Sitting down beside him, Peyton wrapped her hands around his and smiled. “Ryder, sometimes people speak without thinking. And trust me when I say that it happens in this family more often than not. Don’t let it bother you. The two of you have been friends for a long time and I’m sure he feels bad about the whole thing.” Pausing, she gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “Besides, the two of you are going to be working together for a good long while.” Straightening, her smile grew. “Did he say when we can see the plans for everything?”
For the first time ever, business was the last thing Ryder wanted to talk about. He was simply enjoying her company and didn’t want to get into all the stuff he and Austin discussed about the plans. It made him feel good just talking about her. “He’s tweaking some things, so…sometime next week,” he said vaguely. Right now, he needed a distraction. So he turned the conversation toward food and knew immediately it was the right thing to do.
“So this meatloaf,” he said. “Is this something you offer at the café?”
“It is!” Standing, she walked over to the stove to stir the pasta. “You want to know something funny?”
“Absolutely.”
“As much as I am looking forward to my restaurant and having it be more upscale than the café, there’s a part of me that…” She stopped and shook her head. “It’s stupid.”
If there was one thing he was learning about Peyton, it was that she had a lot of genuinely great ideas but lacked the confidence in herself to express them. But when she did, he was always blown away. So he stood and walked over to her and gently turned her to face him. “Tell me.”
He felt her relax under his grasp. “I kind of love the idea of a retro diner–a little like the place across from the motel we stayed at on our way to Denver. I’d love to have a total comfort food menu, a jukebox, and lots of stainless steel with red accents.”
“That does sound interesting.”
“I think about that motel we stayed at and the diner and…I don’t know…how cool would something like that be? Bright colors and family-friendly…a place that says fun and comfort.” Then she shook her head. “I don’t think it will happen here in Magnolia though.”
“Why not?”
The look she gave him was part frustration and part sadness. “Ryder, come on. Where the diner is concerned, I couldn’t even get it together to purchase the property I wanted for my restaurant and missed out.”
“You didn’t…”
“You know what I’m saying!” she stated with a huff and stepped out of his grasp. “And you’ve looked around town so you know there isn’t any more vacant land that would work for a diner.” He was about to interrupt again, but she beat him to it. “And none of the existing buildings would work and I don’t want to demo something so…it won’t work here so just…don’t, okay?”
He nodded.
“Magnolia could use another hotel that’s more budget friendly than what you’re planning for the resort, but…I don’t think it will happen. I guess there’s something to be said for a little less tourist traffic, right?”
There wasn’t anything he could say, so he simply sat back down and sipped his wine and watched her cook.
But his mind was already working on ways to make her dream a reality.
Whether she believed in it or not.
10
It was a lovely Thursday morning and Peyton was having a meeting with her staff to discuss the changes that always came with the end of the summer season. Labor Day was two weeks ago and with the lack of tourists, it meant less business and shorter hours at the café. It was part of her job that she hated–letting the seasonal help go–but it couldn’t be helped. It had been a spectacular summer–one of the best in the café’s history–and she wished it could go on like that year-round. Sadly, that was out of her control.
The summer was also spectacular on a personal front. She and Ryder were still going strong, and it was the happiest she’d ever been in her life. After almost three months together, Peyton knew for certain that she was in love.
She just wished Ryder felt the same and would say it first.
Honestly, she truly believed they were on the same page, but…neither said it.
Maybe I have to be the brave one to say it first…
Yeah. Maybe.
He’d been so busy lately that by the time they did have time alone together, she didn’t want to do anything to rock the boat. They had broken ground on the resort and apparently this was the first time Ryder had been on hand for a project at this stage. So every day he came home and would tell her about everything going on, and she loved listening to his enthusiasm and plans. Then they’d run into some issues with permits as well as problems with the land itself. Apparently it was a thing because it was the same issue that had stalled her restaurant before they even broke ground there. Ryder assured her they were working on it, but she still hadn’t even seen the plans. Part of her worried that there was more to it than what he was telling her, but she knew he wouldn’t lie to her.
Still…she was starting to consider reaching out to Austin just to confirm what was going on because so much time had passed.
After her meeting, she hugged every member of her staff and was thankful for how gracious they all were. She kept a file on who would like to return in the spring when the season started up again and when she looked at the clock and saw it was almost eleven, she quickly made her way back to the kitchen to see if there was anything she could do to help prep for the lunch crowd. Slipping on an apron, she began prepping chicken for their chicken salad.
Ten minutes later, Dana came looking for her. “Sorry to bother you, Peyton, but there’s someone here asking for you.”
Wiping her hands, she asked, “Who is it?”
“Helen Ashford.” Making a face, Dana nodded toward the dining room. “I put her at a table near the window.”
Helen Ashford? Ryder’s mother? What in the world was she doing here? Panicking, she walked over and quickly washed her hands before pulling her phone out and calling Ryder. It went to voicemail and that freaked her out even more.
“Hey, it’s me,” she said quietly into the phone. “Um…your mom is here in the café and asking for me. I’m not sure why or why you didn’t tell me she was coming in, but…I really wish you picked up the phone. Please call me back as soon as possible. I’m going out to talk to her so…call me back!”
There was no way she could run to her office to check her hair or makeup, so after letting out a long breath, she smiled and walked out to the dining room.
Ryder’s mother reminded her so much of her own mother–so much so that it was almost scary. They shared the same air of sophistication and snobbery that Peyton feared she’d make a fool out of herself.
You can do this…
“Mrs. Ashford,” she said pleasantly as she approached. “I’m Peyton Bishop. How can I help you?”
Ugh…way to sound like a business colleague instead of the woman dating her son…
The woman didn’t rise, she simply smiled as she greeted her. Motioning to the chair beside her, she asked, “Won’t you join me?”