Island Refuge (Wildflower B&B Romance Book 1) (7 page)

“What do you say, Nick? Can Aiden hang out down here? I assume Zoe or Rachel will be around.”

“I got the impression Rachel was done for the day. I don’t know what Zoe has planned, and hate to impose on her. I suppose it would be all right, though. We’re outside if he needs something, and we can leave the apartment door open so Zoe can hear him if he has a problem.”

“Yay!” The boy jumped up, knocking his chair off balance and sending it toppling. “Cartoons.”

Nick pushed back from the table. “Easy there.” Maybe Zoe was on to something when she’d referred to Aiden as the Tasmanian Devil. “I have a few videos you can watch.” He went to a cabinet and pulled a handful of age-appropriate movies that the prior owners had left, and handed them to Mitch.

The best way to deal with this Rachel thing was to face it head on. First thing after dinner tonight.

CHAPTER SIX

“
I
HOPE EVERYONE IS HUNGRY.”
Z
OE
placed a large platter of spaghetti and meatballs on the table in front of Rachel, who sat across from Nick’s brother.

“I’m starved.” Aiden’s eyes narrowed as he studied the serving platters. “Where are the worms and dinosaur eggs, Zoe?”

“The worms are the noodles and the meatballs are the eggs.”

“Oh, I see!” He pointed. “And the hot lava is the sauce. Cool.” The boy grinned at his dad.

Zoe’s heart warmed toward the child. He was pretty cute, even if his taste buds were underdeveloped. She’d listened to his giggles for several hours this afternoon and had even tiptoed downstairs to see what was so funny. Who knew cartoons were
that
hilarious? She’d never thought so.

She waited for the platter to be passed to her and dished up a healthy serving then realized no one was eating. She looked to Nick, who bowed his head and offered a blessing for the food.

“Amen.” Nick looked up and met her gaze. “The food looks amazing, Zoe. Thank you.”

“My pleasure. I hope everyone enjoys it. I thought I’d make chicken tomorrow.”

Aiden wrinkled his nose, but to his credit didn’t say a word. Instead he stuffed a huge bite of pasta into his mouth. Sauce dribbled down his chin. “This is good.” He grinned at her. “I like fried chicken and chicken fingers.”

“Good to know.” Zoe winked at the boy then tasted her food. He was right. Though simple, it was delicious. A burnt smell smacked her in the nose. “Oh, no.” She pushed back from the table and ran to the kitchen. Smoke billowed from the oven. She grabbed a dish towel and yanked open the oven door. Black smoke puffed into her face. She waved her hand in the air and reached for the loaf of bread with the towel.

She dropped the charred bread into the sink.

“Is it ruined?”

Zoe jumped. “You scared me, Nick. Yes, it’s toast.” She grinned at the unintended pun.

“Looks like charred rubble to me. Do we have another loaf?”

She shook her head. “I like to buy it fresh, so I only purchased one.” She turned and lifted her gaze to his. “I’m sorry I ruined dinner.”

He rested a hand on her shoulder. “Dinner is delicious. It’s the air that’s ruined.” His somber expression broke in to a grin. He removed his hand and opened the back door. “Whew. Maybe we should move this meal outdoors.”

The kitchen door dividing it from the dining room swung open. Mitch stood there, followed by Aiden and Rachel, all holding plates and cups. “My thoughts exactly,” Mitch said. “I noticed a picnic table out back.”

“Great idea. Zoe and I will grab our plates and meet you.”

Talk about humiliating. Everyone probably wondered how she’d managed a restaurant kitchen when she couldn’t warm a simple loaf of bread.

The trio tromped past her and headed outside.

“It’s a nice evening to eat outdoors.” Nick looked over his shoulder. “You coming, Zoe?”

“No. You go ahead, I’m not hungry.”

Nick raised a brow. “No fair hiding in here.”

“Who says I’m hiding?” The man had only known her a couple of weeks, and he thought he knew her. However, his perception rankled her already taunt nerves.

“It’s obvious you’re embarrassed. Get over it. We all burn something every now and again.”

“Right. By the way, you need to change the battery in the smoke detector. It should’ve gone off.”

“Good point. I’ll do that right after we eat. Together. Come on. I distinctly remember you saying you liked to serve your food hot. I assume that means you like to eat it that way too.”

She shook her head and couldn’t stop the half-grin that betrayed her vulnerability to his charm. “Fine. You win—this time, but only because you’re the boss.” Zoe quickly retrieved her plate and followed Nick outside. She couldn’t stop the pitter-patter of her heart. In spite of his flaws Nick had a charm she couldn’t deny. Now to convince him to confront Rachel about the photos.

****

“
H
OW ABOUT YOU
get Aiden settled, Mitch?” Nick reached for the now empty spaghetti platter. “I have a few things to finish up. I’ll be down a little later.”

“Sure. Let’s go, buddy.”

Rachel handed Nick her plate. “Thanks for dinner.”

“Plan to join us every night this week, Rachel. My way of thanking you for putting up with the noise.”

“Sure. I appreciate the meal, Nick. I can see why you worked in a fancy restaurant, Zoe. If you can make spaghetti so appealing I can only imagine what else you are capable of.”

“Thank you, but this week’s menu will be geared to our youngest guest.”

“I see. Good thing I enjoy kid food.” Rachel strolled toward the Sound.

Nick saw the strain on Zoe’s face. The pictures she’d found must still be bothering her. He had every intention of talking with Rachel this evening, but with the commotion of their displaced meal, it hadn’t seemed appropriate.

“You have a nice family,” Zoe said as she glided past him.

He followed on her heels. “The best. What about you?”

“I’m thinking of making a quiche for breakfast. What do you say?”

“Nice deflection.” He’d let her off, though. No sense in dredging up bad memories, and she must have some if her childhood was as bad as she’d hinted. “Sure. If Aiden doesn’t like it, he can have cold cereal.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

He set the platter by the sink. “You rinse, and I’ll stack.”

“Though tempted to argue, I won’t. I appreciate the help. Thanks.”

“That’s what
bosses
are for.”

“Uh-oh. What did I do?” She paused. “Well, besides, not watching your nephew, and burning the bread?”

“Don’t forget nearly taking out the side of my SUV the day you arrived and burning yourself and—”

“Stop. I know my flaws quite well.”

He scanned her face to make sure he hadn’t offended her and was pleased she looked amused. “I was thinking about what you found today.” He didn’t want to spell it out, since he had no idea whose ears might be listening.

“And?” Zoe turned off the water and faced him with an expectant look in her eye.

He lowered his voice and explained his plan. “I will announce at dinner tomorrow that I will be selling off the antiques. If she is a collector, I’ll rid myself of some old furniture. What do you think?”

“I volunteer the stuff in my room.” She shot a disparaging look toward her room. “I hate Victorian antiques. What style will you be refurnishing with?”

He shrugged. “I haven’t thought that far ahead yet. I’m mostly interested in her response. This way we’ll have an idea if it’s the furniture she is interested in. Frankly if she wants to buy it, she’s welcome to, but I won’t place an ad for it.”

“Oh. How does that solve the problem of her snooping?”

“Because maybe all she wants is a memento.” Nick dipped his head and placed a cup on the top rack. He’d said too much. No one but him knew Rachel was carrying the grandchild of the previous owners, and he wasn’t going to break her confidence. Even if she was behaving oddly. “What do you say? You in?”

Zoe shrugged. “Why not? You sure you don’t want to sell the bedroom set? Or better yet, confront Rachel about her snooping. Seems to me the direct approach would work best.”

He chuckled. “I’d planned to do that, but let’s try this first. And your furniture isn’t
that
bad. I think there’s a chest that’s actually quite nice. It’s certainly better than the trash they left in the living quarters downstairs.”

“Yeah, I noticed when I went down to check on Aiden. It’s awful.”

Nick hid his surprise that Zoe had actually checked on his nephew. She’d made such a big deal of not watching him, it seemed odd that she’d even care. Maybe she didn’t hate kids, like he’d assumed. Perhaps it really was that she simply didn’t know what to do with one. Her veiled comments about her past were beginning to eat at his curiosity. He’d never been an overly nosey person, but somehow since he’d been on the island a new side of him was coming out.

Zoe dropped a cup, and it bounced across the tile. “Grr.”

“Relax.” He kept his voice soft as he bent and retrieved the runaway cup. “It’s plastic.” His cook was wound too tight tonight. Maybe he should leave her alone. Some people needed space. He put the cup in the dishwasher. “Looks like that’s the last of the dishes. Have a nice evening, Zoe.”

“I’ll try. You, too.”

He headed for the door leading to his personal space and hesitated before going down the stairs. Should he invite Zoe to join his family? No, she needed time to herself if her flash of frustration was any indication.

****

Z
OE SIGHED AFTER
Nick left the room. He hadn’t yet said anything about her replacement, so maybe the employment agency hadn’t found the right person. Too bad tonight hadn’t gone more smoothly; she hated adding to his reasons for letting her go. Of course burnt bread really wasn’t that big a deal. Regardless, she’d spend the evening scouring the Internet for a new position in case the need for one arose.

She fluffed up her bed pillow and propped her laptop on her legs. Laughter below distracted her from the unpleasant task of job hunting. Nick was lucky he had his brother. Clearly the two were close.

At least her birth parents had been smart enough to have only one child. Even though she had missed the fun of having a sibling, she didn’t regret for one minute being raised as an only child if it meant saving another person from the upbringing she’d had.

She shook out her fisted hands. The computer screen lit before her. She focused on the listings and scrolled through the plethora of jobs, none of which grabbed her. Sure she could work at any of them, but she actually liked her current position. The quiet, slow pace was exactly what she needed right now. And bonus, she had no friends to stab her in the back.

“What am I thinking?” She stood and put the computer on the dresser. No one in their right mind would celebrate having no friends and no life. One thing was certain, she enjoyed the isolation the island provided, and isolation from the rest of the world was exactly what she needed right now.

She snapped her fingers. The caller from earlier had booked a room for the weekend after this coming one, and she hadn’t logged it into the reservation book. She padded out to the foyer where the burnt smell from earlier still hovered. She paused at the desk. “Where’s the book?” Had Nick taken it to his apartment? She couldn’t very well bother him with his family visiting. She’d wait and fill in the reservation tomorrow. A niggling in the back of her mind told her not to wait, but she ignored it. It was one reservation, surely it could keep until morning.

CHAPTER SEVEN

T
HE FOLLOWING EVENING,
Z
OE SERVED DINNER
at the picnic table in the backyard. The white tablecloth ruffled in the light breeze, and the sun reflected off the clear glass vase in the center of the table that held a single sunflower from the garden. The look was simple and understated. Exactly what she’d been going for to accompany the chicken strips, arugula salad and rolls.

Nick, along with everyone else, meandered toward her from the front of the house. “There you are. I was beginning to wonder if you forgot about us.”

“With the amazing smell coming from the kitchen? How could you think such a thing?”

“Thought you might have eaten it all yourself.” He winked and sat. Aiden slid in beside his uncle, which left Mitch and Rachel on the other side and a little room for Zoe on the end beside Nick.

Zoe grinned. “Eat up while it’s hot.”

After Nick said the blessing, Zoe handed the platter of chicken to him and wished she was sitting across from Aiden. She’d made the meal with him in mind and would give anything to see the child’s expression when he tasted her version of un-fried chicken—aka baked chicken. Sure she could’ve made the real deal, but there was no challenge in that when she could try for a healthy version that tasted as good—at least almost as good. She leaned forward and looked past Nick. “What do you think, Aiden?”

He chewed with a serious look on his face. “Yum!”

Zoe grinned. The sweet thrill of victory. Three more dinners to go.

Nick set his cup down with a thump. “I agree. With meals like this it makes me want to convert the bed-and-breakfast to a restaurant. Zoe, you have talent.” He flashed his perfect white teeth. “Speaking of talent. Does anyone know anything about antiques? I’d like to begin selling off the stuff in the house and put my own touch on the place.”

Rachel choked and reached for her cup.

Nick’s focus never left his guest. He was probably afraid he would need to perform the Heimlich. “Are you okay?”

She nodded and wiped tears from her eyes. “Swallowed wrong. You were saying?”

“Yes, I’m going to slowly liquidate the antiques.”

Rachel pushed the salad around on her plate. “Why? The house is perfect as is.”

Zoe watched the interplay between the two, barely tasting the fresh dressing she’d mixed into the salad. Rachel definitely looked distressed over Nick’s announcement. “Maybe you’d be interested in buying some of the pieces, Rachel.”

The younger woman worried her bottom lip. “I’m not in a position to do that right now. You’re selling everything?”