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“I already have. It’s easier than you’d think.”
“I have bled for this family and our company,” she told him, her voice icy. “I have given up a life of my own.”
He’d heard it all before. “You’ve done exactly what you wanted,” he reminded her. “Anyone who stood in your way got taken down and thrown to the side of the road.”
She’d lived and breathed the family business for as long as he had been alive and he suspected the obsession had started long before then. Gloria would do anything to promote the Buchanan name. The irony was she wasn’t even a blood Buchanan. She’d married into the family.
“Let’s be clear,” he said. “I’m not doing this for you. I’m only coming in to help because of my brothers and Dani. Hell, Dani should be the one saving The Waterfront. She cares about it more than the rest of us combined.”
Gloria’s eyes narrowed. “Dani isn’t—”
He cut her off with a shake of his head. “Spare me the lecture. It’s boring. Like I said, I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing it in case one of us has kids who care. I’m putting in my four months and then I’m walking away without looking back.”
“You make it sound like a prison sentence.”
“In some ways it is.”
“Callister.”
He looked at her and for the first time she actually seemed old. Frail, even. But he knew better than to be sucked in by her tricks. She was a wily old bird and he’d been pecked more than once.
“Fine. Four months,” she said. “I heard who you hired as the chef.”
Her tone indicated he might have made a deal with the devil.
“She does great work and her name will bring in customers,” he said. “She drove a hard bargain, but I got her and that’s what matters.”
“I see.” Gloria didn’t sound as if she could see at all. She sounded annoyed.
Cal wondered what the old bat had against Penny, aside from the fact that she, Gloria, hadn’t handpicked her.
He knew Penny hadn’t believed that he’d done his damnedest to keep her off his grandmother’s radar when they’d been married. Back then he’d been afraid of what the old woman could do.
Now, everything was different. Penny had a reputation for being tough. He was willing to bet she could hold her own against Gloria. They would butt heads eventually; he only hoped he was around to see the show.
“If Penny cooks, they will come,” he said.
Gloria shifted in her seat. “I hope there won’t be any unfortunate incidents in our establishment.”
Cal knew he was being set up, but his curiosity was too strong for him to ignore the lure. The only thing he knew about Penny’s life since the divorce were the odd bits Reid dropped in casual conversation.
“What incidents?” he asked.
“She once stabbed a member of her staff. Apparently the man wouldn’t do what she said, so she took a kitchen knife to him.”
Cal started to laugh. Gloria glared at him.
“It’s not funny. She’s practically a murderer.”
He continued to chuckle. “Was she charged with anything?”
“I’m sure I don’t know.”
Which meant she hadn’t been. “I hope the story’s true,” he said, still amused. “I can’t wait to ask her for all the details.”
CHAPTER THREE
“IT’S ALL FINE and good to look at qualifications,” Naomi said. “But I want someone I can have sex with.”
Penny ignored her friend and glanced at the application in front of her. “I hear good things about him,” she said, making notes on a pad. “Put him on the list.”
“But he’s married and he doesn’t cheat.” There was a definite whine in Naomi’s voice. “I can accept one, but not the other.”
“We are talking about raising a restaurant from the dead. Not your sex life.”
“Why do they have to be mutually exclusive? I can be a good employee and have a great sex life. In fact, getting laid on a regular basis keeps me cheerful.”
Penny looked at her papers so Naomi wouldn’t see her smile. “Focus,” she said.
Naomi sighed. “You’re less fun now that you’re in charge.”
“And likely to stay that way. Who’s next?”
While Naomi shuffled through papers, Penny glanced around the transformed dining room. The place had been painted and there were new window coverings. The old carpet was up and the floors had been refinished. The scent of varnish competed with the smell of cleanser and bleach coming from the kitchen. The horrible odor of rotting food had been driven from the place, which made Penny grateful. She was well into her fourth month and she didn’t want to experience morning sickness at this late date.
“Asshole alert at ten o’clock,” Naomi muttered.
Penny turned and saw Cal walking toward them. He looked good—tall and handsome, wearing a black leather bomber jacket and jeans. He walked with an easy, loose-hipped grace that all the Buchanan men had. Good genes, she thought, which, unfortunately, came from Gloria. Penny might not like the old woman but she knew her stubbornness and determination had been passed on to her grandchildren.
“He’s not an asshole anymore,” Penny said, ignoring the sudden quivering in her belly. “He’s our boss.”
“To me, he’ll always be the jerk who made you cry for two weeks straight when he walked out on you.”
Technically Penny had been the one to move out of the apartment, but she knew what Naomi meant. Cal had done nothing to keep her and certainly hadn’t come after her.
“That was a long time ago,” Penny reminded her. “I’ve let it go. You should work on that, too.”
“Maybe.”
Cal approached the table. “Ladies.” He held out a cardboard container with three cups of coffee. “A little something to help with the hiring process.”
Naomi grabbed a cup and looked at The Daily Grind logo. “I’m more a Starbucks person, but any port in a storm.”
“Nice,” Cal said, looking at her. “Hello, Naomi. It’s been a long time.”
“It has.” She stood. In her black leather boots, she was nearly eye-to-eye with Cal. “How’s it going?”
“Great.”
“I hear you’re in charge.”
“That’s right.”
She took a sip of the coffee. “Every time I go into one of your stores, I remember the time I saw you naked. It always gives me a little giggle.”
With that, she strolled away.
Penny closed her eyes and winced. Unfortunately Naomi had seen Cal naked. She’d walked in on them making love, once. After retreating, she’d stood behind the closed door and complained bitterly about people who didn’t have the common courtesy to at least make some noise while doing it so the world could know what they were up to and not accidentally walk in.
Cal took the seat she’d vacated and picked up one of the remaining coffees. “Do you really need her?” he asked.
“Sorry, yes. She’s great at her job and she watches my back.” Naomi would also take some of the heat off Penny as her pregnancy progressed. “We’ve become something of a team.”
“Great.”
“You’re only here for four months,” Penny reminded him. “How bad could it be?”
“We’re talking about Naomi. It could be a disaster.”
“Not for our big, bad general manager.”
He looked at her. “I don’t think I detect enough reverence in your voice. This is my restaurant and while I’m here, I’m a god.”
“I must have missed that memo. Could you resend it to me?”
“I’ll bring you a copy myself.” He glanced around the dining room. “What do you think?”
She followed his gaze. “It’s fine.”
“Fine? Do you know how much this is costing?”
“Nope. And I don’t much care. The front of the store is your business.”
He shook his head. “You haven’t changed. What happens when you open your own place? You’ll have to deal with the front of the store then.”
“I’ll manage. Naomi has fabulous taste.”
“Are you sure she won’t want to turn it into some kind of sex shop?”
Penny considered the question. “Good point. Then I’ll talk to Reid. I’m sure one of his former girlfriends was an interior decorator.”
“Assuming he remembers which one.”
“Another good point. You’re on a roll this morning.”
He sipped his coffee. “You’re feisty. When did that happen?”
“A hundred and forty-seven days ago. There was a report on the news.”
“I missed that.”
“I guess it’s hiding with your memo about being a god.”
He grinned and she smiled in return. Even as she wanted to lean in and continue the banter, she knew it was far better to keep things completely businesslike between them. Her former relationship with Cal had started with fun conversation and had gotten more dangerous by the minute. Although she felt completely immune now, she didn’t want to take any chances. Not when it was surprisingly easy to be around him.
“You’ve been out of the business a while,” she said. “How does it feel to be back?”
“Good. Familiar. I didn’t think I’d missed it, but there’s something about running a restaurant. Everything’s changing, with no hour the same, let alone a day. Time is always the enemy. The next crisis is just around the corner.”
“Sounds like you’ve missed it.”
“Maybe I have.”
“I hope you remember enough to keep this half up and running.”
“Your faith in me is overwhelming.”
Cal watched Penny lean back as if separating herself from him. He could read her mind as clearly as if she’d spoken.
He hadn’t had faith in her.
The statement wasn’t true, but he knew she wouldn’t believe him. His attempts to protect her from Gloria had only widened the chasm in their rapidly unraveling marriage.
Ancient history, he told himself. Better to forget it.
She reached into a battered backpack and pulled out a folder. “Here are some sample menus. I’ve marked the items I want to serve at the big preopening party. The question marks are in place where I’m not sure what will be available that particular day. Inventory changes quickly and my fish people can’t promise the more exotic selections until the day of the party.”
He took the sheets of paper. “The infamous fish people.”
She smiled. “Sometimes they dress in costume.”
“I’d like to see that.”
She laughed.
The sound washed over him in a wave of unexpected heat. He felt it sink into him, warming him, arousing him.
Whoa. Not going there. He didn’t believe in do-overs, not in personal relationships, anyway. He and Penny were simply co-workers, nothing more.
But even as he told himself to back off, sexual energy poured through him, making him aware of the humor in her eyes and the way her skin seemed almost luminous.
He told himself that the former was at his expense and the latter was simply the result of damn good lighting in the restaurant. But even he didn’t believe it.
“Are you even listening?” she asked.
“Yeah. Fish specials depend on the whim of the fish people.”
“No. I was saying that I’ll be building my specials slowly. I won’t want to dump a bunch of new items on the menu at once. I also have a few things in mind for new signature dishes. Once we’re established, I’ll offer them as specials and if they take off, I’ll put them on the menu. I’ve also been working on a seasonal menu. Certain fish is available at certain times of the year. I can build around that. The same with produce.”
