Nobody Does it Better

by Samantha Chase

  After drying off, she padded into her bedroom and slipped on a pair of wide-legged capri yoga pants and a cami. Opting to keep her hair up, she walked out to the living room and took her phone out of her purse. She was hungry and it would take an hour for a pizza to get delivered, so the sooner she ordered, the better. When she swiped the screen, however, she noticed a text from Austin.

  Austin: Hey! Are you at the café?

  Peyton: No. Left early today. What’s up?

  Austin: So you’re home?

  This was a little weird, she thought.

  Peyton: Yes. Why? What’s up?

  Austin: Just wanted to apologize in advance

  Oh, no…

  Peyton: What did you do now?

  Her phone dinged with an incoming text at the same time someone knocked on her door. With her phone in hand, she walked over to the door and looked through the peephole.

  And immediately groaned.

  “Seriously, Austin,” she muttered before typing out one last response to him.

  Peyton: You better pray I don’t see you any time soon because if I do, I promise I WILL hurt you!

  Austin: Don’t worry, Mia will hold me down so you can do it

  Peyton: Thank her for me

  Peyton: Oh, and you suck!

  The doorbell rang, and she knew she couldn’t ignore it much longer. With a huff of irritation, she pulled the door open and glared at Ryder Ashford.

  Ryder knew he was in trouble the moment Peyton opened the door.

  It wasn’t the death glare she was giving him or the open hostility radiating off of her.

  It was how she looked. She was beautiful–like heart-stopping, breathtakingly beautiful.

  Swallowing hard, he forced himself to smile. “I was hoping to find you at home. May I come in?”

  The look of utter annoyance almost made him reconsider, but he enjoyed a good challenge and Peyton Bishop was certainly lining up to be one.

  “What do you want, Mr. Ashford?” she said coolly.

  “That’s a bit formal, don’t you think?” he teased, and realized she wasn’t remotely amused. “Please, Peyton. I’d really like to talk to you.”

  “And you thought coming to my home uninvited was the smart thing to do?” Shaking her head, she took a step back. “You’ve got five minutes.”

  It was pointless to argue that with her, but he knew he wasn’t leaving that quickly. With a murmur of thanks, he stepped into her home and jumped at the sound of the slamming door.

  He knew she wasn’t a fan of his, but he hoped after two weeks and numerous boxes of chocolate–which Austin assured him were her favorites–that she’d be slightly less hostile.

  She walked past him and said, “I just spent the last hour relaxing and it’s the best I’ve felt in weeks, so proceed with caution.”

  It didn’t seem possible that this woman was trying to intimidate him, and yet…she was.

  And she did.

  Ryder knew he was a master of negotiating and putting potential business allies at ease. He just needed to look at Peyton the same way.

  And not as a woman who smelled like wildflowers wearing clingy clothes that showed some amazing curves.

  Letting out a breath, he walked over to her sofa and sat down. “Your house is lovely, Peyton.”

  “It’s a rental,” she told him, sitting in the oversized chair next to the sofa. “My brother rented it a few years ago before he got married and I sort of fell in love with it and the location.” With a shrug, she added, “Even though I’ve lived in Magnolia my whole life, I still haven’t grown tired of the view.”

  “I can understand that. It’s one of the reasons I bought the house that Austin renovated.”

  “You mean the one you haven’t lived in yet?”

  Her lips twitched and he knew she was making fun, but he didn’t take offense. “Yeah, I’m hoping to be in there early next year. The house he and Mia are building is well underway, and I’m more than happy to wait for it to be done. It seemed crazy to make them move twice.”

  “Most people wouldn’t be so gracious,” she said, and he had a feeling it hurt her to say something nice about him.

  “Austin’s a good friend and I’m happy to help.” Which was now the perfect opening for him to say what he came here to say. He got a little more comfortable before meeting her gaze. “You may not want to believe this about me, but I genuinely do enjoy helping people, Peyton. And I would think you’d know that considering it’s not just Austin I’ve helped, but Garrett too. Buying the veterinary clinic wasn’t something I planned on, but when Emma shared her proposal with me, it was a no-brainer.”

  The bored expression on her face told him he wasn’t winning any points with her by mentioning the ways he’d helped her family.

  “I meant what I said to you that day in Austin’s office. I genuinely want to hire you as a consultant for the restaurant I’m putting in at the new resort. Everyone has been singing your praises about the way you turned things around for both Café Magnolia and The Mystic Magnolia.” Pausing, he chuckled. “Sorry, it’s still kind of funny to me how many businesses around here use the word ‘magnolia’ in them.”

  “Are you planning on using it on any of the properties you’ve taken?”

  He arched a brow at her choice of words and didn’t think he could let it simply slide.

  Leaning forward, he told her, “You’re going to need to get over that mindset, Duchess. I have never taken anything. Ever,” he said with a little more heat than he intended. “I bought that house your cousin worked on for me and paid a lot of damn money for it. It was the same with the veterinary clinic. And that property that the resort is going to be built on? That one cost me a cool two million dollars.” Gently clearing his throat, Ryder sat up straight. “And the property you were interested in? I paid the full asking price for it. Not once–on any of those deals–did I try to haggle, negotiate, or take anything. Everything I have I came about honestly and I resent the implication to the contrary.”

  Her eyes went wide and she visibly paled before looking away from him. “You’re right,” she said quietly. “I’m sorry. That was unfair of me to accuse you.” Then she looked him right in the eye and added, “But considering the only thing I personally know of you is how I lost the property I’d been saving for to you, you’ll understand why I feel the way I do.”

  Damn, she was stubborn, he thought.

  “It’s not the only thing you know of me,” he reminded her. “And we’ve already discussed it and I don’t plan on rehashing it considering my five minutes are almost up.”

  All she did was give him a curt nod.

  “You obviously know what you’re doing in the food business, Peyton, and everyone here in town adores you. I don’t want to bring in some restaurant that no one is going to have any interest in. I want someone who is going to help me make it a place the locals will want to come to and that visitors and tourists will find as appealing as the town itself. Does that make sense?”

  She nodded.

  “You’re very talented and you’ve certainly picked some fine chefs–particularly at the café, because the menu is extremely original. Is that what you looked for when you hired them? Creativity?”

  A slow, smug smile crossed her face before she replied. “Actually, I created the menu. Almost every item on it is an original recipe of mine. I kept some guest favorites from the previous management, but I wanted to put my own stamp on it. If a chef could follow my recipes and make the proper presentation, then I hire them.”

  Ryder was…stunned. “So…you went to culinary school?”

  “No. My parents thought the idea of me wanting to be a chef was laughable and forced me to take business courses. I went to UNC in Wilmington and majored in business, but I worked for several different restaurants during my time there and learned everything I could from the various chefs. Plus, when I inherited the café, I was still in school and needed to keep things going as they were. I eased my way in the
re and made my changes slowly and I think I’m finally at a point where I’m happy with all of it. That’s why I felt it was time to make the leap into buying the property and building something of my own.”

  Damn. He had to respect that. She was working her way up, she wasn’t impulsive, and clearly she had a good head on her shoulders for someone so young.

  “All the more reason I believe you’d be the perfect choice to work with on this project,” he said pleasantly. “We’d not only work on a menu, but I’d also want your input on the overall restaurant design, décor, and, most importantly, setting up the kitchen. I have no doubt that you know all the best equipment to buy and the kind of layout required for maximum efficiency. I want top-of-the-line all the way. I’ll admit I’ve done some research but I’m certainly no expert on it.”

  Her laugh was loud and unexpected. “And you think I am? Ryder, come on. I don’t think we need to pretend with each other. You offered this position because you felt bad, but I’ll bet you can hire someone with a lot more qualifications to do this with you. And with the money it sounds like you’re willing to spend, I would highly recommend you hire someone with more experience in the business. You deserve to hire the best in order to achieve what you’re looking to do. I know my limitations, but thank you for the offer.”

  “But…”

  Peyton stood and smiled down at him. “Now if you don’t mind, your arrival interrupted my dinner plans, so…”

  He had no choice but to come to his feet, and he couldn’t believe she was turning him down. And not just out of dislike for him, but because she didn’t think she was good enough. In all his years in business, he’d never met someone who willingly walked away from an opportunity that would greatly benefit them.

  “Fifty thousand dollars,” he blurted out and watched as her eyes went wide again.

  “Ex…excuse me?”

  “That’s what I’ll pay you for your help on this project. I’m expecting it to take around three months to plan everything out, meet with Austin on the designs, hammer out a menu...and at the end of that, you get the money to do whatever you want with it.”

  With a mirthless laugh, Peyton walked away from him and went to her kitchen and got herself a bottle of water without offering him one. She took a long drink before looking at him again. “You’re crazy. You know that, right?”

  “Why? Because I know what I want and I believe you’re the person to help me achieve it?”

  “Ryder, be serious! That’s a ridiculous amount of money for three months’ worth of consulting, for starters. Money that would be better put to use by hiring someone with more experience.”

  “Seventy-five thousand,” he countered.

  “You’re not listening to me,” she said with annoyance as she walked back over and stood in front of him. “I’m not qualified for this. What you’re looking to do is way beyond my skill set.”

  “I beg to differ. Just from the little I know about you, I know you are the only person who can handle this.” He paused and met her defiant gaze. “One hundred thousand dollars.”

  “Stop trying to throw money at me!” she yelled. “You can’t get your way all the time! And throwing piles of cash at me to convince me to help you is just…” She shuddered. “It’s awful and does nothing to improve my original thoughts about you. If anything, it just confirms it.”

  “And what were your original thoughts about me?” he asked, curious.

  “That you’re the kind of guy who throws money at people to get what you want,” she said as if he were an idiot. “I would have thought that was obvious.” Then she looked him up and down, her nose wrinkled. “And don’t you own any casual clothes? You show up here in your thousand-dollar suit, you showed up at my café in a tuxedo and…by the way, what the hell was that even about?”

  Now it was his turn for his eyes to go wide. “Um…I needed a dinner catered.”

  “Not the food,” she said with annoyance. “The tux. Who shows up at a small-town café in the middle of the afternoon in a tuxedo?”

  Raking a hand through his hair, he murmured, “I was being photographed for a magazine article right before I got the call that I needed to get dinner, so…”

  “And you didn’t think it was weird to drive around town in a tuxedo? You couldn’t take five minutes to change into…you know…normal clothes?”

  Okay, the conversation was getting way off-track and he knew he needed to reel it in.

  Fast.

  “I don’t see what that has to do with anything. As I was saying…”

  “But it does,” she interrupted. “Don’t you get it? You’re very off-putting and condescending. And when you add in the throwing money at people thing, it’s beyond offensive. Maybe you should think about working on getting a consultant to help you work on that.”

  For a moment, Ryder was too stunned to respond. While he appreciated honesty, he wasn’t used to anyone being quite so blunt with him. Most people he approached with a business opportunity were flattered. He would have thought once Peyton got over her disappointment with the property that she’d realize just what an amazing prospect he was presenting her with. And if money wasn’t going to convince her…

  “One hundred thousand dollars and I build your restaurant on the property I just purchased,” he stated, and knew immediately that he had her.

  “What?!”

  Nodding confidently, he explained. “You tell me what it is that you want on that plot of land, and I’ll build it. Just like the restaurant at the resort, you can have input on the building, design, décor, and menu.”

  “Input? Seriously?” she asked, her arms crossed as she struck a somewhat sassy pose.

  “Well, it’s my money we’ll be playing with, so let’s say it will be a team effort. Fifty-fifty.”

  “Eighty-twenty,” she countered.

  “Sixty-forty.” Because he was enjoying the fact that she was considering this.

  “Seventy-five twenty-five. Final offer.”

  If it were anyone else, he would have laughed because ultimately, he had the final say, but…he’d give her this one. Holding out his hand, he said, “We’ve got a deal.”

  Peyton gave him a cautious smile, and when she put her hand in his, Ryder felt like he might crush it. It was small and soft, but she had a firm handshake.

  He opted to focus on that part before pulling away. “So…I’ll have my attorney draw up an agreement for you to look at and sign. It should be to you early next week.”

  “That works,” she said, but he was beginning to notice how she was trying so hard not to smile or show any excitement.

  “You mentioned you had dinner plans,” he said, taking another step back from her. “I hope you can now add a bottle of champagne to it to celebrate.”

  “Well…it was really only going to be pizza out on the deck before going for a walk on the beach. Nothing wild. But I will definitely add a glass of wine to it and toast myself.”

  “Oh, uh…that sounds…wonderful. Good for you.”

  Shaking her head, she walked to the front door murmuring, “Such a snob.”

  “I’m not a snob,” he replied, trying to hold on to his temper. When he was standing in front of her, he decided he’d had enough. “You know, I’ve had more than enough of your insults. What gives you the right to pass judgement on me like this?”

  “Like you didn’t do the same to me the day you came to the café?”

  Dammit, she had him there.

  “And I’m mature enough to see and know that I was wrong,” he said smoothly, issuing the challenge. “Are you?”

  She crossed her arms over her chest and studied him for a long moment. “That depends.”

  “On?”

  “Prove me wrong.”

  “Excuse me?”

  Nodding, she repeated, “Prove me wrong. Show me you’re not some pampered rich dude who wears tuxedos and suits all the time because he doesn’t know how to relax and get dirty.”

  It was border
line ridiculous the way she was baiting him, and yet…he took it.

  “Fine. Challenge accepted.”

  A slow smile crossed her face. “Okay, go home and change into something casual and be back here in an hour.”

  That…wasn’t quite what he expected.

  “Why?”

  “It seems to me we have a lot of work ahead of us and we’ll be spending a good amount of time together. No time like the present to start.”

  “Then why should I leave and come back? I can just take off my jacket and tie…”

  “Nope. Nuh-uh. Go home and change and come back in something less…suity.” She waved her hand, motioning to all of him. “This. A lot less this.”

  “Peyton…”

  “I’m ordering a pizza. What are your topping choices?”

  “I can pick up something…”

  “Everyone likes pizza, Ryder, and considering you interrupted my relaxation time, I’m picking the meal.”

  It was on the tip of his tongue to call the whole thing off, but…

  “Fine. Pepperoni, sausage, peppers, and mushrooms are all acceptable. Choose what you want and I’ll be back in an hour.” With a nod of agreement, she thanked him and opened the door for him.

  It wasn’t until he was standing next to his car and the front door was closed that he heard her scream with joy.

  With a small laugh and a sense of satisfaction, Ryder climbed into his car and tried to figure out who was teaching who right now.

  And where he was going to find casual clothes on such short notice.

  4

  For the life of her, Peyton had no idea why she would invite Ryder to eat with her, but it was too late to take it back.

  Although, now that she had some time to think about it, she realized this was potentially a good test to see if they even could work together. No contracts were drawn up, nothing was signed, so if she found sitting and having pizza with him to be painful, she could just say thanks but no thanks and move on.