried not to worry. He had only been trying to get Mia’s attention and pound home the point that wealth didn’t come easy and sometimes carried a hefty price tag of its own. Granted, he should have cleared the air about his role in the Hanover Candy deal after teaching her a lesson, but he hadn’t really expected Mia to immediately stomp out the door in a self-righteous huff. When he was about to hop in his car and roar down the road after her, though, it was Manny the gardener who had laid a gentle hand on his arm and stopped him. In his broken English, Manny had managed to tell Mitch to let her go. Mitch hadn’t been convinced until Manny had let him know that the old oil-leaking Camry wouldn’t make it too far down the road anyway. But here it was two days later without any word, and Mitch was worried sick.
Mitch did manage a slight smile when he remembered the stubborn set of her chin when he had told her she wouldn’t last until Labor Day on her own. She might be spoiled, but like him, Mia could never refuse a challenge. She had done plenty of charity work and always raised more money than the previous chairperson. And she was amazing at throwing parties and events. She entertained his clients with poise, and in truth, if he didn’t make amends with her, he was going to miss her in more ways than one. Mia was a lot smarter and much savvier than she gave herself credit for, and she could easily be on his payroll, but he knew that his employees would treat her with kid gloves and he wanted her to find success outside of his company before he would even consider having her work for him. He had tried to explain that to her, but Mia always thought he was simply trying to blow her off and not take her seriously.
“Ah, Mia,” Mitch said with a sad shake of his head. He picked up his cell phone and thought about calling her but then refrained. If she were in any real trouble, she would call him, he reasoned, but then he shook his head. “Maybe not.” She could be pretty darned stubborn, another trait she had no doubt gotten from him. When he thought of the possibility of her broken down on the side of the road, a cold shot of fear slid down his spine. He wouldn’t get a good night’s sleep until he knew that Mia was safe. But he also wanted her to experience being on her own and making her way, so instead of calling her he scrolled through his contacts until he came to longtime friend and private detective Dan Tanner. They had known each other since Mitch had hired Dan to find out if his suspicions were right about Clarisse cheating on him. Mitch had used Dan’s services a few other times for business and was always satisfied with his work. Mitch clicked on Dan’s name and a moment later Dan picked up.
“Hey, Mitch, what’s up?”
“Well, I have a job for you.”
“Shoot.”
Mitch propped his feet up on his desk and explained what had transpired with Mia. “I haven’t heard from her. Can you track her down and tail her for a while? Let me know she’s safe without her seeing you?”
“You have any idea what direction she was headed?”
Mitch sighed. “None.”
“Friends she might be staying with? A boyfriend?”
“She doesn’t have a boyfriend, and if she were with friends I would most likely have heard about it. But like Manny said, the old car might not make it too far. She has no credit cards except for my gas card, and last time I checked she hadn’t used it.”
“But she has a smartphone, I hope?”
“Yeah, the latest and greatest thing out there on the market.”
“Good. I should be able to track her phone and catch up to her. She knows me, so I’ll send Tate Carpenter. He’s a former cop and really good. We’ll have a tail on Mia in no time.”
Mitch closed his eyes and swallowed. “Thanks, Dan. I won’t be able to get a wink of sleep until I know she’s safe.”
“I’ll get on it right now. Shoot me a recent picture and give me her cell phone number. As long as she has it turned on, we can track her down.”
“Great!” Mitch said, and his mood lightened a little bit. He was worried, but he was also curious about what she was doing. Maybe Mia was going to surprise him, but then again she just might show up on his doorstep any minute. As much as he wanted to see her beautiful face and wrap his daughter in a big hug, Mitch also hoped that Mia would actually show him what she was made of …
5
No Soup for You
ALTHOUGH HE MANAGED TO HAVE A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP, Cam felt a little apprehensive as he walked down the hallway leading to Ty McKenna’s office. He knew he hadn’t done anything to land him in hot water, but years of being called to the principal’s or coach’s office to face the music came flooding back to him. Even though he came off as cocksure, in truth Cam’s knees had always been knocking whenever he had gotten in trouble. He just never let it show. The potential for losing his position on this team scared Cam much more than he pretended, but then again he never let on about how he felt about a lot of things. It was so much easier to act like a badass who didn’t give a rip than to show any kind of true emotion, especially fear.
Because he was always such a valuable player, Cam had often got off with a mere slap on the wrist or even scot-free, but those days were over. He was doing his damnedest to keep on the straight and narrow, and hopefully his past hadn’t come back to rear its ugly head. Cam swallowed hard. The past had a mean way of doing that. He just hoped it wasn’t now. “Oh, well, here goes nothin’,” Cam whispered. After taking a deep breath, he put on a confident face before rapping on the door.
“Come on in.”
Cam opened the door. “Hey, Coach, you wanted to see me?”
“Yeah.” Ty rolled his head in a circle and then leaned back in his big leather chair. He appeared bone weary as he yawned. “Ah … sorry. Baby Ben has been keeping me up. He doesn’t seem to know night from day.”
“Sorry to hear it.”
“Yeah, Jessica has been taking the lion’s share of the work, but the little dude is messing with my beaut
y rest.” He chuckled while massaging his temples. “It’s amazing how just a few little pounds of person can turn your world upside down,” he grumbled, but it was no secret that Ty adored his wife and doted on his infant son. “He better be a hell of a ballplayer, is all I can say.”
“I’m betting he will be,” Cam commented, but he wanted to bypass the small talk and get straight to the point. “So what can I do for ya, Coach?”
“Well, I was talking to Noah about the roster, and I know first base is your position, being a southpaw, but since you’ve got some speed we were thinking of having you as backup center fielder. It will make you more versatile, playing some outfield, and let us give Nate Porter some relief from behind the plate during the dog days of summer by putting him over at first base once in a while. Whadaya say about our plan? Thoughts? Suggestions?”
“Hey …” Cam shrugged but almost shivered at the cool shot of relief that slid down his spine. “You’re the coach.”
“But I want your thoughts. Are you comfortable in the outfield?”
“Yeah.” Cam nodded slowly, actually liking the idea. “I played some center field in high school, and like you said, it will make me more valuable to get some experience in the outfield at this level. Plus, I want to do what’s best for the team,” he added, and he wasn’t just blowing smoke up Ty’s ass, even though it used to be his specialty. Cam had been an expert at telling coaches—and women—what they wanted to hear.
Ty leaned back in his chair and laced his hands behind his head. “And?”
“And I sure like winning.” True, he wanted to be back in the minor leagues playing for a shot at the big show, but in a short period of time he had come to like Ty McKenna, Noah Falcon, and some of his teammates. Playing baseball for the Cricket Creek Cougars wasn’t going to be as bad as he had once thought.