Sarah eased the door open and stepped onto the porch.
The air was perfectly still. A faint whiff of wood smoke mingled with the rich scent of Jarred’s cigar. Beyond the porch, darkness swallowed the mountains. Snowflakes drifted lazily through the neon glow spilling from the windows, falling almost reluctantly, drifting only under their own weight.
Jarred sat quietly, his cigar’s glowing tip occasionally brightening the darkness.
For a moment, Sarah stood there watching him.
Her heart did that ridiculous little pitter-pat again.
Oh, hell, she thought.
Earlier, she had stood just inside that same door. She watched as he pulled up and got out. Both arms high in the air, as if he had been driving all day, he yawned and stretched. She watched as he turned and looked back down the road into the valley below.
It was that time of day where the shadows grew long. In between lunch and the night rush. Well, the local night rush for October.
She turned and looked at the young couple shooting pool, the blond giggling as he missed an easy shot. A few locals at the bar. Jayden sitting there with his steak.
She did really appreciate all he did around here. Thankful he stayed to run the place as her chef, he knew his job and seemed to enjoy all their talks.
Turning back, she saw Jarred grab a jacket from the back seat and head towards the door. Sidestepping the little podium, she feigned walking up to meet him there.
After a polite stammer of “Just one?” or some nonsense, she seated him near the corner window and noticed that he went to the other side of the table, back against the wall.
He ordered high dollar, and she stammered she did indeed have it, and she trotted off to get it with an irritating stupid smile on her face…
Blanton’s Single Barrel.
Her father had a list that he said one must have if you are going to draw people to your establishment. The food had to be top-notch. Prime beef and the best fresh veggies.
Sweets? You better make them with love. That last impression made the meal.
Yes, we are in the high country, but if Slick could bring the beer, someone else could bring the food.
Most days now, Jayden volunteered to make the run into Boulder, and Sarah teased him about his woman “down there.”
Shamrock Restaurant Supply. Spur of the moment, they had it. Jayden’s girlfriend works there, she thought to herself.
Then the list also included the alcohol. Yes, beer. You needed at least 6 on tap and a cooler that showed the rest off. Lights from below the shelf told the customer your alcohol had some thought in it.
Well drinks were okay, but “High dollar and good food brought people up the road.”
Marvin used to drink the Blanton’s, but he quit drinking, and it had been a while since she poured one.
Unnerved by her reaction, with a growing excitement, she opened a new bottle and poured just a bit more than normal.
Three ice cubes.
Telling herself that he was passing through, and she was not sixteen, and probably would never see him again, she returned to his table.
Polite and professional, she learned he would order after just relaxing a bit, to which she had replied, “Well, you just take your time, stranger.”
That was dumb!!
Was all she could think as she turned with a smile.
Jarred looked around the room. Taking it all in.
Two at the pool table. Three at the bar. One eating a steak that looked like the cook—apron giving him away.
Clean, taken care of. He respects his job.
Going south outside, he watched the truck and trailer slow for the curve, four-wheeler on the trailer and kayaks in the bed. Buick Enclave turning left behind it, pulling into the lot.
Another youngish couple.
He watched the hostess escort them to the bar and watched as she went behind and got their drinks, too.
Mysterious Latina.
He waved and ordered another drink by holding his in the air before taking the last of it in one swallow.
Sarah’s Steak and Pub, it said on the roofline.
Was that Sarah? he wondered as she returned.
He watched her all the way to his table—Sultry, he thought—smiled as she set his drink down and said, “Thank you, Sarah.”
He saw it. He knew it when it happened.
That flush and then the reaction.
“You’re welcome,” she blurted out and turned, sitting down at the cook’s table.
Twice he caught her looking back.
As they spoke in hushed tones, he watched the snowflakes begin.
Dead air.
The light shifting into the evening gloom. He assumed the shadows did this every day. The sun drifted behind the ridges below the pass.
It wasn’t dark yet, but had that nearly-there light in the cloud. But on the ground, one could sneak around unseen.
Looking back at the menu, he decided on the ribeye, smothered with shrooms and onion, with a baked tater.
Jarred loved a good tater.
The lights were dimmed as more locals wandered in. The cook was gone, kitchen sounds drifting to the table. Sarah came back and lit a candle as she made small talk. He apologized for guessing her name and making her blush.
Walking away with his order, she repeated it slowly: J A R R E D.
Mindy and Billy had shown up, and when she batted her eyes at him, he made the trek and got wood for a fire and even got it going.
Sarah and Mindy talked behind his back for a bit, and then he had to head for the C-Store. Gibby called him on the drive out of town—to drop his girlfriend off, not to work at the Pub too.
Mindy took over the orders and handled the ten tables while Jarred watched.
It was a small-town operation. They each flowed around doing a job and assisting without seeming to need to speak to each other. They did, and they laughed and visited like everyone was family.
Jarred found himself spending more time knowing where Sarah was. He watched her easy grace, eating slowly, nursing a third drink. She also seemed to gravitate his way as the guests filtered out.
Mindy ran the food, and Sarah worked the house and bar effortlessly.
Out of nowhere, he had a cherry cheesecake in front of him. Mindy said sheepishly that it was a mistaken order and Sarah had sent it that way, on the house.
Standing, he went to the pool table and just took his time, watching. Eye contact without a word; they each knew where the other was.
Crack, and size up the next shot. Three at the bar now. Three tables. Candles and the fireplace. Dim lighting. He liked the vibe.
When the last table cleared, Mindy asked if she could leave early.
And it was the five of them a short time later. Three at the bar. Jayden finished in the kitchen, and then he joined the bar crew.
“Mind if I smoke?” he asked, holding up the cigar.
He didn’t smoke much anymore, but a good one with a drink, and it just seemed life was better.
Sarah granted his wish and watched as he went out the door and sat below the window.
She went to the bar. “Jayden, you got this?”
Smiling, he said, “Yes, ma’am.” Getting up, he took a stool and made his way behind the bar. “I got ya, Chica.”
Sarah moved to the bar, got two whiskey glasses, and poured out two shots neat.
Jayden smiled and nodded at the door. “Go, boss.”
“Thank you,” she whispered as she slid by. Heart racing, smiling that damn stupid smile again, she walked to the door and stopped.
There he was.
“What the hell am I doing?” her mind raced.
She silently eased into the seat next to him and held out “his” drink.
“So what brings you to Destiny, stranger?” The unease faded with the first sip.
He told her he had a meeting. She asked, and he didn’t tell her with who or for what. Just moved on to chit-chat.
Her mind raced as they talked. She didn’t need a man, but then the universe had just plopped one down right in front of her.
They chatted like long-lost friends for a few more hours. Then, telling her he would need another steak, he stood, and just like that, he drove away. North into town…
And watching him drive away, she told herself no. Let it go. Nothing but a gentleman, no moves on her. Just a conversation she repeated again and again.
The door opened, the locals left and it was just her and Jayden again.
Like it never happened…
The Next Morning
Jared opened one eye. He didn’t plan on just one, the sleep crusted the other shut momentarily. The next thought was Sarah. Running through the night he knew she was flirting – awkwardly. A decade ago the divorce was final. He had his job and here and there a girl showed interest and a short time later would be gone. Commitment wasn’t so much a decision, just a thing he did not want at this point in his life. Simple. The truck and a place he wanted to go, spend a little time on a mountain or in the desert …. pop open the back and home was there. HIs choice. His time. He could now smell breakfast – bacon for sure. In the shower Sarah was back, he smiled.
On duty, yet he could do the plain clothes. His version of plain was , If you understood, tactical. Sharp brown cargo pant, also brown casual boot that could be just work or just a good hiker. The duty weight belt ready for carry if needed. Classic red flannel long sleeve. He would never admit it out loud, but he did check himself in the mirror as he put on the aviators and pulled the door open. Yep he thought bacon and bread!
At the end of the hall he saw Summer was busy with an older couple and he took the corner window table. She had checked him in last night. Sitting at the little desk, she had been touching up a painting she had in her mind. A little chit chat and he learned he was the only guest for the next three days and she had talked up the homemade sausage. The Big biscuit was also on his mind. As she approached with a big smile “Good Morning!” Need a menu or do you want the big one?”
“I need coffee first and sure a menu” she spun as if doing an about face and was headed the other direction as Jared called after her “Black and add another shot.” The Eastridge sat across the street from the Bank. He thought back to the “Need to know” comment when he had asked about the case last trip. Weird trip it was. Second seat deliver a pelican case to a bank and not know what was in it. Weird yes, but orders were followed.
Summer arrived with a steaming cup and said she would be right back to take his order. He liked her. Instantly, she is a happy one he thought, watching her move to great the new arrivals and seat them. Young maybe newly married Wyoming plates on the Jeep.
Vanilla Bean for her and a Irish Cream for him. Coffee should be black and stiff he thought. Bouncing to the kitchen Summer half waved and winked an I will be there next look at him…
As Summer turned the corner to the kitchen Sara and Paris were there chatting. Paris took over the coffee and Sarah started David and Ruth’s order. Most days the same, eggs bacon hashbrowns and toast. Now and then he would change up to get the omelet with a sly grin. Then they would have a coffee or two and David would tell stories about Destiny for an hour or so before Ruth chased the two of them off to the Dry Cleaners. David Skeels, the historian, would also wander back a few times through the day for a coffee and another story. He had the “unofficial” actual historic record of this town etched into his brain. David did the black too. Straight up coffee none of that foo foo stuff. And it was cheaper too, one could spend a fortune he was telling Jared as Summer returned. “Hush Dave” she giggled. Jared laughed and did order the big Biscuit – sausage and two eggs over easy on the side. Dave returned to his table as another one served their food. Young school age he thought. Slender, medium height black girl with a HUGE smile. He just caught Ruth saying “No thank you Paris.” as she had asked if they needed anything else. She turned asking if he would like anything and grinned from ear to ear when Jared said “Yes Paris I will have another coffee”.
Paris liked helping before school. An hour here and there helped out the family budget for sure. Sarah, Paris and Summer pretty much ran the place. Back in the kitchen Paris took over the cooking and told her mother “The window wants more coffee.”
Summer made another, black one extra shot and Sarah grabbing her laptop to go “work” said she would deliver it.
She stopped, Jolted into a rush of feelings when she saw who the window was. Laptop in the armpit, hot coffee in the other hand, she tried to brush her hair back and failed. The flush was hot. And fast. No other choice but to go to his table now. He laughed at the red face as she approached, it was real obvious. “You work here too?” Setting the coffee down, she did get the hair brushed back and placed one hand on her hip, laptop still in the armpit and looked down over the top of her glasses and said “No… I Own it !”.
The Big One
Sarah slid the laptop onto the table as Jared motioned toward the empty chair beside him.
She glanced toward the kitchen, then back at him. Summer had breakfast well under control, and for once, nothing seemed to need Sarah’s immediate attention.
“Well, I suppose the boss can take a coffee break.” She slid into the seat next to him. They both had a view of the room. David and Ruth were about finished, and the young couple were lost in their own conversation.
Jared chuckled. “I hear she’s pretty demanding.”
“Oh, you have no idea.”
After a momentary pause that Sarah caught but Jared missed, Summer set his plate in front of him with the air of a woman whose judgment had just been proven right. “The Big One,” she announced. “Told you.”
“You did.” Jared studied the plate. The biscuit, buried beneath a generous pour of country gravy, certainly lived up to its name.
“She recommended the big one,” Sarah said, fingers resting on the keys without typing.
“She did.”
Sarah looked up at her. “Summer recommends the big one to everybody.”
He cut into the biscuit, took his first bite, and closed his eyes for half a second. If Sarah had been looking for a reaction, Lord help him, he’d just handed her one. The smile that followed melted her. That little pitter-patter in her chest shifted into high gear.
“Well, she is so right,” he said, opening his eyes and laughing when he found both women watching him. Summer smiled, gave Sarah a wink, and disappeared back into the kitchen.
Sarah laughed before she could stop herself, then covered it by finally typing something—three keys, maybe four. A woman terribly busy with a laptop she hadn’t looked at in a full minute.
“So the laptop’s camouflage,” he said.
“The laptop is work.”
“At my table.”
“It’s my table. They’re all my tables.” She turned the screen slightly away from him. “The pub’s been mine for years. This place is the new one. I do the books where I sit, stranger, and this morning I’m sitting here.” She brushed her hair back over her right ear. “A girl has to protect her investment.”
“Is that what this is? An investment review?” Jared raised his coffee cup, glancing over Sarah’s shoulder as David waved and Ruth hurried him out the door.
“Feeling out the clientele.”
Feeling out. For ten years Jared had lived by a system, and the system worked: the truck, the job, a home in the back when he opened it up. No roots to pull up, no doors in walls he planned to drive away from. And here was a woman sitting beside him with a laptop she wasn’t using and eyes the color of trouble, asking questions as though she already knew which ones he wouldn’t answer.
Sarah had a list, and it was shorter than her father’s ever was. Run the pub. Run this place. Raise the kids right. Do not—do not—act sixteen over a man whose whole résumé so far was a good bourbon, his back to a wall, and one foot already out the door. But he’d taken Summer’s recommendation without an argument, and now he was sitting here, smiling at her. What flirting?
“You check every room you walk into,” she said. It wasn’t a question, so he didn’t answer it like one.
“You notice everybody who walks into yours.”
“That’s my job.” He nodded at the laptop. “Yours just comes with a screen.”
“And yours comes with aviators and a wall at your back.” She shut the laptop — slowly, like it cost her something — and folded her hands where it had been.
It should have ended there. A joke, a plate cleared, a guest on his way. Instead, Jared turned his coffee cup a quarter turn and started telling her things—a little more than he’d planned. The Air Force. The kind of work that sent him places and didn’t let him talk about them. How a man got used to that until not talking became part of who he was.
His ex came up the way old weather does—a decade back, final, no storm in it anymore. “We wanted different maps,” he said with a shrug. “Hers had a house on it.” He took his time with the last of the biscuit, chasing the final bit of gravy around his plate.
And the trips. Those surprised her more than the rest. A few weeks at a time, when the job let go of him, he’d point the truck toward somewhere with no name on it and unwind. Home was right there in the back, wherever he wanted to go, with nobody expecting him anywhere. “It’s not running,” he said, as if she’d accused him. “It’s the only quiet I know.”
“You didn’t have to tell me any of that,” Sarah said.
“Yeah,” Jared said. “I know.”
So Sarah paid him back in kind. The kids—Paris and Nolan, their names spoken with pride—and the rest of it the way a mother talks at a breakfast table, quick and warm and already moving on. Her ex got one sentence, and she waved it off before she’d finished. Some doors a woman closes don’t need explaining to a man she met last night, and Jared, to his credit, didn’t knock.
She talked about the pub longer. Her dad’s place before it was hers—his lists, his rules, prime beef and sweets made with love. How he’d passed and left it all to her: the building and the responsibility of living up to what he’d built. And how the good years, when they finally came, were good enough that she got ideas. The Eastridge, old and tired and exactly the B&B she’d pictured since she was a girl bussing tables. “Berny, over at the bank, helped me make the numbers stand up,” she said. “Woman doesn’t hand you a dream. She hands you a payment book and believes you’ll fill it.”
“And you did.”
“I’m doing it.” She smiled then, the real one. “There’s a difference, Colonel.”
The clock over the counter pulled them back to the morning. Jared glanced at it, and something in his expression shifted. Sarah recognized the look: the same quiet withdrawal she’d noticed the night before.
“I’ve got a meeting,” he said. “Over at the bank, matter of fact.” He stood, left cash on the table—more than enough for the tab—and picked up his aviators. But before he walked away, he stopped. A man who’d told her more than he’d meant to, wondering now if he’d meant to after all.
He hesitated.
“See you later?”
Sarah answered lightly, as though she hadn’t been hoping for that question all morning.
“Well, stranger, there’s still half a bottle of whiskey down at the pub.”
After Breakfast
Sarah sat watching through the window as Jared crossed the street toward The C-Store. She followed him with her eyes until he reached the door, pulled it open, and disappeared inside.
She leaned back in her chair, stretched both arms above her head, and let out a long yawn.
Her coffee was getting cold.
Across the street, movement caught her attention.
Hedy and Phloyd were walking along the boardwalk toward First Bank of Destiny. Berny was standing outside the bank’s front door, and Sarah watched as the three greeted one another.
Hedy gave Berny a hug while Phloyd stood beside them, apparently contributing something to the conversation that made both women laugh.
Sarah smiled to herself.
Just another morning in Destiny.
Except it wasn’t.
Her eyes drifted back toward The C-Store.
Jared Christofferson was leaving town tomorrow, and she was already wondering when she’d see him again.
A few moments later, the door to The C-Store opened, and Jared stepped out onto the boardwalk.
Sarah watched him pause, glance down the street, and then turn toward the bank.
Berny spotted him approaching and raised a hand in greeting. Jared smiled and walked over to join the three of them.
From her seat by the window, Sarah couldn’t hear a word they were saying, but she could follow the conversation well enough.
Berny greeted Jared like an old acquaintance, stepping forward to shake his hand. Then she turned toward Hedy and Phloyd and began making the introductions.
Hedy shook Jared’s hand first, smiling as Berny spoke. Phloyd followed, exchanging a firm handshake with the lieutenant colonel.
Sarah watched the four of them standing on the boardwalk, talking and occasionally laughing. Berny seemed to be doing most of the talking, which didn’t surprise Sarah in the least.
That woman could introduce two fence posts and have them discussing the weather.
Jared said something that made Hedy laugh, and Phloyd nodded along before adding a comment of his own.
Sarah found herself smiling.
There was something about watching Jared fit so easily into the little town she’d called home for years.
After another minute, Berny reached for the bank door and held it open.
Hedy stepped inside, followed by Phloyd. Jared waited for Berny to enter, then followed her into the bank.
The door swung shut behind them.
Sarah sat looking across the street for another moment.
She knew Berny, Hedy, and Phloyd well enough. Whatever business had brought Jared to Destiny apparently involved all three of them.
And now she was even more curious.
She glanced down at her laptop, still open on the table, and gave a little sigh.
There was work to do.
Unfortunately, there was also a certain lieutenant colonel who was proving to be a considerable distraction.
As Sarah turned into the kitchen, she was greeted by a loud, “MOM!”
She stopped dead in her tracks.
“Who is that?”
Paris stood in front of her, hands on her hips, with Summer just behind her. Both wore nearly identical expressions—the kind that said you’ve got a whole lot of explaining to do.
Sarah looked from her daughter to Summer.
“What?”
“Don’t what me, Mom!” Paris said, pointing toward the dining room. “Who is he?”
Summer folded her arms and leaned against the counter, grinning.
“Oh, this ought to be good.”
Sarah rolled her eyes and tried to step around them.
“He’s a guest.”
“A guest?” Paris repeated.
“Yes, Paris. A guest. You know, those people who pay us money to sleep upstairs and eat breakfast?”
Summer laughed.
Paris wasn’t buying it.
“Mom. I’ve seen you talk to guests before. You don’t turn that shade of red bringing them coffee.”
Sarah felt the heat creeping back into her cheeks.
Summer pointed at her.
“See! She’s doing it again!”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake!” Sarah threw up her hands. “His name is Jared. He’s in town on business. That’s all.”
Paris glanced at Summer.
Summer glanced at Paris.
Then both looked back at Sarah.
“Jared,” Paris repeated slowly, a mischievous smile spreading across her face.
Sarah sighed.
This was going to be a very long morning.
Sarah looked at the two of them and shook her head.
“Oh, for crying out loud. He stopped at the Steak & Pub last night. Had a steak, a couple of bourbons, and we talked for a while. That’s all.”
Paris raised an eyebrow.
“Talked?”
“Yes, talked. People do that, Paris.”
Summer leaned against the counter. “And?”
“And what?”
“Sarah.”
Sarah sighed, knowing perfectly well neither of them was going to let this go.
“We had a nice conversation. He’s in the Air Force, here on business. He’s divorced, and apparently, he’s married to his job.” She paused. “Or at least that’s what his ex-wife thought.”
Paris tilted her head. “And you liked him.”
Sarah opened her mouth to object, then closed it again.
“Well… yes. He’s nice. He’s funny. He’s easy to talk to.”
Summer grinned. “And handsome?”
Sarah gave her a look.
“Oh, come on, Sarah. We have windows.”
All three laughed.
Sarah pulled out a chair and sat down.
“Okay, fine. He’s handsome. Very handsome. Happy?”
“Extremely,” Paris replied.
Sarah shook her head, smiling despite herself.
“And then this morning…” She stopped and covered her face with both hands.
Summer straightened up. “Oh, there’s more!”
“Oh, God, yes. I was sitting with my laptop, minding my own business, when you made coffee. I offered to take it out.” Summer nodded.
“Well, I had the laptop tucked under my arm and the coffee in my hand. I turned, and there he was. Sitting at the table.”
Paris leaned forward.
“And?”
“And my brain apparently decided to take the rest of the morning off!”
Summer burst out laughing.
“I got all flustered. My face went hot, my heart started doing this ridiculous little pitter-patter thing, and I tried to brush my hair back with a hand that was already occupied.”
Paris was laughing so hard she had to grab the counter.
“Oh, Mom!”
“It gets worse!” Sarah said, laughing with them now. “I finally made it to his table, bright red, and he looked up at me and asked, ‘You work here too?’”
Summer put a hand over her mouth.
Sarah continued, imitating her own indignant expression.
“So I put one hand on my hip, looked down at him, and said, ‘No… I own it!’”
Paris doubled over. That did it.
All three women broke into laughter, Sarah laughing hardest of all.
When they finally settled down, Sarah wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.
Then her smile softened.
“But seriously,” she said, looking down at her hands, “I don’t know what happened. I saw him sitting there, and suddenly I was sixteen again. Butterflies, pitter-patter, the whole ridiculous thing.”
Paris and Summer exchanged a glance. Neither had a smart remark ready.
Sarah looked up at them.
“What?”
Paris smiled.
“Nothing, Mom.”
Summer’s grin returned.
“Oh, it’s definitely something.”
Sarah rolled her eyes.
“Would you two please find something useful to do?”
“Sure, Mom. Just as soon as you tell us when Jared’s coming back,” Paris said.
Sarah picked up a dish towel and threw it at her daughter. And the kitchen erupted in laughter all over again.
By three that afternoon, Paris was in the kitchen at the Steak & Pub, tying on her apron.
There were no classes that day. Teacher in-service. Which meant a free afternoon, and since she worked part-time in the kitchen anyway, she might as well make a few bucks.
Jayden Marez was already at the prep counter, slicing vegetables for the evening dinner crowd.
“Hey, chica! Thought you had school today.”
“Teacher in-service.”
“Ahhh. So they let the inmates out for the day.”
“Something like that.”
Paris washed her hands, grabbed a cutting board, and started helping with the prep.
For a few minutes, they worked in comfortable silence. Paris liked working with Jayden. He treated her like someone who belonged in the kitchen, not just the boss’s teenage daughter.
Then she started giggling.
Jayden glanced over.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Uh-huh.”
Another giggle.
Jayden set his knife down.
“All right. Spill it.”
Paris turned toward him with a grin.
“My mom has a boyfriend.”
Jayden stared at her.
“Your mom has a WHAT?”
“Well, not exactly a boyfriend. Yet.”
“Yet?”
Paris nodded enthusiastically.
“Oh, Jayden, you should have seen her this morning!”
He leaned against the counter, folding his arms.
“This I gotta hear.”
“So there’s this guy staying at the Eastridge. Jared. Air Force lieutenant colonel.”
Jayden thought for a moment.
“Wait. Tall guy? Military haircut?”
“That’s him!”
“He had a steak last night. Seemed like a decent guy.”
“Well, apparently, Mom thinks so too.”
Jayden raised an eyebrow.
“Go on.”
Paris could barely contain herself.
“So this morning, he’s sitting by the window at the Eastridge, and Mom doesn’t realize he’s there. He orders another coffee and Summer makes it, then Mom offers to take it over.”
“Okay…”
“She turns around, sees him sitting there, and completely loses her mind!”
Jayden laughed.
“What do you mean, loses her mind?”
“Her face turns bright red! She gets all flustered, tries to fix her hair while carrying a laptop and a cup of coffee, and practically forgets how to walk!”
Jayden burst out laughing.
“Sarah? Your mother Sarah?”
“YES!”
“No way!”
“And it gets better!”
Paris leaned against the counter, laughing so hard she had to stop for a moment.
“So she finally gets to his table, and he asks her, ‘You work here too?'”
Jayden grinned.
“So Mom puts her hand on her hip and says, ‘No… I own it!’”
Jayden shook his head, laughing. Paris laughed right along with him.
“And then Mom admitted it!”
“Admitted what?”
“She got butterflies! Said her heart was doing this little pitter-patter thing, and she felt like she was sixteen again!”
Jayden stopped laughing for a moment.
He looked at Paris, then smiled.
“Well, I’ll be damned.”
“What?”
“Nothing, chica.” He picked up his knife and went back to chopping vegetables. “Your mom deserves somebody who makes her feel like that.” He paused. “I saw it too, last night. He was out front, had a cigar, and she took two drinks and sat out there for a while.”
Paris’s grin softened a little.
“Yeah. She does.”
Jayden glanced at her.
“Just don’t go marrying her off before the guy gets his second cup of coffee.”
Paris snorted.
“Too late. Summer and I already have questions.”
“Of course you do.”
“And he’s leaving tomorrow.”
Jayden shook his head.
“Well, then, Chica, maybe you better let your mom handle this one.”
Paris picked up her knife and returned to the vegetables.
“Yeah, probably.”
Three seconds passed.
“Jayden?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you think he’ll come back?”
Jayden sighed dramatically.
“Lord help that man. He’s got three women planning his future, and he doesn’t even know it.”
Paris dissolved into laughter again.
From her little office at the Steak & Pub, Sarah could hear laughter coming from the kitchen.
Paris again. Sarah smiled and shook her head. She could hear bits and pieces of the story as it went on and on.
Then she heard the front door open.
Sarah leaned back in her office chair to see who had come in, tipping it onto its back legs.
And nearly went over backward.
Jared.
“Oh, my God!”
She grabbed the edge of her desk, catching herself just before the chair went out from under her.
Her heart did that ridiculous little pitter-patter thing again.
Oh, for crying out loud, Sarah. Get a grip!
She scrambled out of the chair, straightened her blouse, ran a hand through her hair, and hurried out of the office.
Jared was standing just inside the entrance, looking around the dining room.
“Jared!” He turned toward her voice, and a smile spread across his face.
“Well, hello again.”
Sarah crossed the room, trying very hard to look like a woman casually greeting a customer rather than one who had just nearly fallen out of her chair at the sight of him.
“I didn’t expect to see you again so soon!”
Jared chuckled.
“Well, I figured I ought to get another one of those steaks before I go.”
Sarah smiled.
“That’s a pretty good excuse.”
“I thought so.”
For a moment, they just stood there smiling at each other.
Then Sarah remembered she owned a restaurant.
“Well! Come on in. You can sit wherever you like.”
From the kitchen came another burst of laughter.
Sarah glanced toward the swinging doors.
They were both there, and had seen it all again.
Jared went to the other side of the room this time, to the table near the fireplace. From the chair he chose, he had his back to the wall, the fireplace to his left, and a clear view of the parking lot and front door to his right. The kitchen was behind the swinging doors.
Sarah followed, her brain going a hundred miles an hour as she watched him sit. He had picked her table. More than that, he had taken her usual chair—the one with its back to the wall.
He had claimed the prime spot, settling in as though he expected a long evening, and the thought made her smile.
“What?” she asked.
“Nothing. Just thinking about that half bottle you said you owed me.”
“Make you a deal. Start the fire, and I’ll get us both a drink.”
By The Firelight
Sarah returned from the bar with two glasses of whiskey, the amber liquid catching a flicker from the fireplace as she approached the table. She had been watching. Paris peeked out once and went back to report to Jayden. Pitter Patter… He moved with purpose; with skill, he knew how to build a fire. She had a quick daydream as he worked. She was out with him in the mountains. In the back of his truck while he made camp…
The first flames were beginning to grow and dance.
She set one glass in front of him, then pulled out the chair beside his and sat down, her back also against the wall.
She took a sip of her whiskey, glanced around the room, and then turned toward him with a little smile.
“You know, this is my spot. I hang out right here, but…”
She paused, turning fully toward him.
“…you took my seat.”
She said those last four words slowly, looking directly into his eyes.
Jared looked at her, then down at the chair beneath him.
A grin began spreading across his face.
“Well, now. I suppose that explains why this seemed like the best seat in the house.”
Sarah smiled, holding his gaze for another moment.
“For now, Stranger, you may stay there.”
She took another sip of her whiskey, the mischievous smile still playing at the corners of her mouth.
Jared chuckled.
“Well, I appreciate the hospitality, ma’am.” He tipped an imaginary hat at her, a playful grin spreading across his face.
An older couple pulled into the parking lot, and Sarah and Jared watched as they climbed out of their van and made their way up onto the porch.
The man stopped near the railing, pulling out his camera to take pictures of the valley below. His wife stood beside him, pointing toward the mountains as he took another shot. The shadow had begun creeping that way. The Divide did that. Sunset came before the golden hour around Destiny.
Sarah smiled. “Tourists. Gotta love ’em.”
As the couple turned toward the entrance, Sarah set down her whiskey and stood.
“Duty calls.”
Jared smiled as he watched her walk away to greet them.
He leaned back in his chair, taking another sip of whiskey. She is gorgeous. I came to Destiny on a classified military assignment and discovered something considerably more dangerous.
That brought his thoughts back to the meeting at the bank. There was a lot to think about.
Things he had learned. Things he could never speak of. And then the offer they had made.
That Hedy lady was one tough cookie. Smart, direct, and clearly not someone who appreciated having her time wasted. And Berny was clearly not just the banker lady… They were a team and moved as if they knew what the other was doing. She left them to it after the chit-chat, but she was in on it; he was sure of that. That conference room was unreal, too. He assumed it could have been recorded. But there was no way anyone outside that room heard a thing. He even had the idea the bank itself was maybe a part of the mission.
And Phloyd. Good Lord, that man was something else.
Obviously a genius. Equally obviously a goofball. Jared wasn’t entirely sure which side of him was more dangerous. Both were impressive.
At least he’d finally gotten an answer about the damn Pelican case he’d delivered on his first visit to Destiny.
Communications equipment. That was the simple explanation. The technical details had gone mostly over his head, but he understood enough to know it was part of the overall plotline.
And now they wanted him involved. A job offer. A possible change in assignment. And a handful of people he found he genuinely liked. There was a lot to mull over, for sure.
He glanced across the dining room.
Sarah was greeting the older couple, smiling and chatting as she showed them to a table.
He watched her for a moment. Couldn’t help it. Focus, front and center.
But tonight…
A steak and Sarah. That was all he wanted to think about.
Jared watched her move gracefully around the dining room, greeting guests as they arrived, stopping at tables, exchanging a few words here and a laugh there. She seemed to know half the people who came through the door, and the other half were treated as though she did.
Paris moved in and out of the kitchen, carrying plates, clearing tables, and helping wherever she was needed. Every now and then, she glanced toward the fireplace, where Jared sat watching her mother.
Jayden emerged from the kitchen to check the salad bar, rearranging a few things, replacing a bowl, and wiping down the counter before disappearing back through the swinging doors.
Jared watched the whole operation unfold.
There was a rhythm to the place. Nobody seemed to be rushing, but nobody was standing around either. Sarah moved between it all effortlessly, directing things with a word here, a nod there, and occasionally nothing more than a look.
He recognized that kind of leadership.
And he liked watching her do it.
A few minutes later, Sarah appeared beside his chair. She placed a fresh Blanton’s Single Barrel in front of him, then settled into the chair beside him.
She leaned back, looked at his glass, then at him.
A mischievous smile spread across her face.
“Are we opening another bottle?”
Jared looked down at the fresh bourbon, then back at her.
“Well, I was under the impression you were trying to sell the stuff.”
Sarah laughed.
“Oh, I am, Stranger. Believe me, I am. But I also happen to know the owner.”
Jared grinned. “Now, that’s a mighty convenient acquaintance to have.”
Sarah settled deeper into her chair and stretched her legs toward the warmth of the fireplace.
“The perks of management.”
Jared chuckled, looking into the flames.
“I could get used to this.”
Sarah turned her head toward him.
“Careful, Stranger.”
He looked over.
“Why’s that?”
She smiled over the rim of her glass.
“That’s how it starts.”
There was a lull in the dinner rush. The dining room had settled into the comfortable murmur of conversation, silverware against plates, and the occasional laughter drifting from one table to another.
Jared sat back in his chair, enjoying the fire and his bourbon. Sarah was near the front entrance, talking with a couple who had just arrived.
The kitchen doors swung open, and Paris emerged carrying a plate of food.
She glanced toward her mother, then toward Jared.
A little smile crossed her face.
She walked over to the fireplace.
“Mind if I sit here, Stranger?”
Jared looked up at her, then at the empty chair where Sarah had been sitting.
“Well, now, I suppose that depends. Am I going to get in trouble for letting you sit in your mother’s spot?”
Paris laughed.
“Oh, probably.”
Jared grinned and gestured toward the chair.
“Then by all means, have a seat.”
Paris slid into the chair, balancing her plate as she settled in.
For a moment, she concentrated on her food. Jared took another sip of bourbon.
“So,” Paris began, looking sideways at him.
Jared turned toward her.
“So?”
She studied him for a moment, a mischievous little grin forming.
“You’re the guy.”
Jared raised an eyebrow.
“The guy?”
“Yep.”
He looked toward Sarah, still occupied at the front door, then back at Paris.
“I’m almost afraid to ask.”
Paris took another bite, chewed thoughtfully, and swallowed.
“The guy who made my mom forget how to carry a cup of coffee.”
Jared burst out laughing.
“Oh, Lord.”
Paris grinned.
“She came into the kitchen yesterday looking like she’d just run up the mountain. Summer and I couldn’t get a straight answer out of her.”
Jared shook his head, still chuckling.
“Well, for the record, I didn’t do anything.”
“That’s what makes it so funny.”
She speared another piece of broccoli from her plate.
“Mom doesn’t get flustered. Ever. She runs this place, the B&B, keeps everybody in line, and somehow still manages to know what’s going on all over town.”
Paris glanced toward the entrance. “But yesterday? She was completely rattled.”
Jared followed her gaze.
Sarah was laughing at something one of the guests had said, one hand resting lightly on the back of a chair.
He smiled.
“Your mom seems like a pretty remarkable lady.”
Paris looked back at him.
For just a moment, the teasing expression softened.
“She is.”
Then that mischievous grin returned.
“So, Stranger…”
Jared sighed theatrically.
“Here it comes.”
Paris leaned back in her mother’s chair.
“How long are you staying in Destiny?”
Jared nearly laughed at the question.
For one brief, ridiculous moment, he’d thought she was working her way up to asking if he was going to be her new dad.
Good Lord. That would be a little premature.
He glanced toward Sarah, still busy near the front of the restaurant, then back at Paris.
“Well, unfortunately, I’ve got to leave in the morning. Duty calls, you know. But—”
“You’re coming back, right?”
Jared blinked at the interruption.
“Well, I certainly hope to—”
“Nope.” Paris pointed her fork at him. “That’s not an answer.”
Jared chuckled.
“Apparently not.”
“You have to promise.”
He looked at the young woman sitting beside him, her expression suddenly much more serious than it had been a moment earlier.
There was something rather touching about it.
“All right, Paris. I promise.”
Her face lit up.
“Good!”
She scooped up her plate, bounced out of the chair, and headed toward the kitchen.
“See ya, Stranger!”
Jared watched her disappear through the swinging doors.
“Well, I’ll be damned.”
He was still smiling when Sarah returned.
She stopped beside the table, looking from the empty chair to the kitchen doors, then down at Jared.
“All right. What did she want?”
Jared looked up innocently.
“Who?”
Sarah put a hand on her hip.
“Don’t you start. My daughter. The one who just spent her entire break sitting right here.”
“Oh, we just had a little conversation.”
“About?”
“This and that.”
“Jared.”
He laughed.
Sarah pulled out her chair and sat down.
She’d seen Paris approach him and had deliberately stayed away. In fact, she’d slipped into the kitchen to help Jayden, who hadn’t needed any help whatsoever. It had been a convenient excuse to disappear and let whatever was happening by the fireplace play itself out.
Now she wanted details.
“What did she ask you?”
Jared grinned.
“About fifty questions, apparently. Must run in the family.”
Sarah narrowed her eyes.
“Funny.”
“She seems like a good kid.”
“She is. Now, what did she say?”
Jared took a sip of bourbon.
“She made me promise I’d come back.”
Sarah’s expression changed.
Just a little.
“She did?”
“Wouldn’t take anything else for an answer.”
Sarah looked toward the kitchen doors, a small smile forming.
“That girl.”
Then she turned back to him.
“And did you?”
“Did I what?”
“Promise?”
Jared met her eyes.
“Yes, ma’am. I did.”
Sarah smiled and settled back in her chair.
The restaurant had quieted considerably. Nobody had come through the door for the better part of half an hour, and the dinner crowd was thinning out. Jayden had things under control in the kitchen, Paris was finishing up, and for the first time all evening, Sarah could simply sit.
She stretched her legs toward the fireplace and sighed contentedly.
Then she looked at Jared.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake.”
“What?”
“Are you ready to order?”
Jared laughed.
He’d been sitting beside that fire for a couple of hours now, watching her work the room, drinking bourbon, and enjoying himself so thoroughly that he hadn’t given supper much thought.
He looked at her with a grin.
“Dinner for two?”
Sarah stood, smiling.
“I got ya.”
She headed toward the kitchen.
Jared watched her go, lost in the image.
Jayden brought out the feast himself.
Two beautiful steaks, potatoes, and all the fixings, enough food to make Jared wonder if Sarah had ordered dinner or arranged a small banquet.
“Here we go, folks!”
He set the plates down and pulled up a chair.
“Figured I’d come see what all the excitement was about.”
Sarah rolled her eyes.
“Don’t you have a kitchen to run?”
“Kitchen’s running just fine, Chica.”
He grinned at Jared.
“Besides, I gotta meet the guy that’s got everybody around here acting funny.”
Sarah pointed her fork at him.
“Jayden.”
“What?”
“Behave.”
“I am behaving!”
Paris appeared a moment later with her fourth Coke of the evening, carrying it like a trophy. She pulled out the chair across from her mother and sat down wearing an ear-to-ear grin.
Sarah looked at the glass.
“Paris. Seriously?”
“What? I only had a few.”
“I know how many.”
“Then why’d you ask?”
Jayden burst out laughing.
Jared just shook his head.
Dinner became an easy, lively affair. Jayden told stories about the kitchen, Paris contributed considerably more information than her mother probably wanted to share, and Sarah occasionally threatened to fire both of them.
Neither seemed particularly concerned.
Jared found himself laughing more than he had in a very long time.
There was something wonderful about the whole thing. The teasing, the comfortable familiarity, the way they all treated one another like family.
Nobody was trying to impress anybody.
It was simply supper around the fireplace.
And somehow, he’d been included.
Two hours later, the last guests had departed, the dining room was empty, and the fire had settled into a bed of glowing coals.
Sarah started to rise.
“Well, I suppose I’d better help get everything closed up.”
Jayden looked at her.
“Oh, no, you don’t.”
She stopped.
“Excuse me?”
“Go home.”
Sarah laughed.
“Jayden, I can—”
“Chica, I know how to close this place. I think I can manage without you standing over my shoulder.”
“I do not stand over your shoulder.”
Paris coughed.
Jayden looked at her.
“See? Even the kid knows.”
Sarah folded her arms. Jayden waved a hand toward the door.
“Go on. Take the kid. Take the Stranger. Go home. I’ve got this.”
Jared chuckled.
Take the kid. Take the Stranger. Go home.
The words amused him.
And yet, strangely, they were comfortable.
As though he belonged somewhere in that little group.
Sarah finally surrendered.
“All right, all right. Thank you, Jayden.”
“Yeah, yeah. See you tomorrow.”
Paris gathered her things, and Jared followed Sarah toward the door.
Outside, the mountain air had grown cold. The last of the light had long since disappeared beyond the Divide, and Destiny was settling into another quiet night.
Back at the Eastridge, Paris excused herself almost immediately.
“I’ve got homework.”
Sarah raised an eyebrow.
“Imagine that.”
Paris grinned at Jared.
“Good night, Stranger.”
“Good night, Paris.”
She headed off, leaving the two of them alone.
Sarah looked toward the sitting room.
“Want to sit for a while?”
“I’d like that.”
They settled onto the couch.
The conversation came easily. They talked about Destiny, the mountains, the restaurant, Paris, and the odd little turns life sometimes took.
Jared told her a few things about his travels, some of his military life, and the places he’d been. Nothing he couldn’t share. Sarah told him about raising her children, keeping two businesses running, and the sometimes ridiculous business of living in a small mountain town where everybody knew everybody else’s business.
There were long stretches of laughter.
And quieter moments.
At some point, Sarah moved a little closer.
Jared put his arm around her.
Neither made much of it.
They simply sat together, talking softly as the night passed.
The conversation eventually faded, but neither seemed inclined to move.
Jared never went to his room.
By five in the morning, he was preparing to leave. She watched him dress from her bed.
His things were packed, his truck was waiting outside, and the eastern sky was only beginning to show the faintest suggestion of morning.
Sarah stood with him near the door. His to go coffee steaming.
Neither seemed particularly eager for the moment to end.
“Well, Stranger,” she said softly, “I suppose this is where you ride off into the sunrise.”
Jared smiled.
“Something like that.”
She looked up at him.
“You made my daughter a promise.”
“I did.”
Sarah’s eyes held his.
“And?”
Jared reached out, gently taking her chin between his fingers.
He leaned toward her and kissed her softly.
For a moment, neither moved away.
Then he looked into her eyes.
“I will be back.”