Catering to Love (4 page)

The clerk smiled, causing Gabi to have an immediate attraction to her bubbly personality: It was very much like her own. The fact that she was probably the same age made it even nicer. She smiled when she noticed the freckles scattered across the bridge of the young woman’s nose. The clerk typed something into the computer. “Yes, here you are.” She squinted her eyes and focused on the screen. “It looks like you’re staying with us for two months? Is that correct?”

“It is,” Gabi said, grinning.

“Oh, wait.” The clerk gave a toothy grin. “I know who you are—I just heard about you this morning. You’re going to buy Carters’ Mill.” She stretched her hand across the counter. “I’m Stephanie Potter, and I’m so happy to meet you. It’s always nice to have new business owners move into the area with fresh ideas. The Carters have owned that place for a long time,” she said in a rush of words. “Hey, you’re going to change that very outdated menu, aren’t you?”

Gabi gave a soft chuckle. “Yes, and yes. I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I’m not the owner yet.”

“I thought you already closed.”

Gabi jerked her head back. “How do you know all this?”

“Small town, big mouths.”

“Hmm, very interesting. So then I guess you know that I’ll be starting to work there on Wednesday.”

“I do. You’re gonna love it. I know you will.”

“I hope you’re right.” Gabi took the room key from her, “I’m very happy to meet you, Stephanie.” She stepped away and headed for her room, the excitement mounting with every step. This was going to be a good year. She could already feel it in her bones.

Stephanie had given her a room on the third floor overlooking the outdoor pool. But she was even more excited about the indoor pool she’d passed on her way to the elevator. She intended to take full advantage of it. She’d need it after standing on her feet all day, working in the kitchen. Yeah, those jets in the spa were going to be her favorite part of the day. She exited the elevator and walked down the hall to her room, shoved the keycard into the lock and entered her room. It wasn’t anything fancy, with a king-size bed sandwiched between two nightstands and floral print drapes in a variety of colors. Not necessarily her style, but it was clean and had what she needed.

She lifted her suitcase onto the bed and emptied its contents into the drawers. Placing her toiletries in the bathroom next, she glanced at her reflection in the mirror and noticed her hair needed a little sprucing up. She wet her fingers with tap water and shook the extra water off, then pulled the flirty peaks of her short blond hair up at the crown of her head and fixed the wisps across her forehead. Raking the sides forward with her fingers for a pixie-like look, she eyed her dark roots and wondered why she hadn’t gotten her hair highlighted before she’d left the city. She’d have to find someone new here. Noticing her eye makeup had smeared at the corners of her eyes, she leaned in closer toward the mirror to wipe the smudges and wasn’t surprised that her hazel eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep. She
pinched her cheeks for color and turned to leave. She would need a taxi to drive her to the car rental agency. But first she needed a cup of coffee.

Stephanie looked up when she entered the small snack room where the vending machines were located next to the reception desk. “Are you looking for a snack or coffee?” she asked.

“Coffee.”

“Oh, sorry. We closed it down for the day, but I’ll tell you what, there’s a great café with the best coffee around a couple of miles down the street.”

“That’s good to know. But all I have to drive right now is the U-Haul truck that’s loaded with my belongings, and I’m not ready to take it back yet. What I need is a taxi ride to the car rental agency. Can you call one for me?”

“You know, I’ll be leaving for the day in about twenty minutes. As soon as my replacement comes in, I can drop you off.”

“You will?” Gabi was in shock to hear Stephanie’s offer. It certainly wasn’t something that would have ever happened in New York. “Wow. Thank you, Stephanie. If you’re sure it’s not out of your way.”

“Nope, it’s not. I have to go right past there on my way to the hairdresser.”

Gabi smiled. “That’s another thing I’ll be needing soon! But great, that sounds perfect. I’ll wait for you outside.”

“Cool,” Stephanie said, as she headed into the back room.

Outside, Gabi walked the property until she heard Stephanie calling her name. She waved and walked in step with Stephanie to the car.

“Here we are,” she said, clicking the key fob. The car lights flashed and the locks clicked open.

“It’s so beautiful here in New Hope,” Gabi said, looking around. “How long have you lived here?”

“All my life,” she said, driving down the road. “You’re using Tallmadge’s for your car rental, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” Gabi said, surprised, “did I tell you that?”

“No,” she laughed. “Nell always recommends Tallmadge’s. He’s her brother.”

“Okay,” Gabi chuckled, “small town, big families. I get it.”

“Precisely. I heard the Carters found a big place on the outskirts of Lambertville. Have you ever been there?”

“To Lambertville?” Stephanie nodded. “Briefly, but I’m hoping to spend more time there in the future. It looked like a nice place. Is it?”

“Oh, you’ll love it. What are you doing tomorrow?”

“Well, first I need to empty the truck and store my stuff in the storage unit I’ve rented, then I need to return the truck, and then… probably pass out.”

“Who’s going to help you?”

Gabi chuckled. “I thought I’d try to hire some of the staff over at Carters’.”

“You’ll do nothing of the sort. I have three strapping brothers, and you won’t need to pay them. We’ll be over bright and early tomorrow morning to help you do that.”

“Are you serious?”

“Of course, I’m serious.”

“I think it’s awfully generous of you to offer their services. But how do you think they’re going to feel about you volunteering them to help?”

“They owe me, so they’ll do it. Listen, it isn’t every day a new owner comes into town. I want you to feel welcomed, so you’ll stay.” Stephanie pulled into the parking lot by the front door at Tallmadge’s.

“Thanks for the ride. I’m sure some of the regulars will be leery about me being the new owner, but I’m hoping they’ll give me a chance.”

“They’ll definitely give you a chance. Some, of course, will be resentful even though the Carters wanted to sell.”

“Well, there isn’t much I can do about that except put my best foot forward and show that I’m an accomplished chef, too.”

“There you go.”

“Is your hairdresser close by?” Gabi asked. “I’d love to buy you a cup of coffee if you’re feeling up to it.”

“Sure,” she said, checking her watch, “I have time before my appointment. I’d love to get to know you.” Gabi opened the door to get out of Stephanie’s car. “I’ll wait for you to get your car so you can follow me into town. If you lose me, just follow this road to the end, and you’ll come right into the center of town. Cupcakes is located on the right in the center of a row of stores—you can’t miss it. Just look for the building with Santa on the roof and you’ve found it. The place is literally lit up like a Christmas tree.”

Stephanie sped down the road and out of sight before Gabi had time to pull out of the parking lot. She grinned. It was obvious Stephanie had a lead foot—but then, she had nothing but open roads, so why not? Or maybe she wasn’t used to having anyone follow her. Gabi rarely drove in New York because the traffic was horrendous and nothing but stop and go—a total waste of time and extremely
frustrating. Consequently, public transportation was much more appealing, and less stressful. Nevertheless, due to her unfamiliarity with these roads, she was going to take her time until she reached town. Pulling into a diagonal space right in front of Cupcakes, she laughed. It was exactly as Stephanie had described it—impossible to miss.

She cut the engine and eyed the long row of shops. Now that the sun had faded behind the clouds, the gray skies gave the impression that a snowstorm was coming. Exiting her car, Gabi zipped up her jacket and walked toward the small coffee shop, the heat of her breath creating steam in the crisp air. Stephanie held the door open for her.

“Thanks,” Gabi said, as she looked around. The shop was slightly busy, with a handful of locals who were laughing and joking with one another. “So what can I buy you?” Gabi asked. The sound of the door opening and slamming drew her attention to a Mister Tall, Dark, and Handsome, a thirtysomething muscular, godlike creature who rushed inside. Heads turned in his direction, including Gabi’s. She couldn’t take her eyes off him, and somehow missed the deep scowl on his face until it was too late.

“What are you staring at?” he asked sharply. His dark brown eyes impaled her with icy contempt.

Gabi jerked back. Tension tightened in her shoulders in defense, but she cautioned herself to be nice—this wasn’t New York, after all, and she needed to rely on these locals for business. All eyes were focused on them, as though anticipating the start of an altercation.

“My apologies,” she said. “I thought I knew you, that’s all. Sorry.” She stepped back and allowed him to go ahead while she and Stephanie exchanged suspicious glances with
one another. The deep timbre of his voice echoed in the silence when he ordered his coffee.

His full head of dark wavy brown hair was slightly messy except for the one curl that refused to cooperate. That lone dark curl dangled haphazardly on his forehead and bounced when he turned to leave the shop.

“Phew,” Gabi said to Stephanie when he took off down the road. “That was a tense moment. I guess that’s what I get for ogling the guy.”

“Hey, I was ogling him too, but he didn’t notice me.” Stephanie shrugged. “I guess he’s having a bad day.”

“Do you know him?”

“No. And I’m surprised I don’t. I think he’s new around here too.” Stephanie’s brows rose as she released a sigh. “Okay, so let’s order our coffee and then we can take a ride around if you’d like.”

“I think I’d like that very much.”

Gabi rolled over and groaned when the alarm went off. It couldn’t be morning already. It seemed like she’d just gotten into bed. She stretched her arms overhead. The muscles in her lower back, aching from the soft mattress, only added to the anxiety of getting everything done before starting work. She made a mental note to ask housekeeping for a board for her soft bed and hoped tonight would be better.

She yawned and forced herself out of bed. “Stop thinking about what you have to do and just do it!” she mumbled when her feet touched the carpet. She walked to the window and pulled the drapes apart to check the weather. Just as she’d expected, there was a fresh coating of snow covering the ground. Traipsing around in the white fluffy stuff wasn’t her idea of fun, but traipse she would.

Down in the lobby, she poured herself a cup of coffee from the breakfast buffet and removed the newspaper from the counter. She found a table and sat down. Just as she was about to take a sip of coffee, she heard Stephanie’s voice.

“We’re all present and accounted for,” she said, standing at attention. “These handsome lugs are my brothers.” She
pointed to them one by one. “This is Trevor, he’s sixteen. Kyle is fourteen, and Mac is twelve.”

Gabi smiled as she extended her hand. “It’s so nice of you guys to come down here so early in the morning to help me. Thank you so much.” Dressed in coveralls, the three brothers each had fairly long black hair. Trevor’s was tied in a low ponytail, while Kyle’s was neat, and Mac’s was just messy.

“It’s our pleasure, ma’am. But this ain’t early for us. We’ve been up since four o’clock milking the cows and cleaning the chicken coops.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize you lived on a dairy farm,” she said to Stephanie. “That’s pretty early all right.”

“Yeah, it’s been in the family for years, passed down through the generations,” Trevor explained. “Are you using Uncle Bob’s Storage?”

“Yes. It’s the closest one here.”

“Too bad Mrs. Carter didn’t suggest you use the barn. Heck, she doesn’t do anything with it.”

“Well, I’m sure she didn’t think it would be appropriate, since I’m not the owner yet.” She held her finger up. “Give me a minute to grab a biscuit and we can be on our way. I need to scrape the ice off the windows on the truck.”

“I already did that,” Trevor said. “Matter of fact, if you’ll give me the keys to the truck, I can start the engine and warm up the cab for you. I wouldn’t want you to get a draft,” he winked.

“Wow. Where have you guys been all my life?” Gabi teased, handing him the keys.

“We’ve been right here just waiting for you to arrive,” Trevor said with another wink.

“Watch out for this one,” Stephanie said, giving him a shot in the arm, “He’s a huge flirt. If you’re not careful, he’ll have you eating out of his hand by the end of the day.”

Gabi chuckled. “I’ll be sure to remember that. But seriously, thank you.” Gabi pulled her jacket off the back of the chair, slipped her arms inside the sleeves, and pulled the zipper into place. Removing the knitted cap from her jacket pocket, she pulled it down over her short blond hair, made sure her ears were covered, and walked out to the parking lot.